ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review: 25th May, The one where the Drakenami hits.

 We got the Drake album bomb for "Iceman" this week and I am grumpier than even a cat at the vet who is about to have a thermometer shoved up it's anal cavity by the vet, anyway let's get into the top ten because it's not Drake at number one, it's Ella Langley at number one for another week with "Choosing Texas", it was a dominant week on sales, streaming and even on Youtube for this song but the challenge might well come next week from Olivia Rodrigo, we'll have to see. 

It held up comfortably over "Man I Need" by Olivia which held firm at number two, I don't see this going back to number one despite it still being decently strong on streaming but the sales have fallen off a cliff. 

"Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean also held at number three despite it doing better on sales than "Man I Need" but it lost it's advantage on streaming. 

Then we run into a cluster of Drake songs with "National Treasures" at four, "Janice STFU" at five and "Whisper My Name" at six.

The Drake songs pushed "Dracula" by Tame Impala back three spots to number seven and "IloveitIloveitIloveit" by Bella back three to number eight.

Then we have two more Drake songs from "Iceman" to round out the top ten with "Make Them Cry" at number nine and "Dust" at number ten. 

Losers

A good half of the chart lost ground massively so I am going to focus on the songs outside of the top ten that only lost ground in the single figures this week with "Ordinary" by Alex Warren down six to number twelve, "Daisies" by Justin Bieber down nine to sixteen and "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean down seven to seventeen. 

"Homewrecker" by Sombr slipped nine to twenty and maybe in a truly bad sign, our least bad loser was "Earrings" by Malcolm Todd down four to twenty one. 

Then there's "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters down nine to thirteen.

Drop Outs

So this week did see two songs have their time on the chart ended permanently and are off to the on replay singles chart, those being "Stargazing" by Myles Smith and "I Had Some Help" by Morgan Wallen.

As for the rest of these, I am going to group these up:

2025 hits that should have left awhiile ago: "Undressed" by Sombr, "Opalite" by Taylor Swift, "Yukon" by Justin Bieber, 

2026 songs that will likely make the year end: "A Couple Minutes" and "Baby Steps" for Olivia Dean, "I Just Might" and "Risk it All" both by Bruno Mars, 

2026 songs that might return (although in a couple of cases I hope they don't): 'The Great Divide" by Noah Kahan, "Pop Dat Thang" by Dababy, "Pinky Up" by Katseye

Finally...the what the fuck were these songs still doing on the chart: "Manchild" by Sabrina Carpenter, "APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars, "Die with a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars and "Sailor Song" by Gigi Perez, 

Gains

There were no gains this week. 

Re-Entries

The one return was for Drake's "What Did I Miss?" at twenty four.

New Entries

So because we do have an album bomb for 'Iceman" I am going to only cover the five songs from the album that make the top ten so outside of that we have "Ran to Atlanta" with Future and Molly Santana (Future is absolutely useless here) at eleven, "Shabang" at thirteen, "2 Hard 4 The Radio" at fifteen, "Plot Twist" at eighteen, "Make Them Pay" at thirty one, "B's on the Table" feat. 21 Savage (Another useless feature), "Burning Bridges" at thirty eight, " Make Them Know" at forty two and "Make Them Remember" at fotty four.

That leaves us with seven new entries to cover but we aren't going to be starting with Drake because we have...

22. "Hit the Wall" by Gracie Abrams

Alright the lead single from Gracie Abrams new album "Daughter from Hell" out in the middle of July and dear god, this is just a bland nothing of a song that just builds and builds but does nothing with that crescendo or anything imaginative with the words 'hit the wall' and Gracie conveys all the emotion of a fucking Psyduck...Next!

14. "Go" by The Chemical Brothers

My last hope for anyting of good quality before we hit the run of Drake songs is a 2015 song from The Chemical Brothers album "Born in the Echoes", it went viral thanks to a chaotic dance scene in Netflix film "Apex" starring Taron Edgerton and Charlize Theron, TikTok users recreated the dance scene and boom, the latest viral older song is born so how is "Go"? Its actually really damn good, the instrumental sticks in your head and I like the vocals havr some bite and menace about them. Check this out if you are curious.

10. "Dust" by Drake

We begin our laborious exploration of the five pack of Drake songs from Iceman with the second song from the album being first up and it's where Drake is focussed on his longevity in the rap game and taking potshots at Kendrick Lamar and Joe Budden although I do think the shots at Kendrick are really kind of lame, has Drake forgotten that "Not Like Us" was THE song of the summer of 2024 that everyone including the women Drake concern trolls and claims if they are from Atlanta they call him Santa were dancing to "Not Like Us"

Yeah, that production and constant beat switches, this song is not going to stick in my memory much, its forgettable at best. Move on.

9. "Make Them Cry" by Drake

So I actually don't ,mind the album opener, Drake sounds intense and actually sounds reflective when talking about his family members and for once the beat switch sounds better infused or mixed into the song for a change although the usual pot shots at Kendrick Lamar included annd a dig at J Cole for running away from the rap beef in 2024 which is weird coming from Drake of al people for some obvious reasons...

6. "Whisper My Name" by Drake

The protruding theme of ICEMAN comes through so much on this song because this is another track where Drake airs out his grievances with people who sided with Kendrick Lamar during the beef and throwing around threats against people who speak his name too loudly or else they might cop a violent revenge and throwing subliminal shots at J Cole over his failure to participate in the beef and bragging about money being spent on those who presumably stood by him during the beef with Kendrick.

He just will not let shit that happened in 2024 die even though the world has moved on from the beef. The other problem with this song is that considering that Drake is laying out the threats of retribution where's the damn menace in the production? Percussion also sounds way too low here. Not good. 

5. "Janice STFU" by Drake

We get to the song that looks like it might be the song from "Iceman" to stick around long term on the charts and again like the other songs that I have already talked about where Drake is getting aggressive and slamming not only his haters but the industry like the industry has actually failed him when it's been the industry that's helped him be as big as he has been through the 2010s into the 2020s even with the Kendrick Lamar beef and the other times he seems to shoot himself in the foot and just maybe clipping the indistry machine that has helped you to the top isn't the way to do it, Drake!

It also wouldn't be a Drake song where he isn't concern trolling women over a skin crawling repulsive beat with gang vocals that sound straight out of the 2010s. I hope this doesn't stick around...it sucks!

4. "National Treasures" by Drake

Sigh. Another song, anorther round of Drake taking potshots at Kendrick Lamar like the beef hasn't been over for awhile however I do like the basketball references and how cleverly they are woven into the bars and I do like production here with the sample blended well for a change until the beat switch up that dives head first into being incredibly irritating That said...Drake bragging about being untouchable in Toronto sure is interesting...

That's our week and worst of the week is a tie between "Janice STFU" by Drake and "Hit the Wall" by Gracie Abrams. As for the best...The Chemical Brothers run away with that one for "Go". Mext week...the second single from Olivia Rodrigo so get ready for that and the fall out of all of this. 

Pretty Fly (For 1999): 23rd May. Sinner Look At Me Shimmer and have the Time Of Our Lives

So I haven't got much time to be wasted here today so let's skip the preamble and get straight into the top ten where for yet another week, it's "No Scrubs" by TLC at number one thanks to its continued strong margins on sales ahead of "We Like to Party (The Vengabus)" by The Vengaboys at number two.

However we do have a new entry at number three with the debut solo single from former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell called "Look at Me", I'll talk more about the song later, it's here probably mostly due to Spice Girls fans and curiosity factor.

It did help push "Why Don't You Get A Job" by The Offspring back to number four, this song has peaked and should be on the way out soon. 

Former number one "Baby, One More Time" by Britney Spears remained steady at number five, I expect this song's exit to be slow, graceful and steady.

Slipping two spots to number four is "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden while "I Want It That Way" by The Backstreet Boys slipped one off it's debut to number seven.

"Honey to The Bee" by Billie Piper climbed two slots to number eight thanks to some good sales while Monifah's vice like grip on number seven finally crumbled and it fell two to number nine 

The tribute to ABBA by Steps, Tina Cousins, Billie Piper, B*Witched and Cleopatra "Thank ABBA for the Music" jumped into the top ten up one spot to number ten. 

Losers

The big losses are plentiful this week with "Lullaby" by Shawn Mullins bidding adieu to his time on the chart down fourteen to fifty. "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" by Blackstreet slipped twelve to forty nine. 

I am perfectly fine with "Stay the Same" by Joey McIntyre sliding seven to forty seven..the song still sucks, even better is the horrendous cover of "Stand by Me" by 4 the Cause down from twenty eight to forty two. 

Sadly, "Save Tonight" by Eagle Eye Cherry fell ten placs to forty wich is a shame because that song is really good. "Enjoy Yourself" by A+ skidded down from thirty two to thirty nine. 

"This Kiss" by Faith Hill is getting a little cold down eight to thirty five while the public finally appear to be done with "No Matter What" by Boyzone as that collapsed out of the top ten to number twenty three. 

 In the anathema of bad songs taking losses this week joins Dru Hill with "How Deep is Your Love" down from thirteen to twenty one this week...thank goodness!

Gains

So we did have two decent gains this week with the most notable being the rise of "9pm (Til I Come)" by ATB moving up eleven to break into the top twenty at twenty snd Ilanda's "It's Our Time" found a second wind this week up from forty nine to thirty while

of someon

New Entries

Five new entries this week beginning with...

48. "Unforgivable Sinner"  by Lene Marlin

A Norweigan singer-songwriter begins our reviews this week with this being Lene Marlin's first song to hit the ARIA singles chart and I am stunned its even here at all because this song is a harrowing one that centres on the overriding shame and guilt that comrs from causing the death someone close along with the responsibility and regret that they have been saddled with for the rest of their lives and longing for forgiveness that may not ever come...all this is juxtaposed with production that is more acoustic but weirdly upbeat given the sombr and deeply unsettling nature of the content of the song. I like it, hope it sticks around.

45 "Shimmer"  by Fuel

Fuel is another first time entrant to the ARIA singles chart with this song being from the 1998 album "Sunburn" and again this is another song that really dives into emotional turmoil with the production to match this time...this song songs dark from the guitars that don't ever really hit the point of shredding but do their job and drums that keep a steady rhythm as the content dives into the narrator's ideal "perfect" relationship only to realize that that ideal relationship is just a long held illusion that will shimmer and fade away leaving him with nothing but the painful reality that this relationship he is in is nowhere near perfect and in fact he is watching something that was beautiful die in real time.. In short it's another pretty damn good song, check it out. 

32. "Time of Our Lives" by Marcia Hines

First of two Australian new entries this week and a nice change up from the dark subject matter we've been dealing with courtesy of Australian music legend Marcia Hines who brings some good old pop soul and she can sell this in her sleep with those vocals and the production is just bouncy and honestly just radiates the joy of meeting the guy she is done with being friends and wanting to be something more and them reciprocating. Fun song that is definitely a mood lifter. 

14. "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" by Silverchair

Trigger Warning: Discussions of mental health and eating disorders.

Second of the Australian new entries and the second single from Neon Ballroom for Silverchair and wow...this is one hits a real nerve because it's all about Daniel Johns battle with anorexia  which came about as a result of depression and anxiety with the lyrics a pretty confronting image of just how anorexia hit Johns with him admitting he'd eat enough to "stay awake", Ana being the shorthand for anorexia. This just in the content hits hard but it's Daniel himself whose vocal delivery is just raw and devastating, it cuts you to ribbons inside. The drums and guitars all go off and this song just punches so god damn hard, it's worth a listen. 

3. "Look at Me" by Geri Halliwell

So Geri Halliwell has left the Spice Girls and the realm of girl power for a solo career with this being her debut solo single, I will say she was not the strongest vocalist in the group but she does possess a lot of charisma and personality which does help to some degree, I say this because "Look At Me" is not really that good, the song plays for musical theatre that I guess kind of suits Geri to an extent given how her vocals have been produced here however the lyrics and content of the song strike me as odd, she pokes fun at being famous courtesy of being in one of the biggest pop groups of the 90s but she's still famous regardless?

This just doesn't hit in the way that I think those in the Geri Halliwell camp would have been hoping for. Curiosity got this song as high as this...I don't see it sticking around.

It's worst of the week. As for the best...ahh...that's going to "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" by Silverchair but man it was close. 

ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review: 18th May. The one where the new number one is not by an artist named Olivia

 There's no point to me even posting this this week...seriously...there's none...none of this is relevant when we're in the impending death spiral of a triple Drake album bomb (which based on what I am seeing numbers wise, we might get eight or nine cuts from "Iceman" and nothing from "Maid of Honour" or "Habibti"...anyway, that's all next week becausxe it's a bit disrespectful of the fact that we do have a new number one this week whose name is not Olivia with "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley now at the top thanks to margins on sales and streaming that fell this song's way.

 Now this feels historic as "Choosin' Texas" becomes the first country song since the ten minute version of "All Too Well" by Taylor Swift in 2021 but it's probably the first neo traditional country song since Slim Dusty's "Duncan" in 1981 to take the top spot on the Australian all genre singles top 50 chart and says a lot that the appetite for a good country song if it's quality can still do big things on the charts. 

All of this saw "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean and "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean both slide back one spot to numbers two and three respectively. The former having gains on streaming but it lost hard on sales while the latter is steady on both if not losing on streaming to the former. 

Rebounding one slot is "Dracula" by Tame Impala because we aren't that lucky to be done with this song yet...ugh, it did move past "ILoveitILoveILoveit" by Bella Kay which slipped one spot to number five.

Rising three slots to number six is "Ordinary" by Alex Warren because this song refuses to die much like Chris Brown's career, it pushed "Daisies" by Justin Bieber back one to number seven while Bieber's "Beauty and a Beat" with Nicki Minaj holding steady at number eight.

Down two to number nine is "drop dead" by Olivia Rodrigo, this song will get a bounce with the release of "The Cure" tomorrow and the new album that is being released on June 12th. 

Finally holding station at number ten is "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean. 

Losers.

"The Great Divide" by Noah Kahan fell eight places to number thirty seven and "Yukon" by Justin Bieber slipped six to number thirty three.

Drop Outs.

In news that doesn't shock me, the drop outs this week are Noah Kahan album tracks like "Dashboard", "End of August", "American Cars", "Willing and Able" and "Staying Still" alongside single "Porchlight"

Also gone is "I Can't Love You Anymore" by Ella Langley and Morgan Wallen which was a pretty forgettable song in the first place but also not helped by some of the social media chatter about the song. 

Gains

Alright...enough of this shit, why is "Earrings" by Malcolm Todd up seven places to seventeen? You guys realize he is the diet version of what you all think Sombr sounds like, right and he doesn't even do Sombr's sound all that well to begin with? Blergh.

The gains don't really get much better from there because "Self Aware" by Temper city is up six to twenty seven and "Freakin' Out" by Dexter and the Moon Rocks is up ten to thirty. 

Sombr's "Undressed" is the relief bringer this week up six to thirty one while "Noble" by F3mii scored an eight place boost to thirty nine. 

Re-Entries

So with all the  Noah Kahan drop outs, we got a flood of old songs back at the tail end of the chart so let's begin at fifty with "Die With A Smile"  by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. 

At forty nine, it's "Sailor Song" by Gigi Perez. "That's So True" by Gracie Abrams slides back in at forty eight, 

"APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars gets another ride of the chart rodeo at forty seven.

For some inexplicable reason people are clinging to "Pop Dat Thang" by DaBaby so that's back at forty six. 

"Stargazing" by Myles Smith navel gazes at his impendng re exit from the chart next week at forty five.

Finally "Baby Steps" by Olivia Dean toddler walks back onto the chart at forty four. 

No new entries this week so that winds up our week. Next week could be absolute hell given it's Drake album bomb and that new Gracie Abrams song arriving.

Pretty Fly (For 1999). 16th May. I Want to Run Dizzy That Way.

 So a pretty bog standard week here although it appears the top three has calmed somewhat so lets dive into the top ten where for yet another week, it's "No Scrubs" by TLC at the top as they held a nice lead on sales over "We Like to Party (The Vengabus)" by The Vengaboys at number two and "Why Don't You Get A Job" by The Offspring at number three.

From there, the bizarre run of "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden continues as it is up one to number four in a swap with " Baby One More time" by Britney Spears which fell back one to number five.

There's a new entry at number six courtesy of the Backstreet Boys with "I Want It That Way". More on this song in the new entries but you'd expect it'd be strong on sales given the current state of boy bands on the charts right now. 

"Touch It" by Monifah continues to cling to number serven for another week like a semi naked stripper dancing for their life.

Slipping two slots to number eight is "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twaiin while somehow back in the top ten is Boyzone's "No Matter What" because apparently Australia still love sloppy boybanad ballads...ugh.

Hanging in at number ten for another week is "Honey to the bee" by Billie Piper

Losers

"It's Our Time" by Ilanda dropped from forty one to forty nine proving that it's not their time to rise on the singles chart yet. 

"Put Your Hands Up" by The Black and White Brothers slipped eight places to forty two while "Lullaby" by Shawn Mullins is being lulled to move off the chart down eight to thirty eight. 

"This Kiss" by Faith Hill slumped eight to twenty seven...thankfully...it'll make the year end though while "Anthem For the Year 2000" by Silverchair dived from fiften to twenty two. 

New Radicals "Get What You Give" slump seven to twenty, bit annoyed about that fall if I am going to blunt...it's a great song and deserves top ten already.

The time is up for Five in the top ten as "Until the Time is Through" fell eight slots to seventeen while "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz slipped from nine to fifteen. 

Gains

So we do have some gains to go through, the biggest one being "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin rising from twenty five to twelve this week, it's flying toward the top ten.

Sadly, I am that thrilled with the sudden seven place rise for "How Deep is Your Love" by Dru Hill to thirteen. 

I am much happier with "9pm (Til I Come)" by atb up from thirty one to thirty eight while "Say It Once" by Ultra got a nice gain from forty seven to thirty three. 

Re-Entries

Just the one return this wee with "Lucky Me" by Bachelor Girl back at number forty three.

New Entries

Three new entries this week, let's start with...

50. "Dizzy" by The Goo Goo Dolls

So this is the latest single from "Dizzy Up the Girl" and given how much I loved both "Iris' and "Slide", maybe this one would also be good to great? Sadly no, and I think that comes back to the weird production around John Rzenik's vocals that make him sound rather thin and like there's no punch to what he is singing and that's a shame because the production here is not bad, the guitars are sharp and even though I wish the drums hit harder, they are okay. I think I'll pass on this song. 

48. "Run" by Collective Soul

So the latest single from Collective Soul and this might be one of this band's best, a song that ponders if life thats spinning on it's same axis ever truly gets better than what he is experiencing because right now he is bored with where life is taking him and now he just wants to run to see if he can find something in his life that might make that axis that his life ight now spin just a little differently.

This song hits like a damn freight train for me, I am not going to get into a lot of it for privacy reasons but yeah, I can relate to that feeling of life being on a loop and when those harmonies on the hook kick in...yeah...I'm crying ...might be best to move on but this is a damn great song and well worth your time. 

6. "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys

The lead single from Backstreet Boys album "Millennium" and yeah, this probably one of the better boyband songs of the year given the gentle guitar opening and the boys sounding fantastic in the mix especially over that guitar that opens the song and then that drum beat that helps build into one of the more nonsensical choruses of the 1990s! Seriously, if you can make sense of that mangled chorus than you are doing better than me, at best I can decipher about that this song is about a long distance relationship that is slowly falling apart and he doesn't want that to happen because he is still in love with her. 

Also I love the harmoies on that final bridge, it's a nice touch for one of the most not straightforward boyband pop songs in awhile. 

It's not best of the week because that's going to Collective Soul for "Run"...that song hit a nerve with me. Worst of the week is going to "Dizzy" by The Goo Goo Dolls.. not really that bad but it's disappointing given how great "Slide" was. 

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Review: 11th May. The one where the man Olivia needs retakes number one

 So this week is pretty busy week by 2026 chart standards so let's dive straight into the top ten where we have a familiar song back at number one for a twenty first week, "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean, it's back at the top thanks a decent margin on streaming.

All of that pushed "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean back to number two, it's starting to come under pressure from 'Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley which remains at number three, this song is quietly gathering momentum for a challenge for number one which will be interesting to see.. 

Bella Kay's "IloveitIloveitIloveit" rebounded two slots to number four, "Dracula" by Tame Impala at number five. 

Justin BIeber's "Daisies" fell back one to number six as did "Drop Dead" by Olivia Rodrigo to number seven. 

Justin Bieber's "Beauty and a Beat" with Nicki Minaj held steady at number eigiht as did "Ordinary" by Alex Warren at number nine and " So Easy (To Fall in Love" by Olivia Dean at number ten.

Losers

Let's blow through all the big Noah Kahan album bomb losses this week starting with "American Cars" which wrecked fourteen slots to forty  five, "End of August" down fourteen to forty four, "Porch Light" down twelve to thiry nine, "Dashboard" wiped nine spots to thirty eight, "The Great Divide" down nine to twenty nine and finally "Doors" downh seven to twenty three. 

Drop Outs.

So we do have five drop outs this week with four of those being Noah Kahan album tracks, those being "Downfall", "Haircut", "Paid Time Off" and "Deny Deny Deny". 

The only other drop out was the conpletely forgettable "Speed Demon" by Justin Bieber.

Gains

So there is one small gain that I am really pissed about this week that being 'Earrings" by Malcolm Todd which climbed four spots to twenty four.

"American Girls" by Harry Styles rebounded eight slots to twenty five...seriously, I don't know how people can listen to the bass thuds on that song and not think of flatulence...but anyway...

One of the biggest gains of the week is "Boston" by Stella Lefty rose twenty two slots to twenty six while "Be Her" by Ella Langley climbed ten to thirty.

"Midnight Sun" by Zara Larsson jumped eleven to thirty two,

Re-Entries

Just the one new entry with "Freakin' Out" by Dester and the Moon Rocks back at number forty. 

New Entries

Four new entries this week, beginning with...

49, "Staying Still" by Noah Kahan

So I thought we'd get more songs from the expanded edition of that new Noah Kahan album with this song being one of the songs added to the album and you can kind of tell that this song was added to boost streaming because while this is fine, it's not at the same level as the title track, "Doors", Dashboard" or "Haircut", its a song where Kahan doesn't want this person to live and is hoping an unlikely tornado hits the airport to prevent this person from leaving.  It's got some nice sounding guitar and is a bit more stripped back but this feels somewhat forgettable than anything else, it's fine btu but I am not going to come back to it compared to the great songs on the album proper. 

48. 'I Can't Love You Anymore" by Ella Langley and Morgan Wallen

So I had mixed feelings going into this song mostly that I am nnot a fan of Morgan Wallen at all (as my worst list of 2023 and 2024 showed) and honestly while I actually think the production is pretty good and that Wallen sounds less nasal than he does on his own songs, I cannot get the idea out of my head that this song is a potato in a song form, seriously, there are songs that talk about falling out of love with somebody and doing complete with emotion and actual connection to the subject matter of the song giving it flavour and meaning which doesn't happen here, this is just bland and somewhat forgettable when you realize the potatos with salt and pepper or a bit of butter on them are waiting for you. 

47. "Noble" by F3miii

So the first of our debutants on the char  athis week is a Nigerian-Irish rapper and producer who released this song on Boxing Day 2025 with this song going viral and I have to say I kind of like it" Mostly because the production has this cool, sultry vibe with that knock of the percussion as well, I wish F3miii had more of a presence behind the microphone but I do like how the song ramps into the hook for a more 2000s r'n'b sound, as for the content, it's all about this girl who has style, class and substance and he is hoping that she doesn't change for anyone because she's fine just the way she is an he feels lucky to even know her. I dig it, it's cute.

33. "Self Aware" by Temper City.

So apparently indie rock is magically back in a big way with this song coming from Temper City, a  band hailing from Israel, this song managed to go viral and chart somehow howeverI hate saying this but this song is just completely forgettable in every single wway that actually matters. The lyrics are just cliches that spill over like a broken damn complete with the horrible production and the squawking and pretentious frontman who claims he is so self aware that this relationship isn't working to the point it's insufferable...I'm going to skip this. 

Yeah, "Self Aware" is getting worst of the week here mostly due to the fact I find the song to be rather flaccid. I cannot believe I am doing this but best of the week is going to F3miii for "Noble" because that production hits and the sentiment of the song is absolutely adorable. 

Next week...it could be pretty quiet, we'll have to see. 

Pretty Fly (For 1999). 9th May. Every You Stay Livin' La Vida Loca on the Westside

We have a bit of a wild week at hand here where remarkably our top ten feels the calmest it has been in awhile so let's jump right into that where for a second week "No Scrubs" by TLC remains at number one. It's got a comfortable margin ahead of "We Like to Party (The Vengabus" by The Vengaboys which moved up one to number two this week given some renewed strength,

It pushed past "Why Don't You Get A Job" by The Offspring down one two number three. From there we have four songs remaining in their position from last week, those being "Baby, One More Time" by Britney Spears at number four "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden at number five, "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain at number six and "Touch It by Monifah at number seven (I think "Touch It" is pretty much done, it's stalling out and will be on the downswing soon), 

"Until the Time is Through" by Five jumped one spot to number eight..glad to see this doing well, it got the better of "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz down one to number nine.

Finally we have a newer song into the top ten courtesy of "Honey to the Bee" by Billie Piper which climbed ten spots to number ten...I'm mostly okay with this for now. 

Losers

Jennifer Love Hewitt's "How Do I Deal?" is heading rapidly toward an exit from the top fifty down twelve to forty eight, "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim continues to underperform as it slipped six to forty. 

Blackstreet's underwhelming "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" with Janet Jackson broke up hardcore diving from sixten to thirty three. 

"Smile 'N' Shine" by Pandora is frowning and starting to hide as it slipped nine slots to thirty one., it's a similar case for "You Don't Know Me" by Armand Van Helden and Duane Harden down nine to twenty four and Brandy's "Have You Ever' down eight to twenry two.

"This Kiss" by Faith Hill felt the kiss of the downswing by the Australian public so it crumbled from eleven to nineteen.

Gains

I am not exactly wild with excitement about our gains this week even though we did see New Radicals finally get a good ten place push thirteen, I'll mostly tolerate the "Thank ABBA for the Music" by Steps, Tina Cousins. B*Witched, Cleopatra and Billie up ten to sixteen and also the six place gain to eighteen for "Protect Your Mind (Braveheart" by DJ Sakin and Friends 

The rest though...yeesh..."Put Your Hands Up" by The Black and White Brothers climbed eight to thirty four because somehow that sound is attractive and the less good Fatboy Slim song "Right Here, Right Now" got a nine place boost to thirty seven,,,blergh,

New Entries

Six new entries this week beginning with...

50. "Westside" by TQ

So ws begin our week with the debut single from Terence Quailes who performs under the name of TQ, he is an R'n"B singer from out of the USA and he does desdicate this song to deceased rappers Tupac Shakur and Eazy-E and hails rappers from his native California and a love letter to the culture of California (which might feel weird to some in 2026) but I do like this, it's got a lot of easy charm and the song does sound well produced with the guitar and piano. I just wish we heard more personality from TQ himself here. Good song but I want to hear more. 

47. "Say It Once" by Ultra

So here have the second single and follow to debut single "Say You Do" from British pop group Ultra, it turns out that this song "Say It Once" is a choppy but pretty catchy breezy pop love song that's kind of charming in how god damn basic it is especially in the lyrics department where he wants this girl to quit being quiet and express her love for him that night because tomorrow is likely going to be too late, in other words he wants her to confirm she loves him before he decides to move on from her the next day and honestly that sentiment can feel a bit pushy to me. Good song though. 

46. "Every You Every Me" by Placebo

Now we dive headfirst into something that might look like a dysfunctional relationship courtesy of this song by UK band Placebo, this is just some solid indie rock with the vocals reminiscent of Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, I do like the melody that's provided by the guitars even if does feel a bit like it's chugging. The content of the song is pretty good here, a toxic relationship where it's clear that what is going on between the pair of them is destructive, toxic and will do incredible amounts of harm to both emotionally and mentally., there's a break up in the works here but the song never gets that far. It's decent but I am not sure it sticks in the head. 

44/ "Awful" by Hole

The latest single from Hole's album "Celebrity Skin" which dives deep into the commodification of fame and how modern media is corrupting the hearts and minds of teenage girls around the world which is quite dark lyrically and the lyrics do have a good standpoint however the vocal production on this song is absolute crap, Courtney Love's vocals are buried behind the guitar and drums which drives me absolutely insane, it doesn't sound good and makes me question if the mic in the studio was working when they recorded the song. 

43. "Stay The Same" by Joey McIntyre

Debut solo single from former member of New Kids on the Block Joey McIntyre and dear god, this is the epitome of bland mush where he doesn't want this girl to change or be anyone else, he just wants her to stay the same like tastes and ideals don't change as someone evolves and grows into their own identity, there's just something very icky and cloying about this song that is just incredibly offputing for me so yeah I'd probably move on from this as quickly as I can. 

25. "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin

Considering the insane 1998 Ricky Martin had, I am surprised it took him this long to follow up "Maria" but it's here now and damn this is just one hell of a great Latin pop song! Ricky Martin's charisma could sell communal pooping positively! Throw in the insanely good sounding horns and lyrics all about hiw crazy this girl is and how she's living the crazy life and wants him to join in...I'm fairly certain that if I didn't have hang ups about public nakedness that I would want to take my clothes off and go dancing in the rain with Ricky and this girl. Great song!

It's the best of the week here too. Not going to ignore a god damn geeat pop song. Worst of the week goes to whatever "Stay the Same" by Joey McIntyre is. 

ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review: 4th May. The one with a whole lot of Noah's Great Divide

 Before we start this week...MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU...now that that is out of the way lets dive into the week here because we did get an album bomb for "The Great Divide" by Noah Kahan however none of that affects the top ten where for a third week "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean returned to number one thanks mostly to sales.

"Man I Need" by Olivia Dean remains at number two as it lost a lot on its sales while streaming is still surprisingly holding up pretty well. 

The biggest gain in the top ten this week belonged to "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley which is gaining ground on both sales, streaming and surprisingly Youtube. 

Olivia Rodrigo's "drop dead" fell off the nunmber one three spots to number four thanks to major fall offs on both streaming and sales. 

"Daisies" by Justin Bieber slipped back one spot to number five because the Coachella discussion is dying off while "IloveitIloveitIloveit" by Bella Kay held firm at number six, the same going for "Dracula" by Tame Impala stalling at number seven.

"Beauty and A Beat" by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj tumbled three slots to number eight. while "Ordinary" by Alex Warren and "So Easy (To Fall In Love" by Olivia Dean remained where they are at nine and ten respectively.

Losers

Oh dear god, we have a mess of a week here but let's run through some of these double digit losers here (Only doing the double digit losers so to stop this from running too long). "Speed Demon" by Justin Bieber slowed down eleven places to fifty. 

"Risk it All" by Bruno Mars slumped fourteen to forty seven while  the public said pinky down to Katseye's "Pinky Up" so that fell a merciful seventeen slots to forty two. 

Drop Outs

As for the drop nuts, let's start with the established hits that should have exited months ago like "Die with a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, "Vitory Lap" by Fred Again, Skepta and PlaqueBoyMax, "Sailor Song" by Gigi Perez and "Just Keep Watching" by Tate McRae.

Songs released this year that were on the way out anyway like "Swim" by BTS, 

Songs that got their momentum curtailed and I am not unhappy about it "Pop Dat Thing" by Dababy, "Freakin' Out" by Dexter & The Moon Rocks, "Be By You" by Luke Combs and "Die on this Hill" by Sienna Spiro. 

The rest including "House Tour" by Sabrina Carpenter and "Baby Steps" by Olivia Dean.

Gains and Re-Entries

I am combining the two this week because both are to do with Noah Kahan with the one big gain being "Porch Light" by Noah Kahan rising nineteen to twenty seven while "The Great Divide" by Noah Kahan returned at number twenty. 

New Entries

 So we have ten new entries this week but because nine of those come from Noah Kahan, I am going to limit myself to reviewing what made the top twenty and the best and worst in his case so "Deny Deny  Deny" at forty nine (desperately close to the best of the week), "Paid Time Off" at forty five, "Haircut" at number forty four (another great song), "Willing and Able" at number forty one, "Downfall"at number thirty four, "American Cars" parked at number thirty one and "Dashboard" at twenty nine. 

All that leaves us with three other new entries to talk about just we're not starting with Noah Kahan though...

46. "Boston" by Stella Lefty

Yeah before we get to the Noah Kahan, we have to deal with this song from an m, terican indie country singer songwriter Stella Lefkofsky who goes by the name Stella Lefty, she signed to country and Americana Atlantic Record imprint Atlantic Outpost and  is the daughter of the owner and founder of health technology conpany Tempus AI, Eric Lefkofsky which may well be the only memorable thing about Stella Lefty because this song is pretty darn well forgettable.

The problem here isn't really rhe content where its all about falling head over heels in love when you are desperately trying to stay single for the time being but I am not loving Stella Lefty's vocal delivery here which can come off as pitchy and really somewhat unpleasant to listen to, throw in the bland nothing of a melody and it just is not worth coming back to at all...NEXT!

30. "End of August" by Noah Kahan

"The Great Divide" is actually a really good but not quite great Noah Kahan album, it's an album that can absolutely feel it's run time at points however I absolutely adore this opening track where Noah Kahan explores nihilism and season depression as the seasons change and he can feel time slipping away as he anticipates the summer ending and the weather getting closer and that's met by the production as well with its gentle pianos and strings that give the song this lived in vibe. I will say I am not a massive fan of the filter over Kahan's voice but otherwise this might well be one of my favourite songs to chart to datre. Check this out.

16. "Doors" by Noah Kahan

Ending the week with the song getting the singe push from the album and yeah, I get why because this is actually not bad either, ot's a step away from stomp clap territory and closer to an indie rock sound that I actually appreciate a fair bit. The subject matter of the song is also pretty good too with Kahan exploring trauma sustained during childhood, the feeling of wanting to be loved but pushing that love away when somebody tries to give him the love he yearns for so badly. All up a pretty good song.

That completes the week and yeah, "Boston" by Stella Ledty is getting the worst of the week with "End of August" by Noah Kahan getting the best of the week. 

Next week should be pretty quiet but  we'll have to see.