ARIA SIngles Top 50 Chart Review: 1st June The One Where Olivia's The Cure Brings Greatness to The Charts

This week felt...weird...the fall out of the Drake album bomb was always going to be a thing but we also got two new entries, one of which I am very excited to talk about because folks, we might have one of the best songs of the year on or off the charts at hand here but anyway let's jump into the top ten where we have a new number one "The Cure" by Olivia Rodrigo which got to number one purely on some early sales, excellent streaming and a little Youtube. 

However it is a margins game with "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley right behind it down one to number two, this song is still doing EXTREMELY well on sales and streaming and is in a good position to retake the number one should "The Cure" wobble. 

Not so much the case for our next two songs with "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean pushed down one to number three and "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean which both just do not have the sales or streaming to match the top two. 

Sadly holding steady at number five is "Janice STFU" by Drake, it's holding steady on streaming sadly. more is the pity given the song sucks. 

Rebounding one spot to number six is "Dracula" by Tame Impala while "ILoveItILoveItILoveIt" by Bella Kay also rebounded one to number seven.  The receding of the Drake album bomb meant the return of "Ordinary" by Alex Warremat  number eight...dang it...come on...it's time for this song to free fall.

Rebounding a massive fourteen spots to number nine (I think the new number one had something to do with this) is "Drop Dead" by Olivia Rodrigo. 

Finally the second Drake song to remain in the top ten is "National Treasures" but it is down six slots to number ten.

Losers

All of our big losers were Drake album tracks with "Dust" down thirty three to forty three. "Plot Twist" down twenty three to forty one, "2 Hard 4 THe Radio" lost it's tuning down twenty one to thirty six,, "Shabang" down seventeen to twenty seven and "Whisper My Name" down fifteen to twenty one.

The only non Drake faller was "Hit the Wall" by Gracie Abrams down nine to thirty one.

Drop Outs

The drop outs are mostly Drake album tracks so gone and won't be back are "Make Them Cry", "What Did I Miss?", "Make Them Pay", "B's On the Table" feat. 21 Savage, "Burning Bridges", "Make Them Know" and "Make Them Remember".

However we also saw one big exit with "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish finally leaving the chart to join the On Replay chart.

Gains

Everything that's not Drake rebounded hard this week so I am going to go through the double digit gains only beginning with "Self Aqare" by Temper City which somehow climbed sixteen to twenty five...people really care about that song? Really?

Ravyn Lenae dropped a new single "Handle" on Friday but her big smash "Love Me Not" continues to hang onto the chart up eleven to twenty four.

Sombr's "12 to 12" rebounded ten to twenty, 

Re-Entries

Our returns are where we saw the most activity other than Drake songs losing or dropping out so what filled the slots left?

I am not sure why "Yukon" by Justin Bieber or "APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars are back but they returned at fifty and forty nine respectively. 

"I Just Might" by Bruno Mars is back at forty seven while Taylor Swift's "Opalite" is back at forty six  (Taylor has a new single for the Toy Story 5 soundtrack coming on Friday).

Olivia Dean's excellent "A Couple Minutes" is also making its return at forty four and Sombr's "Undressed" climbed back in at forty.

New Entries

Two new entries this week, we're beginning with...

48. "Bed on Fire" by G Flip

So we finally got a second Australian song to chart in the singles top 50 behind "Dracula" by Tame Impala albeit it's from G Flip's album last year however the reason it's here is because the song was used in a sex scene on Netflix drama "Off Campus" so how is the song?

It's good? Feels very reminiscent of a Florence and the Machine cut except Florence Welch could absolutely go hell for leather on the vocals which is not really in G Flip's wheel house vocally and they do a fine enough  job here with a song all about exploring a prohibited attraction and embracing it anyway despite those around them saying "No, don't think about it, don't go there".

Good but just short of great song, check it out. 

1. "The Cure" by Olivia Rodrigo 

The second single from Olivia Rodrigo's third album "You Seem Pretty Sad for A Girl So In Love" and and I was curious what we would get with this song...well, I am happy to say that we got something that is absolutely without qualification GREAT, there's something so incredibly transcendent about this song and I think it lies in Dan Nigro's production where finally a song is allowed to have a build and this incredibly satisfying cresecendo that's built up with the vocals and the guitar and just the song taking on layers to reach that point where Olivia just yells "I'm unravelled"

The content is just as good with Olivia using the metaphor of love as a drug but only it's not working, the love her lover is giving is not enough to assuage Olivia's own self doubt and negative self talk that could see her push this lover away because she knows that it does matter how good the love is or how much love he gives that it'll never fix the raging insecurities that Olivia has and she needs to put in the work on herself to fix all that. 

"The Cure" is already oen of my favourite songs of 2026 even just outside the charts alone and I am so glad that Australia has given this a week at number one, damn great song and is absolutely worth your time, check this song out!

Pretty Fly (For 1999): 30th May Get Set and Swear to Kiss Me Again

 Let's dive straight into the week because really there isn't that much to talk about before hand, it's a pretty standard week here especially because remaining at number one is "No Sctubs" by TLC, this song has sales on lock at the moment and doesn't look to be under any threat.

That threat is not going to come from "We Like to Party (The Vengabus)" by The Vengaboys which held steady at number two this week but it is coming under pressure from "I Want it That Way" by Backstreet Boys which rose four places to number three. 

Geri Halliwell's "Look At Me" fell one slot to number four and "Why Don't You Get a Job" by The Offspring slipped one to number five.

New into the top ten this week is "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin which jumped five slots to number six and looks good to go even higher in the weeks ahead.

All this saw "Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears fall two places back to number seven, it's on its way out, we're due a second single from Britney in the next few weeks or so. 

Billie Piper's "Honey to the Bee" added no new bees by staying at number eight while Savage Garden's "The Animal Song" stumbled three spots to to number nine.

Finally "Thank Abba for the Music" by Steps, Tina Cousins, Cleopatra, B*Witched and Billie Piper remained at number ten.

Losers

So let's take a gander at what happened outside the top ten. "Put Your Hands Up" by The Black White Brothers is having a put your hands down nine to forty five this week. 

"This Kiss" by Faith Hill is on it's way out down from thirty five to forty one while N*Sync's "Tearin' Up My Heart" is being torn down six to thirty seven. 

:"That Din't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain also took a sharp fall sliding eleven places to twenty three while Silverchair's "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" unfortunately fell seven places off it's debut to twenty one. 

Gains

Not much in the way of gains this week with ATB continuing to move up with "9 PM (Til I Come)" up nine to being on the cusp of the top ten at number eleven. 

"Right Here, Right Now" by Fatboy Slim did climb from thirty four to twenty eight while 4 The Cause's cover of "Stand by Me" continues to hang around like a bad bacterial infection climbing from forty two to thirty six this week. 

Re-Entries

Three songs re-entered this week with "Westside" by TQ at forty eight, "Every Me, Every You" by Placebo at forty nine and "All Torn Down" by The Living End at fifty.

New Entries

Three new entries this week, beginning with...

47. "Swear It Again" by Westlife

We starting in Ireland this week courtesy of brand new boy band Westlife and their debut single from their self titled debut album. This song did debut at number one in the UK so I was curious as to what this new five piece boy band could deliver and it turns out that this is a modest little piano based pop ballad with a really big hook that works for what it is and not really much more than that. 

The content of the song is actually interesting where the narrator is addressing rumours being put around that he is getting ready to up and leave his girlfriend/wife and is seeking to reassure her that he will stay with her and swear his love over and over again if that is what is takes. It's a cute song but probably not one that I am going to seek out.

39. "Get Set" by Taxiride

Heading back to a local acts and another band debuting on the charts this week, Taxiride are a four piece band that formed in Melbourne with this song from their debut album "Imaginate" so I was curious as to what could have made this song chart and yeah I think I get it because "Get Set" is one of the most vocal harmony infused pop rock songs to date where they are truly one of the best features of this song along with that driving groove and lyrics that are all about creating your own path, go getting and creating own hope for the future. Terrific song, definitely check this one out. 

14. "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer

Ending of the week with American Christian alt rock courtesy of Sixpence None the Richer and like both Westlife and Taxiride before them this week, "Kiss Me" Sixpence None the Richer's first single to hit the Australian charts. Now thuis is a bit of a breezy pop/rock song with those acoustic guitars and a keyboard playing fairly close to a sound like an accordion or concertina which is kind of impressive to me!. The content dives love song territory where the narrator just wants the person they are with to kiss them for the first time no matter where they are. It's a bit cloying for me but it's not a bad song just one I could get sick of  if it sticks around.

That wraps up the week and I am not going to give out a worst of thr week this week mostly because none of the new songs are that bad however I am going to give best of the week to "Get Set" by Taxirude because that song is absolutely awesome, 

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.