This week is interesting, there's a potential challenger for number one and a new song in the top 5 (pity it isn't all that good but we'll get to that), the song that (unfortunately) left the top ten was "Finesse" by Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B which slipped from 9 to 11 but I am confident it will rebound following the performance at rhe Grammys this week.
Now to the actual top ten where "Perfect" and various remixes by Ed Sheeran feat. Beyonce/Andrea Boccelli spends an eighth week at number one but I have a feeling this song may well be vulnerable.
And I say this because the song ruling the iTunes chart in Australia, "Meant To Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line which jumped from 4 to number 2 and looks to be a very real chance of replacing Ed Sheeran at number one.
This meant "I Fall Apart" by Post Malone and "River" by Eminem feat. Ed Sheeran both slipped one place. "I Fall Apart" back to number 3 and "River back to number 4/
New at number 5 is the US and UK number one "God's Plan" by Drake from his "Scary Hours" EP, it's streaming numbers have been extraordinary, time will tell if it can make a play for number one in spite of what I think of the song.
Former chart topper "Havana' by Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug slipped out of the top 5, dropping two places to number 6. Not really a surprise, this song has had a fantastic run. Don't worry Camilizers, there's more Camila to talk about shortly.
Beyond that, "Let You Down" by NF and "Silence" by Marshmello feat. Khalid remain static at 7 and 8 respectively.
"Rockstar" by Post Malone and 21 Savage looks to finally be exiting the top 10 after dropping three places to number 9.
Rounding out the top ten is "This Is Me" by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman Ensemble for another week. Expecting to see this song climb into the top 10.
As for the biggest gainers this week, well the biggest gainer of the week was Zac Efron and Zendaya with "Rewrite the Stars" from The Greatest Showman musical which climbed 6 places to 24.
I mentioned there was more Camila news and this time it's good news with "Never Be The Same" jumping 5 places to number 12, wouldn't surprise me if it spent a week or two inside the top ten even though it's not the best song from the album..."Something's Gotta Give" should have been the next single.
"Go Bang" by PNAU climbed two places to 14 and with a certain boost ahead courtesy of the Triple J Hottest 100 on the weekend, it might well break the top 10.
What won't be breaking the top 10 is our biggest loser this week which was unfortunately "My My My!" by Troye Sivan which dropped from 14 to 27 which is disappointing. Come on Australia, get behind Australian music or do you only do that when it comes voting for the Hottest 100?
Rita Ora's "Anywhere" dropped 5 places to 28, "New Rules" by Dua Lipa dropped from 24 to 32, "Filthy" by Justin Timberlake dropped from 27 to 33 and "Good Old Days" by Macklemore and Kesha dropped from 33 to 40.
As for what dropped out? All the songs that fell were hits of 2017 with "Unforgettable" by French Montana feat. Swae Lee gone after 32 weeks and "Glorious" by Macklemore feat. Skylar Grey (Although could get a return because of the Hottest 100), "Lay It On Me" by Vance Joy (a pity because I really like that song), "Beautiful Trauma" by Pink, "Feels Great" by Cheat Codes featuring Fetty Wap and DVBZ and finally "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons.
Drake's "God's Plan" was the highest new entry at number 5. Rudimental, Jess Glynne and Macklemore arrived at 18 with "These Days", Dua Lipa turned up inside the top 50 at number 23 with "IDGAF", The Chainsmokers self aggrandising "Sick Boy enters at 42.
Kylie Minogue's "Dancing" is getting plenty of airplay on the radio which is fantastic as it entered at 46 and finally Keith Urban's "Parallel Lines" enters at 47.
Outside of the top 50? Drake's second song from "Scary Hours" EP, "Diplomatic Immunity was the best of those entering at 54, "Miss You" by Cashmere Cat, Major Lazer and Tory Lanez at 91 and Kesha's version of "This is Me" at number 93.
That completes this week's look at the ARIA Chart, with the Grammys and Hottest 100 this week, it could be a full meltdown on the chart, will "Perfect" retain number one for a ninth week? We'll wait and see.
The ARIA singles chart is released at 5pm AEDT on Saturday.
Wednesday 31 January 2018
Friday 26 January 2018
New Music Friday Review: 19th January. Kylie's BACK!
Another week, another New Music Friday but this week, it's got a bit of an Australian edge with new Kylie Minogue and Shannon Noll. Plus new music from The Chainsmokers and Drake (unfortunately) and this week I am going back to using Youtube because Spotify has effectively shat the bed tonight.
Let's get the garbage out of the way first.
Song: God's Plan
Artist: Drake
So this is apparently Drake's feel good track about his future and how apparently people want him to fail but God won't let him fail all set to a beat that isn't even remotely interesting or changes at all while Drake drones on and on about not a heck of a lot, there's not enough detail in this song that makes it all that compelling or even makes me want to give it repeated listens, that said it's probably bound to be a hit unfortunately.
Rating: 4/10.
Song: Sick Boy
Artust: The Chainsmokers
The self aggrandising and annoying duo are back with a brand new song that is pretty much a sloppy rip off of 21 Pilots, Jon Bellion and AJR but with a ironic political bent aimed at the United States and quite honestly I don't see this being a hit because I largely do not see what they are getting at and it would be oh so easy to claim this song is about US President Donald Trump but that would be easy and also a lot of past Chainsmokers songs have come across as pretty narcissistic so let's leave it that shall we?
Ratings: 2/10
Now onto the better stuff....
Song: Land of Mine
Artist: Shannon Noll
Now let's talk about somebody I rarely have a chance to mention, I am disappointed "Southern Sky" wasn't the Australian smash it deserved to be but Nollsy is back with a single off his new album "Unbroken" and he is going country which is not surprising given the heel turn "Southern Sky" took in terms of an apparent country undertone and quite honestly it's not a bad fit for Shannon's voice. The instrumentation reminds me of an old Bruce Springsteen track and I am loving REAL guitars and drums in this song. GO NOLLSY!
Rating: 8/10
Song: Dancing
Artist: Kylie Minogue
I haven't had much of an opportunity to talk about Kylie Minogue here so I was looking forward to talking about "Dancing" but when I heard that Kylie was embracing country music, I got worried. Would Kylie lose her pop vibes to be this country artist? As it turned out, I didn't need to be worried because "Dancing" is an oddball country/electronic banger that works and I love that the song is about going out dancing, I love that line in a pop song. Only thing is I am not convinced it's that good it's a lead off single.
Rating: 7/10
Best of the week: Shannon Noll for "Land Of Mine"
Worst of the week: The Chainsmokers for "Sick Boy" for basically being a confused mess of a song
Next week: Lady Gaga, Maren Morris teaming up with Zedd and Grey, Justin Timberlake's collaboration with Chris Stapleton and Camp Cope.
Let's get the garbage out of the way first.
Song: God's Plan
Artist: Drake
So this is apparently Drake's feel good track about his future and how apparently people want him to fail but God won't let him fail all set to a beat that isn't even remotely interesting or changes at all while Drake drones on and on about not a heck of a lot, there's not enough detail in this song that makes it all that compelling or even makes me want to give it repeated listens, that said it's probably bound to be a hit unfortunately.
Rating: 4/10.
Song: Sick Boy
Artust: The Chainsmokers
The self aggrandising and annoying duo are back with a brand new song that is pretty much a sloppy rip off of 21 Pilots, Jon Bellion and AJR but with a ironic political bent aimed at the United States and quite honestly I don't see this being a hit because I largely do not see what they are getting at and it would be oh so easy to claim this song is about US President Donald Trump but that would be easy and also a lot of past Chainsmokers songs have come across as pretty narcissistic so let's leave it that shall we?
Ratings: 2/10
Now onto the better stuff....
Song: Land of Mine
Artist: Shannon Noll
Now let's talk about somebody I rarely have a chance to mention, I am disappointed "Southern Sky" wasn't the Australian smash it deserved to be but Nollsy is back with a single off his new album "Unbroken" and he is going country which is not surprising given the heel turn "Southern Sky" took in terms of an apparent country undertone and quite honestly it's not a bad fit for Shannon's voice. The instrumentation reminds me of an old Bruce Springsteen track and I am loving REAL guitars and drums in this song. GO NOLLSY!
Rating: 8/10
Song: Dancing
Artist: Kylie Minogue
I haven't had much of an opportunity to talk about Kylie Minogue here so I was looking forward to talking about "Dancing" but when I heard that Kylie was embracing country music, I got worried. Would Kylie lose her pop vibes to be this country artist? As it turned out, I didn't need to be worried because "Dancing" is an oddball country/electronic banger that works and I love that the song is about going out dancing, I love that line in a pop song. Only thing is I am not convinced it's that good it's a lead off single.
Rating: 7/10
Best of the week: Shannon Noll for "Land Of Mine"
Worst of the week: The Chainsmokers for "Sick Boy" for basically being a confused mess of a song
Next week: Lady Gaga, Maren Morris teaming up with Zedd and Grey, Justin Timberlake's collaboration with Chris Stapleton and Camp Cope.
Sunday 21 January 2018
ARIA Top Ten/ Chart Review: January 22. A Perfect Seven at number one for Ed Sheeran
On first glance, this week's ARIA chart looks run of the mill boring, the top couple didn't change and the number one doesn't look like being removed from it's place for awhile but if you go beyond the top 5, wow, it was a busy week.
We lost two songs from the top 10 this week with "Wolves" by Marshmello and Selena Gomez slipping from 9 to 11 and "Him & I" by G-Eazy and Halsey slipping from 10 to 13.
Now on to the top 10 where for a 7th week, "Perfect" and its various remixes by Ed Sheeran feat. Beyonce and Andrea Boccelli remains at number 1 and like I said it's hard to see when or how it's going to be knocked off the top spot.
"I Fall Apart" by Post Malone remains at number 2 for a second week which isn't a surprise as it is ruling streaming services right now.
"River" by Eminem feat. Ed Sheeran has gone number one in the UK this week but it sits at number 3 in Australia this week.
The boost of the back of the release of the album helped "Havana" by Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug recoup some of it's previous week's losses back up to number 4.
That meant "Meant To Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line fell back to number 5.
Post Malone's second top 10 hit and former number 1 'Rockstar" featuring 21 Savage remains at number 6 and refuses to go away
NF's "Let You Down" switched with Marshmello and Khalid's "Silence". "Let You Down" moving up to number 7, "Silence" down to number 8.
Then you have the first of two new entries to the top ten, Bruno Mars scores his tenth Australian top ten and Cardi B her first with "Finesse (remix)" entering the top 10 at 9 having moved up six places.
Also moving up nine places this week to round out the top ten and be the second new top top ten entry is "This Is Me" by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman Ensemble at number 10.
As for the big movers up the chart outside of, there weren't many of those this week with "Candy Paint" by Post Malone breaking into the top 20 at number 19 and the bland "I Miss You" by Clean Bandit feat. Julia Michaels also breaking into the top 20 at number 20 but the biggest move of the week went to a song from The Biggest Showman soundtrack with "Re-write the Stars" by Zac Efron and Zendaya moving up from 42 to number 30.
"All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA moved up from 34 to 31,
As for the major losers, Pink's "Beautiful Trauma" continues to be a non starter falling from 36 to 47. Drops also came for Rita Ora's "Anywhere" which fell from 17 to 23, Charlie Puth's "How Long" which fell from 25 to 32 (not going to be as big as "Attention" was which is unfortunate because's it's an okay song), "I Like Me Better" by Lauv falls from 31 to 36 (Looks like finally breaking into the Billboard Hot 100 in the upcoming week). "New Rules" by Dua Lipa fell from 16 to 24 and finally "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons fell from 38 to 46.
There are five new entries to the top 50 with week with the highest new entry being an Aussie (YAY!), Troye Sivan new single "My My My!" has entered the chart at number 14 to be the highest new entry for this week, Camila Cabello's "Never Be The Same" rode the album release hype to enter the ARIA chart at number 17 then we have to go all the way down to number 38 to find the new entry for Taylor Swift feat. Future and Ed Sheeran entitled "End Game" (A desaturated mess of a song that Ed Sheeran doesn't fit on at all).
"The Greatest Show" from The Greatest Showman soundtrack by the cast and ensemble of same musical arrived at number 42 and finally "Chateau" by Angus and Julia Stone finally arrived in top 50 at 49.
As for new entries in the top 100: the best of those is "IDGAF" by Dua Lipa at number 53, "We're Going Home" by Vance Joy at 57 (really would like to see this song and Dua Lipa's "IDGAF" break into the top 50), "Real Friends" by Camila Cabello at 86 and "One Last Song" by Sam Smith at number 98.
There were three re-entries this week courtesy of The Cranberries after the untimely death of Dolores O'Riordan with former ARIA chart number 1 "Zombie" at number 58, "Linger" at number 59 and "Dreams" at number 78.
So with the five new entries to the top 50, what dropped out? Mostly 2017 hits like "Friends" by Justin Bieber and Bloodpop, "1-800-273-82455" by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid, "Man's Not Hot" by Big Shaq and "Sorry Not Sorry" by Demi Lovato. The other song to drop out was a debut last week in "The Weekend" by SZA.
Next week should be interesting as to whether Kylie Minogue can still land charting hits with "Dancing", it's doing pretty damn well on iTunes so we'll see what happens and whether or not anyone or anything can challenge for "Perfect" for number one.
We lost two songs from the top 10 this week with "Wolves" by Marshmello and Selena Gomez slipping from 9 to 11 and "Him & I" by G-Eazy and Halsey slipping from 10 to 13.
Now on to the top 10 where for a 7th week, "Perfect" and its various remixes by Ed Sheeran feat. Beyonce and Andrea Boccelli remains at number 1 and like I said it's hard to see when or how it's going to be knocked off the top spot.
"I Fall Apart" by Post Malone remains at number 2 for a second week which isn't a surprise as it is ruling streaming services right now.
"River" by Eminem feat. Ed Sheeran has gone number one in the UK this week but it sits at number 3 in Australia this week.
The boost of the back of the release of the album helped "Havana" by Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug recoup some of it's previous week's losses back up to number 4.
That meant "Meant To Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line fell back to number 5.
Post Malone's second top 10 hit and former number 1 'Rockstar" featuring 21 Savage remains at number 6 and refuses to go away
NF's "Let You Down" switched with Marshmello and Khalid's "Silence". "Let You Down" moving up to number 7, "Silence" down to number 8.
Then you have the first of two new entries to the top ten, Bruno Mars scores his tenth Australian top ten and Cardi B her first with "Finesse (remix)" entering the top 10 at 9 having moved up six places.
Also moving up nine places this week to round out the top ten and be the second new top top ten entry is "This Is Me" by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman Ensemble at number 10.
As for the big movers up the chart outside of, there weren't many of those this week with "Candy Paint" by Post Malone breaking into the top 20 at number 19 and the bland "I Miss You" by Clean Bandit feat. Julia Michaels also breaking into the top 20 at number 20 but the biggest move of the week went to a song from The Biggest Showman soundtrack with "Re-write the Stars" by Zac Efron and Zendaya moving up from 42 to number 30.
"All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA moved up from 34 to 31,
As for the major losers, Pink's "Beautiful Trauma" continues to be a non starter falling from 36 to 47. Drops also came for Rita Ora's "Anywhere" which fell from 17 to 23, Charlie Puth's "How Long" which fell from 25 to 32 (not going to be as big as "Attention" was which is unfortunate because's it's an okay song), "I Like Me Better" by Lauv falls from 31 to 36 (Looks like finally breaking into the Billboard Hot 100 in the upcoming week). "New Rules" by Dua Lipa fell from 16 to 24 and finally "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons fell from 38 to 46.
There are five new entries to the top 50 with week with the highest new entry being an Aussie (YAY!), Troye Sivan new single "My My My!" has entered the chart at number 14 to be the highest new entry for this week, Camila Cabello's "Never Be The Same" rode the album release hype to enter the ARIA chart at number 17 then we have to go all the way down to number 38 to find the new entry for Taylor Swift feat. Future and Ed Sheeran entitled "End Game" (A desaturated mess of a song that Ed Sheeran doesn't fit on at all).
"The Greatest Show" from The Greatest Showman soundtrack by the cast and ensemble of same musical arrived at number 42 and finally "Chateau" by Angus and Julia Stone finally arrived in top 50 at 49.
As for new entries in the top 100: the best of those is "IDGAF" by Dua Lipa at number 53, "We're Going Home" by Vance Joy at 57 (really would like to see this song and Dua Lipa's "IDGAF" break into the top 50), "Real Friends" by Camila Cabello at 86 and "One Last Song" by Sam Smith at number 98.
There were three re-entries this week courtesy of The Cranberries after the untimely death of Dolores O'Riordan with former ARIA chart number 1 "Zombie" at number 58, "Linger" at number 59 and "Dreams" at number 78.
So with the five new entries to the top 50, what dropped out? Mostly 2017 hits like "Friends" by Justin Bieber and Bloodpop, "1-800-273-82455" by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid, "Man's Not Hot" by Big Shaq and "Sorry Not Sorry" by Demi Lovato. The other song to drop out was a debut last week in "The Weekend" by SZA.
Next week should be interesting as to whether Kylie Minogue can still land charting hits with "Dancing", it's doing pretty damn well on iTunes so we'll see what happens and whether or not anyone or anything can challenge for "Perfect" for number one.
Thursday 18 January 2018
New Music Friday Review: Troye Sivan, Another 50 Shades Freed soundtrack song
So this week was weird, we got some new Troye Sivan, another song from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack and a song for the NFL Superbowl.
Song: The Champion
Artists: Carrie Underwood, Ludacris
So this is the song being used by the TV networks for the Superbowl and by NBC for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Here's the thing, if you like Jessica Simpson's "Irresistible' meets Katy Perry's "Roar", its another cliched empowerment pop song about an athlete getting up again after they've been 'beaten' etc. In context for what it is, I guess it's okay if it's just for TV networks to use for their sports coverage. Carrie sounds fine, Ludacris guest verse is decent but both have done better but any other purpose? I can't say I'd want to hear these cliches from a pop song. Carrie, you are better than this.
Rating: 4/10
Song: My My My!
Artist: Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan is back with a new single and look, this song has some good moments, the verses and the pre chorus are pretty darn great and even the chorus is good even though it does feel like that Troye's voice is lost in the back of the mix somewhere however what kills me about this song is that introduction, it's sounds like a cassette tape running on it's last legs and really considering the rest of the song, it should have been better but definitely potential there.
Rating: 6/10
Song: Capital Letters
Artists: Hailee Steinfeld, Bloodpop
So the latest song released from the 50 Shades Freed soundtrack and I have got to say this probably the best Hailee Steinfeld has sounded on a song and really this isn't all that bad even if the meaning of the song does come across as a little pretentious (honestly) 'a metaphor for the power of love, then compared to the strong emphasis on capital letters" Ugh.
Even with this song continuing modern music's frustrating obsession with beats over any discernible melody, I actually don't mind this at all.
Rating: 7/10
Song: We're Going Home
Artist: Vance Joy
I was hoping that "We're Going Home" would be better than the painfully dull "Like Gold" however "We're Going Home" is pretty darn excellent. A quite rambling song that Vance Joy wrote while touring with Taylor Swift about stepping into the unknown and finding out what you as a person are made of inside and man, that chorus just springs a lot to my mind right now. I really enjoyed this song a lot largely because of the melody that is allowed to shine through.
Rating: 8/10
Best of the week: "We're Going Home" by Vance Joy
Worst: "The Champion" by Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris
New Music Friday next week
- "Dancing" by Kylie Minogue
- "Sick Boy" by The Chainsmokers.
Song: The Champion
Artists: Carrie Underwood, Ludacris
So this is the song being used by the TV networks for the Superbowl and by NBC for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Here's the thing, if you like Jessica Simpson's "Irresistible' meets Katy Perry's "Roar", its another cliched empowerment pop song about an athlete getting up again after they've been 'beaten' etc. In context for what it is, I guess it's okay if it's just for TV networks to use for their sports coverage. Carrie sounds fine, Ludacris guest verse is decent but both have done better but any other purpose? I can't say I'd want to hear these cliches from a pop song. Carrie, you are better than this.
Rating: 4/10
Song: My My My!
Artist: Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan is back with a new single and look, this song has some good moments, the verses and the pre chorus are pretty darn great and even the chorus is good even though it does feel like that Troye's voice is lost in the back of the mix somewhere however what kills me about this song is that introduction, it's sounds like a cassette tape running on it's last legs and really considering the rest of the song, it should have been better but definitely potential there.
Rating: 6/10
Song: Capital Letters
Artists: Hailee Steinfeld, Bloodpop
So the latest song released from the 50 Shades Freed soundtrack and I have got to say this probably the best Hailee Steinfeld has sounded on a song and really this isn't all that bad even if the meaning of the song does come across as a little pretentious (honestly) 'a metaphor for the power of love, then compared to the strong emphasis on capital letters" Ugh.
Even with this song continuing modern music's frustrating obsession with beats over any discernible melody, I actually don't mind this at all.
Rating: 7/10
Song: We're Going Home
Artist: Vance Joy
I was hoping that "We're Going Home" would be better than the painfully dull "Like Gold" however "We're Going Home" is pretty darn excellent. A quite rambling song that Vance Joy wrote while touring with Taylor Swift about stepping into the unknown and finding out what you as a person are made of inside and man, that chorus just springs a lot to my mind right now. I really enjoyed this song a lot largely because of the melody that is allowed to shine through.
Rating: 8/10
Best of the week: "We're Going Home" by Vance Joy
Worst: "The Champion" by Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris
New Music Friday next week
- "Dancing" by Kylie Minogue
- "Sick Boy" by The Chainsmokers.
Sunday 14 January 2018
ARIA top ten/chart review: January 15 2018. Influx of new entries leaves a shake up
So we got some major action on the charts this week, some major shifts up and down the chart and influx of new entries to the chart and even a new entry to the top ten (just a pity it's not all that good) but we'll get to that.
The lone song to fall out of the top ten was "Feel It Still" by Portugal, the Man which dropped to number 11 which was no surprise.
However it's a sixth week at number one for "Perfect" and various remixes by Ed Sheeran featuring Beyonce and Andrea Boccelli but I am not certain how much longer this song has left number one with a huge push likely for "Havana" by Camila Cabello following the release of her album this week and momentum for a couple of new songs outside the top ten.
What was a surprise was the sudden jump from 4 to 2 for Post Malone's "I Fall Apart", really came out of nowhere until it's seen that the song actually had a pretty good week on iTunes and has been getting plenty of radio airplay.
"River" by Eminem feat. Ed Sheeran remains at number three, I am not sure where this song is going to get it's push from to go higher as it doesn't seem like it's going to be a single from "Revival"
The big non surprise of the week was the jump from 7 to 4 for "Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia and it could go higher with the song absolutely ruling iTunes in the past week.
What all this meant was that "Havana" by Camila Cabello and Young Thug dropped from number 2 to number 5 but with the album getting rave reviews and to number 1 on iTunes, I can see this getting a boost...maybe not back to number 1 but a boost back to maybe 2 or 3.
"Rockstar" by Post Malone and 21 Savage remains at number 6 but time in the top 10 may well almost be up with stronger songs down further.
"Silence" by Marshmello and Khalid fell from 5 to 7 while NF remained steady at number 8 with "Let You Down", "Wolves" by Marshmello and Selena Gomez also remained where it was at number 9.
Now for the new entry to the top 10 which was "Him & I" by G-Eazy featuring Halsey which jumped six places to reach the top ten. I'll bite my tongue on the sarcasm. not thrilled at all to see this in the top ten.
As for outside of the top ten in the gains department, "This is me" by Keala Settle and the Greatest Showman Ensemble claimed biggest gainer of the week with a move from 34 to 19. The only decent song to have any kind of significant gain was Sheppard's "Coming Home" which jumped from 28 to 22 this week and oh, "Candy Paint" by Post Malone is okay, it went from 26 to 20 but the rest? "Cola" by Camelphat and Elderbook jumped from 48 to 40 off it's debut last week, "Congratulations" by Post Malone and Quavo continues to hang around like a bad smell by jumping from 38 to 33.
As for the losers, well, the biggest loser was "Man's Not Hot" by Big Shaq which fell from 30 to 44, most of the losers are really 2017 songs on the way out again this week with "Sorry not Sorry" by Demi Lovato falling to 50 from 43, "1-800-273-8255" by Logic, Alessia Cara and Khalid falling to 48 from 42. Also on way out because they are hits from 2017 are "Too Good at Goodbyes" by Sam Smith which fell to 32 from 24 and "Glorious" by Macklemore feat. Skylar Gray which dropped from 27 to 35.
We did indeed get a whole slew of new entries and most of these are pretty excellent, the highest new entry of the week went to "Finesse (remix)" by Bruno Mars and Cardi B at number 15 (this might just be the song that launches Cardi B in Australia) but that's not the only new entry that involves Cardi B because "No Limit" by G-Eazy featuring A$AP Rocky and Cardi B entered at number 43.
Justin Timberlake's "Filthy" entered at 28 which is a bit lower than I would have thought for a Justin Timberlake song but then again the song is fairly polarising, a lot love it, a lot hate it.
"The Greatest Showman" continues to lodge songs in the chart with "Re-Write the Stars" by Zac Efron and Zendaya entering at 42.
The upcoming "Black Panther" movie has seen Kendrick Lamar return to the charts with SZA for a song I don't mind at all even if SZA just OWNS the track completely. "All the Stars entering at 34.
Speaking of SZA, "The Weekend", a song that was a reasonable sized hit for her in the US last year. has finally arrived in Australia at number 49.
There was two new entries to the top 100 with the arrival of the increasingly bad "End Game" by Taylor Swift feat. Future and Ed Sheeran (I manage to find something new that pisses me off about that song every time I hear it) and the unsexy "For You" by Liam Payne and Rita Ora from the 50 Shades Freed soundtrack
The one re-entry this week saw was "Came here for Love" by Sigala and Ella Eyre at number 100.
As for the drop outs, I ain't complaining about any of these being gone... well okay, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee plus the remix with Justin Bieber, the original of that song wasn't at all bad but I am happy to see the remix gone. Lil Pump's "Gucci Gang", Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road" and "What about Us?" by Pink are also gone after all having better than expected or should have chart runs.
The other two exits are no surprise given they were re-entries last week with "Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy William and "Stargazing" by Kygo feat. Justin Jesso exiting.
The lone song to fall out of the top ten was "Feel It Still" by Portugal, the Man which dropped to number 11 which was no surprise.
However it's a sixth week at number one for "Perfect" and various remixes by Ed Sheeran featuring Beyonce and Andrea Boccelli but I am not certain how much longer this song has left number one with a huge push likely for "Havana" by Camila Cabello following the release of her album this week and momentum for a couple of new songs outside the top ten.
What was a surprise was the sudden jump from 4 to 2 for Post Malone's "I Fall Apart", really came out of nowhere until it's seen that the song actually had a pretty good week on iTunes and has been getting plenty of radio airplay.
"River" by Eminem feat. Ed Sheeran remains at number three, I am not sure where this song is going to get it's push from to go higher as it doesn't seem like it's going to be a single from "Revival"
The big non surprise of the week was the jump from 7 to 4 for "Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia and it could go higher with the song absolutely ruling iTunes in the past week.
What all this meant was that "Havana" by Camila Cabello and Young Thug dropped from number 2 to number 5 but with the album getting rave reviews and to number 1 on iTunes, I can see this getting a boost...maybe not back to number 1 but a boost back to maybe 2 or 3.
"Rockstar" by Post Malone and 21 Savage remains at number 6 but time in the top 10 may well almost be up with stronger songs down further.
"Silence" by Marshmello and Khalid fell from 5 to 7 while NF remained steady at number 8 with "Let You Down", "Wolves" by Marshmello and Selena Gomez also remained where it was at number 9.
Now for the new entry to the top 10 which was "Him & I" by G-Eazy featuring Halsey which jumped six places to reach the top ten. I'll bite my tongue on the sarcasm. not thrilled at all to see this in the top ten.
As for outside of the top ten in the gains department, "This is me" by Keala Settle and the Greatest Showman Ensemble claimed biggest gainer of the week with a move from 34 to 19. The only decent song to have any kind of significant gain was Sheppard's "Coming Home" which jumped from 28 to 22 this week and oh, "Candy Paint" by Post Malone is okay, it went from 26 to 20 but the rest? "Cola" by Camelphat and Elderbook jumped from 48 to 40 off it's debut last week, "Congratulations" by Post Malone and Quavo continues to hang around like a bad smell by jumping from 38 to 33.
As for the losers, well, the biggest loser was "Man's Not Hot" by Big Shaq which fell from 30 to 44, most of the losers are really 2017 songs on the way out again this week with "Sorry not Sorry" by Demi Lovato falling to 50 from 43, "1-800-273-8255" by Logic, Alessia Cara and Khalid falling to 48 from 42. Also on way out because they are hits from 2017 are "Too Good at Goodbyes" by Sam Smith which fell to 32 from 24 and "Glorious" by Macklemore feat. Skylar Gray which dropped from 27 to 35.
We did indeed get a whole slew of new entries and most of these are pretty excellent, the highest new entry of the week went to "Finesse (remix)" by Bruno Mars and Cardi B at number 15 (this might just be the song that launches Cardi B in Australia) but that's not the only new entry that involves Cardi B because "No Limit" by G-Eazy featuring A$AP Rocky and Cardi B entered at number 43.
Justin Timberlake's "Filthy" entered at 28 which is a bit lower than I would have thought for a Justin Timberlake song but then again the song is fairly polarising, a lot love it, a lot hate it.
"The Greatest Showman" continues to lodge songs in the chart with "Re-Write the Stars" by Zac Efron and Zendaya entering at 42.
The upcoming "Black Panther" movie has seen Kendrick Lamar return to the charts with SZA for a song I don't mind at all even if SZA just OWNS the track completely. "All the Stars entering at 34.
Speaking of SZA, "The Weekend", a song that was a reasonable sized hit for her in the US last year. has finally arrived in Australia at number 49.
There was two new entries to the top 100 with the arrival of the increasingly bad "End Game" by Taylor Swift feat. Future and Ed Sheeran (I manage to find something new that pisses me off about that song every time I hear it) and the unsexy "For You" by Liam Payne and Rita Ora from the 50 Shades Freed soundtrack
The one re-entry this week saw was "Came here for Love" by Sigala and Ella Eyre at number 100.
As for the drop outs, I ain't complaining about any of these being gone... well okay, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee plus the remix with Justin Bieber, the original of that song wasn't at all bad but I am happy to see the remix gone. Lil Pump's "Gucci Gang", Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road" and "What about Us?" by Pink are also gone after all having better than expected or should have chart runs.
The other two exits are no surprise given they were re-entries last week with "Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy William and "Stargazing" by Kygo feat. Justin Jesso exiting.
Thursday 11 January 2018
New Music Friday Review: It's back for 2018!
New Music Friday Review is back for the new year, ladies and gentlemen! Boy, we have a loaded line up of new songs to talk about including collabs by Bruno Mars and Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar and SZA team up as do Liam Payne and Rita Ora plus Justin Timberlake just happened to casually drop a new single so let's get started with...
So this is the lead off single from the 50 Shades Freed soundtrack, now the problem with most songs from the 50 Shades soundtracks is that they are incredibly unsexy just look at "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" by Zayn and Taylor Swift which got a Dishnourable mention from me last year and as hard as Liam Payne tries to stretch it into be sexy, this song just doesn't do it for me, Rita Ora just sounds so incredibly pitchy on that first verse, that said the chorus is pretty damn good in amongst the messy production that doesn't match what is supposed to be a sexy song for what amounts to a porn film!
Bruno Mars got Cardi B on a song from 24k Magic for a remixed version that is a throwback to the late 80s/early 90s and Cardi B fits right in with an 80s type flow that seems so effortless for her, she sounds awesome here meanwhile Bruno Mars sounds like he just having fun with plenty of charisma that you almost don't care that the song lyrically in some places doesn't make a great deal of sense. This song is blowing up huge in the US right now debuting at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and early predictions for next week have it leaping to number 3 and you know what? It deserves to be huge, this is a FANTASTIC song.
So two of the most successful artists who broke into the mainstream last year have teamed up for a song for the upcoming Marvel film Black Panther and well, it's really quite the excellent song. SZA is just killing it with her vocals, she really does do a good job with this song and Kendrick is on point with a voice about how he doesn't want other people's expectations or congratulations. Really only some of the production is my only objection with an annoying beeping type noise playing intermittently through the track, otherwise decent song.
Best song: Easily "Finesse (remix)" by Bruno Mars and Cardi B
Worst: Not really anything that awful, I'm going to give it to "Filthy" by Justin Timberlake. That vocal delivery is not great.
New Music Friday Review next week:
- Troye Sivan's "My My My!" (Is released today at 4pm AEDT!)
- Vance Joy's "We're Going Home"
- "Capital Letters" by Hailee Steinfeld and Bloodpop (Another song from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack)
- "The Champion" by Carrie Underwood and Ludacris (WTF, such a strange pairing that. One's a pop country music darling, the other is a rapper popular in the 2000s)
- Dua Lipa dropping yet another new single from her album, this one is "IDGAF" (video tomorrow)
- Camila Cabello releases her debut album and given the reviews for it so far, it could do pretty well and give "Havana" a boost toward a return to number one on the singles chart.
Song: For You
Artists: Liam Payne and Rita Ora
So this is the lead off single from the 50 Shades Freed soundtrack, now the problem with most songs from the 50 Shades soundtracks is that they are incredibly unsexy just look at "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" by Zayn and Taylor Swift which got a Dishnourable mention from me last year and as hard as Liam Payne tries to stretch it into be sexy, this song just doesn't do it for me, Rita Ora just sounds so incredibly pitchy on that first verse, that said the chorus is pretty damn good in amongst the messy production that doesn't match what is supposed to be a sexy song for what amounts to a porn film!
Rating: 5/10. The chorus saves it from a lower rating
Song: Finesse (Remix)
Artists: Bruno Mars, Cardi B
Bruno Mars got Cardi B on a song from 24k Magic for a remixed version that is a throwback to the late 80s/early 90s and Cardi B fits right in with an 80s type flow that seems so effortless for her, she sounds awesome here meanwhile Bruno Mars sounds like he just having fun with plenty of charisma that you almost don't care that the song lyrically in some places doesn't make a great deal of sense. This song is blowing up huge in the US right now debuting at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and early predictions for next week have it leaping to number 3 and you know what? It deserves to be huge, this is a FANTASTIC song.
Rating: 9/10
Song: Filthy
Artist: Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake's lead off single from his upcoming new album "Man of the Woods" and it plays out like something from a dramatic action film soundtrack, the production on this song is EPIC to say the least and it might just be the best thing about this song because I am not a fan of Justin's vocal delivery at all which sounds very similar to Kelly Clarkson's delivery on "Love So Soft" which tired on me in short time, it just doesn't work for me at all.
Rating: 5/10
Song: All The Stars
Artists: Kendrick Lamar, SZA
So two of the most successful artists who broke into the mainstream last year have teamed up for a song for the upcoming Marvel film Black Panther and well, it's really quite the excellent song. SZA is just killing it with her vocals, she really does do a good job with this song and Kendrick is on point with a voice about how he doesn't want other people's expectations or congratulations. Really only some of the production is my only objection with an annoying beeping type noise playing intermittently through the track, otherwise decent song.
Rating; 8/10
Song: If You Leave Me Now
Artists: Charlie Puth, Boyz II Men
So if there was one artist who showed signs that his music was improving in 2017, it was Charlie Puth. "Attention" and "How Long" stuck around for a surprisingly long amount of time but the latest song from his delayed second album "VoiceNotes" sees him team up with R&B legends Boyz II Men for an acapella song that is basically Puth urging his partner not to walk out on him, the harmonies are great and Boyz II Men bring a lot of emotion to this song however there really isn't enough detail to the song, what is triggering this girl to consider walking on the relationship?
Rating: 7/10
Best song: Easily "Finesse (remix)" by Bruno Mars and Cardi B
Worst: Not really anything that awful, I'm going to give it to "Filthy" by Justin Timberlake. That vocal delivery is not great.
New Music Friday Review next week:
- Troye Sivan's "My My My!" (Is released today at 4pm AEDT!)
- Vance Joy's "We're Going Home"
- "Capital Letters" by Hailee Steinfeld and Bloodpop (Another song from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack)
- "The Champion" by Carrie Underwood and Ludacris (WTF, such a strange pairing that. One's a pop country music darling, the other is a rapper popular in the 2000s)
- Dua Lipa dropping yet another new single from her album, this one is "IDGAF" (video tomorrow)
- Camila Cabello releases her debut album and given the reviews for it so far, it could do pretty well and give "Havana" a boost toward a return to number one on the singles chart.
Tuesday 9 January 2018
The BEST Hit Songs of 2017
So it's finally time to flip the coin and discuss the best songs that became big this year but also were awesome in terms of their quality...yes, it's time to discuss the GOOD songs of which I am happy to say there were plenty of in 2017.
It was a good year for the charts, 2017 produced some outstanding songs so much like the worst list, let's begin with giving out those 5 Honourable mentions, shall we?
Honourable Mention 5: "Falling" by Jessica Mauboy
It was a toss up between this and "Waves by Dean Lewis for this spot but Jessica won me over because I love a song encapsulates the feeling of being in love and being annoyed by the person but you can't help falling in love with them, "Falling" is also free of a lot of the trap synthesisers but has a gorgeous acoustic guitar, piano texture and melody that just work. A positively dreamy song, well done Jessica!
Speaking of falling...there was one artist who improved markedly last year and yep...he along with his guest stars is getting an honourable mention.
Honourable mention 4: "Feels" by Calvin Harris feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean
2017 was the year Calvin Harris improved markedly...seriously, Harris stopped his habit of making generic EDM bangers for a funkier sound and boy what came as a result of that shift was "Feels"m a funky song that ended up being a top 10 smash in Australia (probably unlucky not to go number 1) and was the BEST thing that Katy Perry did for all of 2017 given the blandness of "Witness". In fact the song seems to lift the performances of all the artists with Big Sean at his best.
Honourable Mention 3: "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" by Shawn Mendes
2017 marked something of a return to form for Shawn Mendes after 2016 saw him release the torturous "Treat You Better" so in 2017 we got the rock pop leaning "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" which should have been on the standard edition of Mendes album "Illuminate" but was instead found on the dueluxe edition of the same album.
It's a pity that this song wasn't on the standard edition of "Illuminate" because it's one of the better songs that Mendes has released to date with it's guitar rollick and Mendes at least trying to put some growl into his vocals which he doesn't get there but all the same this was a good song for 2017 that lacked some decent rock songs on the ARIA singles chart.
Honourable Mention 2: "New Rules" by Dua Lipa
A song I am surprised wasn't bigger in Australia in 2017 however this song is still all kinds of awesome, its about how she's still in love with an ex and she knows getting back with him will more than likely be really dangerous so she is setting up some rules to protect her heart but knows she'll never get over him if she does get back with him and knows she needs to stay away.
Honestly the only reason this song missed the top 10 is that breakdown which is the weak point of an otherwise excellent song.
Honourable Mention 1: "Havana" by Camila Cabello
I wasn't expecting this song to grow so much on me after all Camila Cabello was apart of a pop act that had done nothing but land on songs on my end of year worst list and I wasn't really digging a lot of her solo stuff until "Havana" dropped, a latin tilted song with sunken pianos that don't push too much on Camila's voice or require her to reach notes that are impossible for her so yeah this song was good fun to dance to even though Young Thug sounds like he was phoning it in, he still works within the framing of the song. Just couldn't find a way to get "Havana" into my top 10 unfortunately
So now onto the top 10 and a song that I cannot believe was a hit
10. "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man
This really did feel like "Shut up and Dance" by Walk the Moon a few years ago, how this song ended up becoming a hit by an obscure indie act is something that defies understanding but it's oh so justifiable with the production being the best thing,,,that beat at the start still gives me chills. The only thing that does unnerve me a little is that it sounds like a sped up version of "Dear Mr Postman" by the Carpenters but that's a very small thing in my mind because this song is great. Hope to see more Portugal, the Man on the charts in 2018.
I mentioned "Havana" grew on me quite a bit so did a certain other song that includes a female artist that I really haven't bothered with a great deal teaming up with a promising EDM producer.
9. "It Ain't Me" by Kygo and Selena Gomez
I am bemused as to why Selena doesn't make more EDM music rather than the pop R 'n' B lane she chose to go down with "Bad Liar" and "Fetish" because she proved in 2017 that her voice is perfect for songs that don't overly stress her vocals like "It Ain't Me" which some of that comes down to Kygo's ability to ensure the layering of the instrumention is done in such a way that it really suits Selena with guitars and the wistful lyrics recalling the end of a relationship.
Nice job by both!
Speaking of nice jobs, somebody we should certainly see more of on the Australian charts in 2018 is this lady because I adore her break out single.
8. "Adore" by Amy Shark
Bit lower down the list than I had originally thought but no less deserves to be here. Amy Shark's brutally honest lyrics about finding that confidence to be with the person you are in love with in order to make a move and yeah it definitely connects in all the right ways. Should have been a hit in the US but hey I am happy it was a hit in Australia because it means I can put a great song like this from an Australian artist on this list.
Now we've hit a song that was a ton of fun from three artists I didn't know where capable of this kind of fun.
7. "Slide" by Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean and Migos
So this is Calvin Harris second song on this list which is testament to how much he improved in 2017, Frank Ocean was an artist I'd never really found fascinating and Migos had been apart of the abomination that was "Bad and Boujee" amongst other generic hip hop mess so this song could have been a mess of epic proportions but what we got instead was a bright, colourful fun 80s retro funk song placing lasting connections between people under the spotlight with Migos doing a great job of coasting on the groove and Frank Ocean's vocal delivery being quite a lovely counterpoint even if it does at points feel like he is droning but who cares when the song is so much fun!
A song about being home on time from a night out partying would become a major hit this year and my god, it was good.\
6. "Mama" by Jonas Blue feat. William Singe
Who'd have thought a song all about getting home from a big party to mum so she doesn't stress would become a hit? Well, in 2017, "Mama" by Jonas Blue featuring Australian singer William Singe did become that hit. The multitracking of William Singe's vocals to the point where the vocals are literally a one person boy band and a clearly defined melody (something that has seemed to become an optinal extra in mainstream music in the last year or so). Songs like "Mama" and Calvin Harris's "Slide" are examples of when EDM can be absolutely great, hope it continues into 2018
2017 was the year female pop stars struggled, Katy Perry made one of the worst albums of her career while Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato also experienced limited success with their efforts however there were two female pop stars who returned, the first of which is a comeback that I am so glad actually happened, welcome back Kesha.
5. "Praying" by Kesha
This song is a healing one at least for me and I would hope in part that Kesha found some healing in terms of writing this song after the horror she experienced for five years. "Praying" provees beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kesha has an amazing voice without abusing auto tune, she comes across as extremely raw especially in that opening verse which for me is something that really does connect on an emotional scale. "Praying" also really did go close to be something fitting of the indie singer/songwriter scene.
The Weeknd had a weird 2017, he only had one hit for the year off Starboy and man, it was GOOD.
4. "I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd and Daft Punk
This song was my most listened to song on Spotify for the whole year that's how much I love it with The Weeknd singing about wanting more from his relationship with a girl. Yes, it does feel very Michael Jackson esque in its vibe but as The Weeknd has pointed out he was inspired by Michael and a lot of artists do seem to hold their inspirations for their music through their music eg: Harry Styles and Niall Horan's debut albums.
Daft Punk do a great job at anchoring the song in 80s soul and R 'n' B which supports The Weeknd's vocals but "I Feel It Coming" wasn't in my top 3 songs of the year...somehow...
So I said there were two female pop stars who didn't mess up their returns in 2017, one was Kesha, the other? Lorde, you didn't get the hits that an album like Melodrama richly deserved!
3. "Green Light" by Lorde
So yet another song that just does the job. Lorde singing about her first heartbreak as the lead off single for "Melodrama" and its just the most blatantly pop as you can possibly get courtesy of Jack Antonoff's production with blend of piano and bass as Lorde seeks that green light from her heart so she can go out and find a new love after an ex dumped her and a chorus that just rings in your head. Come on, if you haven't shouted at a traffic light "That green light! I want it!" you haven't lived. In all seriousness though, how "Green Light" didn't make number one is a mystery I'll never understand.
When it comes to charismatic performers, I think this guy comes pretty close to the top of that charismatic list but he is also on this list.
2. "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars
Don't get me wrong, I know "That's What I Like" isn't the best song from the way too short 24k Magic but this song does a heck of a lot right in terms of the late 70s early 80s throwback soul r'n'b, Mars just brings a whole load of charisma to his music that is impossible to deny which makes this song impossible to deny given his vocal delivery especially on the verses. Yes, it's a song about Bruno's incredible wealth that his love interest can share in but it's just so much fun that yeah I had no choice but to put it high on this list.
However Bruno was just pipped by a man who had a mega 2017 on the charts and yeah he is going to top this list...
1. "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran
I find this song hard to listen to sometimes because it resonates so deeply with me and on occasions has teared me thinking about it. Growing up, making those friends then one day becoming an adult resulting in being thrown into a world where some people lose those connections and sometimes going home to catch up with those friends you made in your childhood to restore those connections and catch up with what they have been doing with themselves since, something Ed Sheeran has captured so well in an almost U2 esque pop rock song.
Ed, please forget the romantic gunk of "Perfect" and do a rough edged rock album. "Castle on the Hill" the best hit song of 2017.
It was a good year for the charts, 2017 produced some outstanding songs so much like the worst list, let's begin with giving out those 5 Honourable mentions, shall we?
Honourable Mention 5: "Falling" by Jessica Mauboy
It was a toss up between this and "Waves by Dean Lewis for this spot but Jessica won me over because I love a song encapsulates the feeling of being in love and being annoyed by the person but you can't help falling in love with them, "Falling" is also free of a lot of the trap synthesisers but has a gorgeous acoustic guitar, piano texture and melody that just work. A positively dreamy song, well done Jessica!
Speaking of falling...there was one artist who improved markedly last year and yep...he along with his guest stars is getting an honourable mention.
Honourable mention 4: "Feels" by Calvin Harris feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean
2017 was the year Calvin Harris improved markedly...seriously, Harris stopped his habit of making generic EDM bangers for a funkier sound and boy what came as a result of that shift was "Feels"m a funky song that ended up being a top 10 smash in Australia (probably unlucky not to go number 1) and was the BEST thing that Katy Perry did for all of 2017 given the blandness of "Witness". In fact the song seems to lift the performances of all the artists with Big Sean at his best.
Honourable Mention 3: "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" by Shawn Mendes
2017 marked something of a return to form for Shawn Mendes after 2016 saw him release the torturous "Treat You Better" so in 2017 we got the rock pop leaning "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" which should have been on the standard edition of Mendes album "Illuminate" but was instead found on the dueluxe edition of the same album.
It's a pity that this song wasn't on the standard edition of "Illuminate" because it's one of the better songs that Mendes has released to date with it's guitar rollick and Mendes at least trying to put some growl into his vocals which he doesn't get there but all the same this was a good song for 2017 that lacked some decent rock songs on the ARIA singles chart.
Honourable Mention 2: "New Rules" by Dua Lipa
A song I am surprised wasn't bigger in Australia in 2017 however this song is still all kinds of awesome, its about how she's still in love with an ex and she knows getting back with him will more than likely be really dangerous so she is setting up some rules to protect her heart but knows she'll never get over him if she does get back with him and knows she needs to stay away.
Honestly the only reason this song missed the top 10 is that breakdown which is the weak point of an otherwise excellent song.
Honourable Mention 1: "Havana" by Camila Cabello
I wasn't expecting this song to grow so much on me after all Camila Cabello was apart of a pop act that had done nothing but land on songs on my end of year worst list and I wasn't really digging a lot of her solo stuff until "Havana" dropped, a latin tilted song with sunken pianos that don't push too much on Camila's voice or require her to reach notes that are impossible for her so yeah this song was good fun to dance to even though Young Thug sounds like he was phoning it in, he still works within the framing of the song. Just couldn't find a way to get "Havana" into my top 10 unfortunately
So now onto the top 10 and a song that I cannot believe was a hit
10. "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man
This really did feel like "Shut up and Dance" by Walk the Moon a few years ago, how this song ended up becoming a hit by an obscure indie act is something that defies understanding but it's oh so justifiable with the production being the best thing,,,that beat at the start still gives me chills. The only thing that does unnerve me a little is that it sounds like a sped up version of "Dear Mr Postman" by the Carpenters but that's a very small thing in my mind because this song is great. Hope to see more Portugal, the Man on the charts in 2018.
I mentioned "Havana" grew on me quite a bit so did a certain other song that includes a female artist that I really haven't bothered with a great deal teaming up with a promising EDM producer.
9. "It Ain't Me" by Kygo and Selena Gomez
I am bemused as to why Selena doesn't make more EDM music rather than the pop R 'n' B lane she chose to go down with "Bad Liar" and "Fetish" because she proved in 2017 that her voice is perfect for songs that don't overly stress her vocals like "It Ain't Me" which some of that comes down to Kygo's ability to ensure the layering of the instrumention is done in such a way that it really suits Selena with guitars and the wistful lyrics recalling the end of a relationship.
Nice job by both!
Speaking of nice jobs, somebody we should certainly see more of on the Australian charts in 2018 is this lady because I adore her break out single.
8. "Adore" by Amy Shark
Bit lower down the list than I had originally thought but no less deserves to be here. Amy Shark's brutally honest lyrics about finding that confidence to be with the person you are in love with in order to make a move and yeah it definitely connects in all the right ways. Should have been a hit in the US but hey I am happy it was a hit in Australia because it means I can put a great song like this from an Australian artist on this list.
Now we've hit a song that was a ton of fun from three artists I didn't know where capable of this kind of fun.
7. "Slide" by Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean and Migos
So this is Calvin Harris second song on this list which is testament to how much he improved in 2017, Frank Ocean was an artist I'd never really found fascinating and Migos had been apart of the abomination that was "Bad and Boujee" amongst other generic hip hop mess so this song could have been a mess of epic proportions but what we got instead was a bright, colourful fun 80s retro funk song placing lasting connections between people under the spotlight with Migos doing a great job of coasting on the groove and Frank Ocean's vocal delivery being quite a lovely counterpoint even if it does at points feel like he is droning but who cares when the song is so much fun!
A song about being home on time from a night out partying would become a major hit this year and my god, it was good.\
6. "Mama" by Jonas Blue feat. William Singe
Who'd have thought a song all about getting home from a big party to mum so she doesn't stress would become a hit? Well, in 2017, "Mama" by Jonas Blue featuring Australian singer William Singe did become that hit. The multitracking of William Singe's vocals to the point where the vocals are literally a one person boy band and a clearly defined melody (something that has seemed to become an optinal extra in mainstream music in the last year or so). Songs like "Mama" and Calvin Harris's "Slide" are examples of when EDM can be absolutely great, hope it continues into 2018
2017 was the year female pop stars struggled, Katy Perry made one of the worst albums of her career while Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato also experienced limited success with their efforts however there were two female pop stars who returned, the first of which is a comeback that I am so glad actually happened, welcome back Kesha.
5. "Praying" by Kesha
This song is a healing one at least for me and I would hope in part that Kesha found some healing in terms of writing this song after the horror she experienced for five years. "Praying" provees beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kesha has an amazing voice without abusing auto tune, she comes across as extremely raw especially in that opening verse which for me is something that really does connect on an emotional scale. "Praying" also really did go close to be something fitting of the indie singer/songwriter scene.
The Weeknd had a weird 2017, he only had one hit for the year off Starboy and man, it was GOOD.
4. "I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd and Daft Punk
This song was my most listened to song on Spotify for the whole year that's how much I love it with The Weeknd singing about wanting more from his relationship with a girl. Yes, it does feel very Michael Jackson esque in its vibe but as The Weeknd has pointed out he was inspired by Michael and a lot of artists do seem to hold their inspirations for their music through their music eg: Harry Styles and Niall Horan's debut albums.
Daft Punk do a great job at anchoring the song in 80s soul and R 'n' B which supports The Weeknd's vocals but "I Feel It Coming" wasn't in my top 3 songs of the year...somehow...
So I said there were two female pop stars who didn't mess up their returns in 2017, one was Kesha, the other? Lorde, you didn't get the hits that an album like Melodrama richly deserved!
3. "Green Light" by Lorde
So yet another song that just does the job. Lorde singing about her first heartbreak as the lead off single for "Melodrama" and its just the most blatantly pop as you can possibly get courtesy of Jack Antonoff's production with blend of piano and bass as Lorde seeks that green light from her heart so she can go out and find a new love after an ex dumped her and a chorus that just rings in your head. Come on, if you haven't shouted at a traffic light "That green light! I want it!" you haven't lived. In all seriousness though, how "Green Light" didn't make number one is a mystery I'll never understand.
When it comes to charismatic performers, I think this guy comes pretty close to the top of that charismatic list but he is also on this list.
2. "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars
Don't get me wrong, I know "That's What I Like" isn't the best song from the way too short 24k Magic but this song does a heck of a lot right in terms of the late 70s early 80s throwback soul r'n'b, Mars just brings a whole load of charisma to his music that is impossible to deny which makes this song impossible to deny given his vocal delivery especially on the verses. Yes, it's a song about Bruno's incredible wealth that his love interest can share in but it's just so much fun that yeah I had no choice but to put it high on this list.
However Bruno was just pipped by a man who had a mega 2017 on the charts and yeah he is going to top this list...
1. "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran
I find this song hard to listen to sometimes because it resonates so deeply with me and on occasions has teared me thinking about it. Growing up, making those friends then one day becoming an adult resulting in being thrown into a world where some people lose those connections and sometimes going home to catch up with those friends you made in your childhood to restore those connections and catch up with what they have been doing with themselves since, something Ed Sheeran has captured so well in an almost U2 esque pop rock song.
Ed, please forget the romantic gunk of "Perfect" and do a rough edged rock album. "Castle on the Hill" the best hit song of 2017.
ARIA Top Ten/Chart Review: January 8th: Is Change A-Comin'?
Things pretty much returned to their normal state following the Christmas/New Years break with the Christmas songs basically falling out of the chart, the race was on to replace them so every went up pretty much with a few exceptions.
One song did drop out of the top 10 and out of the chart all together, that song was "All I want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey from number 6.
It's fifth week at number one for "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran and its associated remixes with Beyonce and Andrea Boccelli and really things are starting to look a bit uncertain with a few big songs that seem destined for the top ten.
"Havana" by Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug remains steady at number 2 but it seems unlikely now that this song will return to number one.
Eminem has announced he will be dropping a new single from "Revival" called "Chloraseptic Remix" featuring Phresher and 2Chainz but in the meantime his collab with Ed Sheeran "River" remains at number 3.
A song that refuses to go away is "I Fall Apart" by Post Malone which climbed one place to number 4.
"Silence" by Marshmello feat. Khalid regained lost ground to return to the top 5 at number 5.
Post Malone's former chart topper "Rockstar" looks to be finally heading toward the top ten exit after dropping two places to number 6.
Faux country pop song "Meant to be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line is blowing up big on Australian iTunes right now so expect that to make a big move toward the top 5.
Going against everything I said last week about these two songs, they are both up one place, NF's "Let You Down" at number 8 and "Wolves" Marshmellow and Selena Gomez at number nine
Up three places to return to the top 10 was "Feel it Still" by Portugal, the Man.
It all honestly feels very precarious so we could see a few new songs (I'll talk about Justin Timberlake's new song during New Music Friday which is back for 2018) in the top ten next week.
The greatest gain on the chart this week is 2017's biggest selling song of 2017 in Australia according to ARIA, "Shape Of You" climbed 10 spots to break back into the top 20 at number 19.
Now given there was a lot of songs that gained this week, I am only going to mention the big gainers which include PNAU's "Go Bang" which went from 19 to 13 and be the biggest Australian song on the chart, "I Miss You" by Clean Bandit and Julia Michaels jumped from 31 to 25, "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar climbed from 40 to 33 even "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and the remix with Justin Bieber climbed from 42 to 36!.
The greatest loser this week was Pink's "What About Us" which dropped from 39 to 46 but other than that there were no significant losers.
Three songs did re-enter the chart this week, the best of those being "Lay It On Me" by Vance Joy at number 44, "Stargazing" by Kygo feat. Justin Jesso and (unfortunately) "Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy William (that song is just bad news, I still don't see it's appeal)
Re-entries in the top 100: "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars at number 87 (quite remarkable considering that song is a 2015 smash), "Never be Like You" by Flume feat. Kai at number 90 and the excellent "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars at number 96
As for new entries to the top 50: "This is Me" by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman ensemble arrived in the top 50 at number 34 and "Cola" by Camelphat and Elderbook arrived at number 48 (that song has been huge in Europe so not a surprise to see it here)
As for new songs in the top 100? Well The Greatest Showman looks like it's having a significant impact with "Rewrite the Stars" by Zac Efron feat Zendaya entering at 59 and "The Greatest Show" by Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zac Efron, Zendaya and The Greatest Showman ensemble at number 68. Tyron Hapi feat. Mimoza rounds out the new entries at 89 with "Anyway"
The drop outs...I have already mentioned that "All I want for Christmas" by Mariah Carey is gone, so to is Wham's "Last Christmas (Not a surprise with the Christmas season over), "You are the Reason" by Calum Scott and two songs that re-entered last week "Believer" by Imagine Dragons and "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran.
So we've got a week with Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars teaming up with Cardi B and the new soundtrack song from the 50 Shades of Grey sound track by Liam Payne and Rita Ora. I will tell you what I think of them on New Music Friday and also hopefully soon my best hit songs of 2017.
Will we see a big change on the ARIA charts? We'll find out on Saturday!
One song did drop out of the top 10 and out of the chart all together, that song was "All I want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey from number 6.
It's fifth week at number one for "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran and its associated remixes with Beyonce and Andrea Boccelli and really things are starting to look a bit uncertain with a few big songs that seem destined for the top ten.
"Havana" by Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug remains steady at number 2 but it seems unlikely now that this song will return to number one.
Eminem has announced he will be dropping a new single from "Revival" called "Chloraseptic Remix" featuring Phresher and 2Chainz but in the meantime his collab with Ed Sheeran "River" remains at number 3.
A song that refuses to go away is "I Fall Apart" by Post Malone which climbed one place to number 4.
"Silence" by Marshmello feat. Khalid regained lost ground to return to the top 5 at number 5.
Post Malone's former chart topper "Rockstar" looks to be finally heading toward the top ten exit after dropping two places to number 6.
Faux country pop song "Meant to be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line is blowing up big on Australian iTunes right now so expect that to make a big move toward the top 5.
Going against everything I said last week about these two songs, they are both up one place, NF's "Let You Down" at number 8 and "Wolves" Marshmellow and Selena Gomez at number nine
Up three places to return to the top 10 was "Feel it Still" by Portugal, the Man.
It all honestly feels very precarious so we could see a few new songs (I'll talk about Justin Timberlake's new song during New Music Friday which is back for 2018) in the top ten next week.
The greatest gain on the chart this week is 2017's biggest selling song of 2017 in Australia according to ARIA, "Shape Of You" climbed 10 spots to break back into the top 20 at number 19.
Now given there was a lot of songs that gained this week, I am only going to mention the big gainers which include PNAU's "Go Bang" which went from 19 to 13 and be the biggest Australian song on the chart, "I Miss You" by Clean Bandit and Julia Michaels jumped from 31 to 25, "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar climbed from 40 to 33 even "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and the remix with Justin Bieber climbed from 42 to 36!.
The greatest loser this week was Pink's "What About Us" which dropped from 39 to 46 but other than that there were no significant losers.
Three songs did re-enter the chart this week, the best of those being "Lay It On Me" by Vance Joy at number 44, "Stargazing" by Kygo feat. Justin Jesso and (unfortunately) "Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy William (that song is just bad news, I still don't see it's appeal)
Re-entries in the top 100: "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars at number 87 (quite remarkable considering that song is a 2015 smash), "Never be Like You" by Flume feat. Kai at number 90 and the excellent "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars at number 96
As for new entries to the top 50: "This is Me" by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman ensemble arrived in the top 50 at number 34 and "Cola" by Camelphat and Elderbook arrived at number 48 (that song has been huge in Europe so not a surprise to see it here)
As for new songs in the top 100? Well The Greatest Showman looks like it's having a significant impact with "Rewrite the Stars" by Zac Efron feat Zendaya entering at 59 and "The Greatest Show" by Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zac Efron, Zendaya and The Greatest Showman ensemble at number 68. Tyron Hapi feat. Mimoza rounds out the new entries at 89 with "Anyway"
The drop outs...I have already mentioned that "All I want for Christmas" by Mariah Carey is gone, so to is Wham's "Last Christmas (Not a surprise with the Christmas season over), "You are the Reason" by Calum Scott and two songs that re-entered last week "Believer" by Imagine Dragons and "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran.
So we've got a week with Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars teaming up with Cardi B and the new soundtrack song from the 50 Shades of Grey sound track by Liam Payne and Rita Ora. I will tell you what I think of them on New Music Friday and also hopefully soon my best hit songs of 2017.
Will we see a big change on the ARIA charts? We'll find out on Saturday!
Monday 1 January 2018
ARIA Top Ten/ Chart Review: January 1st 2018
So we have the final chart for 2017 and we end it on a kind of a tame note. No real surprises apart from a couple of re-entries that I think can be explained away.
So what left the top ten? Not surprisingly "Feel it, Still" by Portugal the Man slipped to number 13 and was the only song to leave the top 10.
"Perfect" and its associated remixes by Ed Sheeran with Beyonce/Andrea Boccelli snared a fourth week at number one largely because nothing is getting close to it and "Divide" returned to number one on the album chart.
What did return to number 2 was "Havana" by Camila Cabello feat, Young Thug largely because it got a boost on iTunes, whether it's a chance of returning to number one is a wait and see.
That meant Eminem dropped to number three with "River" feat. Ed Sheeran. That song is getting tired really really fast. Sick of it already.
"Rockstar" by Post Malone and 21 Savage climbed back to number 4 overtaking Post Malone's other hit " I Fall Apart" at number 5 but I can see both these songs falling out of the top 5 if something stronger comes along.
Mariah Carey returns to the top ten for the first time in awhile with "All I want for Christmas is You" jumping from 11 to 6 but with Christmas now over, I can see this song dropping out of the chart pretty quickly so what comes into the top ten will be interesting to say the least.
"Silence" by Marshmello feat. Khalid remains steady at number 7. (Surprise hit for me but Khalid has had a huge 2017 so maybe it shouldn't of been a surprise)
The current Australian radio darling "Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line dropped two places to number 8. If only Australian radio would push Thomas Rhett's "Marry Me" as much as they push "Meant to be"...
Two songs that look like they've peaked and are on the way out are "Let You Down" by NF which dropped one place to number 9 and "Wolves" by Marshmello and Selena Gomez rounding out the top 10 at number 10
Granted, I am not sure about what is exactly going to be replacing them because the biggest gainer this week was a Christmas song (even though it's not very Christmas in terms of the song's spirit) "Last Christmas" by WHAM which rose from 37 to 11. Other big gains were oddly "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber which jumped to 42 from 49 last week, Pink's "Beautiful Trauma" jumped from 36 to 26 and "What About Us" jumped from 46 to 39, "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons jumped from 48 to 34 (Cause it's actually the better of the Imagine Dragons songs on Evolve. Go figure)
I expect most of those gains to be lost next week though with some of those gains based on Christmas sales or being a song of the season as per Wham.
As for the losers? Biggest being "You Are the Reason" by Callum Scott which dropped from 27 to 46 and "Unforgettable" by French Montana feat. Swae-Lee falling from 38 to 47. Songs like "Sorry Not Sorry" by Demi Lovato and "Friends" by Justin Bieber and Bloodpop are on their way out.
So as I said there were no new entries inside the top 50 but outside the top 50? Well, there were two new entries to the top 100 with Paul Kelly's "How to Make Gravy" entering at 54 (yet again probably because of Christmas) and "This Is Me" by Keala Settle and the cast of The Greatest Showman entered at 79 (not surprising given it got performed at Carols by Candlelight).
As for re-entries? "Believer" by Imagine Dragons returned at 42 and "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran at number 50. Both probably because albums were popular Christmas gifts this year and Ed Sheeran does have the number one song in the country.
Two songs dropped out of the top 50 with "Walk on Water" by Eminem feat. Beyonce and "Stargazing" by Kygo and Justin Jesso falling out.
That wraps the week and yeah, hopefully we get a interesting week cause the chart badly needs a shake up just to get what looks to be some unstability going.
So what left the top ten? Not surprisingly "Feel it, Still" by Portugal the Man slipped to number 13 and was the only song to leave the top 10.
"Perfect" and its associated remixes by Ed Sheeran with Beyonce/Andrea Boccelli snared a fourth week at number one largely because nothing is getting close to it and "Divide" returned to number one on the album chart.
What did return to number 2 was "Havana" by Camila Cabello feat, Young Thug largely because it got a boost on iTunes, whether it's a chance of returning to number one is a wait and see.
That meant Eminem dropped to number three with "River" feat. Ed Sheeran. That song is getting tired really really fast. Sick of it already.
"Rockstar" by Post Malone and 21 Savage climbed back to number 4 overtaking Post Malone's other hit " I Fall Apart" at number 5 but I can see both these songs falling out of the top 5 if something stronger comes along.
Mariah Carey returns to the top ten for the first time in awhile with "All I want for Christmas is You" jumping from 11 to 6 but with Christmas now over, I can see this song dropping out of the chart pretty quickly so what comes into the top ten will be interesting to say the least.
"Silence" by Marshmello feat. Khalid remains steady at number 7. (Surprise hit for me but Khalid has had a huge 2017 so maybe it shouldn't of been a surprise)
The current Australian radio darling "Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line dropped two places to number 8. If only Australian radio would push Thomas Rhett's "Marry Me" as much as they push "Meant to be"...
Two songs that look like they've peaked and are on the way out are "Let You Down" by NF which dropped one place to number 9 and "Wolves" by Marshmello and Selena Gomez rounding out the top 10 at number 10
Granted, I am not sure about what is exactly going to be replacing them because the biggest gainer this week was a Christmas song (even though it's not very Christmas in terms of the song's spirit) "Last Christmas" by WHAM which rose from 37 to 11. Other big gains were oddly "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber which jumped to 42 from 49 last week, Pink's "Beautiful Trauma" jumped from 36 to 26 and "What About Us" jumped from 46 to 39, "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons jumped from 48 to 34 (Cause it's actually the better of the Imagine Dragons songs on Evolve. Go figure)
I expect most of those gains to be lost next week though with some of those gains based on Christmas sales or being a song of the season as per Wham.
As for the losers? Biggest being "You Are the Reason" by Callum Scott which dropped from 27 to 46 and "Unforgettable" by French Montana feat. Swae-Lee falling from 38 to 47. Songs like "Sorry Not Sorry" by Demi Lovato and "Friends" by Justin Bieber and Bloodpop are on their way out.
So as I said there were no new entries inside the top 50 but outside the top 50? Well, there were two new entries to the top 100 with Paul Kelly's "How to Make Gravy" entering at 54 (yet again probably because of Christmas) and "This Is Me" by Keala Settle and the cast of The Greatest Showman entered at 79 (not surprising given it got performed at Carols by Candlelight).
As for re-entries? "Believer" by Imagine Dragons returned at 42 and "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran at number 50. Both probably because albums were popular Christmas gifts this year and Ed Sheeran does have the number one song in the country.
Two songs dropped out of the top 50 with "Walk on Water" by Eminem feat. Beyonce and "Stargazing" by Kygo and Justin Jesso falling out.
That wraps the week and yeah, hopefully we get a interesting week cause the chart badly needs a shake up just to get what looks to be some unstability going.
My Top 10 WORST hit Songs of 2017
It's time to begin the look back on the year in the charts with the top 10 worst hit songs of 2017. 2017 in terms of the charts was a huge improve on the boil that was top 40 music in 2016, there was plenty of good music and to be quite honest the good outweighed the bad in some ways on the ARIA chart however turnover was awfully slow which didn't see a lot of new music enter week in week out however there was still plenty of crap that hit the chart.
Now my rules are pretty simple.
1. A song must have appeared on the ARIA singles chart for more than three weeks so songs like "Swang" by Rae Sremmurd won't appear here.
2. Being overplayed on the radio is not a reason enough to put a song on this list.
3. No abuse. This is my list, my opinion. Yes, it hurts to read somebody trashing a song you love but there's no need to get abusive in disagreement with me! Abuse in the comments will be deleted.
Let's get on with this shall we and there's nowhere better than to begin a list of the worst hits of the year than with handing out a few dishonourable mentions, the first going to a song that has plenty of issues
Dishonourable Mention 1: "Issues" by Julia Michaels
2017 was the year songwriter Julia Michaels stepped in front the microphone however a part of me is wishing she'd stayed in the background because there is absolutely nothing to this song. NOTHING. It's supposed to be a positive upbeat anthem about a couple working through their problems and being together despite of the issues facing them but really this song feels like fake drama for the masses. The production doesn't hint at the issues between the pair and the lyrics are oddball eg: describing the partner as "perfect, poorly wired circuit" in the second verse, there's not even anything about HOW they are overcoming these issues between them.
Yeah I got issues and a lot of them are with this poorly written mess of a song but at least it didn't attempt to be sexy unlike...
Dishonourable Mention 2: "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" by Zayn and Taylor Swift
If people complained hard about the falsetto that Swae-Lee used in Rae Sremmurd's awful US hit "Swang" than I'm fairly certain that Zayn Malik's falsetto in "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" is just about the most unsexy thing on the soundtrack for what ironically is pretty much a porn film and what's even worse is that production is not even remotely sexy or even attractive. The only reason this song is not any higher on the least because Taylor Swift was the saving grace with her vocals carrying some passion.
This next song though got passionately grating in record time.
Dishonourable Mention 3: "Bad Liar" by Selena Gomez
Given 2017 wasn't exactly a good year for Selena Gomez personally so I do kind of feel bad for putting a song of hers on this list and "Bad Liar" isn't the worst song ("Fetish" is even worse). "Bad Liar" is here because the pre chorus and chorus just grew grating. The "I'm trying" repeated over and over again just makes me want to scream and could Selena at least inject a bit of passion if she's really trying and trying like she says she is not to think about this guy. Ugh. The only saving grace is the bass line samples Talking Heads "Psycho Killer".
Speaking of awful lyrics...
Dishonourable Mention 4: "Pretty Girl" by Maggie Lindemann
There's issues with this song that are pretty well obvious and it's more so obvious in the lyrics especially in the lines "If I drink or I smoke, I keep up with the guys", seriously? trying to down drinks like the guys is tantamount to attempting to destroy your liver and smoking only gives yourself emphysema meanwhile the whole song is supposed to be a female empowerment statement sung in this girlish voice that isn't empowering at least to me as a woman.
In 2017, I don't think I have heard such a lame love song such as this from DJ Khaled and co...
Dishonourable mention 5: "I'm The One" by DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo and Lil Wayne
What do you get when you have an overstuffed guest list including the biggest spoilt brat in pop music and lyrics that see the performers not only lack passion but a total lack of lyrical imagination? You get this mess that only barely managed to miss the top 10, seriously a chorus that manages to go "Oh-eh-oh-oh-oh, oh-eh-oh I'm the one" which makes me think of Old MacDonald had a farm even Bieber sounds bored singing his version, there's no passion or conviction in his singing at all.
Quavo compares him and his girl to be a modern day Bonnie and Clyde in his verse through a haze of auto tune while Lil Wayne says more like Whitney and Bobby...an abusive relationship and then proceeds to call himself a legend.
Ugh. DJ Khaled did SO MUCH BETTER with Rihanna and Bryson Tiller. Let's consign "I'm The One" to the museum of forgotten songs.
Now onto the list proper and Bieber makes yet another appearance...
10. "2U" by David Guetta and Justin Bieber
Yet again another song that Justin Bieber sounds bored while the song seems to interpolate a 2000s Daniel Bedingfield song. Bieber sounds absolutely bored but to be fair it's not like the production is any good from David Guetta here with piano, synths and oddball percussion. It's dull, lifeless song with a breakdown to forget. Hopefully in 2018, we'll get less songs like this.
Reggaeton made it's way onto the charts in 2017 and boy some reggaeton songs at least sounded better than this...
9. "Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy William
2017 saw a latin Spanish/Spanglish boom courtesy of "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee plus a remix featuring Justin Bieber topping the charts for what seemed like months this year thus sparking attempts to do similar with much worse songs and "Mi Gente" was the song that managed to drive me nuts this year from production where the horns sounded like bleating goats suffering from constipation, luckily we didn't see this song reach number one even with the Beyonce remix.
So a question for Halsey, if you are so alternative, why do you keep releasing terrible pop songs?
8. "Now Or Never" by Halsey
Halsey, all things considered has had a pretty decent year, she's gotten songs off "hopeless fountain kingdom" to chart, "Bad at Love" sits in the Billboard Hot 100 top ten and her duet with boyfriend G-Eazy looks like it will be a massive hit but none of that stops "Now or Never" from sucking, Halsey attempts to be sexy but the music doesn't match with it and the song comes off sounding like a tacky 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack offcut (seriously, most of the soundtracks for the two movies so far have been incredibly unsexy) and Halsey comes off sounding like a braying goat in the chorus as she asks the guy to sleep with her already...just incredibly unattractive.
7. "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran
Ugh. I know the rules state that boring songs can't make the list but I am sick and tired of Ed Sheeran releasing songs like this as singles, it's gotten to a point of being overdone now, Sheeran is a more interesting artist than what he shows in this song that in parts sounds very similar to "Amazing Grace". The fact that there has been so many done to death remixes of song involving Beyonce and Andrea Boccelli says enough that Sheeran has no faith in it.
At least "Perfect" is better lyrically than the mess Train managed to come up with.
6. "Play That Song" by Train
There's no way around it, this song is pure gross, Pat Monahan wants the DJ play his girlfriend's favourite song because it makes her "go all night long"...here's a tip, Pat, if she wants the song to be played all night long, don't be lazy and put the damn song on yourself!. Not to mention the off key "Ooooh" at the end of the chorus with arrogant instrumentation. Yuck. This song is enough to make me want to sing "Turn that rubbish off"
While the lyrics of "Play that Song" are pretty damn awful, they don't sink into that sink of icky like this next song.
5. "Your Song" by Rita Ora
This song increasingly drove me up the wall this year and it's not just because of the auto tune that seems smothered over the song like cheap mayonnaise but the lyrics which leave me wanting to throw up from the opening verse where she wakes up with a fear but the taste of him is on the tip of her tongue and he is by his side with smoke filling their lungs. Seriously?
Ora then proceeds to sing in the chorus that she doesn't want to sing sad songs...just love songs. That would be okay if most love songs were actually happy love songs but a lot of love songs are sad hence the lyric really doesn't make sense at all but even than it only makes the song mediocre at best.
What tips this song over into being absolutely awful is this lyric in the second verse And then we make love, right there on your best friend's couch" which is gross, you wouldn't have sex with your partner in his best friend's bed so why do it on his best friend's couch? Just disgusting.
While this song was icky and gross, at least Rita had a better year than one pop girl whose purposeful woke pop got increasingly myopic and shrill in 2017
4. "Chained to the Rhythm" by Katy Perry feat. Skip Marley
2017 was the year that Katy Perry threw herself into the idea of "purposeful/woke" pop music which resulted in Perry losing what made her an good pop act to become this boring shadow of what she used to be and while "Chained to the Rhythm" isn't the worst song that was releaserd a single or even off the album, it's a song that misses it's message so badly, it's nearly funny.
"Chained to the Rhythm" bemoans how we're all stuck inside this massive bubble yet I can't help but wonder about this coming from somebody who previously made some of the best mindless pop music eg: "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot 'n' Cold" yet we're being made to sit through a washed out disco song while she complains bitterly about how the bubble we're in is chained to some rhythm that gave her some of the BIGGEST hits of her career.
As for the political aspect, there's a way of doing political songs right and boy oh boy, this song misses the mark entirely. I get Perry is a big support of Hillary Clinton but she went about it the wrong way with this song. If she had written a song about how we're chained to toxic attitudes and not willing to change then it could have saved this song but as it is, no thanks.
However say what you will about the attempt at politics by Katy Perry, "Chained to the Rhythm" is marginally more listenable than this effort from Imagine Dragons.
3. "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons
This song is borderline close to unbearable as it gets. Basically a synth driven song while an automated female voice repeats the word "Thunder" over and over again, you'd swear it was on loop she says it so much before Dan Reynolds goes through his struggle to get to where he is today as lead singer of Imagine Dragons.
As for the instrumentation, there's nothing remotely thunderous or even fearsome about it. Just "music" that would fit an ad for some crappy Mazda RX-7 and all through it that automated female voice saying "Thunder" before the band shout "Thunder! Thunder! Lightning and the thunder!". Ugh. I think I'll stick to Imagine Dragons best song "Whatever It Takes" and hope that becomes a hit in 2018.
Hey Taylor Swift, look what your awful song made me do!
2. "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift
So this was the lead off single from 'reputation' by Taylor Swift (an album that is her worst scoring album on Metacritic by the way) and Really the only thing that stops it from being number one is that bridge where there was a sliver of some decent quality there with dramatic instrumentation but that quality evaporated into a chorus that sees Taylor Swift interpolate "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred and one of the WORST songs of 2016 "Me Too" by Meghan Trainor in a song all too intent on stamping Taylor trying to whip up public sympathy when she doesn't explain at all what her haters made her do.
"Look What You Made Me Do" showed that in 2017, Taylor Swifr lost a lot of her dignity in a ridiculously childish and petulant song that made her look even worse than her haters!
So in a year where people finally began standing up and saying sexual harrassment in the entertainment industry was a very real thing and needed to be stamped out (needs to be stamped out EVERYWHERE), we get this atrocity and it's so ridiculously deserving of number 1 on this list.
1. "Body Like a Backroad" by Sam Hunt
The fundamental idea of this song just makes me want to throw up: Sam Hunt knows his partner's body so well that he knows the girl's body like a back road, you know one of those roads that's riddled with cracks, potholes, not been repaired in months because the council can't be bothered and more than likely doesn't get many people driving over it but you drive it anyway to avoid the RBT units after a night out...ugh.
Oh and Sam Hunt can turn his girl's jeans out, he doesn't need any help apparently.
Pair the lyrics with a slurry of bad 2017 hip hop trends, a weak guitar, gang vocals and Sam Hunt's smug vocals, you have one of the worst "country" songs to somehow become the biggest country song this year in Australia and the USA. Yet, we can't even get "Marry Me" by Thomas Rhett to chart here!
Hey Australia, if you want to get country music onto the ARIA Singles Chart, there's better examples than this awful leering mess of a song eg: "5 More Minutes" by Scotty McCreery or even any song from Kelsea Ballerini's last album. Just saying.
"Body Like a Back Road by Sam Hunt" the worst hit song of 2017
Now my rules are pretty simple.
1. A song must have appeared on the ARIA singles chart for more than three weeks so songs like "Swang" by Rae Sremmurd won't appear here.
2. Being overplayed on the radio is not a reason enough to put a song on this list.
3. No abuse. This is my list, my opinion. Yes, it hurts to read somebody trashing a song you love but there's no need to get abusive in disagreement with me! Abuse in the comments will be deleted.
Let's get on with this shall we and there's nowhere better than to begin a list of the worst hits of the year than with handing out a few dishonourable mentions, the first going to a song that has plenty of issues
Dishonourable Mention 1: "Issues" by Julia Michaels
2017 was the year songwriter Julia Michaels stepped in front the microphone however a part of me is wishing she'd stayed in the background because there is absolutely nothing to this song. NOTHING. It's supposed to be a positive upbeat anthem about a couple working through their problems and being together despite of the issues facing them but really this song feels like fake drama for the masses. The production doesn't hint at the issues between the pair and the lyrics are oddball eg: describing the partner as "perfect, poorly wired circuit" in the second verse, there's not even anything about HOW they are overcoming these issues between them.
Yeah I got issues and a lot of them are with this poorly written mess of a song but at least it didn't attempt to be sexy unlike...
Dishonourable Mention 2: "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" by Zayn and Taylor Swift
If people complained hard about the falsetto that Swae-Lee used in Rae Sremmurd's awful US hit "Swang" than I'm fairly certain that Zayn Malik's falsetto in "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" is just about the most unsexy thing on the soundtrack for what ironically is pretty much a porn film and what's even worse is that production is not even remotely sexy or even attractive. The only reason this song is not any higher on the least because Taylor Swift was the saving grace with her vocals carrying some passion.
This next song though got passionately grating in record time.
Dishonourable Mention 3: "Bad Liar" by Selena Gomez
Given 2017 wasn't exactly a good year for Selena Gomez personally so I do kind of feel bad for putting a song of hers on this list and "Bad Liar" isn't the worst song ("Fetish" is even worse). "Bad Liar" is here because the pre chorus and chorus just grew grating. The "I'm trying" repeated over and over again just makes me want to scream and could Selena at least inject a bit of passion if she's really trying and trying like she says she is not to think about this guy. Ugh. The only saving grace is the bass line samples Talking Heads "Psycho Killer".
Speaking of awful lyrics...
Dishonourable Mention 4: "Pretty Girl" by Maggie Lindemann
There's issues with this song that are pretty well obvious and it's more so obvious in the lyrics especially in the lines "If I drink or I smoke, I keep up with the guys", seriously? trying to down drinks like the guys is tantamount to attempting to destroy your liver and smoking only gives yourself emphysema meanwhile the whole song is supposed to be a female empowerment statement sung in this girlish voice that isn't empowering at least to me as a woman.
In 2017, I don't think I have heard such a lame love song such as this from DJ Khaled and co...
Dishonourable mention 5: "I'm The One" by DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo and Lil Wayne
What do you get when you have an overstuffed guest list including the biggest spoilt brat in pop music and lyrics that see the performers not only lack passion but a total lack of lyrical imagination? You get this mess that only barely managed to miss the top 10, seriously a chorus that manages to go "Oh-eh-oh-oh-oh, oh-eh-oh I'm the one" which makes me think of Old MacDonald had a farm even Bieber sounds bored singing his version, there's no passion or conviction in his singing at all.
Quavo compares him and his girl to be a modern day Bonnie and Clyde in his verse through a haze of auto tune while Lil Wayne says more like Whitney and Bobby...an abusive relationship and then proceeds to call himself a legend.
Ugh. DJ Khaled did SO MUCH BETTER with Rihanna and Bryson Tiller. Let's consign "I'm The One" to the museum of forgotten songs.
Now onto the list proper and Bieber makes yet another appearance...
10. "2U" by David Guetta and Justin Bieber
Yet again another song that Justin Bieber sounds bored while the song seems to interpolate a 2000s Daniel Bedingfield song. Bieber sounds absolutely bored but to be fair it's not like the production is any good from David Guetta here with piano, synths and oddball percussion. It's dull, lifeless song with a breakdown to forget. Hopefully in 2018, we'll get less songs like this.
Reggaeton made it's way onto the charts in 2017 and boy some reggaeton songs at least sounded better than this...
9. "Mi Gente" by J Balvin and Willy William
2017 saw a latin Spanish/Spanglish boom courtesy of "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee plus a remix featuring Justin Bieber topping the charts for what seemed like months this year thus sparking attempts to do similar with much worse songs and "Mi Gente" was the song that managed to drive me nuts this year from production where the horns sounded like bleating goats suffering from constipation, luckily we didn't see this song reach number one even with the Beyonce remix.
So a question for Halsey, if you are so alternative, why do you keep releasing terrible pop songs?
8. "Now Or Never" by Halsey
Halsey, all things considered has had a pretty decent year, she's gotten songs off "hopeless fountain kingdom" to chart, "Bad at Love" sits in the Billboard Hot 100 top ten and her duet with boyfriend G-Eazy looks like it will be a massive hit but none of that stops "Now or Never" from sucking, Halsey attempts to be sexy but the music doesn't match with it and the song comes off sounding like a tacky 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack offcut (seriously, most of the soundtracks for the two movies so far have been incredibly unsexy) and Halsey comes off sounding like a braying goat in the chorus as she asks the guy to sleep with her already...just incredibly unattractive.
7. "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran
Ugh. I know the rules state that boring songs can't make the list but I am sick and tired of Ed Sheeran releasing songs like this as singles, it's gotten to a point of being overdone now, Sheeran is a more interesting artist than what he shows in this song that in parts sounds very similar to "Amazing Grace". The fact that there has been so many done to death remixes of song involving Beyonce and Andrea Boccelli says enough that Sheeran has no faith in it.
At least "Perfect" is better lyrically than the mess Train managed to come up with.
6. "Play That Song" by Train
There's no way around it, this song is pure gross, Pat Monahan wants the DJ play his girlfriend's favourite song because it makes her "go all night long"...here's a tip, Pat, if she wants the song to be played all night long, don't be lazy and put the damn song on yourself!. Not to mention the off key "Ooooh" at the end of the chorus with arrogant instrumentation. Yuck. This song is enough to make me want to sing "Turn that rubbish off"
While the lyrics of "Play that Song" are pretty damn awful, they don't sink into that sink of icky like this next song.
5. "Your Song" by Rita Ora
This song increasingly drove me up the wall this year and it's not just because of the auto tune that seems smothered over the song like cheap mayonnaise but the lyrics which leave me wanting to throw up from the opening verse where she wakes up with a fear but the taste of him is on the tip of her tongue and he is by his side with smoke filling their lungs. Seriously?
Ora then proceeds to sing in the chorus that she doesn't want to sing sad songs...just love songs. That would be okay if most love songs were actually happy love songs but a lot of love songs are sad hence the lyric really doesn't make sense at all but even than it only makes the song mediocre at best.
What tips this song over into being absolutely awful is this lyric in the second verse And then we make love, right there on your best friend's couch" which is gross, you wouldn't have sex with your partner in his best friend's bed so why do it on his best friend's couch? Just disgusting.
While this song was icky and gross, at least Rita had a better year than one pop girl whose purposeful woke pop got increasingly myopic and shrill in 2017
4. "Chained to the Rhythm" by Katy Perry feat. Skip Marley
2017 was the year that Katy Perry threw herself into the idea of "purposeful/woke" pop music which resulted in Perry losing what made her an good pop act to become this boring shadow of what she used to be and while "Chained to the Rhythm" isn't the worst song that was releaserd a single or even off the album, it's a song that misses it's message so badly, it's nearly funny.
"Chained to the Rhythm" bemoans how we're all stuck inside this massive bubble yet I can't help but wonder about this coming from somebody who previously made some of the best mindless pop music eg: "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot 'n' Cold" yet we're being made to sit through a washed out disco song while she complains bitterly about how the bubble we're in is chained to some rhythm that gave her some of the BIGGEST hits of her career.
As for the political aspect, there's a way of doing political songs right and boy oh boy, this song misses the mark entirely. I get Perry is a big support of Hillary Clinton but she went about it the wrong way with this song. If she had written a song about how we're chained to toxic attitudes and not willing to change then it could have saved this song but as it is, no thanks.
However say what you will about the attempt at politics by Katy Perry, "Chained to the Rhythm" is marginally more listenable than this effort from Imagine Dragons.
3. "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons
This song is borderline close to unbearable as it gets. Basically a synth driven song while an automated female voice repeats the word "Thunder" over and over again, you'd swear it was on loop she says it so much before Dan Reynolds goes through his struggle to get to where he is today as lead singer of Imagine Dragons.
As for the instrumentation, there's nothing remotely thunderous or even fearsome about it. Just "music" that would fit an ad for some crappy Mazda RX-7 and all through it that automated female voice saying "Thunder" before the band shout "Thunder! Thunder! Lightning and the thunder!". Ugh. I think I'll stick to Imagine Dragons best song "Whatever It Takes" and hope that becomes a hit in 2018.
Hey Taylor Swift, look what your awful song made me do!
2. "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift
So this was the lead off single from 'reputation' by Taylor Swift (an album that is her worst scoring album on Metacritic by the way) and Really the only thing that stops it from being number one is that bridge where there was a sliver of some decent quality there with dramatic instrumentation but that quality evaporated into a chorus that sees Taylor Swift interpolate "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred and one of the WORST songs of 2016 "Me Too" by Meghan Trainor in a song all too intent on stamping Taylor trying to whip up public sympathy when she doesn't explain at all what her haters made her do.
"Look What You Made Me Do" showed that in 2017, Taylor Swifr lost a lot of her dignity in a ridiculously childish and petulant song that made her look even worse than her haters!
So in a year where people finally began standing up and saying sexual harrassment in the entertainment industry was a very real thing and needed to be stamped out (needs to be stamped out EVERYWHERE), we get this atrocity and it's so ridiculously deserving of number 1 on this list.
1. "Body Like a Backroad" by Sam Hunt
The fundamental idea of this song just makes me want to throw up: Sam Hunt knows his partner's body so well that he knows the girl's body like a back road, you know one of those roads that's riddled with cracks, potholes, not been repaired in months because the council can't be bothered and more than likely doesn't get many people driving over it but you drive it anyway to avoid the RBT units after a night out...ugh.
Oh and Sam Hunt can turn his girl's jeans out, he doesn't need any help apparently.
Pair the lyrics with a slurry of bad 2017 hip hop trends, a weak guitar, gang vocals and Sam Hunt's smug vocals, you have one of the worst "country" songs to somehow become the biggest country song this year in Australia and the USA. Yet, we can't even get "Marry Me" by Thomas Rhett to chart here!
Hey Australia, if you want to get country music onto the ARIA Singles Chart, there's better examples than this awful leering mess of a song eg: "5 More Minutes" by Scotty McCreery or even any song from Kelsea Ballerini's last album. Just saying.
"Body Like a Back Road by Sam Hunt" the worst hit song of 2017
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