Albums from my Childhood: "Spice" by Spice Girls

 I am going to come right out and admit it, as a eight or nine year old, who struggled with identifiable strong women to connect with who weren't my mother or my teachers at school, so when five young women appeared on ABC's Rage on one Saturday morning, I was transfixed, there was something about these five bold, brash, loud and confident women that made me take note especially as "zig a zag ahh!" was annoyingly catchy enough to be stuck in my head for the months ahead and to me it was jaw dropping that one of these young women could backflip on a table where there were food and drinks!

The music video I was so transfixed by was of course "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, the sort of debut single that brought Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Victoria Adams and Emma Bunton to the attention of the world with "Wannabe" going on top charts around the world and suddenly "GIRL POWER" was thing for much of 1997 and 1998 as most Spice Girls singles surged to number one in the UK and had a reasonable amount of success in Australia as the band tapped into the young girls market out there normally taken up by the boy bands of the time. 

I was one of those young girls, I know the words to "Say You'll Be There" and could even give impromptu performances of the choreography to the chorus of "Stop" when I was younger. Hell, I was always semi annoyed TV Hits always switched between Hanson and Leonardo DiCaprio on their covers rather than having five vivacious young women on the cover but regardless of all that I want to go back to 1996 and talk about the Spice Girls debut album which was released off the back of the success of ''Wannabe" and would feature several more singles and given they've just released a 25th anniversary edition of "Spice", I thought it would be fun to go track by track and see how the songs on "Spice" have held up.

"Wannabe"

The lead single that started everything, I still stand by this as being the ninth best hit song of 1996 because it's got that sweet dance pop groove with the Spice Girls being utterly in your face and really kind of just overtly obnoxious in this introduction to what the Spice Girls were about and it's up to people to take them as they are or leave and even if I think the rapping is a little unconvincing, I still enjoy this song a fair bit.

"Say You'll Be There"

The second single and wow, this one is as in your face as "Wannabe" as the girls want their partners to say they'll be there for them no matter what they are going through and promise to be there in return. I will say the harmonica solo in the middle was a nice touch. The chorus is catchy and while not as punchy at "Wannabe", the lyrics hold up fine just a shame some of the production on the first half of the song doesn't,...that squealing noise hurt my ears.

"2 Become 1"

Well we go from two uptempo in your face songs to a ballad where the girls basically have had a taste of sex and now want more. I will note that the lyrics of the song were changed during during a re record so to make it more LGBTQIA friendly but yeah I do like this song a fair bit because it proves the girls can harmonise and both Mel B and Mel C sound fantastic here. 

"Love Thing"

Okay, we're back to bratty uptempo 90s pop where the girls declare they are sick and tired of guys pushing and shoving them around to the point they don't want to know about that love thing. Emma Bunton can sell that anger and frustration pretty well in her verse, Mel C is like...well at least I've got my friends so I don't need you in her verse. I will say the rap verse on this song is confusing here as to who is taking the lead there but ehh, the song is a bit of fun. 

"Last Time Lover"

So I have my issues with song mostly how the vocals feel like they are toward the back of the mix which makes it really hard to understand the verses especially when it sounds like the lyrics are being whispered, I get the song is trying to be sexy but it sounds like nonsense when you can barely hear what's being said...anyway it's a sex song that's got a decent guitar line but yeah, this isn't the Spice Girls best song.

'Mama"

Feels weird to go from a blatant sex song to a song dedicated to the mothers of the Spice Girls. "Mama" was a single and is probably objectively the best song on this album where the girls sound great on the hook singing sincerely that they love their mothers and telling the mums that they realize that Mum parented the way she did out of love not because she wanted to ruin the child's life. Also it's good that the three best singers in the group that being Mel C, Mel B and Emma are given the most to do here. I do think it does drag on a little on the final chorus especially as it's a little repetitive but hey, the song is designed to make you cry...lol.

"Who Do You Think You Are?"

So here's the last of the singles for this album and it's a horn laden song where the girls lyrically are focussed on the trappings of fame and how fame can lead to a person forgetting who helped them get to that level of fame along the way, the song is an interesting wake up call perhaps to themselves to keep their feet on the ground and remain connected to those who helped them, its simply saying show your talent but don't forget the people who helped you especially as you are likely to see those same people when the fall inevitably comes. Sound wise I don't think this song has aged well especially with the horns on the song. Ouch.

"Something Kinda Funny"

So a guitar driven R'n'B song where Mel C and Mel B share vocal responsibilities and yeah it works well here even though the song feels like another "You can take us or leave us" song only to imply that they have a connection. It's a weird song but hey overall I don't mind as it is well performed.

"Naked"

Another song that has an R'n'B flavour is "Naked", the song where the production is dark and mysterious with the lyrics warning that this woman in the lyrics will see right through you and be able to identify and know what guys are before she dates them and even if she wanted to sleep with them, she isn't going to have sex with the guy because she knows it won't be worth and leave both of them worse off.

'If  U Can't Dance"

So over the course of their first two albums the Spice Girls saved their worst track for last and this song is an example of that especially that annoying as hell clunky and repetitive hook. Sure the verses and bridge are performed well but that hook is so god damn nasal and the production flat that the song pretty much does nothing for me. 

So this surprised me in terms of which cuts from the album have aged well,,,songs like '"Mama" and 'Naked" are pretty great while a song like "Say You'll Be There" just doesn't do as much for me as it used to. I think when the album gave more for Mel C and Mel B to do vocally the songs sounded good. I still like the album but I wouldn't say I love it as I did when I was a kid.

Best: Mama, 2 Become 1, Naked, Love Thing, Wannabe

Worst: If  U Can't Dance, Last Time Lover

ARIA Singles top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review. 1st November. I am On My Knees in Acapulco To Flame A Moth

 Well this week feels like a bit of a non event especially as Ed Sheeran is bound to have an album bomb with his new album next week and it feels like so little happened this week apart from the three new entries but anyway let's start with the top ten where of course "Easy On Me" by Adele held the number one spot for a second week but those streaming margins are closing.

Granted I still don't see how "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa, which remains at number two, gets to number one especially given what I'm expecting with what is likely to happen next week.

The same goes for "Stay" by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber which remains at number three, its still solid on streaming but I don't see it having anywhere near the streaming to challenge Adele or Ed. 

That brings us to the likely challengers for number one next week...that being former chart topper "Bad Habits" at number four and current single "Shivers" at number five both by Ed Sheeran, the release of the album will make the race for number one interesting especially as numbers are stacking up in Ed Sheeran's favour for next week.

Then "Heat Waves' by Glass Animals held position at number six (we can make this song go away any time now) while "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow remains at number seven.

Now we get to the interesting part of the top ten this week because there was a new entry at number eight..."Moth to a Flame" by Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd, now I will write about this song later but this song got here thanks to pretty damn good streaming numbers.

It forced "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish back to number nine and "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X back to number ten.

Gains

So the gains really aren't that massive this week with only "Out Out " by Joel Corry, Jax Jones, Charli XCX and Saweetie up eight to 31 while "Way 2 Sexy" by Drake feat. Future and Young Thug rebounded 5 to 31 and 'Blinding Lights' by The Weeknd continues to hang around on the chart this week up five to 29.

Losers

Adele's two returning entries both took seven place drops with "Someone Like You" to 47 and "Rolling in the Deep" to 50.

"Fair Trade" by Drake feat. Travis Scott slipped nine to 39 while "Without You" by The Kid Laroi feat. Miley Cyrus slipped six to 35 and '2055' by Sleepy Hallow plunged six to 34.

Drop Outs

We finally said goodbye and good riddance to both "Girls Want Girls" by Drake feat. Lil Baby and "Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf with the latter sue to make the year end, in the case of the former...I am hoping it misses.

We also lost "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo, I am not sure where that song stands as far as year end list goes.

New Entries

Just the three new entries this week, let's begin with...

44. "Acapulco" by Jason Derulo

I've known about this song for awhile and honestly given it got massive radio push, I am not surprised people started seeking it out on streaming and on iTunes. Just a shame that in terms of the sound, it's probably the most generic production Jason Derulo has had on a song in a long time, "Acapulco" truly sounds like something out of 2014/15 that's aged badly but it's the lyrics that put this song into the category of asininely stupid, for a start Derulo opens the song with the line "I can't read ya, my sexy Mona Lisa"...uh Jason, Mona Lisa and sexy are words that should never be used in the same god damn fucking sentence! There was nothing inherently sexy about the god damn Mona Lisa.

He then uses the bridge to call this girl dysfunctional and crazy like his mother and then reaffirms that in the chorus by singing "You're just a little loco like boats in Acapulco", I can't tell at this point whether Derulo wants this girl out of his life or if he wants to bang her at this point.

Then there's the second verse where Derulo starts shilling for cryptocurrency and name drops fashion brands. Look, the song is actively so bonkers and stupid, it's not really all that hateable but it's also not that good, I'm passing.

43. "On My Knees" by Rufus Du Sol

So it's time to deal with Rufus Du Sol, a dance/electronic pop group hailing from Sydney with this song coming from their album entitled "Surrender' that was released last week and was ultimately the reason that "On My Knees" became this group's fifth song to hit the ARIA singles chart. It's just a shame that I'm not feeling this at all..the wailing noise that sounds like a feral cat yowling to get out just doesn't make the song sound good especially as it permeates through the whole song and drives me to the point of distraction which is a shame because get rid of the yowling feral cat noise, this could have been a pretty good song in he vein of The Presets. Oh well...it happens

8. "Moth to a Flame" by Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd.

Welcome back to the ARIA singles chart, Swedish House Mafia, this group last had a hit on the singles chart thanks to "Don't You Worry Child" feat John Martin, the song peaking at number one and hitting number 10 on the ARIA singles chart year end in 2012 so it is nice to see they have come back this time teaming up with one of the biggest stars of the 2020s so far for this song and honestly this song is about what I would expect from both acts as "Moth to a Flame" sounds pretty close to some of the darker songs on "After Hours"...it really wouldn't sound out of place on that album with Swedish House Mafia adding just enough touches of their own to ensure that this song is not completely stolen by The Weeknd, as for the content of the song, well its about The Weeknd hooking up with this girl because this other guy's back whom the girl is loyal to but knows she has feelings for the Weeknd so will always go running back to him with The Weeknd urging her to be honest with this other guy rather than sleeping with him behind this poor dude's back, I actually like this a fair bit...it's a good song....not The Weeknd's best but hey, it's still really solid.

It's also easily the best of the week. As for the worst? Ughh, I'll give it to "On My Knees" by Rufus Du Sol only because "Acapulco" so actively dumb on so many levels that it's not worth hating.

Next week...yeah...it's going to be the Ed Sheeran show...strap in for that when ARIA updates the chart on Friday at 5pm

Good 1992 Vibrations. 25th October. Too Much Erotica with Magic Friend Will Kill You so Keep The Faith

Well this was quite the wild week, shifts up and down the chart including a new entry in the top ten along with several songs turning up in the top ten that I didn't expect so let's start with the top ten where we didn't see any change at the very top because for yet another week "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus remains at number one because sales are still consistent and I'm convinced that people just love guilt tripping bullshit like this.

It held up over "The Best Things in Life Are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson stuck at number two because it can't close the sales margin. 

Rising one spot behind it is "The Day You Went Away" by Wendy Matthews which rose one spot to number three pushing "Love is in the Air" by John Paul Young down one to number four.

Jimmy Nail has his first top ten hit with "Ain't No Doubt" rising six places to hit the top five at number five while "White Men Can't Jump" by Riff jumping seven places to number six...yes, the top ten kind went through some change this week. 

Climbing three places to number seven is "Die For You" by Euphoria as it finally gains some traction going forward which I am fine with.

"November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses stayed steady at number eight just ahead of our highest new entry that being "My Name is Prince" by Prince and the New Power Generation, I'll have more to say later however it got here thanks to really good sales.

Also spending it's first week inside the top ten is "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" by Patty Smyth and Don Henley which rose seven places to number ten and yeah, I am delighted about that!

Gains.

So the big gains outside the top ten with the biggest gain of the week belonging to Boyz II Men's "End Of the Road" as it climbed from 40 all the way to 13 and looks headed for the top ten very soon.

"What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" by Kylie Minogue broke into the top ten as it climbed from 21 to 17 while "No Regrets" by Tom Cochrane climbed from 46 to 27. 

Losers

This is going to be a long list, folks because almost everything lost hard this week but let's start with "Who Is It" by Michael Jackson down seven to 48 (this song has had no genuine momentum whatsoever unfortunately). 

Former top ten hit "Everything's Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens slumped from 38 to 44 while "As Ugly As They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe dived ten places to 43. 

"Proove" by Radio Freedom slipped from 36 to 42 while "Take This Heart" by Richard Marx tumbled eight to 39 and 'Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins down six to 38. 

"Breaking The Girl" by Red Hot Chili Pepper broke six places down to 36 as "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Guns 'n' Roses collapsed from 22 to 34. 

"Sesame's Treet" by Smart Es slithered down from 16 to 33 and "It's Not Over" by The Rockmelons feat. Deni Hines stumbled from 24 to 32. "I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey is heading for a graceful exit as it slipped eight to 31. 

Then we have the top ten songs in the top ten last week that took really harsh tumbles this week like "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman which suffered a plunge from 9 to 25, "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane fell from 7 to 21, "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap down nine to 14 and "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown down six places to 12. 

New Entries

Six new entries this week, quite eclectic too

50. "Drive" by R.E.M

We're kicking things off this week with pop/rock courtesy of R.E.M with "Drive being the lead single for the band's eighth studio album "Automatic for the People". This song definitely steers into blues territory with that guitar...the production reminds me a bit of Bon Jovi's stuff around the turn of the decade and Michael Stipe's vocals low and really powerful as he urges kids to take control of their lives and drive their own lives because hey, nobody else is going to do it for them so they'd better take control.

Yeah, you know what? This is not bad at all, I'll take it!

49. "Too Much Love Will Kill You" by Brian May

So turns out this is a song that Brian May co wrote for Queen and was recorded by Queen in 1989 before May released this solo version of this song, a power ballad reflecting on the breakdown of his first marriage and his relationship with his future wife where I think the song works thanks to the orchestral swell and Brian May delivering an incredibly passionate vocal performance that kind of left me in the grip of the song. This version is pretty good, check it out. 

41. "The Magic Friend" by 2 Unlimited

Well I guess, it was only a matter of time before we got another 2 Unlimited single on the singles chart, it's the fourth and last single from their album "Get Ready' and I guess this is an improvement? The mix feels a little less cluttered and at least there's a groove here but I can't get past that rather prominent noise of what sounds like somebody having a case of explosive hiccups and once you hear that sound, it just ruins the rest of the song, it just isn't pleasant to listen to...sorry but I am skipping this.

16. "Erotica" by Madonna

I groaned when I saw this song, mostly because Madonna's work in 1992 hasn't been at all good and with this song apparently coming from Madonna's upcoming concept album of the same name. Look, here's the problem with the song right from the outset, if the song is trying to sell a particular sexy mood where Madonna wants this dude to put his hands all over her body than they could have at least lightened some of the heaviness of that percussion, also putting this dude in a trance...that comes across as creepy more than sexy. It's better than the chore that's "This Used to Be My Playground" but this song isn't doing anything for me. 

11. "Keep the Faith" by Bon Jovi

Well let's go from sexy to Bon Jovi's newest single with this being the title track for their album and I actually dig this a fair bit, mostly because the song has the whole vibe of getting through the tough times and things will eventually get better by not letting love turn to hatred and how we all need that somebody to love and to stick by. This isn't the best song Bon Jovi have made but yeah, this resonated enough with me for me me to like it, it's not bad at all

9. "My Name is Prince' by Prince and the New Power Generation

Well here we go...the final song of what feels like a looong week here, it's the second single from the album 'Love Symbol" and wow, this sounds like Prince trying to compete with a lot of the hip hop sound at the time...the record scratching, the percussion and Prince sounding kind of desperate as he shouts 'MY NAME IS PRINCE AND I AM FUNKY!" on the hook. The biggest issue here is the lack of groove here and there being a lot of elements that sound out of place here. It's not a complete mess but I remember when Prince didn't need to sound like his voice was cracking to sell a song.

So that wraps up the week, I'm giving best of the week to "Drive" by R.E.M...a solid track that kind of worked for me. Worst is going to "The Magical Friend" by 2 Unlimited because it was the worst song here this week...there's no need for recorded explosive hiccupping in music.

ARIA Singles Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review: 25th October, Adele, Easy on the Charts

Well I did warn you last week that Adele was coming and boy, when she returns she returns hard because she is the main story this week and with that let's not fuss around and get to the top ten where as expected "Easy On Me" by Adele rode massive streaming and sales to take the number one, it wasn't even a contest, how long it stays at number one is anyone's guess right now.

"Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa remained steady at number two thanks to strong sales and decent streaming proving the thought that if Adele had of waited, "Cold Heart' could have got to number one this week on sales because its streaming still lags however I'd be fine with this song falling off because the overt radio play is souring me on this song in record time, I'm sick of it.

From there, it was the Adele effect as everything else was forced down including the former number one "Stay' by The Kid Laroi pushed down to number three mostly because sales fell back, its still as strong as ever on streaming even if the numbers aren't what they were. 

Then there's "Bad Habits" down one to four and "Shivers" down to number five, both by Ed Sheeran, I am not ruling either of these two out of a play for number one especially as the album is out next week.

Then there's "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals which thankfully looks like its second wind might over as it fell back to number six while "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat Jack Harlow slipped to number seven.

"Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish slipped one to number eight, same for "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X to number nine and "love nwantiti" by CKay to number ten

Gains

"My Universe" by Coldplay feat. BTS got the album boost up four to 13 (I don't mind it sticking around as I want it to make the ARIA year end), "Ghost" by Justin Bieber up 11 to 17 as it looks like becoming a huge hit, "Leave Before You Love Me" by Marshmello and Jonas Brothers up four to 27, "Money" by Lisa the biggest gainer of the week up 17 to 32

Re Entries

Such is her power on the pop scene, Adele did also see both "Someone Like You" and "Rolling in the Deep" return at 40 and 43 respectively. 

Losers

"Way 2 Sexy" by Drake feat. Future and Young Thug slipped eight to 38 while "Obsessed With You" by Central Cee slumped eight to 45 and "Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf slipped seven to 46 and "Alone with You" by Arz fell seven to 50.

Drop outs

Locked firmly on the year end list but took their exits from the top 50 this week are both "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo and"Mood" by 24kGoldn and Iann Dior. However  "Hurricane" by Kanye West feat. Lil Baby and The Weeknd probably won't.

New Entries

Well, we've only got the one new entry....

1. "Easy On Me" by Adele

It's one of the biggest releases of 2021, the long awaited new single from UK singer/songwriter Adele with her fourth studio album called "30" due to be released next month (November is STACKED for new releases with Adele, Silk Sonic and Taylor Swift dropping something next month) but anyway how is "Easy On Me"? Well its definitely one of Adele's most heartbreaking songs that she just managed to score a home run with as her presence and magnetism are the stars over Greg Kurstin's gentle piano and spare bass and strings as Adele begs her ex husband ans son to go easy on her post a divorce after a marriage where it became clear that the marriage wasn't going to work and in order to be happy, Adele had no choice but to leave the marriage because it just wasn't working, it's an intensely heartbreaking song that with every listen gains all the more resonance and layers of meaning, it doesn't need to be as dark as "Hello" or "Someone Like You" because "Easy On Me" is as powerful as it is. 

That wraps up the week...no best or worst of the week because there was only the one new entry, next week probably going to see that new collab from Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd, something from Rufus Du Sol and whatever other random stuff decides to show up when the chart is announced by ARIA on Friday at 5pm AEDT

Good 1992 Vibrations: 18th October. Rock Your True Pressure Drop with No Regrets

 So we've got a slightly busier week here with plenty of changes in the top ten including a massive mover so let's get started right where we normally do with our top ten where to no one's surprise "Acny Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus kept the number one spot, it's got a lock there for a few more weeks at leaat.

It kept "The Best Things in Life are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson stuck at number two as it just isn't closing the margins to "Achy Beaky Heart" and it is coming under pressure from "Love is in the Air" by John Paul Young which took a sudden five place jump to number 3!

However that wasn't even the most impressive gain with "The Day You Went Away" by Wendy Matthews climbing seven places to number four thanks to a considerable leap in sales. 

"Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap! rebounded one spot to number five helping to push "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown back to number six. 

The chaos above saw Tom Cochrane's "Life is a Highway" slump four places to number seven while "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses skidded down one place to number eight.

The biggest loser in the top ten this week belongs to our former number one "Amigos para Siempre (Friends for Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman which collapsed five places to number nine. 

Finally Euphoria snatch another top ten hit with "Die For You" up two places to number ten. 

Gains

So let's start our gains with "Ain't no Doubt" by Jimmy Nail up seven spots to number eleven...I am certain this will reach the top ten next week, I am a little surprised it didn't get there this week though. 

"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough' by Patty Smyth with Don  Henley rose twelve places to 17...good, I am absolutely fine with that!

Unfortunately, it's not all good because Kylie Minogue's "What Kind of Fool (Heard That All Before)" rose seven places to 21, 'Something Good" by Utah Saints climbed from 44 to 27 for no good reason other than to torture me while "Just Another Day" by Jon Secada leaped from 34 to 28.

In slightly better news "Breaking the Girl" by Red Hot Chili Peppers got a six place boost to 30. 

Losers

Alright, Sinead O'Connor's "Success has made a failure of our home" slumped seven places to 50 while former top ten hit "Everything's Alight" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Steven just utterly folded from 24 to 38.

"Motor City (I Get Lost)" by Company of Strangers suffered a five place run out of gas to 37 while "As Ugly As They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe dropped twelve to 33. 

"I'll be There" by Mariah Carey slipped from 17 to 23, Roxette's "How Do You Do" skidded five  places to 20 and finally "Sesame's Treet" by Smart Es dipped six places to 16.

New Entries

Four new entries this week so let's start with....

48. "Sad But True" by Metallica

So this is apparently the fifth and final single from Metallica's self titled album and like most Metallica songs, "Sad But True" is a deeply haunting song about people being blind in their faith so much so they will go to extraordinary lengths to follow their faith. Lead singer James Hetfield got the idea from the 1978 film "Magic" 

While I don't think it's quite as great as "Nothing Else Matters" or "Enter Sandman", it's still really damn good with that memorable guitar riff and Hetfield just cutting lose on the microphone, in other words this pretty damn good, check this out!

47. "Pressure Drop" by Izzy Stradlin 

Oh god, how to explain this one? Okay, Izzy Stradlin was one of the founding members of Guns 'n' Roses before he left the band in 1991 to form a new band called Izzy Stradlin and the Juju Hounds which featured Rick Richards from Georgia Satellites on lead guitar, Jimmy Ashhurst of Broen Homes on bass guitar and Charlie Quintana on drums with "Pressure Drop" being the first single and well...it's a cover of The Maytals 1969 song. Look, I get why some people like it but yeah, I'm not really feelin this sort of rock at all so yeah if you like...its fine but not for me. 

46. "No Regrets" by Tom Cochrane 

Isn't one Tom Cochrane song on the chart enough? Anyway we've got this new song from Cochrane from his second album entitled "Mad Mad World" and...well for one thing it's better in terms of there being a good groove, it certainly sounds good but the thing that ruins the song here is Tom Cochrane's vocals, he just sounds incredibly nasal...like he recorded this while having a cold or a sinus infection which is kind of a shame because the lyrics play into the whole idea of living life with no regrets and potentially with a better vocallist over that production the song could conceivably work but as it is...no thanks. 

45. "Rock Your Baby" by K.W.S

Another cover song here, this time K.W.S have decided to cover George McCrae's 1974 hit "Rock Your Baby" which peaked at number two on the Kent Music Report chart and making the year end for 1974 so what does K.W.S decide to? Zap all the energy that makes the original feel genuinely romantic and the disco groove with it to speed up the tempo and turn the song into this clattering, noisy mess of a dance song that somehow manages to straddle the line between boring as hell yet somehow a train wreck that makes you want to keep listening to hear how fucking far the train can run off the fucking tracks! This is awful...skip it!

It's also easily the worst of the week. Metallica take the best of the week for "Sad But True" which also wasn't a contest...let's hope for better next week.

ARIA Singles top 50 top ten/ Chart Review: 18th October. A Ghost and his Money

So we got a quiet week again with two new entries that hit below the top twenty five and some scattered movement through the rest of the chart before the big disruptions over the rest of the year as artists race to get new music out in time for Christmas. Anyway let's get to the top ten because for a fourteenth week, it's "Stay" by The Kid Laroi feat. Justin Bieber remains at number one and it looks like this week might be the song's final week at number one with Adele turning up next week to likely take top spot because there's no way now that "Stay" could possibly match the outrageous streaming numbers Adele is already posting.

Adele's arrival next week also likely means the chances of "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa , this week stuck at number two, getting to number one are also remote because it has less streaming than "Stay", sales can only do so much. 

"Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran is steady and at number three while his other single "Shivers" actually moved up one to number four. I am not ruling these two songs out from getting number one  just yet given Ed Sheeran's latest album is still to come.

"Shivers' pushed "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals back to number five as it finally starts to lose traction on streaming...dear god...can we be done with this song once and for all?

"Inidustry Baby" by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow remains at number six then there's the two place gain for "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish to number seven which I am absolutely thrilled about...love seeing this doing well.

It pushed "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X back one to number eight and "love nwantiti" by Ckay back to number nine. 

Rounding out the top ten is 'Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo at number ten and will likely be the song that exits top ten next week 

Gains

So "Love Tonight" by Shouse picked up eleven places to number 22 while "Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon rebounded seven places to 32 and "Alone With You" by Arz up six spots to 43.

Unfortunately bad songs also rose with "Out Out Out" by Joel Corry, Jax Jones, Charli XCX and Saweetie climbed eight to 42  and traction for "Life Goes On" by Oliver Tree climbed seven to 34

Losers

Not much to say here on the losers front either with 'Hurricane" by Kanye West feat. Lil Baby and The Weeknd slipped seven places to 47 while "Obsessed with You" by Central Cee slumped seven places to 37

Drop Outs

"Friday" by Riton and Nightcrawlers feat. Mufasa and Hyperman dropped out having safely secured it's place on the year end list for 2021 taking with it "Dry" by Rancid Eddie because the streaming momentum died in days.

New Entries

Two new entries this week, let's begin with...

49. "Money" by Lisa

So Lisa is the latest rapper/singer from Blackpink to go solo with this being her latest single and it getting traction from the current Netflix hit of the moment 'Squid Game" and wow, this might be lowkey awful, a pretty standard generic song about spending money where the problems with production, the pile up of noises to approximate money in cash registers and that awful long trumpet note at the beginning that made me think that this was 2015 Jason DeRulo or Fifth Harmony and that somebody had pressed all the buttons on the trumpet at once and it's not even mixed properly to sound good here.

This will be a hit because of the show it's associated with...nothing else...

28. "Ghost" by Justin Bieber

Should have expected another single from "Justice" but this time around, it's probably the best choice of single from the album that the record label have made even if you do have to point out that Bieber is still being beyond clingy and if the song was given to a more interesting artist than Justin Bieber then we might have got something excellent but yeah the song as it is still well executed and Bieber is delivering the lyrics with some passion and intensity that I've not heard in recent material...he is normally very easy to ignore which isn't the case here and considering it's competition this week...yeah, this is still good.

It gets the best of the week this week, no question about it. There's also no contest for worst of the week with "Money" by Lisa taking that.

Next week...Adele likely debuts at number one, we'll find out when the chart updates at 5pm AEDT on Friday.

Good 1992 Vibrations. 11th October. Keep It Comin' at the end of the Road

 We have got ourselves a cooldown week here, sure the top ten is pretty busy and there's still the usual flurry of movement up and down the chart but there were only two new entries this week so I'll take this week like this when I can so let's dive straight into the top ten where for a second week "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus, look, this unfortunately seems to be locked in for a long stint at number one, it's romping it in sales.

Although taking advantage of having strength in sales over the songs around is "The Best Things in Life Are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson which climbed five places to number two which ensured it pushed it's way past "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane down one spot to number three and "Amigos para Siempre (Friends For Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman which slipped one place to number four.

Recovering one spot after it's surprise collapse last week is "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown to number five. However the movement in the top five was bad for Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer" which just got pushed down two to number six.

"November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses dried up down two places to number seven, it's coming under pressure from our latest arrival to the top ten that being 'Love is in the Air" by John Paul Young up three places to number eight thanks to the hype from the "Strictly Ballroom" movie...sigh...

The other song to remain steady at number nine is "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot...I am not certain about this song's future in the top ten. Finally "Sesame's Treet" by Smart Es slipped two places to number ten...good/

Gains

Well there's good news in the gains this week as "The Day You Went Away" by Wendy Matthews rose six places to number eleven! This definitely has the momentum to be a top ten hit which is awesome.

Not so great is "Love How You Love Me" by Teen Queen rising from 35 to 14! We really don't need to be doing this, Australia.

Also not impressed that Riff's "White Men can't Jump" climbed fourteen to 16 however I am fine with "Ain't no Doubt" by Jimmy Nail climbing from 33 to 18 this week (it's a dorky song that just works for me...I don't know why)

Girlfriend's "Without You" broke into the top twenty up four to number 20 however I am also thrilled that "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" by Patty Smyth and Don Henley climbing from 44 off it's debut to 29...I'll take that!

Same goes for "Digging in the Dirt" by Peter Gabriel which climbed six spots to 33 but can we not also let "Neighbor" by Ugly Kid Joe be a thing? It climbed ten spots to 35...why?

Re Entries

Just the one return with "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price back at number 47. 

Losers. 

Most of our big losers seem to be in the bottom half of the chart with "Who Is It" by Michael Jackson down eleven to 45 (this song has never really caught on which is kind of disappointing because it's probably one of Michael's better songs)

Unsurprisingly "Hey Hey We're the Broncos" by Ipswich Connection slumped from 28 to 44 this week. Novelty songs haven't young around too well this year so far.

"Too Funky" by George Michael slipped from 41 to 36 while "This Used to be My Playground" by Madonna plunged from 31 to 37 this week.

"Boy in the Moon" by Margaret Urlich slipped from 22 to 27 (surprised ARIA even remembered to put this song on the chart...that's how forgettable it is). Richard Marx suffered an eight place slip with "Take This Heart" to 26. 

"It's Not Over" bv The Rockmelons feat. Deni Hines fell from 16 to 22. 

New Entries

Two new entries, let's begin with,..

50. "Keep it Comin' (Dance til You Can't Dance No More)" by C & C Music Factory feat. Q Unique and Deborah Cooper.

Okay so it's time for another run in with C & C Music Factory, this time they've brought Puerto Rican Ameican rapper Q Unique and American singer and back up singer Deborah Cooper along for the vocals. Q Unique provides the hype and pretty strong verse so maybe this song won't be a completely annoying headache even if the production does sound like previous C & C Music Factory songs. I think the only element that doesn't quite work here is Deborah Cooper on the hook, she doesn't quite bring the same energy to it as Q Unique does which kind of makes her hook easy to ignore to a degree. Not too bad...I kind of expected worse.

40. "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men

And here we have a song that was written by Babyface for the soundtrack of the movie Boomerang and performed a quartet calling themselves Boyz II Men, it's a pretty standard pop r'n'b ballad with plenty of piano and guitar forming the instrumentation of the song, it's fine on that front but the issue I have here is the lyrics, they are pretty darn clingy especially as it's noted this relationship between the writer and this girl has come to an end and she has quite clearly moved on and most likely met somebody else yet the writer wants her to come back and is refusing to except the relationship has reached the end which is kind of infuriatingly clingy and really almost kind of ugly. I don't hate this but this still isn't good.

So yeah, much to my surprise, Boyz II Men take the worst of the week here for "End of the Road while "Keep It Comin' (Dance Til You Can't Dance No More)" by C & C Music Factory feat. Q Unique and Deborah Cooper takes the best of the week...it's not perfect but this week, it's better than it's competition.

ARIA Singles Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review: 11th October. Alone with You Dry is Out Out

 So this week with the announcement that there's a new single from Adele on the way, it kind of feels lie everyone and everything just kind of went on hold or especially in the top half of the top ten, you would think so so let's start there where "Stay" by The Kid Laroi  featuring Justin Bieber snared a 13th week at number one but like I said last week, sales are nowhere near as good as they were anv the margins it was enjoying on streaming are narrowing thanks to "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa which remained at number two, the question is whether it can take number one next week knowing that Adele is likely going to sweep all before it away the week after...

"Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran maintained it's hold at number three while the incredibly annoying "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals kept hold of number four.

"Shivers" by Ed Sheeran rebounded one spot to number five as streaming got a boost this week, it pushed past "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow back one spot to number six.

Following behind is "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X rebounding one spot to number seven as it got a boost on streaming this week..I'm pretty happy about that.

Then we have the viral hit "love nwantiti" by Ckay up five to number eight this thanks to traction on streaming. 

Speaking of boosts on streaming. "Happier than Ever" by Billie Eilish is back in the top ten up two spots to number nine thanks to the streaming success of the edited version of this song which sees the slow beginning stripped out and keeping the rock end of the song which for me does see the song lose a bit of it's pathos but hey regardless, I'm happy to see the song back in the top ten.

All this pushed "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo down one spot to complete the top ten at number ten.

Gains

Interestingly "Knife Talk" by Drake feat. 21 Savage and Project Pat climbed six places to 21...a song that looks like being a hit for Drake surprisingly.

"Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd up three to 35 and "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac also up three to 36. 

Unfortunately the biggest gain of the week belongs to "Life Goes On" by Oliver Tree which jumped eight places to 41, also unfortunate is the three place gain for "Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes to 47.

Losers

Slipping seven places to 48 is "Friday" by Riton and Nightcrawlers feat. Mufasa and Hyperman while "Hurricane" by Kanye West feat. Lil Baby and The Weeknd was the biggest loser of the week down eleven to 40. 

Clinton Kane's "I Guess I'm in Love" slipped five places to 37 while "Without You" by The Kid Laroi feat. Miley Cyrus slumped five places to 29.

Then there's Drake album bomb tacks like "Way 2 Sexy" feat. Future and Young Thug falling four places to 27, "Girls want Girls" feat. Lil Baby down eight to 26 and "Fair Trade" feat Travis Scott sliding seven places to 23.

Finally "My Universe" by Coldplay feat. BTS skidded seven places to 14, yeah it's disappointing but not unsurprising.

Drop Outs

The three drop outs this week aren't surprising with "Like  I Can" by Sam Smith, "Visiting Hours" by Ed Sheeran and "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" all taking their expected exits.

New Entries

We've got three new entries this week, let's begin with...

50. "Out Out" by Joel Corry, Jax Jones, Charli XCX and Saweetie

Well it was only a matter of time before this turned up on the Australian charts, it is in the top ten in the United Kingdom even if I think the name recognition alone would have got the song charting eventually... just a shame the song is not very good...not even Charli XCX putting her standard excellent vocal performance can save this with the shrill instrumentation, it's not even got a groove that would get a person up on the dancefloor and I kind of blame both Joel Corry and Jax Jones for that...all of the artists involved in this song can do so much better. 

49. "Alone With You" by Aez

So this is a song I have seen hanging around the lower end of the Australian Spotify top 50, it comes from a 17 year old independent rapper calling himself Arz with "Alone with You" becoming a thing on the charts when the song went viral on Tik Tok as per most charting hits these days and well, it turns out this is a pretty sweet love song with Arz expressing his feelings about a girl but being an awkward 17 year old the easiest way for him  to do so is through music, what is sweet is how he wants to protect her because she's special and one of a kind. Yeah...I wouldn't mind this blowing up. Not bad!

17. "Dry" by Rancid Eddie

So now for the biggest new entry of the week...Rancid Eddie are a Melbourne backyard rock band that have been in the news lately for pissing off the neighbours with amount of noise they make even while Melbourne is supposed to be in lockdown, the band apparently have a rather cheeky and irreverent approach to song writing with this song about the sex not being very nice when the spark and love has gone out of the relationship so the sex doesn't feel as good. Overall the song reminds me of early Arctic Monkeys except its a rowdy singalong at a pub in Melbourne. I just wish the guitars roared a little more and I don't see it sticking around on the chart either way so ehh.

That wraps up the week with best and worst falling out easily here. Worst is going to "Out Out" by Joel Corry, Jax Jones, Charli XCX and Saweetie which really is just a massive waste of talent however the best of the week is going to "Alone with You" by Arz..

As for next week, possibly that debut solo single from former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson who brought Nicki Minaj along with her, possibly Spacey Jane but we'll have to see when the chart updates on Friday at 5pm

Good 1992 Vibrations. 4th October. Hey Hey Sometimes Love Just Ain't Good

 Ugh. This is one of those weeks that was better and worse in a lot of ways. Worse when you look at the top ten but on the better side some of the gains are at least better? But anyway let's not waste anymore time and get to the top ten where we have a new number one..."Achy Breaky Heart' by Billy Ray Cyrus surged to take the number one spot as sales kicked into gear hard with this song helping it climb the three places to the top of the summit.

However right behind it is "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane up one spot to number two...it's sales have been really good but just not enough to match those of "Achy Breaky Heart" but it was enough to move part "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman which slipped down to number three as it gracefully starts to move out of the top ten.

Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer" rebounded one spot to number four while "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses also rebounded one to number five however the reason both these songs rebounded is that "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown fell hardcore losing the number one spot and stumbling five places to number six.

Continuing it's rise is "Best Things in Life are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson which got a three place boost to number seven. Nice!

It pushed "Sesame's Treet" by Smart E's down one to number eight, "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot back one to number nine and "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S finishing the top ten down one at number ten. 

Gains.

Alright so let's deal with some of these gains, on the good to excellent side is the massive gains for "The Day You Went Away" by Wendy Matthews leaping from 30 to 17 this week...be nice to see this song hit the top ten eventually. I also welcome the gains for "Tennessee" by Arrested Development which climbed from 22 to 14.  I can even tolerate that "Do You Want Me" by Felix climbed from 36 to 29.

Hell, I'm even okay with "Ain't No Doubt" by Jimmy Nail gettin a five place gain to 38 and "Breaking the Girl" by Red Hot Chili Peppers rising six places to 38. 

I am not so happy that Kylie Minogue's "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" rose from 37 to 25. Kylie has done better, Australia. Come on.

Re entries

Just one new entry and it comes from Def Leppard who returned at 48 with "Have You Ever Really Needed Someone So Bad" 

Losers

Bryan Adams is thankfully on his way out of the top 50 with "All I Want Is You" down seven to 40, the same can be said for "Even Better Than The Real Thing" by U2 down eight to 49. 

Girlfriend's "Girl's Life" just utterly collapsed from 31 to 43 this week as it seems like they've turned their attention to promoting "Without You"

Former top ten hit "Too Funky" by Geore Michael dived from 24 to 37 this week while the wispy and insubstantial "Love How You Love Me" by Teen Queens fell ten places off their debut to hit 35. 

More top ten hits fell hard alongside "Too Funky" though with "This Used to Be My Playground" by Madonna slipped from 27 to 31 while "Everything's Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens fell ten places to 21 and "As Ugly As They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe slumped seven spots to 20.

New Entries

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

44. "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" by Patty Smyth with Don Henley

Well this is a sombre way to start a review of the songs debuting on the chart this week but here we have this rock ballad duet between Patty Smyth and Don Henley. The song was co written by Smyth and Glen Burtnik with the lyrics referring to the end of a relationship where both people are looking to move on with their lives and make sense of the aftermath of the break up where love just wasn't enough to keep the couple together despite the residual feelings for each other being there but both people acknowledge that it's probably for the best the relationship ends, it's a dark and kind of harrowing song that yeah, hurts. If this makes the year end expect to see this on my best list somewhere. 

40. "Something Good" by Utah Saints

Now to lighten the mood here with English electronic duo Utah Saints (strange name for an English duo...I know) with "Something Good" being the first song from the EP. Now this song contains a sample of Kate Bush's song "Cloudbusting" (a UK top 20 hit in 1985 for Kate Bush) and when I say the Kate Bush sample is the best thing about this song if you can hear her over the noisy patter of drums and other electronic elements in the mix along with the voice screaming "Utah Saints" into shrill incoherence, yeah I have no tolerance for songs that sound like they'd be good for audio torturing somebody so yeah...PASS!

28. "Hey Hey We're The Broncos" by Ipswich Connection

So rugby league is on the ARIA singles chart courtesy of the Brisbane Broncos with a group known as Ipswich Connection that comprises of  Btoncos players Allan Langer and the Walters twins Kerrod and Kevin. Now this is a parody of the 1966 hit by The Monkees called "Hey Hey We're the Monkees". Look, I don't really have much to say about this song mostly because it is a parody and basically a hype song for the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team but I will say some of these lyrics are hilarious.."Hey hey, we're the Broncos and we're not horsin' around" just makes me giggle. Look, it's harmless, check it out.

That completes our surprisingly short week and both best and worst fall out easily here, with the worst going to "Something Good" by Utah Saints because yeah...that was intolerable however "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" by Patty Smyth with Don Henley runs away with the best of the week and that wasn't a contest

ARIA Singles top 50 top ten/Chart Review. 4th October. My Universe Goes On for Life

So after the chaos of the last couple of weeks, we might have a couple of quiet weeks here because yeah, this week felt slower even if we have some moves in the top ten and our long running number one starting to show some signs of weakness so let's get to that top ten shall we? 

"Stay" by The Kid Laroi featuring Justin Bieber spends a 12th week at number one but it's starting to show signs of weakness on streaming, those margins aren't as strong as they once were a few weeks ago, this upcoming week could be telling about whether it gets any longer at number one.

"Cold Heart (PNAU remix" by Elton John and Dua Lipa rose one place to number two as it took the sales lead this week, just needs to start getting some strength together on streaming and it may well be a contender for number one if a certain female artist doesn't show up in the next few weeks or it could see it's run for number one neutered.

However it was enough to move past "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran, it's starting to suffer from having competition from his own songs for that presence on streaming especially from "Shivers"

"Heat Waves" renaissance continues for Glass Animals as it rose one spot to number four this week. I am really ready for this song to be gone but it did force "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow back one spot to number five while "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran held it's place at number six.

A new arrival on the chart this week debuts in the top ten at number seven that being "My Universe" by Coldplay and BTS thanks to sales of multiple different versions of the song but the original version did sell well all week and has had some growing traction on streaming however it's usually almost always the second week where songs involving BTS fall back so we'll see if it has any longevity going forward.

It forced "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X back to number eight and "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo back to number nine.

Finally "Beggin'" by Maneskin remained steady at number ten.

Gains

So a song that looks like it is going to be absolutely huge is "Love nwantiti (Ah ah ah)" by Ckay up ten places to number 13 while "Obsessed With You" by Central Cee also climbed ten places to number 31. 

"Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd climbed six places to 38. 

Losers

Sam Smith's "Like I Can" slipped seven spots to 47 while as I predicted last week "Visiting Hours"  by Ed Sheeran continues to make it's way out down 14 places to 46.

Unsurprisingly the biggest loser of the week was  "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" down 15 spots to 43. 

"Get Into It (Yuh)" by Doja Cat has lost all of it's momentum as it slipped nine to 42 and "Hurricane" by Kanye West feat. Lil Baby and the Weeknd slumped seven spots to 29. 

Drop Outs

Just the two drop outs this week with "Moon" by Kanye West and "I Wanna Be Your Slave" by Maneskin both leaving.

New Entries

Just the two new entries this week, let's start with

49. "Life Goes On" by Oliver Tree

So this is one of a couple of songs to go viral this week (there's another one likely debuting on the chart next week) with this one courtesy of TikTok although can I ask if we're going to have songs go viral and chart, can the song at least be good because this is really god damn annoying with Oliver Tree repeating "on and on and on" ad nauseum with the gang vocals chanting "yeah yeah" in the background. This is beyond asinine repetitive and the production sounds like elephants farting. Not good.

7. 'My Universe" by Coldplay and BTS

So here we have the latest single for Coldplay for their upcoming new album called "Music of the Spheres" which is due out later this month, this time bringing BTS on board for added traction and well it's about as synth pop as "Higher Power" with the lyrics playing the basic sentiment of the partner being the centre of the universe hence wanting to put them first. It's certainly better than "Higher Power" or even recent BTS singles. This is fine, check it out

:"My Universe" does take best of the week easily though. "Life Goes On" taking the worst of the week...that song is just intolerable to me.