Top Ten Worst Hit Songs of 1989

 Ahh yes, the time has come to peruse the best and worst that 1989's pop music had to offer and to make those top ten lists although for me making this worst list felt really difficult as there just weren't that many songs that outright pissed me off as I generally liked a lot of what we got in 1989 pop music wise which basically puts me at odds with most critics who say 1989 was a baaad year for the charts however what did wind up on my worst list....whooo boy... it just stunk to high hell mostly in saccharine, clingy pop that I imagine even love song dedications radio DJs would be faintly embarrassed to play in 2022.

Regardless, here's the rules for this list, for songs to wind up here, they must debut on the ARIA year end chart for 1989 OR chart on the 1989 year end higher than it did on the 1988 year end. Also no dishonourable mentions as there just weren't enough worthy of ire, "Stop" by Sam Brown is just mediocre and really not worth hanging shit on.

So you got that? Good, now lets dump some musical garbage out at sea, beginning with...

Number Ten

If you have seen my worst hit songs lists then you will know just how much shitty cover versions piss me off, there's three covers that will make this list and we're beginning with a song that tells a year's old tale.... just a shame the late 80s had to turn it into a mess...

10. "Iko Iko" by The Belle Stars

I wish artists would understand the history of the song they are covering before they go into a studio and turn it into a clusterfuck like The Belle Stars did with "Iko Iko". The song originally written and recorded in 1953 under another title "Jock-a-mo" by James 'Sugar Boy' Crawford and his Cane Cutters and then changed to the more famous title in 1965 when The Dixie Cups made it a hit. The song tells the story of a parade collision between two Indian Mardi Gras tribes and the traditional confrontation between the tribes in New Orleans so what we needed in 1989 was The Belle Stars version being this heavy drums and pretty much noise that drowns out the vocals and oh God, I feel a splitting headache coming on. The worst part is that I doubt they even understand what the effing song is even about! Ugh...

Number Nine

Say what you want about "Iko Iko", there's much worse like this wretched effort from this one hit wonder that did not ring my bell at all...

"Ring My Bell" by Collette

I may not really like Anita Ward's original "Ring My Bell" but I would take it over this overproduced train wreck of a cover from New Zealand born Aussie Collette, the song is a disaster right out of the God damn gate with what sounds like a tennis player grunting or somebody having sex...take your pick and Collette's nasal voice delivery the verses like she's in the last stages of a violent head cold!. The backing vocals are badly placed and the wail of "You can ring my bell" just gets fucking annoying. I'm only ever going to ring the bell to place it on this worst list.

Number Eight

The fact this is only number eight on this list kind of stuns me considering just how much this pisses me off. Folks, this is how you should not take a classic Carole King song and turn it into monogenre garbage.

"I Feel the Earth Move" by Martika

1989 was the year of Martika, she had two songs make the year end for 1989 with her biggest hit being "Toy Soldiers" which, I guess, is fine compared to this disaster of a cover of a really sweet Carole King love song, let's start with the fact Martika yells "I. FEEL. THE. EARTH. MOVEUNDERMYFEET" which honestly rips out the charm and soul of King's original. Oh let's not forget that the piano was replaced by tired synths and whatever the hell the rest of this is, it's clunky and paired with Martika yelling, it is a headache of a cover...Carole King deserves better.

Number Seven 

So Neighbours had spawned several singers by this time... Stefan Dennis, Kylie Minogue and this next guy on this list and if there is one thing I hate in a love song, it's the protagonist being overtly clingy or weepy when their partner wants to leave them...

"Too Many Broken Hearts" by Jason Donavan

Let's get the first thing annoys me about this song out of the way for a guy who doesn't want this girl leave him, Donavan sounds emotionless like singing this hacked out plea for this girl to not leave him is just something to do...that said, it does have the feel of being  a Rick Astley left over that even he likely thought was bad. The music is pretty stock late 80s fare, piano, washed orfut synths and drums apart from that guitar at the beginning but the reason this song is here is because of the lyrics where she wants out of the relationship but Donavan can't let her go because he needs her body and soul and because there's too many broken hearts in the world, he is going to either fight for her to stay which is just....ugh...maybe she's had enough of being the adult in this relationship while v throw toddler tantrums and cling to her ankles like chewing gum on a shoe, Jason? Ughh, this song is just ripe with gross clingyness that it weird me out however there's another song that dips into clingy territory and is worse than this later on this list but this is still terrible.

Number Six

So I really struggled with where to place this song, I've hated it for years and it's revival in a car as where kids sang didn't help me feel anything but a deep burning desire to yell "FUCKING SAIL AWAY ALREADY, DAMN IT!" and now I have said that, you know what this it.

"Orinoco Flow" by Enya

I wish I understood the appeal of songs like this, mumbled singing until the singer, in this case, Enya squawks out "Sail away" repeatedly for a hook until your ears bleed and you realize 70s yacht rock is better than this. Yeah, give me Kenny Loggins and any of the yacht rock set over this boring chore of a song that yes, it sounds pretty but really it's also pretty much the kind of adult alternative junk that easy listening stations play to the annoyance of everyone listening. Also just the phrase 'Orinoco Flow" makes me think of toilets....flush away, flush away...

Number Five

You know, even despite how high this is, I'm not as angry at this as I am at songs lower on this list... time can manufacture distance from the song and the fact the duo didn't actually record it does dilute the anger however that doesn't stop the song from being here...

"Baby, Don't Forget My Number" by Milli Vanilli

So let's forget for the moment that Milli Vanilli didn't actually record this, they just lip synced for the public but just how clunky this whole mess is. The rapping sounds stilted, have no genuine flow and at the end, he sounds like he is asking a question rather than being firm in being there for this girl. Also has anyone associated with this mess heard of some actual drums and instrumentation that doesn't sound so watery,it literally sounds like they released the bloody demo! Thisisone of the music industry's most amateur moments ever and for somebody to have green lit this...ughhh.

Number Four

Okay, l'm not going to waste time, time to answer the central question of this song.

"Where Did I Go Wrong?" by UB40

Okay so the conceit of this song is this guy wondering what he did for his girlfriend to want to up and leave him...well maybe confront the major issues with this song like that incredibly annoying flute loop and the song lyrically makes the guy sound as clingy as Jason fucking Donavan, the song describes her as sounding completely done with the relationship so why are you whining about her being gone for good when it's likely she wants rid of your toxic ass...let her go, stop being toxic and stop making bad songs! 

Let's not talk about UB40's godawful early 90s Elvis cover... we'll pretend that never happened, okay?

Number Three

Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya...just not on the back of this nightmare fuel...

"Kokomo" by The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys, one of the most influential bands of the 60s outside of The Beatles, returned in 1989 with possibly their worst song since "Barbara Ann" aka "Barbar the Ants" and holy hell, instead of driving down a woman's body like her body is back road like Sam Hunt in 2017 ("Body Like A Back Road" is still fucking repulsive), the Beach Boys want to fly the 'pretty mama" to Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, Bahama (They dropped the 's' off Bahamas to make the already stinky lyrics work) and not forgetting Key Largo (Bertie Higgins already did that, guys!) and Montego before randomly settling on Kokomo and suggest having sex on the beach and fall in love which is doing it ass backwards, you are supposed to fall in love before plugging your dick into her soon to be sand filled pussy pussy but hey the song does say they'll take it fast before taking it slow....NONE OF THIS MAKES SEX ON THE BEACH ATTRACTIVE OR SAND IN THE PUSSY APPEALING.

Throw in the washed out and lazy music, sleazy vocal delivery and you have a very unattractive music advert for sex on the beach in years.

Number Two

Not much needs to be said here other than ask why did Bette Midler record cats fighting in a bag and release it as a single?

"Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler

Oh God, just whhyyy? I know funerals need their music too but if this song was meant to be uplifting or inspiring....it doesn't work. IBette Midler literally opens the song belittling the person she's talking to by singing "It must have been cold there in my shadow" before launching into this cornball chorus where with person's help she can fly high than an eagle (she also used the eagle reference in 1991's "From A Distance" which is also a bad song that is right up there for worst of 1991) over a bland piano which has about as much texture as runny baby poo except you'd swear they are trying to make this saccharine blandness sound appealing...until it gets to the breakdown and the cry of "Fly " over and over leaves the distinct feeling that innocent cats are in a bag fighting in a bland song about somebody being a hero ... My final words for this are: RELEASE THE CATS FROM THE BAG!

Number One

So after all that, what could possibly be the worst hit song of 1989? Well let's go back to one of the themes of this list, clingy men not being able to let go and talk it over in bed with Grayson Hugh...

"Talk It Over" by Grayson Hugh.

So this wasn't going to be my number one at first, I thought the song was kind of bad, this weird attempt at late 80s downtuned Motown that would have seen this place low on this list but it was a closer listen to Grayson Hugh's braying delivery and the lyrics that shot this right to the top because....woooow,  he has obviously cheated or done something to upset this girl and now he is pathetically trying to beg her not to do what she probably should and leave this thinking with his dick toxic douchebag by means by gaslighting (the "I can tell you still want me" line is such blatant gaslighting, it ought to be illegal) and asking her if they can "talk it over in bed". Dude, she wants to be done with you, the last thing she wants with you is sexy time...no amount of sex will fix your failing relationship if she has her bags packed to leave, you literally only want her in your bed in the hope your dick can make her forget that you were an asshole to her

This song made me feel ill every time I heard it, from the lyrics to the high pitched female backing vocals who can't harmonise, Hugh's abrasive braying and music that pretty much represents everything that was wrong with music in 1989.

"Talk It Over" by Grayson Hugh is the worst hit song of 1989. Stay tuned for the best list!

ARIA Singles Top 50 new entries special: October

 "Romantic Homicide" by D4VD

Well, it appears we are starting October on a pretty shitty note with this slice of lame indie drudge from American rapper D4vd (pronounced David) that got Tik Tok virality to notch a slot on the chart and quite frankly this song blows not even just that D4vd sounds like Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys having a wrench progressively tightened on his buts as he croons his way through this self pity party of a song over a guitar that has all the flavour of liquid diarrhoea. Yuck!

"Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me At All)" by Omar Apollo

This is an interesting one, Omar Apollo is a bilingual (he sings in English and Spanish) American singer-songwriter with this song getting traction and I have to say this is pretty excellent, it's a slice of r&b soul that these days does not get the attention it so richly deserves. Apollo is trying desperately to move on from a broken relationship but is finding it difficult to move on because he still has real feelings for this person despite the shitty things they have done to him, it's a great song worth checking  out.

"Star Walkin'" by Lil Nas X

The newest Lil Nas X song comes from a collab with League of Legends and wow, I don't feel anything at all from this, it is not a bad song but it sounds oddly calculating and sterile which is weird coming from Lil Nas X of all people but he has done so much better than this. 

"Unholy" by Sam Smith and Kim Petras

See, this is why we should have made "Diamonds" a hit because then at least there would be no reason for Sam Smith and Kim Petras to get in a studio and make this cacophonous train wreck where lyrically Smith and Petras aren't on the same god damn page, Smith is trying to get naughty over what this guy does behind his wife's back while Petras is trying to get all steamy while name dropping expensive brand! What is worse is that this song sounds like a wall of noise... awful...

"Ferrari" by James Hype & Miggy Dela Rosa

English pair James Hype and Miggy Dela Rosa get together to create a weird song where they conflate sex and Ferraris over this weirdly flat groove which I guess kind of makes sense if he is comparing his sexual performance to a Ferrari...it's just a weird song that does nothing for me, that's all.

"How Do I Say Goodbye" by Dean Lewis

Okay so this is probably the best song on that new mediocre Dean Lewis album,  I have pretty much come to the conclusion that Lewis is the Australian version of Lewis Capaldi  only Lewis seems to have more of an idea of his vocal range. On this particular song, Lewis is questioning how he can possibly say goodbye to his dying father when his father has been a big part of Lewis's life...honestly there's better songs in this vein but this has its moments, it's fine.

"Celestial" by Ed Sheeran

Okay so Ed Sheeran made this song for that new Pokemon game and I actually really like this mostly because I think it has the potential to be a pretty damn great pop rock song...the foundations are there...if only they hadn't gone down the EDM breakdown route. Also Ed Sheeran singing this to a Squirtle sounds all sorts of cute.

"Edging" by Blink-182

Oh God...why? This is not the sort of comeback that anyone could have wanted from  Blink 182, this is bad in all of kinds of ways where the production doesn't make any of the wilful immaturity on display seem fun plus the lyrics are painfully juvenile so yeah avoid this garbage...next!

"Poland" by Lil Yachty 

This only got traction because of the forced  "I took a wock to Poland" meme otherwise there's nothing much else to this pointless fragment of a song.

"Bones" by Imagine Dragons

Oh geez, then again maybe I was being harsh on Blink 182 because yeah this song might be the most irritating thing this band have released since "Enemeeeeee". That God damn painful hook that sounds like children shrieking or mice after finding a shred of moldy cheese. Ugh. 

" Miss You" by Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz

Okay so producer Siouthstar took a Oliver Tree song called "Jerk" and used a  sample that was cleared by Tree's label for a song called "Miss You", fellow producer Robin Schulz picked up the song, made a few quick changes, did not get permission and released in what seems plagiarism however let's deal with the fact that this sounds like a nuclear propulsion, it's terribly mixed and Oliver Tree's voice sounds shrill...next!

"Snow on the Beach" by Taylor Swift  feat. Lana Del Rey

Now into the first of three songs from Taylor Swift's pretty damn great album "Midnights", this one featuring Lana Del Rey on backing vocals and yeah this one has been growing on me a lot, it just manages to sound absolutely gorgeous and while I at first thought Lana was was wasted just serving backing vocals, I can't deny it works, check it out.

"Lavender Haze" by Taylor Swift

The album opener that like "Snow on the Beach" has really grown on me with its warped melody and groove that reminds me a lot of trends in modern r'n'b plus lyrics where Taylor sings about avoiding tabloid speculation about her relationship with her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. I will also note that the hook can get stuck in your head.

"Anti Hero" by Taylor Swift

 I have been wanting to talk about this song for ages because my God, this is Taylor's best lead single to date and one of my favourite songs of 2022 regardless of it being a hit or not, the lyrics of this song pack an incredible punch with Taylor realising that she's the problem in the eyes of some people and it must be exhausting for them to cheer for her the anti hero and to highlight that she repeatedly sings "it's me, hi, the problem is me:" until her voice goes ragged. The 80s style synths and the vocal harmonies just make this song stand out. This is Taylor Swift at her best

Worst of the month: "Miss You" by Robin Schulz and Oliver Tree

Dishonourable Mention: "Romantic Homicide " by D4VD and "Poland" by Lil Yachty

Honourable Mention: "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me At All) by Omar Apollo and "Snow on the Beach" by Taylor Swift feat Lana Del Rey 

Best of the Month: "Anti-Hero" by Taylor Swift (duh)

ARIA Singles Top 50 New Entries Special: September

 "I'm Good (Blue)" by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha

Oh good lord, I guess it makes sense that these two would jump on a sample of Eiffel 65's 2000 hit "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" like everybody LAST YEAR was doing out of sheer desperation for a hit so this really is trend chasing except it shows that Guetta is out of ideas and this trend was played out last fucking year, Bebe Rexha sounds nasal and for somebody claiming she's good...she sounds miserable. One of the worst songs of the year!

"Hold Me Closer" by Elton John and Britney Spears

This is exactly why we should not have allowed "Cold Heart" to become a massive hit last year because it gaves Elton John a convenient to mash more of his back catalogue together into a greasy sounding homogeneous clusterfuck this time using "Don't Go Breaking Heart", "The One" and "Tiny Dancer" and like "Cold Heart", it saps both Elton and Britney of their personalities while destroying two absolute classics. Elton, please stop this!

"Something In the Orange" by Zach Bryan

Uhh... what the hell? Oklahoma singer songwriter and independent country artist Zach Bryan makes a surprise but very welcome debut on the ARIA singles chart with this song from his album this year "American Heartbreak" and yeah, I love this! It's a dark, broody song about the end of a relationship and my goodness, it makes use of negative space and and atmosphere to create the dark and haunting atmosphere, I cannot believe this charted but I am so happy it did.

"New Gold" by Gorillaz, Tame Impala and Bootie Brown

Oh so here's another surprise...only unfortunately this is nowhere as good as I was hoping with those annoying beeps that sound like some emergency is about to happen before more electronics hit Kevin Parker 's hook, it just doesn't sound good or come together that well...next!

"2 Be Loved (Am I ready)" by Lizzo

Well, it's fairly clear the 80s called because song sounds like something that would fit on a Jane Fonda workout tape, it's a song where Lizzo is asking herself if she's ready to be loved however this just doesn't work for me due to how oddly stiff and cheap the song sounds, there's just no nervous tension  to the production which you would think a song like this would need.

"Beautiful Crazy" by Luke Combs

I kind of suspected that in the wake of "The Kind of Love We Make" becoming a surprise hit this year that we were going to get older Luke Combs songs and well...the production is pretty with fiddle playing off a guitar but my problem is with the content about how this girl is beautiful but she's crazy yet there's nothing in the song that make me believe she's crazy...yeah she makes plans and changes her mind...that ain't crazy, Luke!

"When It Rains, It Pours" by Luke Combs 

Second Luke Combs song and well, okay, it's a genuine country song with a gentle guitar rollick and drum machines but again the problem here is the lyrics where this girl leaves him and now he is having all this good luck and is using his good fortune to be sour towards this girl and her mother and that kind of thing just puts me off the song.

"Forget Me" by Lewis Capaldi

The dreaded return of Lewis Capaldi and you know this not bad? Yeah the lyrics are still sour and again Capaldi sounds like he has no real idea of his vocal range or he has been violently kicked in the scrotum on the hook however I really like the melody courtesy of that piano so yeah, I don't mind this.

"Bound 2" by Kanye West

No...just no...

"Hotel" by Montell Fish

Okay, Christian artist Montell Fish had his break through on Tik Tok hence landing on the singles chart and...well, I don't hear the appeal at all, fuzzed out guitar because the song drops so we can hear Fish doing his best crooning The Weeknd impression which really did nothing for so let's just move on...

"Billie Eilish" by Armani White

Okay, this is blatant clickbait, using Billie Eilish's name just to get attention for your clunky trap song that's all about flexing and gun play, the only thing saving this is the fact that White has some charisma and energy compared to many in his genre but that won't make me come back to this.

"Shut Down" by Blackpink 

So this was the only song from that Blackpink album apart from "Pink Venom" to chart and this is not one of the better songs from that album with the squealing instrumentation that would cause dogs to run off bridges and the girls are trying so hard to be aggressive and 'shut down' those who do them wrong, it's kind of adorable but otherwise it sounds like a R ihanna 2015 reject.

Worst: "I'm Good (Blue)" by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha 

Dishonourable mention: "Hold Me Closer" by Elton John and Britney Spears

Honourable Mention: "Forget Me " by Lewis Capaldi 

Best of the Week: "Something In the Orange" by Zach Bryan

ARIA Singles Top 50 Special: August

 Kind of hoping August is better in terms of the new entries especially with how busy it was!

"Are You Entertained?" by Russ feat Ed Sheeran

Okay, we're starting with a new single from mediocre American rapper Russ who has had some success in the US, he teamed up with Ed Sheeran for this and...it's fine? I am not too keen on the content in Russ's verse where mentions 'retiring your parent'...come on dude however the trap production sounds good and Ed Sheeran sounds solid as hell rapping so yeah this is better than I expected.

"Remember" by Becky Hill and David Guetta

Sigh...I have never cared for either Becky Hill or David Guetta, mostly Becky Hill is not all that interesting vocals wise and David Guetta's pass ran out in 2010 so I was worried about this song. 

Turns out my worries were warranted because this is a pretty generic EDM song, sure Guetta gives Hill's weak vocals room to breathe but the lyrics feel clingy and the production feels too chipper to match the content...next!

"The 30th" by Billie Eilish 

Not surprising Billie Eilish dropped a doubled sided single, she did that with success with "Everything I Wanted" in 2020 and with this being the B side, I was curious about what this song had to offer so what did we get?

Uhh, this is genuinely excellent, it's a song about somebody Billie loves being in a car accident, Billie's fears for this person and the realisation that this friend escaped the crash alive however its the production that tips this into greatness with Finneas smartly creating a tense nervous atmosphere at first reflective of worry before the tension builds ands dissipates into joy as Billie shouts "You're alive" over and over so yeah this is a master-class...check this out!

"TV" by Billie Eilish 

So this is the single from the EP, it's dark acoustic song where slams the world for gawking at the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial while ignoring the there's bigger and more systemic issues for American women confront like the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the subsequent loss of easy abortion access for women and how watching TV helped Billie ignore the relationship issues she was facing. 

Yeah this a pretty good yet confronting song that people will overlook because nobody wants confronting truth in pop music these days just like how people willingly want to ignore issues plaguing society through watching sport. Just saying.

"Doja" by Central Cee

So I don't care for Central Cee, everything I've heard from him is either mediocre or downright ass so I was dreading and yeah, this is complete garbage that samples Gwen Stefani and Eve's 2001 hit "Let Me Blow Your Mind" before diving heard first into rickety percussion and Central Cee opening his verse with "How can I be homophobic, my bitch is gay" which for fucking obvious reasons is stupid, she's bisexuality if she's into men and women! 

This whole song just feels like a grab for attention especially with the name dropping of Doja Cat so yeah the next time, this will get attention on the worst list because this is fucking garbage.

"Die for You" by The Weeknd

Australia, what the hell? You could have made "Out Of Time" a hit instead of a song from The Weeknd's 2016 album "Starboy", it went viral this year on Tik Tok. Content wise, it's The Weeknd feeling conflicted about the end of his relationship due to the very real feelings he still has for her, he still loves her.

I just wish the production did not sound so headache inducing with squelching facts noise over The Weeknd singing, there's better on Starboy...next!

"Another Love" by Tom Odell

Another song that went viral courtesy of it becoming something of an anthem for Ukrainian resistance against Russia, this time from British singer songwriter Tom Odell with this particular song being from his 2013 debut single which peaked at number ten in its original run in the UK and I have today, this is actually a really sad but well crafted song about his own frustration and anger at falling for this girl he just cannot be with.

What tips this toward excellent is the gentle piano at the beginning before the song slowly builds momentum from the second verse as the pianos ramp up the anger and the backing vocals kick in so yeah I like this...check it out.

"Sweater Weather" by The Neighbourhood 

So turning now to another 2013 song this time from American alternative band The Neighbourhood and wow the mixing is a mess to the point I cannot point to a defining melody and those vocals do nothing for so I'll pass.

"Summer Renaissance" by Beyonce

Alright, time to deal with the Beyonce album bomb with this being the first of three songs I am covering from it and I went into this hoping it is better than "Break My Soul" which has only gotten increasingly more annoying as time has passed this year and unfortunately this feels like a clattering and messy noise fest like they are trying to merge two or three different ideas into one song which includes sampling Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". Ehh, not a fan

"Alien Superstar" by Beyonce

Second Beyonce song and again we have another interpolation of "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred but oof, this is just not good especially as this air of arrogance that you'd think Beyonce would better than. It's not the worst song I've heard but it's sure disappointing.

"Cuff It" by Beyonce

The last of the Beyonce songs and this is probably the best of three songs with its bouncy groove and a sound that reminds me a lot of Donna Summer's 70s music. Yeah, the writing feels a little clunky but regardless, I'll take it.

"Snap" by Rosa Linn

Oh wow, this isn't the song from Eurovision I expected to go viral on Tik Tok but anyway this is Armenian artist Rosa Linn's big breakthrough...I just wish the song was better especially as the music reminds me a lot of "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers (a song I don't particularly care for) with very pop folk adjacent sound. The content of the song is fine enough where she is musing on getting rid of this ex before she snaps or breaks. Ehh, it's okay...I guess?

"Numb" by Marshello & Khalid

So a collab between Marshmellow and Khalid, Khalid has been releasing singles of his own this with no real chart impact (disappointing given "Skyline" is great) so how is this song?

It's fine? My two biggest issues are the annoying knock of the beat at the end of the chorus while Khalid repeats the word "numb" into incoherence and how "I, I wanna get numb. And forget where I'm from" can be misheard as "I, I wanna get numb and fuck you out in front" but otherwise this is a pretty chipper song that would kill it during summer

"Not Over Yet" by KSI feat. Tom Grennan

Okay, KSI is back with a new single, this time with crooner Tom Grennan. I have say this pretty solid. It's got a good hook and a decent drum rhythm with the content of the song being about self doubt and KSI's struggle to overcome those feelings and while I am not that keen on Grennan's vocal delivery in the latter half of the song, it's still one of KSI's best to date.

"Love Lost" by Mac Miller

So I am going to be honest here, Mac Miller's music has never been my thing, I just never cared for it but anyway this song is from Miller's 2011 mixtape "I Love Life, Thank You" and the sample of Temper Trap's song of the same name gives the song a solid bounce and groove. Just a shame the writing feels a bit weird and clunky so it just does not work in the way I was hoping, it's not bad though.

"Bad Decisions" by Benny Blanco, BTS and Snoop Dogg

Well got to say I saw two thirds of this collaboration coming but what the hell is Snoop Dogg doing here? Well it turns out he shares a pretty stilted verse with Jung Kook before having a verse to himself, the issue here though is the production, there's no sense of danger in it to make anyone think there's going to be consequences  for the bade decisions, it's just forgettable pop EDM fluff.

"Under the Influence" by Chris Brown 

Oh get fucked. I'm not going to be engaging with or indulging with the attempted redemption arc of Chris Brown . I don't care this crap went viral. Fuck it off.

"Staying Alive" by DJ Khaled feat. Drake and Lil Baby

So I am not going to preamble with this song because it's fucking dreadful which keeps up DJ Khaled and Drake's record of making miserable music together and really, miserable is the correct description for this. For a song all about staying alive, it sounds like a song sung in the five minutes before somebody carks it, also to sample a classic 70s disco song like "Stayin' Alive" by The Bee Gees and turn into miserable trap drudge should be a fucking crime! Next....

"Super Freaky Girl" by Nicki Minaj 

Nicki Minaj is back with maybe her best single to date? Yeah the sample of "Superfreak" by Rick James is obvious but I like how Nicki uses the sample to give the song a memorable hook even if the elongated e is kind of annoying and the rest of the song lyrically is nothing new for Nicki Minaj but you know what? It's pretty good and that's weird for me to say.

"Afraid to Feel by LF System

Oh, this finally turned up on the ARIA chart... about time given it has been number one in the UK. LF Sstem are a British do who created this mix in 2019 which includes a interpolation of Silk's 1979 hit "I Can't Stop (Turning You On)" just slowing down Louise Clare Marshall's vocals  and yeah, this might be the best bit of sampling from any song this month, it sounds fantastic even with multiple tempo changes that are set up superbly, let's make this a hit please!.

"Pink Venom" by Blackpink

I was dreading covering this song mostly because I find their production to quite often be clattering headache inducing noise and yet again this is no  different unfortunately which does prevent  me from enjoying it, not helped by the repetitive lyrics, ehh... I'll pass.

"B.O.T.A (Baddest Of Them All" by Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminals

Well, here's an interesting song from British DJ Eliza Rose and producer Interplanetary Criminals and samples the synth line from Lisa Lisa and The Cult Jam's song "Let The Beat Hitler, Part 2" so how's the song? Well, it's certainly interesting, it's sound is reminiscent of 90s dance hits like "Encore Une Foi" by Sash!, Eliza Roses's more nasal delivery on the verses doesn't bother me much, I like it.

Let's deal with the crap first, dishonourable mention to "Under The Influence" by Chris Brown. Worst of the month is a tie between "Doja" by Central Cee and "Staying Alive" by DJ Khaled, Drake and Lil Baby.

However  we did get some good to great stuff, Honourable Mention  goes to "Afraid to Feel" by LF System. Best of the month is also a tie with "The 30" by Billie Eilish and "Another Love" by Tom Odell sharing the honour.

ARIA Singles Top 50: Special. July's New Entries

 Due to my hiatus because of health issues, I have decided to cover the new entries from the period of my hiatus as specials 

"Hot Sh*t" by Cardi B feat. Lil Durk and Kanye West

So what on earth is happening with the rollout for this second album by Cardi B? Seems like we've heard a lot about it with multiple singles with this one being the latest and well...the only reason anyone would listen to this is Cardi B because it's not like the beat is anything to write home about or the verses from Lil Durk and Kanye West (his verse left me asking why he is even on this song in the first place)

"Master of Puppets" by Metallica.

"Stranger Things" does it again with the title track of Metallica's 1986 album and really, I will keep it short because yeah, it's pretty much Metallica at the top of their game. Definitely worth checking out!

"Sway My Way" by R3hab and Amy Shark

Well it's about time we got new music from Amy Shark, just a shame that she's teamed up with producer R3hab for a song where the production makes her sound tinny in the mix and devoid of emotion but the most annoying part is that the song takes the melody of Bic Runga's 1998 hit "Sway" and manages to turn a fantastic melody into another generic EDM cut. Yeah, this sucks...next!

"Bad Habit" by Steve Lacy

Okay so American singer-songwriter,  musician and producer Steve Lacy hit the chart after going viral for months with "Dark Red" and well, it's okay? The verses are kind of overwhelmed by the percussion but that melodic 80s hook in the chorus makes this work for me. It's good but  not great.

"Betty (Get Money)" by Yung Gravy

You could have warned me a Rickroll was coming up because yeah the sample of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give you up" is the most interesting thing about this song from American rapper Yung Gravy. Lyrically the song is all about his chase for money and it feels so uninspired...next!

"From Paris to Tokyo" by Fivio Foreign feat The Kid Laroi

Going to say when you sample a crummy Far East Movement song. Seriously... it's not like either Fivio Foreign or The Kid Laroi are really adding much in the way of content to a pretty generic song. This is pretty forgettable.

Wow... July was just garbage for the new entries. Best is going to "Master of Puppets" by Metallica pretty damn easily. Honourable Mention to "Bad Habits" by Steve Lacy.

As for the bad, dishonourable mention goes to "Hot S***" by Cardi B feat. Lil Durk Kanye West because yeah Cardi doesn't save it from being bad. Worst goes to "Sway My Way" by R3hab and Amy Shark...thank goodness, Amy's new song is much better!

ARIA Singles Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review. 4th July. Where DId Left and Right Go?

 Well...we got a cooldown week here which was to be expected as there seems to be a pause in the big releases...at least for now. Also it looks like we finally have a battle for the top spot so let's get to that top ten where "Running Up That Hill (Deal With God)" by Kate Bush returning to number one for a third week due to a renewed push on streaming and sales. 

All this pushed Joji's "Glimpse of Us" back to number two but it's right there on streaming, it just needs to pick up on sales and Youtube even so I can still see this returning to number one.

That's not the case for "As It Was" by Harry Styles which remained stuck at number three as it's hanging in on sales but streaming is starting to slow down that if a challenger comes along, it's going to face a battle which may not come from Lizzo's "About Damn Time" up one to number four but from Doja Cat's "Vegas" which climbed three places to number five...now this song has grown on me a little bit so I'm fine with it here for now.

Remaining at number six is "First Class" by Jack Harlow as "Jimmy Crooks" by Drake feat. 21 Savage slipped three places to number seven. Falling back one place to number eight is "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals. 

As expected, breaking into the top ten up a starting twenty three spots is "Break My Soul" by Beyonce at number nine and given my feelings on the song are confused...yeah, I am not sure how I feel about it.

Holding steady at number ten is "Stay" by The Kid Laroi feat. Justin Bieber. 

Gains

So apart from "Break My Soul" having it's big gain into the top ten and "Sunroof" by Nicky Youre and Dazy up six to 25 were a slew of songs that just rebounded, most of them older songs like "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo which went up four to 34 and "Easy On Me" by Adele up seven to 41 but that was about it really.

Re-Entries

This week saw the return of "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd at 45.

Losers

There's quite few this week..."Die Young" by Sleepy Hallow feat. 347aidan down eight to 50 while "Wait A Minute" by Willow which slipped seven to 48. 

Two Harry Styles songs also took sizeable tumbles again with "Matilda" down twelve to 39 and "Music for A Sushi Restaurant" down nine to 38.

"Cooped Up" by Post Malone feat. Roddy Ricch freefell down eight to 32 while "Sticky" by Drake lost its stickiness to slide twelve spots to stick to number 27 while "Massive" slumped nine to 21 also for Drake.

Drop Outs

Not complaining about our drop outs this week with "Daylight" by Harry Styles, "Clarity" by Vance Joy and "In the Stars' by Benson Boone all leaving. 

New Entries

Just the two new entries this week so let's begin with...

43. "Where Did You Go" by Jax Jones feat. MNEK

About time this charted in Australia, this song has been charting in the UK for the last couple of months now so it took it's sweet damn time to get here and well it turns out that Jax Jones is heading into mid 90s eurodance trends with this song, its definitely straight out of 1996/1997 and even if I do find elements of the production annoying, that breakdown doesn't do much for me at all, MNEK sounds great here as he always does on EDM/eurodance songs, it's not a great song but hey, it's still pretty good, I'll take this.

19. "Left and Right" by Charlie Puth feat. Jungkook 

Well, this is a collab I should have seen coming. Charlie Puth collabing with a member of BTS has been on the cards for awhile now so what did we get from this collab? Well, to tell you the truth a song I am going to want to forget pretty quickly because wow, Charlie Puth is absolutely the worst part of his own song here,.his squeaky as hell vocal delivery on one of the more generic choruses on a pop song in 2022. Jungkook is probably the best thing over this production where he manages to sound a heck of a lot better than Charlie but it's  not enough to save it.

It's getting the worst of the week while "Where Did You Go" by Jax Jones feat. MNEK gets the best of the week.

Next week is set to be a quiet one so we'll see what happens when the chart updates at 5pm AEST on Friday

Lookin' Fine '89. 2nd July. If Something Special Falls.

 Ughhh. Another week and the revolving door at number one continues on, Australia, please come to a fucking consensus, would you? Although the competition at the top is interesting, it'd be nice if things could just settle down a little. Anyway let's get to our top ten where we do have a new number one, it comes in the form of Swedish pop duo Roxette with "The Look", now given how shaky the number one position has been over recent weeks I am not going to make any predictions it can hold on to it next week but it got there courtesy of fantastic sales. 

To my surprise, hanging strong at number two is "Bedroom Eyes" by Kate Ceberano and while I don't see it as a player for number one just yet, I am actually pleased it's sticking around.

The same can't be said for "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler...less said the better. Roxette's rise to number one though did see "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles pushed back to number four and it could come under pressure from "Express Yourself" by Madonna which rose one to number five. 

Kylie Minogue's "Hand On Your Heart" slipped back one spot to number six, kind of thought this one would fall away, I'm surprised. Unfortunately rising two places to number seven is "Iko Iko" by The Belle Stars because of course it did.

Joining the top ten having risen fourt spots to number eight is "Sealed with a Kiss" by Jason Donovan (how many more sappy fucking ballads do ya all want?) while "Good Thing" by Fine Young Cannibals fell two places to number nine

Wrapping up the top ten is "Pop Singer" by John Cougar Mellencamp which fell two places to number ten.

Gains

We're starting off the gains on a not so good note because somehow "You Got It (The Right Stuff" by New Kids on the Block jumped from 26 to be on the cusp of the top ten at number 11 however in much better news "Onion Skin" by Boom Crash Opera climbed twenty places to 17 while "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty climbed two places to break into the top twenty at 19.

Continuing the good news is "Telephone Booth" by Ian Moss which climbed twenty spots to 20. Def Leppard have hit take off with "Rocket" up from 35 to 21. 

The fascination with sacchairine ballads continues though because "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Simply Red gained from 31 to 23 while "Baby I Don't Care" by Transvision Vamp climbed five to 24.

"Rooms on Fire" by Stevie Nicks jumped eight places to 26 while "Satisifed" by Richard Marx climbed nine places to 27. 

"My Brave Face" by Paul McCartney jumped nine to to 30 while "I Only Wanna Be With You" by Samantha Fox rebounded six to 31.

"Bed of Nails" by Ross Wilson got an eleven place boost to 37. 

Losers

It was just as busy on the losers front so let's start with "Let Me Be" by Daryl Braithwaite which collapsed eleven places to 49 while "Change His Ways" by Robert Palmer slipped from 44 to 48 and "Compulsory Hero" by 1927 slipped six to 47. 

"Chained to The Wheel" by The Black Sorrows tumbled from 32 to 46, "Stop!" by Sam Brown got crunched down from 24 to 42 and "Lullaby" by The Cure got hit down eleven to 41.

"Hurricane" by James Freud got some penetration down from 25 to 40 this week while "Wild Thing" by Tone Loc lost twelve places to 36, "Come Anytime" by Hoodoo Gurus slipped from 27 to 34 and "Ring My Bell" by Collette is thankfully ringing a litttle quieter having plunged from 17 to 33.

Johnny Diesel & The Injectors are doing their own crying as "Cry in Shame" fell twelve places to 32, "I'll be There for You" by Bon Jovi skidded six places to 29 and finally former chart topper "The Living Years" by Mike + The Mechanics fell twelve to 28. 

New Entries

Three new entries this week beginning with...

50. "Something Special" by Clive Young

So we're starting off with an artist that there's sweet fuck all information about Clive Young and this song on the internet so I am basically just going to deal with the song and well it's a pretty standard 1989 pop song that starts interestingly enough but devolves into the usual fare for 1989. Don't get me wrong, the song itself is fine with Young begging a girl to show him something special to turn his heart around. I don't hate this but I certainly don't love it either. 

45. "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" by The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden & Stock Aitken and Waterman

So I am going to go a little easy on this one, yeah, it's a cover of "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" that was recorded and released by Gerry and The Pacemakers in 1964 but this cover has a purpose to raise money for the victims of the Hillsborough football disaster where 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death during the F.A. Cup semi final against Nottingham Forrest...that's all I can really say about it.

Rest in peace to the Liverpool 96. 

43. "If A Tree Falls" by Bruce Cockburn

So final song of the week comes from Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn and wow...this is a song that really hits a mark about the environment as it asks the pertinent questions if anyone actually cares about the state of the environment or if a tree has fallen in a forest, has anyone heard it and how we're damaging our environment instead of doing what we can to conserve it over this rollicking almost country sounding guitar and that hook is fantastic. All in all, this song is an important one.

So I'm going to dispense with worst of the week because there's nothing that bad but best is going to "If A Tree Falls" by Bruce Cockburn

ARIA Singles top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review: 27th June. Break My Kind of Love Soul...Honestly Nevermind

 So we didn't get a full on Drake album bomb this week...shocking...I know...but given the album is pretty awful, I am actually happy with that, I am also pretty happy with what occurred at the top of the singles chart this week because we have a new number one and the first for this particular artist, yes, it's Joji with "Glimpse of Us" taking the top spot, now let's be clear here, this was a margins thing because "Glimpse of Us" got to number one on streaming alone, it's not a dominant number one by any means.

Which does open up a return to the top spot for former number one "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" by Kate Bush, down to number two, as it is still incredibly competitive on both sales and streaming, it's competitive here.

"As It Was" by Harry Styles slipped back to number three, now it's still solid on sales and streaming but I question if it can challenge for number one.

There's a new entry at number four and it's one of only three new entries to the chart from Drake with "Jimmy Crooks" feat. 21 Savage. Now this is apparently not the song they are pushing as a single from the album so I don't expect this to stick around. 

However it did help to push "About Damn Time" by Lizzo back two spots to number five and "First Class" by Jack Harlow back one to number six. 

The song that refuses to leave the top ten is "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals which got a one place boost to number seven...aren't people sick of this song yet? Geez.

Nabbing a four place gain to number eight is "Vegas" by Doja Cat, this has got traction right now especially on streaming so will be interesting to see if the hype outlasts the Elvis movie it's from.

Wrapping up the top ten we have two The Kid Laroi songs with "Thousand Miles" down three to number nine and "Stay" feat Justin Bieber also down three to number ten.

Gains

Sadly the gains aren't exactly on the good side this week when the best of the gains is "Sunroof" by Nicky Youre and Dazy up nine to 31, that's not exactly a good sign. In a pretty awful sign "I Ain't Worried" by OneRepublic moved up nine places to 21 because it's bound to be a hit somehow. Finally "2Step" by Ed Sheeran fest Lil Baby is up three to 40. 

Re-Entries

Just one return this week, it comes from Doja Cat with "Woman" at number 43.

Losers

Let's deal with Harry Styles album bomb first so "Daylight" down 14 to 46, "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" down 5 to 29, "Matilda" down 5 to 27 and "Late Night Talking" down four to 14.

As for the rest, there's "Easy On Me" by Adele down 10 to 48, "Clarity" by Vance Joy slipped six to 47 and Gayle's "abcdefu" is finally starting to fuck off down seven to 44. 

"Wait A Minute" by Willow slipped ten places to 41 while "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow slipped seven to 36.  "Enemy" by Imagine Dragons feat. JID and League of Legends stumbled nine to 34.

Drop Outs

Our collection of drop outs aren't too surprising with "Yet to Come" by BTS, "True Love" by Kanye West and XXXtentacion, "Without You" by The Kid Laroi with Miley Cyrus, "Don't Blame Me" by Taylor Swift, "10 Things I Hate About You" by Leah Kate and "Little Freak' by Harry Styles all took their exits

New Entries

Five new entries this week beginning with...

32. "Break My Soul" by Beyonce

So we've got four house songs new to the chart this week with the firdt of them being the lead single from Beyonce's upcoming album "Renaissance" and look, I am really not sure how to feel about this song, I don't actively hate it but I really don't love it either. Sure the Big Freedia sample sounds great here and Beyonce does sound nice but more often than not she gets drowned out by how noisy and somewhat repetive the mix is. I don't know...It's not worth hating but it's definitely nothing something I want to relisten to.

23. "The Kind of Love We Make" by Luke Combs

So this is Luke Combs third entry to the ARIA singles chart following in the wake of "Forever After All" in late 2020 with this one from his new album "Growin' Up" but hey I was excited especially as whenever country or anything adjacent to country has charted in the top 50 in Australia, it's been pretty downright terrible (see "Body Like A Backroad" by Sam Hunt in 2017) but thankfully this is the rare country song hitting the Australian singles chart that is really damn good for once! Yeah, Luke Combs vocal delivery here is something that some people might need to get used to but I really like the production as well, it feels country with the twang of the guitars and while I suspect there's a drum machine in use, it still doesn't stop me from enjoying the song. Check it out!

15. "Sticky" by Drake

12. "Massive" by Drake

4. "Jimmy Cooks" by Drake feat. 21 Savage

So I am going to deal with all three of these Drake songs together because I am sick to death of Drake and spending anymore time on this lack of effort is a waste of my time especially as he is the worst part of all three of these songs, he sounds bored singing on "Massive" and "Sticky" where at least the production has some energy and groove, at least 21 Savage provides a much needed break from Drake's monotonous crooning on "Jimmy Cooks" even if his verse isn't anything outstanding but it's welcome because Drake is just...ugh...

So yeah I'm giving "Sticky" the worst of the week mostly because of Drake's crooning ruining the song, if it was given to a person with energy and enthusiasm, the song would actually be great.

As for the best, yeah, that's going to "The Kind of Love We Make" by Luke Combs...not even a contest there.

As for next week...could be a quiet one so we'll have to see when ARIA updates the chart on Friday

Lookin' Fine '89. June 25th. My Brave Onion Skin Face Sealed With a Telephone Booth Kiss.

 Another week and the revolving door at number one continues like every single pop artist turned up at Grace Brothers on "Are You Being Served" but anyway let's dive straight into this. "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles returns to the number one thanks to good sales through the week, it' got there just ahead of "Bedroom Eyes" by Kate Ceberano which returned to number two. 

All this pushed "Wind Beneath My Wings": by Bette Midler down two places to number three this week as it somehow lost momentum and is facing a stiff challenge from the rising "The Look" by Roxette which jumped one place to number four. 

"Hand on Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue slipped back one place to number five while "Express Yourself" by Madonna remained steady at number six. "Good Thing" by Fine Young Cannibals also remained steady at number seven.

Rising one place to number eight is "Pop Star" by John Cougar Mellencamp. Kind of shocked this one is doing as well as it is, a good hook does a lot!

Jumping five places into the top ten unfortunately is "Iko Iko" by The Belle Stars, less said the better while in better news climbing five places to number ten is "I Want It All" by Queen.

Gains

"I Drove All Night" by Cyndi Lauper had a nice six place gain to 13 while "Come Anytune' by Hoodooi Gurus gained from 31 to 27.

Tranvision Vamp also had a good gain off their debut last week up eleven placers to 29 with "Baby I Don't Care".

Simply Red's cover of "If You Don't Know Me By Now" jumped from 44 to 31 because it's probably going to be a hit somehow.

Sam Brown's awful "Can I Get a Witness" jumped six places to 42,. 

Losers

Drasgon's :"Young Years" crashed nine plac49es to 46 while "Change His Ways" by Robert Palmer slumped from 39 to 43. 

"Compulsory Hero" by 1927 tumbed from 29 to 41, "I Only Wanna Be With You" by Samantha Fox slipped ten places to 37 and former chart topper "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals plunged from 18 to 33 . The wind in the sales is starting to die down for James Freud's "Hurricane" as it fell five places to 25. 

"Lost In Your Eyes" by Debbie Gibson has lost it's place in the top ten as it tumbled nine to 19,

New Entries

Four new entries this week, starting with...

47. "Onion Skin" by Boom Crash Opera

The lead single from Boom Crash Opera's second album "These Here Are Crazy Times" and well I actually like this a fair bit, sure, it's pretty heavy on the percussion but dear god is this song catchy and the chanting at the beginning of the song really is engaging. It's a song about how a person has so many layers of skin like an onion and much like an onion, peeling back those layers of skin can bring tears to the eyes with what each layer reveals about a person. Yeah, I love this, well worth checking out!

40.  "Telephone Booth" by Ian Moss

The follow up single to "Tucker's Daughter" from the album "Matchbook" and yeah, this another pretty fantastic song. It's actually a fair deal smoother than "Tucker's Daughter" but just like "Tucker's Daughter" there's an instant appeal about this song that should ensure it becomes a hit, it's sticky and melodic in just the right ways too. The lyrics seem to point to a lone telephone booth out on the side of a desolate highway, the song references religion amongst other things so yeah this is pretty damn great.

39. "My Brave Face" by Paul McCartney

So this is a single from Paul McCartney's album called "Flowers in the Dirt and was written by McCartney and Elvis Costello. Now this song could be about one of many things, Paul adjusting to life after The Beatles broke up in 1970 and realizing that the life he was living while he was in The Beatles is no longer there and now he has to confront life by putting a brave face on without his Beatles bandmates there. It's certainly got a nice guitar and backing vocals but I am going to forget this exists in record time. 

12. "Sealed With a Kiss" by Jason Donovan

I have made no secret of the fact that I've not liked much of anything that Jason Donovan has released so I was hoping that this song would be an improvement and well, turns out that it's a cover of Brian Hyland's 1962 song that reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 however the song became a hit in Australia in 1972 when it peaked at number nine on the Kent Music Report charts for Bobby Vinton. Now I should stress that I find this song to be kind of dull and dreary sound so I was hoping Jason Donovan could inject some life into the song...well nope...the song still sounds as flat and as monotonous as ever and Donovan sounds like he'd rather be doing anything other than singing this dirge. Not a fan.

Yeah, "Sealed With a Kiss" by Jason Donovan is the worst of the week. As for the best, it's tough, but I'm going to to give it to "Onion Skin" by Boom Crash Opera but it was a close run thing with "Telephone Booth" by Ian Moss right there.

ARIA Singles Top 50 Top Ten/ Chart Review. 20th June. Don't Blame Me, Glimpse of Clarity is Yet to Come

 Well this week turned out more interesting than I otherwise expected, we've got a bit of a surprise debuting in the top ten that I can see sticking around plus the rest of the new entries are eclectic as hell, how many of those stick around with a surprise Drake album bomb likely next week...ughhh.

Anyway let's get to the top ten where for a second week "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" by Kate Bush remained at number one thanks to good sales, streaming and Youtube but it got overtaken on streaming this week so I wouldn't be surprised if we see a new number one next week.

"As It Was" by Harry Styles remains at number two, it's still doing solid numbers across the board but it there's a stronger competitor behind it that may well end any hope of a return to number one for this song. 

That competitor is not from "About Damn Time" by Lizzo which rebounded up to number three but it's bleeding on streaming and sales. 

All of this is good news for the biggest new entry of the week, "Glimpse of Us" by Joji debuting at number four, I'll say more about this song later but it's here because of it's incredibly robust streaming especially on Spotify...the big test will be how it holds up against Drake next week. 

It pushed "First Class" by Jack Harlow back two places to number five and "Thousand Miles" by The Kid Laroi one to number six while Kid Laroi's other hit "Stay" feat. Justin Bieber fell back one to number seven.

"Heat Waves" by Glass Animals continues to hang around like a lingering fart at number eight while "I Like You (A Happier Song)" by Post Malone feat. Doja Cat fell back two places to number nine and "Late Night Talking" by Harry Styles stepped back one place to number ten.

Gains.

"Vegas" by Doja Cat climbed five places to number eleven, this song seems to have an interesting amount of traction right now which is weird considering you wouldn't think Doja Cat fans right now are starved of content from her.

"Mr Brightside" by The Killers jumped eleven places to 34 to get the biggest gain of the week while "Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga rose eight places to 35 thanks to the continued surprising success of that new Top Gun movie.

Re Entries

Just the one re-entry and it's not exactly on the good side with "In The Stars" by Benson Boone back at 49. 

Losses

Alright let's go through what remains of the Harry Styles album bomb, "Little Freak" is sputtering out down 25 to 50, the sun further set on "Daylight" which tumbled eleven places to 32, "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" fell five to 24, "Matilda" waltzed down six places to 22, 

Leah Kate's "10 Things I Hate About You" fell seven places to 47 while "Without You" by The Kid Laroi feat. Miley Cyrus tumbled eleven places to 45.

"True Love" by Kanye West and XXXtentacion collapsed twenty places to 42 (I'll be happier when this has exited the top fifty)

Gayle's 'abcdefu" finally appears to be out of steam as it slipped eleven to 37 while "Cooped Up" by Post Malone feat. Roddy Ricch recoiled down eight to 18. 

Drop Outs

Seven drop outs this week with the biggest of them being "Woman" by Doja Cat, she took "One Right Now" by Post Malone and The Weeknd with her along with "Wasting Angels" by Post Malone feat The Kid Laroi.

Also gone are Kendrick Lamar album tracks "N95" and "Die Hard" feat. Blxst and Amanda Reifer along with Harry Styles album tracks "Grapejuice" and "Satellite"

New Entries

Six new entries, we're starting with...

46. "Don't Blame Me" by Taylor Swift

We're beginning with a 2016 cut from Taylor Swift's second worst album "Reputation" (her worst is "Red", a dubstep infused pop mess that suffered from some poor songwriting and production) that blew up courtesy of Tik Tok and I will say this is one of the better tracks on "Reputation", it's not better than "Getaway Car" but it's close, it's a pop/EDM song that definitely sounds like a more mature version of a song that could have appeared on "Red" where Swift is defending her songwriting about past relationships with love making her crazy. The best part about this song is the hook, it's dark enough that it makes it really memorable and I do appreciate that. Good song.

41. "Clarity" by Vance Joy

I am kind of surprised this charted, Vance Joy hasn't really had a lot of impact on the charts in recent years but this did turn up this week thanks to a boost from his third album "In Our Own Sweet Time" and I am going to be honest here...the worst part of this song is the vocals, I just can't get past how Vance Joy sounds here and even if I think the bouncy guiitar and the other production, it actually sounds rather spring/summer to me. What also doesn't help me like the song is the lyrical content where it's basically a song where Vance Joy is going on about how everything was blurred until love made him find clarity and that just kind of feels cloying to me so yeah while it;s not overall a bad song, I just don't care for it.

40. "Sunroof' by Nicky Youre & Dazy

Okay so there's very little information about the artists involved with making this song but it does seem like this is another song that got big off TikTok and well as it turns out "Sunroof" is this somewhat breezy if slightly clunky pop tune that really does fit for the northern hemisphere summer. The content is about Youre appreciating the pretty girl in his car while he has his head out the sunroof of said car, it's kind of cute so while I can't ignore the clunkiness of the song, I can get behind the sentiment in the song, it's harmless. 

30. "I Ain't Worried" by One Republic

The second song from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack to hit the ARIA singles chart and I have do have to admit I was kind of worried because OneRepublic's music hasn't been good at all so I was curious to see if there'd be any improvement with this song and well...imagine an intersection where Maroon 5 with Ryan Tedder's vocals sounding like Adam Levine with a head cold meets Peter, Bjorn and John's 2015 song "Young Folks", it barely sounds like a song written for a movie all about Navy aviators, the 2022 version of Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone" this is not. Sigh, OneRepublic, you used to be so much better than this desaturated pop garbage...what happened?

17. "Yet To Come" by BTS

So BTS are going on hiatus to explore solo projects etc, I half suspected something was coming when the band released an "anthology" called "Proof" on the Friday and so really I was expecting a much higher debut for this song than number seventeen but none the less here it is with the song entirely in Korean so how is the song?. It's okay if a little bland and generic, it's basically a song about how while they loved the past,  the future holds the best to come for the group, it just feels like a pretty unmemorable sidenote, a song chucked into "Proof" to give fans an extra unheard song, I don't think the song is bad but I won't be coming back to it. 

4. "Glimpse of Us" by Joji

Last song of the week and honestly, I am shocked that Japanese-Australian Joji has finally gotten something to break through, it probably should have happened a couple of years ago with "Slow Dancing in the Dark" but none the less we've got this new single from his forthcoming album and well...it's one of the best songs of 2022 to hit the ARIA singles chart, a haunting spare piano ballad where he has moved on with a new girl but in everything he and this girl do, he can't help but see everything that his ex did, the song does just enough to keep you engaged and I will admit that I broke down the first time I heard this. Yeah, this song is amazing, if you haven't heard it, I highly recommend you do so.

"Glimpse of You" by Joji runs away with the best of the week. As for the worst, it falls out easily with "I Ain't Worried" by OneRepublic because that song is absolutely wretched.

Next week...ugh...the surprise Drakepocalypse that nobody asked for but how much of "Honestly, Nevermind" will land on the chart will be discovered on Friday at 5pm AEST.

Lookin' Fine '89. 18th June. Can I Get A Bed In The Air as Electric Youth's Rooms is On Fire!

Well this week was a busy one especially in the top ten and again right at the very top so let's not waste any time and get on with the top ten where the revolving door at number one continues because "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler returned to number one thanks to a sales surge this week...lovely.

Anyway, it did push "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles back to number two as it couldn't match "Wind Beneath My Wings" sales. 

Both held up over "Bedroom Eyes" by Kate Ceberano stalled at number three and "Hand on Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue paused at number four.

Rising two places to number five is "The Look" by Roxette, look this is heading for number one as it stands right now, I think it's the biggest challenger to the top two as it stands right now.

Joining the top ten is "Express Yourself" by Madonna which took a six place climb to number six. Kind of annoyed that this is here tbh.

"Good Thing" by Fine Yoiung Cannibals jumped four places to number seven...kind of happy about this, I still do like the song. "Now You're In Heaven" by Julian Lennon remains steady at number eight.

Jumping from 16 to 9 this week is John Cougar Mellencamp's "Pop Singer"  as it got a surprising surge this week. Nice!

Wrapping up the the top ten is "Lost in Your Eyes" by Debbie Gibson which is only just hanging on at number ten.

Gains

So let's look outside the top ten, there's a twenty place gain for Queen's "I Want It All" up off it's debut of 35 to 15 while "House of Cards by James Reyne broke into the top twenty rising from 21 to 17. 

"Patience" by Guns 'n' Roses is being rewarded for it's patience with a six place gain to 21. 

"Hurricane" by James Freud rose two places to 20 while "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" by New Kids on The Blockc jumped from 36 to 23 and "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty scored a seven place gain to 24. 

"Come Anytime" by Hoodoo Gurus climbed from 39 to 31 and "Rocket" by Def Leppard is another to climb off its debut last week up from 46 to 32.

Losers

A song that isn't quite taking off the way I would like is "One' by Metallica which fell seven places to 50 this week while "The Crack Up" by The Black Sorrows stopped laughing down six places to 46. 

"One Summer" by Daryl Braithwaite is on the way out as it is down ten places to 43 while "Help" by Bananarama is down from 37 to 42. Dragon's "Young Years" has stopped breathing fire as it tumbled twelve to 37.

It continued to not be a good week for Daryl Braithwaite as "Let Me Be" slipped nine places to 35 while Paula Abdul's is doing the straight opposite as "Straight Up" went straight down from 28 to 34.

The Black Sorrows got unchained ten spots to 33 with "Chained to The Wheel" while "Wild Thing" by Tone Loc stumbled six places to 30. "Compulsory Hero" by 1927  fell ten places to 29 and "Stop!" by Sam Brown fell from 18 to 25.

"Cry in Shame" by Johnny Diesel & The Injectors cried it's way down from 15 to 22 while former number one "Like a Prayer" by Madonna fell out of the top ten down from 6 to 14. 

Two other songs also got booted from the top ten with "The Living Years" by Mike + The Mechanics down three places to 12 and "Stuck On You" by Paul Norton down six places to 11. 

New Entries

49. "Bed of Nails" by Ross Wilson

So this is one of those rare occasions where I cannnot find too much informationn about the song but according to Google, this song is from Ross Wilson's solo album called "Dark Side of the Man" and yeah, it's fine? The chorus is catchy even if the lyrics are quite dark which can be the norm for a song written  by Ross Wilson, It's fine but it's not a song I am going to remember that much going forward.  

48. "Can I Get a Witness?" by Sam Brown

Argh. I knew given the success of "Stop!" that we were bound to get a follow up single from Sam Brown but did it have to be a cover of a 1963 hit recorded by Marvin Gaye and let's not mince words here, this cover sounds like ass, it's this thinly disguised pop slurry that sucks any element of soul out of it like a Dyson vacuum cleaner sucks up cracker crumbs after a toddler got into them. Sam Brown literally has to shout to be heard above the production in this monogenre clusterfuck of a cover. Not the biggest desecration of the soul legend that is Marvin Gaye (Hi, Charlie Puth and Megan Trainor in 2015) but man, I do not want to hear this again. 

47. "In The Air Tonight ('88 Remix)" by Phil Collins

Alright so a remix of Phil Collins 1981 hit "In The Air Tonight" and I actually like this version a bit better than the original? Yeah, the original always felt a bit too sterile and didn't quite match the content of the song which is about the grief Collins felt following his divorce with the instrumention on the remix especially the guitars and drums sounding a lot sharper and reflecting the anger and frustration that Collins felt. I don't see this being a hit but hey, it works for me, check it out.

41. "Electric Youth" by Debbie Gibson

Ahh so the latest single from Debbie Gibson, this time the title track of her sophomore album, a fizzy electro pop song that's basically an empowerment song to the youth of 1989 and how the beliefs of teenagers of the time are just as important as adults. It's just a shame the song just doesn't feel all that empowering with the generic washed out 80s pop production and Debbie Gibson having all the power in her vocals of a NSW power station in the 2020s, she can't possibly sell an empowerment song. 

40. "Baby, I Don't Care" by Transvision Vamp

The last time I wrote about this band it didn't go well but anyway this is Tranvision Vamp's second single from their album 'Velveteen' and well...at least this song feels like an improvement with Wendy James being able to work up a pretty good scream to open the song and the song has enough of a sharp guitar presence to lend the song some weight as a rock song plus the exuberant yell of "Baby, I Don't Care" on the hook is exultant and does make me think she really doesn't care all that much. Yeah, this is pretty solid. Check it out.

36. "Rooms on Fire" by Steve Nicks

The final song for this week comes from Stevie Nicks and serves as the lead single from Nicks album "The Other Side of the Mirror" and I have to say I like the slow build up before the drum beat sees the song step it's tempo up a bit, also Stevie Nicks sounds fantastic here.,..finally a song that's somewhat decently produced this week. The content also works as well with the song being about a girl accepting that with the kind of life she leads that she won't be able to experience all the stuff other people do like getting married or having children, it's a pretty devastating and sombre song despite how somewhat upbeat it is.

And yeah, it's the best of the week this week, as for the worst of the week...that's going to Sam Brown for her cover of "Can I get a Witness?",

ARIA Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review: 13th June. Wasting Vegas Angels 2Step to A Happier Song

 So this week felt underwhelming, sure we got a couple of songs from that new Post Malone album hitting the chart but that was about it however we do have some big news that pertains to the very top of the charts and that is there is a new number in the form of "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" by Kate Bush, now it got to number one with the perfect mix of being top on sales, streaming and even Youtube, it's her first number one under ARIA charts but her second in Australia overall, her first was "Wuthering Heights" which reached number one in 1978 on the Kent Music Report charts. 

It pushed "As It Was" by Harry Styles back to number two, it could still get back to number one but that  is going to require streaming momentum to pick back up again, I would say it's under pressure from "First Class" by Jack Harlow at number three but that lost more ground on sales this week.

Sllipping back a place to number four is "About Damn Time" by Lizzo which looks to be just hanging in there even as it does feel like the momentum for this song has died rather prematurely.

Rising one place to number five is "Thousand Miles" by The Kid Laroi because it's filling gap left by the exits of Harry Styles songs from the top ten. The same can be said for The Kid Laroi's other song in the top ten "Stay" featuring Justin Bieber which rose one place to number six. 

Then at number seven is a new entry to the top ten with "I Like You (A Happier Song)" by Post Malone feat. Doja Cat, I will have more to say on the song later but it's here thanks mostly to streaming. 

Continuing to hang around is "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals at number eight while "Late Night Tslking" by Harry Styles slipped four places to number nine.

Boosted by the release of the album is "Cooped Up" by Post Malone feat. Roddy Ricch which got a thirteen place boost to number ten.

Gains

"Cooped Up" by Post Malone feat. Roddy Ricch was the biggest gain of the week with it's thirteen place gain to number.

"Wait for U"  by Future feat. Drake and Tems climbed six places to 18 while "Bam Bam" by Camila Cabello feat. Ed Sheeran rose eight places to 23 while "Enemy" by Imagine Dragons feat. J.I.D & League of Legends rebounded eight places to 24.

"Without You" by The Kid Laroi and Miley Cyrus rebounded ninentto 34 while "Wait a Minute" by Willow also climbed nine to 35 and "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X jumped six places to 36

"Die Young" by Sleepy Hallow feat 347aiden jumped up ten places off it's debut to 38.

Re-Entries

Two returning entries this week with "No Role Modelz" by J Cole at 49 (I am bewildered about this one) while the one that does make sense is the return of "One Right Now" by Post Malone and The Weeknd at number 42 due to the release of Post Malone's album. 

Losers

All the losers are album bomb tracks so let's begin with Harry Styles with "Grapejuice" spilling 28 places to 47, "Satellite" crashing 19 to 37,  "Little Freak" slipped over nine places to 25, "Daylight" had it's sunset seven places to 21, the same goes for "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" down to 19 and "Matilda" to 16

Kendrick Lamar's "N95" saw it's mask slip 26 places to 46.

Drop Outs

Nothing too major to note here with five of the six drop outs being Harry Styles album tracks along wirh "Potion" by Calvin Harris feat Dua Lipa and Young Thug.

New Entries

44. "2Step" by Ed Sheeran feat. Lil Baby

Ed Sheeran, you are four singles from "=" in, pop/rock is back in vogue, you could have given us "Tides" as a single already but no, instead we get "2Step" and in order to get it onto the charts, multiple remixes with artists around the world including Australia's own Budjerah but seeing as the version that charted is the version with Lil Baby, I am going to talk about that one instead and look, "2Step" isn't helped by the fact that it's one of the songs that I didn't like from "=" in the first place, yeah the guitar that opens the song is pretty but the percussion that overwhelms that pretty guitar rif bugs me...it's like it's not mixed properly and Lil Baby's verse sounds like an insert here verse that he could put any pop song. Next...

30. "Wasting Angels" by Post Malone feat. The Kid Laroi

So we only got two new songs from the new Post Malone album which considering he landed nine new songs from Hollywood's Bleeding on the ARIA singles chart in 2019 is kind of telling that even with the label drama, apart from Drake, people have moved on from artists who weren't particularly active during the pandemic shutdowns of 2020 and 2021 to acts in Post Malone's lane like his counterpart on this song.

Okay, the decreasing public interest in Post Malone aside, I love the production on this track even if Post Malone's vocals are the worst part of the song but the choir on the final part of the song sent shivers down my spy. Post Malone and The Kid Laroi lyrically pontificate about their lives before they got famous and how they are enjoying the ride that comes with fame but are aware of the pitfalls and are doing their hardest to not lapse into any of those pitfalls, it's a better than I expected song from both Post Malone and The Kid Laroi. It's good without being great. 

17. "Vegas" by Doja Cat

So this is the lead single for the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic called "Elvis" and I kind of get the feeling that this song would work better within the context of the movie (which is getting very mixed reviews). Yeah, Doja Cat is having some fun that includes a sample of Elvis's hit "Hound Dog" being sung by Big Mama Thornton. Look, it's fine but if it sticks around for awhile I could see this song souring on me hard especially as the repeated "I get it" does get really damn annoying however we ain't done with Doja Cat yet because...

7. "I Like You (A Happier Song)" by Post Malone feat. Doja Cat.

The only other song to chart new this week from "Twelve Carat Toothache" and look, it's a smooth hook up song that lacks any kind of interplay between Post Malone and Doja Cat even if Post Malone's crooning on the hook is a lot better than usual. Also the production does feel a bit one note and derivative. It's cute and it might be the song from "Twelve Catat Toothache" to stick around because of the Doja Cat feature but I am not feeling this one.

And that ends a rough week...the worst is going to "2Step" by Ed Sheeran feat. Lil Baby...when there's better on the album, Ed has no excuse for releasing this. As for the best, it's rough but I am going with "Wasting Angels" by Post Malone feat. Kid Laroi because hey that choir at the end solid it for me.

Next week, BTS and possibly Joji, we'll have to see when the chart updates at 5pm AEST on Friday.

Lookin' Fine '89. June 11th. I Want a Rocket to Come Anytime After All

 So this week finally feels some form of normal even if there's not really any consistency with the revolving door going on number one and that's evident this week because if we look at the top ten, "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles returned to the number one spot thanks to a decent sales week but it's all margins because right behind it "Wind Beneth My Wings" by Bette Midler, this is still a player to return to the top spot.

This all pushed "Bedroom Eyes" by Kate Ceberanp back to number three, it's not really as competitive for the top spot though, it did hold up over "Hand on Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue which remains at number four and "Stuck On You" by Paul Norton which rebounded one place to number five.

The same goes for "Like a Prayer" by Madonna which moved up one spot to number six however it could come under pressure from our latest arrival in the top ten which is Roxette's "The Look" which leapt nine places ti number seven...I'm not complaining about this, the song is fantastic.

All it did was help further push "Now You're in Heaven" by Julian Lennon back three places to number eight while former number one "The Living Years" by Mike + The Mechanics slipped back one to number nine.

Returning to the top ten is "Lost in Your Eyes" by Debbie Gubson which rebounded two places to number ten.

Gains

Outside of the nine place gain into the top for "The Look" by Roxette, what else gained? Madonna's "Express Yourself" made one of the biggest gains in a while leaping from 36 to 12 while "Iko Iko" bt The Belle Stars climbed five places to 14

"I Drove All Night" by Cyndi Lauper climbed six places to 20 while "Let Me Be" by Daryl Braithwaite climbed from 32 to 26.

"Lullaby" by The Cure jumped from it's debut of 37 last week to 32 while "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" bb New Kids On the Block jumped from 44 to 36.

At least "The Crack Up" by The Black Sorrows gained ten places to 40. 

Re Entries

Just the one return this week courtesy of Jason Donovan's former top ten hit "Too Many Broken Hearts" at number 47

Losers

So unfortunately most of the good songs took hits this week starting with "Leave Me Alone" by Michael Jackson which tumbled from 49 to 43 while "When Love Comes to Town" by U2 with B.B. King tripped over twelve places to 33.

Mercifully some crap did take a hit with "Wild Thing" by Sam Kinison down nine places to 48 and "Help" by Bananarama down ten places to 37. 

"I'm On My Way" by The Proclaimers is on it's way out of the top fifty as it tumbled twelve places to 42 while "How'm I Gonna Sleep" by Tim Finn slid from 35 to 41.

Daryl Braithwaite's "One Summer" looks set to be coming to a close as it stumbled nine places to 33 unfortunately but in better news Samantha Fox's terrible cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You" tumbled nine placess to 29. 

The Black Sorrow's former top ten hit "Chained to the Wheel" slipped from 18 to 23 while "Stop!
 by Sam Brown hit an eight place skid to 18 and "Ring My Bell" by Collette stumbled five places to 13.

New Entries

Four new entries this week starting with...

50. "After All" by Cher & Peter Cetera

Ugh...what a way to start the new entries this week, Anyway, we've got Cher and former Chicago frontman Peter Cetera collaborating here on the love theme for the film "Chances Are" a nd make no mistake, the song sucks..the piercing flute or recorder that opens the song, Cher and Cetera have about as much chemistry as a bowl of oatmeal with no milk or anything else substantial to flavour it, Also why does this sound like both of them recorded the song in separate rooms and it sounds like the instrumentation is overpowering the vocals...yeah, no chance in hell, will I be coming back to this...hit the fast forward on this one. 

46. "Rocket" by Def Leppard

Well we can only go up from here, I doubt we'll hear anything as bad as that love ballad so what do Def Leppard bring us with the sixth single from "Hysteria"...well turns out they bring a pretty damn catchy song even if the chorus is as basic as hell and yeah the guitar solo does sound pretty lazy but I do think this is a song that could play well to a live audience hence I really don't hate this as much as the critics do because I don't think it's designed to be an overt serious slice of music, I enjoyed this for what it is. 

39. "Come Anytime" by Hoodoo Gurus.

The lead single from the Hoodoo Guru's fourth album "Magnum Cum Louder" and on a 2022 sidenote: I am now really fucking nostalgic for "Thank God You're Here" but anyway back to the actual business of talking about the song and yeah, it's good but it's also exactly what you'd expect from a band in their fourth album cycle  with that pretty damn awesome guitar riff that opens the song before the song goes into full gear. The lyrics being quite romantic about a rather unromantic subject according to Hoodoo Gurus frontman Dave Faulkner, this is pretty damn good, check it out.

35. "I Want It All" by Queen

Ahh I have been looking forward to this one, this is the lead single from Queen's album "The Miracle, it was written by Brian May but credited to the band and yeah...it's everything I expected with the defiant tone of the production with the instrumentation sounding overall rather defiant and Freddie Mercury just taking an infinitely more defiant tone in his voice, May says the song is more about having ambitions and individuals fighting to achieve their own goals, All in all this is one of my favourite Queen songs because I do love what it represents in many ways and it can be argued that it reflects the time that it was made with the political upheaval recently in China and other places. 

And yeah, Queen's "I Want It All" easily wins the best of the week. Worst also falls out easily "After All" by Cher and Peter Cetera...I have no use for flavourless mush.

ARIA Singles Top 50/Chart Review. 6th June. Young True Love Potion

 So this week turned out to be a cooldown from the album bombs we've had at least until Post Malone turns up next week (although that one I am not so sure about  given Post has struggled to really capture any attention this year) but regardless of that..."As It Was" by Harry Styles, it had streaming, sales and youtube on lock for most of this week untiil our new number two came along.

Speaking of which that new number two is Kate Bush's 1985 hit "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" which thanks to hit TV show Stranger Things, it got a boost on sales and streaming to outpeak it's 1985 performance on the Kent Music Report charts where it peaked at number six at the time however it's not certain to stick around when the hype from Stranger Things dies down, there's a small chance that this could take the number one spot next week because it's momentum is enormous.

Rebounding four places to number three is "About Damn Time" by Lizzo as it surprisingly surpassed "First Class" by Jack Harlow which climbed one place to number four.

"Late Night Talking" by Harry Styles slipped back three places to number five. "Thousand Miles" by The Kid Laroi rebounded a full fourteen places to number six while Laroi's other hit "Stay" featuring Justin Bieber also returned to the top ten up 11 places to number seven.

Up three places to number eight is the malingering fart that won't go the fuck away, "Heatwaves" by Glass Animals up three places to number eight.

"Matilda" by Harry Styles slipped six places to number nine while "Big Energy" by Latto feat. Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled climbed seven places back inside the top ten at number ten.

Gains

So let's deal with the double digit gains here first with "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran up ten places to number 11. "She's All I Wanna Be" by Tate McRae rebounding with the album boost to 26.

Then there's a nine place gain for "Where Are You Now" by Lost frequencies and Calum Scott to number 12  while "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa climbed eight to 13.

Re Entries

So there are three return entries this week including Kate Bush's ""Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" at number two. The other returns are courtesy of Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand" at 47 (you can thank the noise around the new Top Gun movie for this) and somehow "Without You" by The Kid Laroi feat Miley Cyrus came back at number 43...

Losses

All of the losses are basically just album bombs falling away so let's deal with Kendrick Lamar first with "Die Hard" feat B;xst and Amanda Reifer  down 23 places to 50 while "N95" only dropped the one place to 20.

From Harry Styles though, "Boyfriends" got dumped 24 places to 34,  "Daydreaming" got ssplashed down with cold water eighteen spots to 30, "Kee[ Driving" crashed fifteen to 29, "Love of My Life" got crushed fifteen to 28, "Cinema" had its doors shut 16 places to 27, "Grapejuice" went sour down ten to 19, "Satellite" crash landed eight places to 18, "Little Freak" freaked out ten places to 16, "Daylight" is starting to see the sunset down six to 14  and "Music for a Sushi Restaurant recieved negative reviews so it's down eight to 12.

Drop Outs

Not complaining about our drop outs this week because all of them either suck or overstayed their welcome with "Starlight" by Dave, "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles, "Dua Lipa" by Jack Harlow, "No Role Modelz" by J Cole, "Say Nothing" by Flume feat. MAY-A and "In the Stars" by Benson Boone all taking their exits...thank goodness.

New Entries

Three new entries this week, beginning with....

48 "Die Young" by Sleepy Hallow feat. 347aidan

Okay so Sleepy Hallow are back on the chart, I think I liked "2055" a bit more than a few other people did however this time around he has brought Canadian rapper 347aidan on board and unfortunately this song is not as good as "2055" mostly because of that hook where the production makes 347aidan sound terrible or there was a complete misfire in the studio because either way the vocal effect isn't flattering even with that really good guitar line that they don't seem to do anything with. Also Sleepy Hallow's content here isn't worth noting mostly just him not wanting to die young and empty flexing, either way I am going to forget this exists.

32. "Potion" by Calvin Harris feat. Dua Lipa and Young Thug

I can't have been the only one excited to hear that Calvin Harris is making "Funk Wav Bounces Volume 2", right? So of course it makes sense that Harris would bring in Dua Lipa, who helped him make one of the biggest hits of 2018 with "One Kiss", and Young Thug (He was on 2017's "Heatstroke" with Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande) although it does feel weird that he is on a song now given his current situation and well..."Poition" is absolutely what you would expect from Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa in that it sounds like a song that could have fit on "Future Nostalgia" because Dua Lipa sounds great here but the production isn't nearly as rich enough as it was on "Heatstroke" for Young Thug to work here and while he harmonises well with Dua Lipa...I am kind of wondering if this song might have benefited with just Dua Lipa on it, it's a decent to good song but it could have been better.

21. "True Love" by Kanye West and XXXtentacion

Uhh...no...can we stop this? Can we stop digging up XXXtentacion, who is dead by the way, fragments to put on undercooked rap songs because this from Kanye is literally just one verse with several choruses as Kanye complains about not being able to see his youngest daughter, how he doesn't like the current custodial arrangement following the divorce from his ex wife etc...it's really not worth much of anything. 

It's also the worst of the week because really it's a fragment of a song and a pretty crappy one at that too. Best in a rough week is going to "Potion" by Calvin Harris feat. Dua Lipa and Young Thug.

Next week, Post Malone album bomb maybe, we'll have to see when the charts update at 5pm AEST on Friday

Lookin' Fine '89. 4th June. If You Don't Know You Express Yourself with a Heart Lullaby

 Wow....1989, you are just exhausting at this point, we have got several major stories within our top ten and large number of new entries. One of those stories is right at the very top because leaping five places to take the number one position is..."Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler because somehow some Australians think the sound of horny cats in a bag sounds good...ugh...anyway it got to number one thinks to strong sales.

Those sales were enough to stop a quite amazing surge from "Bedroom Eyes" by Kate Ceberano which jumped nine places to take the number two slot this week. The song definitely worthy of being a hit however it is still a surprise it jumped to number two this fast.

Last week's number one "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles got pushed back to number three but remains a strong chance of returing to number one next week as it's still as strong as the two songs above it right now.

There's a new entry to the chart at number four via Kylie Minogue with "Hand on Your Heart", we'll talk more about the quality of the song later but it had good enough sales to ensue a top five debut.

Rising three places to number five is "Now You're in Heaven" by Julian Lennon. Now I am happy to see this doing so well, the song has only gotten better every week it's spent on the chart.

From there it's a bit of a mess with Paul Norton's "Stuck On You" slipping two places to number six, "Like A Prayer" by Madonna slumped from number two to number seven and "The Living Years" by Mike + The Mechanics tumbled five places to number eight.

Mercifully "Ring My Bell" by Collette got thumped down four places to number nine while "Stop!" by Sam Brown tumbled three places to number ten.

Gains

On the cusp of the top ten is "Good Thing" by Fine Young Cannibals which climbed four places to number eleven.

The big surprise this week is "Pop Singer" by John Mellencamp which jumped from it's debut of 46 last week to number 15! Seems like this song is connecting with the public which is nice to see.

Also connecting with the public is "The Look" by Roxette which climbed from 23 to 16 while 
"Patience" by Guns 'n' Roses climbed from 34 to 29.

 "I'll be There for You" by Bon Jovi got a nine place gain to 31...ugh...less said the better...the same goes for the six place gain for "Satisfied" by Richard Marx and for the eight place gain for "Changed His Ways" by Robert Palmer to 42.

Losses

Alright, "Fire Woman" by The Cult tumbled from 36 to 49 this week as interest in this song ebbs away while "Something's Got a Hold of My Heart" by Marc Almond and Gene Pitney tumbled six places to 47.

Former number one, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers stumbled 16 places to 46 this week while mid chart hogger "Veronica" by Elvis Costello sliped twelve to 45.

"Leave Me Alone" by Michael Jackson tripped down from 39 to 43 while former top ten hit 'Tucker's Daughter" by Ian Moss fell from 35 to 41.

Sam Kinison's cover of "Wild Thing" got hit with a plunge from 32 to 39 while "When Love Comes to Town" by U2 with B.B King slid from 26 to 33. 

The Proclaimers other hit "I'm on Way" collapsed from 16 to 30 while "One Summer" by Daryl Braithwaite took a dip from 17 to 24 and "Wild Thing" by Tone Loc fell from 18 to 22.

New Entries

Six new entries thss week beginning with...

48. "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Simply Red

You know I am beginning to think that it's almost guaranteed that I will have to cover a cover version every week in the new entries with this one coming from Simply Red who have covered Philadelphia soul group Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes 1972 single "If You Don't Know Me By Now", the song was originally written by Labelle but they never recorded it so what we needed was Simply Red in 1989 to record a new version of the song so how did it pan out?

I don't know, there's something special about the original version in there's passion in the vocal delivery with the pent up frustration with this partner and I do love the backing vocals on the original as well, Mick Hucknall and Simply Red do try hard wuth the more beefed up late eighties production but I feel like Hucknall isn't quite there on the emtional level for cover to connect for me, it's not bad but it's also not a cover that I am actively going to seek out. 

44/. "You Got It (The Right Stuff" by New Kids On The Block

The second single from the boy band's second album "Hangin' Tough" and wow, the production is more percussion than melody that's not even close to the mood that New Kids on the Block are going for with the drums and oh the lyrics are the usual pandering to their fanbase of teenage girls who no doubt will love this song, also it took this dude three dates to actually fall in love with this girl and now he is getting clingy? Ew. Look, it's a catchy pop song if you ignore the blatant fangirl pandering that every boy band is guilty of, it's just not my thing at all.

37. "Lullaby" by The Cure

This is the latest single from The Cure's eighth album "Disintegration" and wow, I actually like the production here with the guitars and piano combining to create a calm and actually serene atmosphere even as Robert Smith's hushed vocal delivery paints an uneasy picture of the songs that his father used to sing to him at night before he went to sleep and how these songs would have a horrific ending so yeah this is very much one of those very unnerving songs despite how bright the production is but it's still worth checking out.

36. "Express Yourself" by Madonna

The follow up to "Like A Prayer" from the album called "Like a Prayer" and it's a song all about female empowerment,, to never settle for sloppy seconds and to always express her inner feelings and look while I get and like the song's message in the lyrics, the music doesn't feel as empowering especially with that production that is becoming so god damn overused in 1989.  Not saying this is bad by any matter of means but I definitely wouldn't place this among Madonna's best songs this decade.

34. "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty

Uhh...this was released in April and is only now just charting? What the hell? Anyway this is the lead single from Petty's solo album "Full Moon Fever" and was co written by Petty with ELO's Jeff Lynne and this sounds exactly like a Travelling Wilbury's song which is maybe why I like it so much. Lynne's production gives this a solid heartland rock vibe that really matches the message of the song which is defiant and standing against oppression and difficulty, a message that in 1989 resonates pretty loudly and it's a message I hear loud and clear because yeah, this song is excellent.

4. "Hand On Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue.

Alright, the biggest new release of the week comes from Australia's own pop princess and it's yet again another Stock, Aitken and Waterman effort, it comes from Kylie's second album "Enjoy Yourself" with the song being where Kylie wants this guy to be honest with her about where their relationship is at, is it over or what and if it's over does he truly mean it  or is he trying to convince himself that the relationship is done hence Kylie not believing him and wanting him to say the relationship is over with his hand on his heart. 

It's a pretty cute pop song from Kylie, she definitely has the habit of releasing pretty good without being excellent pop songs but hey, check this one out.

And that ends our week, the best falls out pretty easily here with that going to "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty. As for the worst? Ugh, nothing to egregiously bad but I'm giving it to "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" by New Kids on the Block for basically being a piece of pandering.