ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Review: 26th January

Pretty standard week here with a bit of movement but for once it's nice to see some good songs getting boosts for a change and the charts don't feel anywhere near as stale as they did in 2025. Next week we have that new Harry Styles song and whatever impact the Hottest 100 has on the chart but let's focus on this week and begin with our top ten where a favourite for number one "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean remains at number one and will face a threat from Harry Styles next week given "Aperture" will have monstrous streaming and it already has sales. 

That means there is no possible way that "The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift can return to number one especially now that attention is being moved from this song to "Opalite" which was anointed as the second single from the album.

Rising three spots to number three this week is "Where is My Husband?" by Raye which really is just consistent across the board at this point, it pushed past "End of Beginning" by Djo to number four. "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters to number five and "So Easy (To Fall In Love)" by Olivia Dean to number six. 

Former long running number one "Ordinary" by Alex Warren remained steady at number seven this week while "Raindance" by Dave and Tems gained two places to number eight, this song is gaining massive traction on streaming right now. 

Falling back one slot is "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines and Tinashe to number nine, its basically still in the top ten on streaming fumes alone.

New to the top ten this week is "I Just Might" by Bruno Mars which climbed one spot to number ten and will hopefully continue to make upward progress in the weeks ahead...I really like that song. 

Losers.

As I somewhat expected "Sleepless in a Hotel Room" by Luke Combs was the biggest loser this week down ten spots to thirty one. 

"Chanel" by Tyla might be flaming out eatly down seven to thirty four while "Rit for Tat" by Tate McRae slipped eight to forty four and "Gabriela" by Katseye slumped eight to forty five. 

Drop Outs

Not really complaining about the drop outs this week despite them both being Australian with "Dracula" by Tame Impala and "Think About Us" by Sonny Fodera, D.O.D and Poppy Baskcomb taking their exits , 

Gains

I am mixed on our gains this week mostly because I am flabberghasted "Die on this Hill" by Sienna Spiro was the biggest gainer this week up ten spots to crack the top twenty at ninteen, the song actively gets worse with every single listen. 

Also "Sports Car" by Tate McRae up seven to thirtyb five because of course people have to have a slice of forgettable music on the chart, 

At least "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley got a six place boost up to twenty four which is good ro see. 

New Entries

Two new entries this week beginning with...

43. "Plastic Cigarette" by Zach Bryan

So I've not heard the new Zach Bryan album yet...finding room to hear a whole 25 track album is just not a thing right now for me but we do have the song that has picked up the most traction of anything from it and the fact it's this one and not "Bad News" came as something of a shock to me especially given the controversy around that particular song but hey, I'll take this song with it's sparse guitar and drums and Zac Bryan crooning about personal accountability and letting go of someone or something that was providing him with comfort, I take this...good song...it's better than...

20. "Stateside" by Pink Pantheress feat. Zara Larsson

I've honestly been surprised at how much Pink Pantheress has struggled to follow up the success of "Boy's a Liar" and so it wasn't a surprise to me that this song needed...Zara Larsson as a feature as Zara is experiencing something of a viral moment herself with "Lush Life" taking off and honestly I really do not like the weird ass thudding production that doesn't compliment either Pink Pantheress or Zara Larsson here and also this just sounds like left over Charli XCX during her brat era. Zara's version feels tacted on as hell as well. I'm skipping this.

It s also worst of the week with the best of the week go to ":Plastic Cigarette" by Zach Bryan

Pretty Fly (For 1999): January 24th. Have You Ever BelongTo Big Big Miami

So we have quite the crazy week here with a change at number one that has felt like it's been coming for awhile and a slew of new entries anyway let's start with the top ten where as I mentioned we do have a new number one with "Believe" by Cher taking the top spot, it finally got the better of sales and it was enough to push "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" by The Offspring back to number two.

"Goodbye" by the Spice Girls remains at number three but I question how long they'll stay there as the song is weakening and there's stronger songs behind it like "When You're Gone" by Bryan Adams and Mel C which climbed two spots to number four, it pushed Honeyz back one spot to number five with "Finally Found".

Rebounding five places to number six is "Jackie" by B.Z feat Joanne which I didn't think would happen. Also unfortunately rising is "No Matter What" by Boyzone which climbed one place to number seven even though the song is ass. 

"From This Moment On" by Shania Twain slipped one spot to number eight while "Crush" by Jennifer Paige finally looks to be on the way out down four spots to number nine and finally "Got the Feelin'" by Five tumbled one spot to number ten. 

Losers

"Sway" by Bic Runga swayed down nine places to forty nine while "Viva Forever" by Spice Girls is on the way out of the top fifty down twelve to forty seven. 

Barenaked Ladies hilarious "One Week" dived ten spots to forty one while "Save The Day" by The Living End (more on them in the new entries) down seven to thirty seven, 

Biggest loser of the week was B*Witched with former chart topper "Rollercoaster" dipping down from thirteen to twenty nine. Stars on 52 took a nine slide to twenty one with their cover of "If You Could Read My Mind"

Gains

Hole continue to gain hard with "Celebrity Skin" being on the cusp of the top ten up nine to number eleven this week. 

The public have finally figured out "Doo Wop (That Thing)" is great so it's one of the biggest gains of the week up from thirty two to number sixteen. 

Ultimate Kao jumped seven to twenty with "Anything You Want (I've Got It)".

Re-Entries

Just one return with "Freak Me" by Another Level back at fifty.

New Entries

Five new entries beginning with

40. "Miami" by Will Smith

The latest single from Will Smith's album "Big Willie Style" with this song sampling The Whispers "And The Beat Goes On" which is a song that I really do not care for but anyway I do like how the sample is flipped and Will Smith has enough easy charisma to come up with a song that sounds like a tourist's utimate guide to life in Miami, Florida, it sounds like a heck load of fun. Honestly dig this a fair bit, check it out. 

39. "Have You Ever?" by Brandy

The second single from American singer Brandy's second album "Never Say Never" with this song being written in part by Diane Warren. Brandy does have a really nice vocal delivery on the song, it's somewhat understated at points but it does have a punch to it as she's asking if this other person has ever loved someone so much that they can't sleep at night however where the problem lies is the production which feels like it misses some swell and grandiosity to counter Brandy's somewhat more understated but emotional delivery. It's not bad but could be better.

35. "To You I Belong" by B*Witched

Irish girl group B*Witched begin 1999 with this song as the latest single from their smash debut album with this song being a bit of a step down from the heavy pop of "C'est La Vie" and "Rollercoaster" in that this one is a ballad where the girls sing that they'll only belong to this one guy no matter the weather or the situation hence ending the chorus with the song's title over some nice fiddle and strings. It's oretty, check it out if yiu are curious just don't go in expecting "Rollercoaster" vibes. 

34. "Big Big World" by Emilia

Ending off our string of female ballads with this song from Swedish singer Emilia and dear god, for a song that is going for Emilia being "a big big girl in a big big world" and her missing this guy a lot, this song just feels limp and pathetic as Emilia sings about being this big girl in a big world in this small small voice that drives me absolutely insane and it does feel liks she is convincing herself that she will be fine if hea leaves her over that limp piano. Ugh, can't stand this song. Moving on.  

12. "All Torn Down" by The Living End. 

Emding off the week with some Aussie punk from The Living End, this song is the third single from the band's self titled album and while I think there can be some criticism at how one note the prpduction can sound, I do like how it builds into the chorus and the guitar solo in the middle eight of the song was nice. As for the content, it's about the rapid development and building projects in the band's home city of Melbourne and how little regard was given to historic sites and parks so yeah this does hit hard. Good song, definitely worth checking out,

However best of the week is going to Will Smith for "Miami", I am giving worst of the week to "Big Big World"  by Emilia.

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Review: January 19th.

We have quite the interesting week here, four new entries as 2026 gets going in earnest but where it's not really getting going is in the top ten where for a ninth week, "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean sits pretty at number one. It's still a streaming behemoth and sales remain decent. Youtube really isn't much of a factor at this point.

"The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift is is hanging on at number two even as it's streaming and sales are falling away, it's being thratened by stronger songs around it more than posing a threat to our current number one, that threat is coming from "End Of Beginning" by Djo up one to number three, it's got streaming on side and it looks a strong player to take the number one. 

It finally pushed "Golden" by K-Pop Demon Hunters back one spot to number four, it's going to slowly move down which is a shame because I am sick to death of it. 

Hopefully it will mean "So Easy (To Fall in Love" by Olivia Dean can continue it's rise, it climbed two spots up to number five. Raye's "Where Is my Husband" fell back one place to number six and "Ordinary" by Alex Warren slipped back to number seven. 

"No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines and Tinashe remains at number eight and "12 to 12" by Sombr is glued to number nine for another week. 

Rising eight off it's debut to number ten is "Raindance" by Dave feat. Tems.

Losers

So a bunch of older hits lost ground big time this week which is nice to see so let's begin with "Soda Pop" from K-Pop Demon Hunters going flat down eleven to forty six. 

"Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter fnally going cold down twelve to forty five. "Manchild" by Sabrina Carpenter is giving up down thirteen to forty three. 

"APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars slumped twelve to thirty eight. 

Drop Outs

Glad to see "Internet Girl" by Katseye gone along with "Mystical Magaical" by Benson Boone and "What it Sounds" like from K-Pop Demon Hunters.Also taking it's exit is "I've Seen It" by Olivia Dean. 

Gains

Already mentioned "Raindance" by Dave and Tems entering the top ten but that wasn't the biggest gain of the week that belonged to "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley as it jumped sixteen places off it's debut to thirty while in great news "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean climbed nine spots to thirty one (My hope is that this song just rules 2026). 

The only other major gain is EsDeeKid's "4 Raws" bouncing up six spot to twenty two.

New Entries

Four new entries this week beginning with...

48. "Think About Us" by Sonny Fodera, D.O.D and Poppy Baskcomb

Yay for Australian artist in the top 50 for a change, its nice to see Sonny Fodera here and "Somedays" is still a terrific song that keeps getting better with every subsequent listen, I also say this because I don't think this song is as good as "Somedays" mostly because the production feels more jarring, blocky and leaves me feeling that the synthetic nature of the production takes away from the impact of the lyrics which is asking this other person that when he or she is touching another man or woman are they thinking about the relationship they have with the singer which reminds me way too much of that Morgan Wallen song "Think About Me" so...nooo. 

29. "Die on This Hill" by Sienna Spiro

Sienna Spiro is a British singer-songwriter that had a break out year in the UK in 2025, now she's landed her first song on the Australian charts and sadly I don't really care for this at at all, it's this sparse piano ballad where Spiro sings about her partner being stubborn and all "I don't give a fuck" but can't let the relationship go because "letting go would feel worse" which cannot be more of a god damn toxic ass sentiment, she KNOWS the relationship is not healthy but is staying in it for what reason? The sex is good? Yeah no...ew.  

19. "Sleepless in a Hotel Room" by Luke Combs

Just me or are the singles for this upcoming new album from Luke Combs been kind of a let down? "Back in the Saddle" was okay as was "Giving Her Away" and now we've got this and...yeah again, it's fine but it just kind of falls flat for me. Combs is alone on tour, unable to sleep and is missing his wife, it's a sweet sentiment but the issue here is that the production is missing something...it feels less homespun and cold (which I admit is probably the point given the subject matter of the song) but why does it feel like Combs voice has a filter on it? It sounds strange considering Combs has one of the best belting voices in country.

11. "I Just Might" by Bruno Mars

Finally, we have to deal with Bruno Mars first solo lead single since 2016. "I Just Might" is the lead single for Msrs new album "The Romantic" out late next month and while this does feel very safe coming from Bruno Mars, it does feel like a good bridge from the sound of Silk Sonic to whatever Bruno has in store on "The Romantic" and this is just pure silly pop fun that Bruno does best. The production is tight, funky and Bruno sounds like he is having a good time.

It's running away with the best of the week. Worst of the week goes to "Die on this Hill" by Sienna Spiro. 

Pretty Fly (For 1999) 17th January. Hard Slide Life.

 So this week is somewhat quieter than usual but we did get a pile of movement in our top ten just not right at the very top where of course "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" by The Offspring continues to rule the number one spot on the chart but again the margins are really close because right behind it at number two is "Believe" by Cher, if things keep going "Believe" can take the top spot next week!.

What's not going to get close to top spot is "Goodbye" by Spice Girls despite the fact it climbed one spot to number three, it's not as strong on sales as the top two and it may well have peaked even as it surged past "Finally Found" by Honeyz down one to numnber four, it's also pretty much done and should gradually make its way out.

Remaining in their positions from last week are "Crush" by Jennifer Paige, "When You're Gone" by Bryan Adams feat. Mel C and "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain. 

Rising one spot to number eight is "No Matter What" by Boyzone because people love their sloppy boy group ballads, speaking of boy groups, Five's "Got the Feelin'" has rocketed into the top ten from it's debut of thirty five last week all the way to number nine..I will say it's catchy even if I think other parts of the song are amateur. 

Finally also arriving in the top ten is the pretty decent "A Little Bit" by Pandora which jumped four spots to wrap up the top ten at number four. 

Losers

Billie's "Girlfriend" is on the precipice of leaving the top fifty as it skidattled thirteen spots down to fifty. 

S.O.A.P's "Ladidi Ladida" continues to suffer losses down eleven to forty three. "Sway' by Bic Runga sayed down seven to forty. 

The Living End's "Save the Day" might need to start trying to save it's chart position as it crumpled eight to thirty.

Gains

So outside of Five's "Got the Feelin'" having that enormous gain into the top ten, *NSYNC continues to rise up the chart with "I Want You Back" as it climbed nine spots to fifteen.

Hole is putting on "Celebrity Skin" rather than shedding it as it climbed from forty nine to twenty four this week. 

Re- Entries

Two returns this week with "Second Solution" by The Living End back at forty nine while "Would You..." by Touch and Go came back at forty eight.

New Entries

Two new entries this woek, lets begin with...

45, "Slide" by Goo Goo Dolls

Time for the follow up to the Goo Goo Doll's massve smash hit from 1998 in 'Iris" (it's a fine song, it just doesn't grab me like it does to others) and I am probably going to get push back for saying this but I really like "Slide" more than "Iris", there's an intense energy coming from John Rzenik's vocals that really hits a chord with me and I like how the production has his vocals front and centre rather than buried behind the guitars and drums 

As for the content, it's fine too, the lyrics delve into a story from Rzenik's own childhood where a teenage girl gets pregnsnt and is forced to confront difficult life changing decisions...should she get an abortion or keep the child and get married which actually explains why Rzenik sounds so damn intense on this song. It's a great song, check it out. 

36. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" by Jay-Z

We end the week with the chart debut of American rapper Jay-Z courtesy of a song that samples "It's a Hard Knock Life" from the musical "Annie' for the hook and I have to be honest here, I don't like how the sample sounds here with the kids voices mutilated to sound like chipmunks to the point I get annoyed with the song and have to turn it off which is a shame because it's a song where Jay-Z details his come up and all the set backs he has had just to get to the point of having a charting hit.

In other words, its not terrible but I am not coming back to it, it's the "worst" of the week.

"Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls takes best of the week. 

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Review: 12th January

 So 2026 is finally starting to gain some rhythm and with that new Bruno Mars single coming next week, we're about to see some movement at the top which is good because yet again...the very top of the chart remains unchanged with "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean remaining at number one for yet another week, 

It held strong on streaming over both "The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift at number and "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters even though both are nowing pretty much done on streaming at this point. 

This means "End of Beginning" by Djo looks to be the competitor for number one as it jumped ten spots to number four and is one of the biggest gainers of the week, it's got a strong presence on streaming and really just needs another push to get it to number one. Now bare in mind, it's only on the chart because of going viral and will only chart for a further eight weeks so if it's going to get that number one, it had better make it's move soon. 

Rising one place to number five is "Where is my Husband?" by RAYE although that could be due to "Ordinary' by" Alex Warren finally weakening enough to slip two places to number six. 

The second of Olivia Dean's three songs in the top ten "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" remains steady at number seen while "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines and Tinashe slumped three spots to number eight while Sombr's "12 to 12" slipped one to number nine.

Also down one is "Nice to Each Other" by Olvia Dean to number ten which rounds out our top ten. 

Losers

"Dracula" by Tame Impala finally looks to be on the way out down ten to forty seven while Tate McRae's "Tit for Tat" down ten to thirty eight while "Die with a Smile" slumped eight to thirty seven for Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. 

K-Pop Demon Hunters also took a hit with "Soda Pop" down nine to thirty five. . 

Drop Outs

So we lost four songs this week with K-Pop Demon Hunters seeing the exits of "Your Idol" and "How It's Done", they took "Bad Dreams" by Teddy Swims and "Too Sweet" by Hozier with them. 

Gains

So I mentioned Djo having the biggest gain the week up ten to number four but we also saw "Sports Car" by Tate McRae up eight to thirty six and "Baby Steps" by Olivia Dean also up eight to twenty five.

Re-Entries

Just one return which is "I've Seen It' by Olivia Dean at number fifty.

 New Entries

Three new entries this week, starting with...

46. "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley

I was not expecting to see tong here but I guess it's cross over was inevitable given how much it has blown up in the US with it being at number five at the Billboard Hot 100 but anyway Ella Langley is a American country artist who has seen some success in the US mostly due to collabs with fellow country artist Riley Green however this is Langley's big breakout hit that was in part co written and produced with fellow country stat Miranda Lambert and well...if neo traditional country found a way to break into the mainstream this is certainly the way to do it with a steel guitar driving song about a couple where she's from Tennessee and he is from Texas, they go and visit Texas and suddenly he realizes that his heart belongs in Texas and she realizes that she cannot deny him being where his heart belongs and that while she is heart broken, she understands that his first love is home which is in Texas. Damn good song, chec it out. 

45. "Internet Girl" by Katseye

Another round with Katseye and look...I still have pretty vehement dislike of "Gabriela" and I was dreading the release of this single and it turned out that going into this with a lot of trepidation might have been the best way to go because this wound up being akin to audio torture to listen to, it just sounds incredibly unpleasant from start to finish with the obnoxious delivery of "Haven't you heard? I'm the internet girl" to that overtly processed "Eat zucchini" which reminded me in the worst way of Onision's "I'm a Banana"! This is one of the worst songs I have heard in some time and I will be very glad when it leaves the charts. 

18. "Raindance" by Dave feat. Tems.

Look, I have a feeling this going to become a huge hit given it's rise on streaming and the subject matter so nothing I say here is going to matter even if I actually don't mind the song and think it's kind of sweet even with Dave brand name dropping on the first verse but the sentiments he expressed toward this girl are incredibly cute however the start of the show on this song is Tems, she sells that hook so hard that she made me believe that she is so desperately in love with this guy and when you combine it with the Afrobeat production...I get why people are liking this.

However it's not best of the week, that's going to "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley. Worst of the week allso no contest with that going to "Internet Girl" by Kateye.

Pretty Fly (For 1999): 10th January. Got The 1999 Smoke Feelin

 So it's a pretty standard week for the chart, a few changes here and there but nothing too remarkable which is probably the apt way to describe our top two within the top ten right now where "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" by The Offspring holds sway at number one just ahead of "Believe" by Cher at number two, these two songs are just duking it out for the top spot, it's not all that close. 

The Honeyz "Finally Found" their way ip three spots to number three while "Goodbye" by Spice Girls remains at number four and "Crush" by Jennifer Paige at number five.

Rising three to number six is "When You're Gone" by Bryan Adams feat. Mel C, this has some decent traction and could go higher which I am happy about as it's a good song.

Rising four places to number seven is Shania Twain's love ballad tailor made for weddings "From This Moment On", this song is kind of bland but I get it. 

Taking a five place fall this week was Stars on 54's cover of "If You Could Read My Mind" which tumbled to number eight this week. Rising three to hit the top ten at number nine is Boyzone's awful "No Matter What"...the sooner this is gone from the top ten the better.

Finally "Jackie" by BZ feat. Joanne remains at number ten. 

Losers

This is just more of 1998's music falling away like "Raincloud" by Lighthouse Family which slipped ten to forty, "Treat Me Good" by Bachelor Girl down nine to forty six, "Thank U" by Alanis Morrisette continuing to stumble down twelve to forty five.

"Outside" by George Michael got pushed back nine spots to thirty nine,  "Viva Forever" by Spice Girls skidded from twenty four to thirty one while "Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust stumbled nine to twenty six and "Horny '98" by Mousse T. vs Hot 'n' Juicy slipped thirteen spots to twenty seven.

Gains

So we got some decent gains this week. I wish I could be all that excited about some of these especially as *NSync's "I Want You Back" threw itself up nineteen to twenty four and "Body Movin'" by Beastie Boys lived up to it's name and moved up from forty nine to thirty four.

In better news, "Malibu" by Hole climbed from thirty four to eighteen (yeah, it's a cool song...I dig it) and "A Little Bit" by Pandora which leaped twelve spots to fourteen. 

Re-Entries

Two returns this week with "Celebrity Skin" by Hole back at forty nine and "The First Night" by Monica at number thirty. 

New Entries

Three new entries this week, beginning with...

48. "1999' by Prince

We're starting with a bit of a cheat code here because this was originally released in 1983 and peaked on the Kent Music Report charts at number two and hit the year end at number sixteen. It was re released to coincide with the year 1999 and well... this song insight into a fever dream Prince may well had been having with surreal lyrics about swearing it was Judgement day, sky being purple and people running everywhere and looking for destruction despite not even caring. It's a shockingly dark song over some of the most fun pop production I've heard in awhile, Great song. 

42. "Smoke" by Natalie Imbruglia

Fourth and final single from Natalie Imbruglia's album Left of the Middle and it's easily Imbruglia's most vulnerable song to date as the song delves into emotional pain stemming from either family issues or other personal trauma, it's not defined as to who the song is about but Imbruglia is able to bring this pain nto her performance and for me it works especially over the piano and strings...good song. 

35. "Got The Feelin'" by Five 

British boyband Five return to the charts with their latest single amd this one is less raucous than "Everybody Get Up" and less trying to hook up like on "When the Lights Go Out" but for as chill as this song is trying to be, maaan, I am not impressed by the boys rapping, it sounds amateur and just really unconvincing especially as it's just lyrics about getting down with the band to party if you got the feeling. Skip this. 

Yeah...that was our week and "Got the Feelin'" by Five nets worst of the week. I know this is cheating but "1999" by Prince gets best of the week...it's definitely unfair but it is better than "Smoke" by Natalie Imbruglia. 

ARIA Singles top 50 Chart Review: 5th January

 Another quiet week on the ARIA singles chart with there being no new entries so let's just get right into the top ten because "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean consolidated it's hold on the number one slot and really its only strengthened it's hold on streaming, its sales are good and Youtube while not great...is fine.

The top four remains the same with "The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift at number two (it's not going back to number as it's streaming is starting to slide, "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters at number three and "Ordinary" by Alex Warren at number four.

Streaming isn't letting go of the utterly annoying now "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines feat. Tinashe which climbed two spots to rebound to number five. Raye's search for a husband on "Where is My Husband" held steady at number six while "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean slipped two spots to number seven.

Holding station are "12 to 12" by Sombr at number eight and "Nice to Each Other" by Olivia Dean at number nine.

Finally Sombr's "Back to Friends" is back to the top ten rising one spot to number ten.

Losers

 Olivia Dean's "Let Alone the One You Love slipped eight spots to thirty nine and "Baby Steps" to thirty three while it was the same for "4 Raws" by EsDeeKid which slipped eight spots off it's debut to thirty six. 

Drop Outs

The drop outs were three of the four songs that debuted last week with "It Feels Like Christmas" by Fall Out Boy, "I've Seen it" by Olivia Dean and "Century" by EsDeekid all gone.

Gains

The big gains are all for past hits with "Espresso" up sixteen to twenty seven and "Manchild" up eleven to twrnty four both for Sabrina Carpenter.

"APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars rebounded ten spots to number twenty two. Kehlani's "Folded" is up six to thirty eight which is a new peak for that song.

Re-Entries

Three returns this week and it's a shame I don't really care for any of them with "How It's Done" from K-Pop Demon Hunters back at fifty. "Mystical Magical" by Benson Boone mystically magically pissing me off by returning at forty eight and finally a song that I can only assume got an exception from ARIA to chart under it's new rules due to it going viral. "End of Beginning" by Djo at number fourteen probably due to Djo being in Stranger Things.

So with there being no new entries, that ends the week. Pretty slow way to start off 2026 but with Zach Bryan, Bruno Mars and The Kid Laroi releasing new music on Friday, the chart action might be about to fire up. 

Pretty Fly (For 1999): January 3rd I Want You Body Movin' That Thing to Doo Wop and Back

 Hello final year of the 20th century and we start out 1999 with a reasonable chunk of new arrivals and a bit of movement in our top ten so why don't we start there because we do have a bit of a duopoly going on with The Offspring at number one with "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy), this song has a decent sales margin over "Believe" by Cher which sits at number two for another week.

Then we have the cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind" by Stars on 54 which climbed four places to number three, it's likewise for the Spice Girls as "Goodbye" also crawled up four to number four this week.

Not the case for Jennifer Paige though as her former chart topper "Crush" slipped two to number five, it's similuar also for "Finally Found" by Honeyz down two to number six and "Rollercoaster" by B*Witched down two to number seven.

"Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" by Green Day slipped two back to number eight.

We have two songs entering the top ten this week with the first of those being 'When You're Gone" by Bryan Adams and Mel C up two spots to number 9 while "Jackie" bv B.Z feat. Joanne got a five place gain to number ten (I have a feeling this song might be going to be a chart topper with how catchy it is).

Losers

Steve Dundon's owe to the Adelaide Crows going back to back in the AFL "It's the Crows Again" slipped seven spots to fifty. "Under the Bridge" by All Saints fell down twelve to forty two (it's a weird song that one, it uses the hook of the Red Hot Chili Peppers classic) and Lightbouse Family stimbled six spots to forty with "Raincloud".

SOAP's "Ladidi Ladida" got hit with some seven place ladida to thirty six while "Thank U" by Alanis Morrisette slid from twenty six to thirty three.

Spice Girls 1998 top ten smash "Viva Forever" tumbled from twenty four to sixteen while Five's "Everybody Get Up" utterly just sit down hard to go from nine to twenty one...ouch. 

Gains

We got a decently big amount of gains here with "When You Believe" by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston rose ten places to twenty three. 

Mousse T. vs Hot 'n' Juicy continue to get spicy as "Horny '98" climbed seven spots to fourteen.

LCD are dancing up nine to fifteen with "Zorba's Dance" while people agree with Stardust as "Music Sounds Better With You" climbed eleven slots to seventeen. Pandora's "A Little Bit" jumped twelve slots to twenty six. George Michael's "Outside" also did the twelve spot drive up to thirty.

Hole's pretty great song "Malibu" got a huge leap from forty nine to thirty one. 

Re-Entries

Just one return with "If You Buy This Record Your Life WIll Be Better" by The Tamperer feat. Maya back at forty one.

New Entries

Three new entries this week and to start our travel through 1999, let's start with...

49. "Body Movin'" by Beastie Boys

So this is the follow up to the successful "Intergalactic", its the second single from Beastie Boys fifth album "Hello Nasty" and it sucks to say that we are off to a rough start in 1999 in the reviews because geezus christ, how mant times must the title of the song be repeated until it gets completely tiresome makes me want to throw things out the window and I lost interest in the song even with that nicely used sample of "Fydo" by The Byrds. The Beastie Boys are capable of so much better than THIS as they proved with "Intergalactic" in 1998. 

45. "Doo Woop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill

It kind of feels redundant to write about this song because dear god...this song comes from Hill's debut solo album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill". The song's subject matter is a warning to African-American wen and women to be careful when they are caught in 'the struggle" especially guys who are into the rims of their car, shoes and their women while ladies are warned not to let "that thing" ruin their lives. Its definitely more conservative leaning but hey, that production and Lauryn Hill's voice make this song one that must be heard. Great song!

43. "I Want You Back" by *NSYNC

So we have a Max Martin written dance-pop song from an American boyband called *NSYNC, this being the lead single from their self titled debut album and really...it's pretty standard bpyband song about how this girl is all he ever wanted and needed in his life and now that she is gone, he wants her back but the production has this weird layer of creepiness, it just feels a bit too dark for a song all about trying to win back the affections of this girl who has clearly up and left for good reason. *NSYNC do have some nice moments of good harmonies but overall...not really a fan of this.

Yeah, that wraps up the week and "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill is absolutely running away with best of the week. "Body Movin'" by Beastie Boys nabs the worst for being an annoyance to my eardrums.

ARIA Singles top 50 Chart Review: 29th December

So final week of 2025 and well...we got something of an interesting week at hand here even if most of the top ten did not move AT ALL so lets dive into all of that because "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean remains at nnumber one, yeah it managed to hold on to it's streaming lead over its rivals despite getting slowly usurped by Christmas music. 

Holding position from two to eight in order are "Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift, "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters, "Ordinary" by Alex Warren, "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean, "Where is My Husband" by Raye, "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines and Tinashe and "12 to 12" by Sombr.

Olivia Dean's "Nice to Each Other" rebounded one spot to number nine, it pushed past "I Run" by HVN and Kaitlin Aragon down one to number ten.

Losers

So I am going to align the top 50 blogs wuth retrospective blogs and do the songs thatl lost big first. Boy, it was a rough week for Tate McRae with "Just Keep Watching" down seven to forty nine and "Sports Car" down nine to forty eight. 

The small mercy of "Dracula" by Tame Impala down six to forty one is a relief. this song is a contender for my worst list...I'll be glad when it's gone, the same goes for "The Days (Notion remix)" by Chrystal down six to thirty three.

"Die With A Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars slumped eight to twenty seven.

Gains

Three major gains with all three songs hitting new peaks beginning with "Chanel" by Tyla which jumped seven places to fifteen. "Phantom" by EsDeeKid and Rico Ace up ten to twenty one but most pleasingly "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean actually jumped eight spots to thirty six! PLEASE PLEASE LET "REIN ME IN" become a hit in 2026.

Drop Outs

We have four major drop outs this week. "Abracadabra" by Lady Gaga, "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, "Eternity" by Alex Warren and "How it's Done" from K-Pop Demon Hunters. 

New Entries

Four new entries this week, two of them from EsDeeKid. but we start with...

50. "I've Seen It" by Olivia Dean.

So we're stepping away from the neo soul into some a gentle guitar where Olivia Dean muses on the ups and downs of love, it's a rather reflective song that I am not sure fits with the best songs on "The Art of Loving" but its certainly simple enough that even though it's only five verses and no hook that I can see why it charted. Good song but should be so much better.

45. "Century" by EsDeeKid

This is EsDeeKid's first single from his much anticipated debut album Rebel and while he and the production on this song sound menacing enough (it sounds like a slightly less nihilistic Futture song) but just with more bragging that he got the latest season fashion drop, real diamonds instead of the fake ones everyone else apparently has and he rides around in a Mercedes Benz except again the production doesn't really sell the luxury of any of this, it's too dark, Esdeekid has some talent but he needs to work on finding the right sound to fit his songs because yeah I'm skipping this.

29. "It Feels Like Christmas" by Fall Out Boy

There is a part of me that feels sad that Fall Out Boy couldn't notch a hit via "Love from the Other Side" in 2023 and that a Christmas song from this band is the only slither of rock on the ARIA singles chart right now but alas, what did we get from Patrick Stump and co? Well turns out this  is a cover of the song from The Muppets Christmas Carol movie and was recorded for Spotify  I am going to be kind to this as it is not going to stick around, it's cute, Patrick Stump sounds on form even if I think the vocals can get buried a bit in the mix. It's cute. Check it out if you are curious.

28. "4 Raws" by EsDeeKid

Second go around with Esdeekid this week and again a menacing atomsphere in the production and this time he is rapping about his past, substance abuse and his hidden personality (I've yet to see any actual personality from this guy, what do you mean he has more than one) and really this song is just so short and when none of the bars really come through with much of a bunch other than your standard bragging about riding around in German cars, it leaves me with no reason to care, 

And that wraps the final week of 2025, I am giving worst of the week to "Century" by EsDeeKid...I just  feel like the song is missing something, Best is going to Fall Out Boy for "It Feels Like Christmas"...its cute and a bit cheesy but hey, it's nice to end the year on something a bit camp. 

All 4 1994: 25th December. Take A Hot Hot Bow, Devil!

So this is it for 1994, huh, a meaty chunk of new arrivals and plenty of movement across the board that makes this week a fair bit more interesting especially going into 1995 and well, it's not interesting right at the very top of the charts because The Cranberries have number one on lock right now thanks to "Zombie", it's sitting pretty thanks to having such a strong sales margin, it's going into 1995 looking pretty.

"All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey which jumped five places to number two presumably because it's Christmas and all a lot of people wnant to do is listen to Christmas music, I don't forsee it making a run at number one however it did move past "Tomorrow" by Silverchair at number three, "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow at number four, "Always" by Bon Jovi at number five. "Short Dick Man" by 20 Fingers feat. Gillette at number six and "If I Only Knew" by Tom Jones at number seven. 

"Turn the Beat Around" by Gloria Estefan continues to get raw on the dancefloor up one spot to number eight although that could be because "Chains" by Tina Arena is effectively done at this point down one to number nine. 

Rising three places into the top ten is "On Bended Knee" by Boyz II Men at number ten because Australia just loves it's slop. 

Losers

So the losers begin with former number two hit "Endless Love" by Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey slumping from thirty three to forty eight looks like the public's love for this song is not endless after all!

"Spin the Black Circle" by Pearl Jam continues to spin the wrong down this week down eleven to thirty five. 

"Sooner or Later" by GF4 plummeted ten spots to thirty one after the song stalled out at number twelve (which I am okay with...I still don't like that song).

More from Madonna in the new entries but "Secret" slipped from sxiteen to twenty four. 

Gains

The problem going into 1995 might be the utter inane crap that is rising, let's start with goddamn "Baby, Come Back" by Pato Banton feat. Ali and Robin Campbell which somehow continues gain, this week it's up eight to eighteen.

The Stone Roses at least got a decent twelve place gain to thirty six with "Love Spreads" while "Sure" by Take That bounces around like a zoomy cat up twelve spots to thirty seven. 

New Entries

Five songs new to the chart this week so let's start this exploration with...

49. “Hot Hot Hot” by Arrow

Stick with me for this one because we're kicking off the week with a remastered version of a 1982 song from a Montserrat musician known as Arrow which apparently peaked at fifty nine in the UK in 1984 and it's fair to say I get the appeal here as the percussion kick up quite the stomping rhythm before the horns kick in and it actually really sounds like a summer party on tape which is perfect for Australia at this time of year, I won't say it's for me but I can see plenty of fun being had with this...check it out if you are curious.

45. “Seether” by Veruca Salt

This song comes from Veruca Salt's album "American Thighs" and is a more pop leaning than the rest of the album and you are can tell, there definitely some more pop concessions in the sound of this sound from the hook to even the vocal delivery. Lead vocalist Nina Gordon told an interview that the song could well be about the feminine urge to sometimes rage and how rage is occasionally something that someone cannot fight and they have to go with it and let their emotions out. Solid song but I just can't get behind the vocals especially with the subject matter of the song. 

43. “Sight for Sore Eyes” by M People

So somehow this is the tenth single from M People's album "Bizarre Fruit" and this one has more of a gospel tinge that combines decently with the groove supplied by the percussion and the piano, it's supposoed to be this song where this other person is so beautiful and handsome to the point where they are a sight for sore eyes...its fine enough but it's not anything I'll remember in a month's time. 

21. “Take a Bow” by Madonna

Latest single from Madonna's album "Bedtime Stories" and I have to say this sounds really nice on the ear, it's a gentle ballad that Madonna just sounds incredible over especially with those strings which should not have surprised me as much as it did considering she collaborated with Babyface for this song. The somber tone of the song makes sense given the subject material all about unrequited love and saying goodbye to a relationship. I really like this a lot, definitely one of Madonna's better efforts so far in the nineties. 

15. Sympathy for the Devil” by Guns ‘n’ Roses

I cannot be the only one giggling that the final song to be covered for 1994 is a song all about having sympathy for the devil and it debuting on the Australian chart on Christmas Day...now come on...it's almost too perfect however was anyone really asking for this cover of the Rolling Stones song that strips away Axl Rose of his personality and Guns 'N' Roses made to sound like "Freedom" by George Michael? This song just really sounds like Guns N' Roses have been neutered and I cannot imagine listening to this at any point. 

Yeah, it's very obviously worst of the week but the best is going to Madonna for "Take a Bow".

That's wraps up it up for the top 50 chart in 1994, stay tuned for the top ten best and worst hit songs lists. On Sunday January 3rd, we begin to look at the top 50 charts of 1999,

ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review: 22nd December

 So it's really quiet week this week so let's just dive straight into the top ten where for yet another week, it's "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean tremaining at number one thanks mostly to streaming, it held up over "The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift at nimber two, "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters at number three and "Ordinairy" by Alex Warren at number four. 

Rising one spot to number five this week is "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean while RAYE's "Where is My Husband" also climbed one spot to number six, although that could be because "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines and Tinashe slipped two places to number seven (frankly. I am hoping this song is on the way out).

"12 to 12" by Sombr rebounded one spot to number eight...its streaming has been bouncing around a bit lately.

Returning back to it's debut slot of number nine is 'I Run" by HVN feat. Kaitlin Aragon while down two to number ten is "Nice to Each Other" by Olivia Dean. 

Gains

Up eight sllots to forty is "Sailor Song" by Gigi Perez as it continues to hang around the lower end of the chart.

More annoyingly "Phantom" by EsDeeKid and Rico Ace is up twelve slots to thirty one however at least "Chanel" by Tyla is up nine to twenty two this week...I'm happy it got a gain despite the Christmas/New Year slow down. 

Re-Entries

So we did see "Eternity" by Alex Warren make its unfortunate return at fifty but I am delighted that "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean is back at number forty four. 

Losers

Not too many big losers but we did see "How It's Done" from K-Pop Demon Hunters slde nine spots to forty eight.

Drop Outs

Two massive songs dropped out this week with those being chart mainstay "Not Like Us" by kendrick Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter's 'number four hit "Tears"

So with no new entries to review for the second week in a row, that wraps the week up. Final week of the chart year and indeed the final week of the 1994 retrospective, I may have the final week of "All 4 1994" up on Christmas Eve and that is looking rather meaty with Guns 'n' Roses and Madonna among the "new entries", we'll have to see. 

All 4 1994: 18th December You Want A Blame Day Coma

The year is slowly winding down but the drama on the top 50 singles chart has not slowed because we got yet another new number one this week, this time, it's The Cranberries notching their first chart topper with "Zombie" rising one spot to the top., it got there thanks to some absolutely enormous streaming.

As a result, "Tomorrow" by Silverchair returned to number two because the previous week's number one "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow slumped back to number three...purely due to "Zombie" having an incredible week on sales. 

Remaining at number four is "Always" by Bon Jovi while much to my shock and absolute disgust "Short Dick Man" by 20 Fingers feat. Gillette rose three slots to number five...ugh, it pushed past "If I Only Knew" by Tom Jones down one to number six. 

Christmas is in the air so "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey climbs five spots to number seven as Tina Arena's "Chains" appears to be heading out of the top ten down one to number eight while "Turn the Beat Around"  by Gloria Estefan and "Come Out and Play" by The Offspring hold steady at nine and ten respectively. 

Losers

"Regulate" by Warren G and Nate Dogg slipped twelve spots to fifty this week and looks like it's in need of some regulation to stay on the chart next week. 

"Sure" by Take That continued to lose ground this week down ten spots to number forty nine.

Former top ten hit "Swamp Thing" by The Grid slipped eight to forty four while "Ain't Nobody" by Jaki Grahm tumbled eleven spots to forty three. 

 "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails collapsed from twenty one to thirty six this week while "I Swear" by All 4 One felt an eight spot swear off to number thirty five. 

Also down eight is Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey's cover of "Endless Love", it's at number thirty three. The nightlife is getting a bit much for Alicia Bridges as her hit "I Love the Nightlife" is down seven to thirty one. 

"Spin the Black Circle" by Pearl Jam spun the chart circle and itself down eleven to twenty four. 

Gains

So the gains this week are mostly of songs that look like they will be huge to start 1995 with "On Bended Knee" by Boyz II Men rising nine spots to thirteen and "Here Comes the Hotstepper" by Ini Kamooze up from forty eight all the way to twenty three.

Then there's the continued gains for "Cruise Control" by Severed Heads which climbed from thirty seven to twenty two.

Re-Entries

One re-entry with "The Rhythm of the Night" by Coronoa back at number forty two. 

'New Entries

Fiur new entries this week beginning with...

47, “Bang and Blame” by R.E.M'

So R.E.M have been on a run outs with me with singles lately so I have to hope this newest single would work for me? Well yes and no as yet again the vocals again get buried on the hook and Michael Stipe doesn't even sound all that convincing on that hook...singing "bang bang bang" repeatedly for the hook. The instrumentation sounds ifne enough but no...this one doesn't work at all for me. Next!

40. “Coma” by Max Sharam

Max Sharam is an Australian-American multi discipline singer songwriter with this song coming from an EP of the same name released in 1005 and I will say it's one of the more interesting songs to have hit the top 50 in recent times! The verses remind me a lot of middle eastern music or maybe a little bit of Bjork before diving into a hook that sounds about standard for pop/rock but she sounds absolutely great and the hook does work for what it's worth, I do like th9s and hope it sticks around. Check this out!

32. “You Want This” by Janet Jackson

The seventh single from Janet's 1993 album "Janet" and this one bares a lot of hallmarks back to her output on "Rhythm Nation" with more industrial sounds and noises on the song and I have to say that they really feel unnecessary in a song where Janet is making this guy, who clearly is attracted to her, work to be the object of her affectons and as a result the noises take any kind of tension sexual or otherwise out of the song. It's not bad, it's just got one or two misplaced elements that ruin the song. 

20. “Stay Another Day” by East 17

Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide.

Third single from East 17's second album and really there's not much I can say about this one, a piano ballad that occasionally brings in some decent strings and there's a reason for that, this song is about those conversations with those loved ones before that loved one take their own life or dies and this song wishes that those loved ones could stay another day. 

It's a sentiment that...yeah...I can get behind and as a result I am going to be very gentle on this because it's not really bad but not a song I would seek out myself. 

So that wraps up the week with best of the week going to "Coma" by Max Sharam. Worst of the week is going to R.E.M for "Bang and Blame".

Top Ten Best Hit Songs of 2024

 I am going to keep this short and sweet because we are heading toward 2025 year end list time and and I do want to get 1994 best and worst lists done (1994 worst list is going to be tough...it was an awesome year for the charts) but we have to deal first with the good stuff from 2024 only there was somewhat less excellent stuff to talk about...a lot of this list is going to be songs that I merely find to be good. 

Also this will be a straight top ten no honourable mentions and will be in line with the rules I have already previously stated so let's get on with the show and bid an adieu to 2024,..finally.

Number Ten

This song would be higher this list if it wasn't STILL on the charts in late 2025 but I gotta give props to it anyway somehow.

"Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish

Yeah, this song has been on the charts for so long that it's kind of warn it's welcome on me but it's still a damn good song with Billie singing about longing to find that emotional and spiritual connection with somebody and wanting to be with that person til her life at ends. Its such a sweet sentiment that sounds more sincere coming from Billie than that it did from James Arthur in 2017.  Good song.

Number Nine

This was originally going to be my number eight but I realized that this also suffered the problems of time and being on the charts way longer than what it should be and the fact it is absolutely Grammys bait

"Die With A Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars

Yeah, I know...the boring pick, the song that is so good that it is absolutely boring to be analysed, it's two ultimate pros in the music industry on a song together about how if the world was ending that they'd want to be with a loved one and honestly this song sounds absoljutely epic sonically and then there's the combined vocal power of Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga who sound heavenly on this song together. Yeah it has overstayed it's welcome on the charts but I'd rather a song like this and "Birds of a Feather" stuck around than some of the other junk which did. 

Number Eight

Everyone, get ready for the hoedown!

"Texas Hold 'Em" by Beyonce

Let's get something straight about "Cowboy Carter"...it was never meant to be a per se 'country' album, people just seemed to throw around a label because apparently everything in life needs a label these days however Beyonce throwing this ball of fun onto the charts was a breath of fresh air that I needed, she's going kick her heels up at this dive bar in the middle of nowhere and maybe have a hoedown or two. Shame we didn't get "II Most Wanted" with Miley Cyrus hitting the charts big because that would have been on this list even higher but as it is...I'll take the stomp clap hoedown from Beyonce any damn day of the week!

Number Seven

Yeah...this song might be one of the best songs SZA has ever made...

"Saturn" by SZA

2024 was the year I truly understood SZA's appeal especially when she gets on production that is just dreamy, floaty and just allows her to sing like she owns the god damn room which is exactly what happens on "Saturn", she sounds gorgeous over those keys and sparse beat as the instrumentation swells around her.

As for the content of the song, SZA contemplates  trying to escape the cycle of pain and suffering on earth and wonders if a less destructive and damaging life is possible on another planet such as Saturn while also acknowledging that she needs to find meaning and worth in moments in the present on earth. It's a such a brilliantly meditative song that I was thrilled became a  hit in 2024. I suspect SZA will be making an appearance on my best hit songs list again in 2025...

Number Six

I think I am going to have to explain the appeal of this one because this song wound up on a few worst hits lists that I saw but let me explain why this works for me...

"Austin" by Dasha

Yeah...I know...but this is the sort of pop country that I'm a sucker for, it's got all the elements of stomp clap yet that country ibstrumentation is giving this song more weight than it probably deserves as Dasha deals with the heartache stemming from the last minute decision by a asshole to abandon moving from Los Angeles to Austin and she's wondering why and what his excuse is..was it that his boots stopped working or something elese? It's a pop country rager for those of us who feel lied to by our exes and you know what? It hit the mark for me every time in 2024.

Number Five

I think we can all agree that Dua Lipa had a kind of off 2024 with one exception...

"Houdini" by Dua Lipa

"Radical Optimism" wasn't a bad album, it just wasn't the one that fans were looking for after the 2020 new disco fun of "Future Nostalgia"  but the lead single "Houdini" hit hard by upping its disco flourishes into something that could almost sound like early 80s new wave and Dua Lipa is absolutely in command of the atmosphere here, she comes across as commanding and forceful as she wants this guy to tell her all the ways he needs her or she'll do a Houdini and disappear out of his life. I had way too much fun with this song and yeah...it snags a deserved a high placement on this list.       

Number Four

I wasn't expecting this to happen, I doubt even the artist on the track was expecting this so sng to be the sort of hit it was and so let's talk aboout...

"Too Sweet" by Hozier

This song is up so damn high on this list mostly because of that sticky hook that got stuck in my head since the song was released in 2024. The song is a comparison of lifestyles between two different individuals, Hozier wants to live at his own pace drinking whiskey and black coffee while the partner is encouraging him to adopt a healthier lifestyle with more structure something that Hozier pushes back on a bit all set to a rollicking guitar and yeah, this was a load of fun all year. 

Number Three

Sometimes there's a song that comes from a complete underdog that makes you want to cheer for it and hope it does well on the charts, this one sure did welll in 2024 and I couldn't be happier...

"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey

A bunch of gratitude is oweed to Beyonce for featuring Shaboozey on "Cowboy Carter' and to his label for putting out this song  while the iron was hot because Shaboozey was the only featured guest on that album to get any kind of traction in the mainstream. It's this stomp clap jam that features a far too prominent sample of J-Kwon's 2000s hit "Tipsy but like the song it samples, it's just a song about putting a long hard day of work behind him by drinking at the bar and getting upsy, it's a song that really does have universal appeal. Great song. Just a shame we couldn't give Shaboozey a follow up hit with anything he has released since "A Bar Song (Tipsy)"...let's make 2026 fix that, shall we?

Number Two

For as much as the charts suffered from the stench of bad Morgan Wallen in 2024, we did get an exception and what an incredible exception it was.

"Where the Wild Things Are" by Luke Combs

This song was orginally written for Eric Church who rejected it and it wound up in the hands of Luke Combs who took it and boy, did he run with it., the story of the narrator's brother going on all these adventures on his motorbike amd bringing the narrator on some of these adventures out where the wild things are. now the narrator is not into what his brother is into but hey, he is enjoying that time spent with his brother...this is all before the cruellest twist in the song, the brother died in a motorbike accident and the narrator is left to acknowledge that at least his brother went out the way he would have wanted doing something he loved...all set to this gentle piano and guitar and Luke Combs providing that gentle story telling. More story songs, Luke, you are good at it. 

Number One

This feels obvious...really...too obvious, it was number one on a lot of Youtube music critics best hit songs list and yeah...I couldn't help myself...I agree...

"Good Luck, Babe!" by Chappell Roan

I get the feeling that Chappelloan isn't chasing fame, she just wants to release good music and have her fans enjoy it, the fact she got so big in 2023/2024 was something she definitely wasn't prepared for or she wanted to some degree so we get this song about Chappell being in love with another woman and yet this woman is actively denying her homosexuality and is kissing guys in bars in a desperate attempt to avoid making the admission that she is homosexual (be it fear of family or whatever else) much to the frustration of Chappell who just wants to love this woman for who she actually is and in her frustration with the situation she tells this woman sarcastically good luck denying how you feel. 

Throw in the instrumentation which throws in more of the sarcasm around the situation and gives this song quite the 80s feel, it's also the best hit song of 2024. 

ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review. 15th December .

 So this is a pretty quiet week, nothing in the way of new entries which is good because I am kind of beyond snowed under with the amount of work I have to do for this blog and trying to tie up the last few weeks of 1994 as well so I appreciate ARIA giving me a quiet week to work with here. 

Its especialy quiet at the top with "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean spending a fourth week at number one. I don't see what's knocking her offf as it won't be Mariah Carey as "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is relegated back to the on replay chart so Olivia Dean has no competition for the top spot right now.

I would say "The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift atuck at number two but that's starting to show weaknesses on streaming even if sales are remakably consistent. The same applies to "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters at number three and "Ordinary" by Alex Warren at number four, 

Rebounding two places to number five is "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines and Tinashe (god damn, the fact Tinashe got a hit out of this instead of some of her hetter music is heartbreaking). Holding steady at number six is "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean while "Where is My Husband" by RAYE slipped two pllaces back to number seven. 

"Nice to Each Other" by Olivia also holds at number eight while "12 to 12" by Sombr rebounded one spot to number nine (this song is growing on me so hard) and finally "I Run" by HVN and Kaitlin Aragon moved up one to return to the top ten at number ten. 

Gains

So in terms of major gains outside the top ten, the year end Billboard Hot 100 number one for 2025 "Die With A Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars rebounded eight to number eighteen while "That's So True" by Gracie Abrams also got a big bounce back up eleven to twenty five...I'm going to blame Spotify Wrapped for both of these. 

Same goes for "APT" by Rose and Bruno Mars which climbed nine spots to thirty and "Messy" by Lola Young up nine to thirty four. 

That said I am not sure if Spotify can be blamed for the ten place gain to twenty seven for "The Days (Notion Remix)" by Chrystal...why?. 

"Chanel" by Tyla rose nine spots to thirty one...maybe Australia is going to give Tyla a second hit...I'd be down for it. 

Re-Entries

We did have four re-entries this week with Kendrick Lamar seeing "Not Like Us" back at forty nine and "Luther" feat. SZA returning at 37...I'll chalk that up to Kendrick being in Australia touring right now. 

The two other new entries can again be pinned to Spotify Wrapped with "Sailor Song" by Gigi Perez returning at number thirty seven and "Abracadabra" by Lady Gaga at twemty nine. 

Losers

EsDeeKid's "Phantom" with Rico Ace was the biggest loser of the week down thirteen places to forty three.

It was a rough week for Tate McRae with "Just Keep Watching" turned off nine places to forty one while "Gabriela'" by Katseye slipped seven to thirty eight and "Dracula" by Tame Impala might finally be done as it slipped seven to forty.

"What It Sounds Like" from K-Pop Demon Hunters fell seven to thirty five. 

Drop Outs.

Four drop outs this week with "Do It" by Stray Kids, "Nobody's Girl" by Tate McRae and "Elizabeth Taylor" by Taylor Swift exiting and unlikely to be back...I'm not complaining about any of those being gone tbh. 

The one drop out I will complain about being gone is "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean...this song was a top ten hit in the UK and it deserves better on the Australian charts than this. Just saying.

Anyway with there being no new entries this week, that wraps up our week, I expect things to be quiet until after the Christmas/New Year period especially now the chart is unlikely to be infested wth Christmas songs.

The seven songs released this year that pissed me off.

 So outside the mainstream, it's been a pretty good year for music, there's been a lot of great stuff across all kinds of genres but like most years there has been some absolute steaming junk and there was enough  rotting fleshy garbage to justify making this list although unlike my best or worst hits list, this won't be ranked...it's just a list...

Let's begin with something of an easy target now shall we?

"Cowgirl" by Parmalee.

Look, the reason I am starting with this song is that I think by hoing into these guys feels a bit like punching down especially when they are just lifers on Music Row in Nashville but I'm sorry I cannot forgive this song in any concievable way. This is just terrible song writing where it's just the usual cliches about meeting this girl at a bar who sipping a beer and singing along to "Last Night" by Morgan Wallen (Why that song and not something that's actually COUNTRY...I don't know) and then what tipped this song into outright garbage was "I follow her curves like a back road"...who do Parmalee think they are? Sam Hunt, her curves like a back road line was horrific when Hunt did it in 2017, it's uncalled for in 2025!

Throw in the stiff drum machines, Parmalee sounding like they would rather be doing anything else than singing this sledgehammer of a song and you have possibly one of the more awful cuts to come out of Music Row in the last year...well not quite because...

"Miami" by Morgan Wallen

Geezus fucking christ "Miami, My Amy" is a country classic from Keith Whitley and to hear Morgan Wallen turn this song into shlock about how he misses Tennessee while he is in Miami all because it was warmer in Florida than in Tennessee chasing this woman...bitch please. 

He asks on the hook "what the hell is a redneck gon' do in Miami"...maybe go back to fucking Tennessee if you are so completely miserable. Then to add to the actual offense to Keith Whitley, Wallen brings in Lil Wayne (we'll get to him...he had an AWFUL year) and Rick Ross for a remix where like Lil Wayne complains that he hate so much shrimp he got iodine poisoning and brags he is like Will Smith in Miami (that is NOT a good flex) and while Rick Ross's verse is actually pretty good, one verse doesn't make a good song. I'll leave it there because there is going to be more Morgan Wallen on my worst hit songs list to come in January.

Speaking of Lil Wayne...

"Island Holiday" by Lil Wayne

Let's get this out of the way, "Tha Carter VI" was a terrible album from front to back and this song was one of the leading reasons why with the lazy sampling of Weezer's "Island in the Sun" and Lil Wayne declares that every day is a holiday and he wants Weezer on this song...this song? You mean the song where you sound like you are just phoning it in, Wayne? I'd almost rather Rivers Cuomo discuss doing "Sober Up Part 2" with god damn . rather than this embarrassment of a song where you claim you are standing on business like Bigfoot while on holiday?

Yeah no...this is rubbish and Weezer's "Island in the Sun" deserves so much better.

So I mentioned Morgan Wallen would be on my worst hit songs list for 2025 if anything from "I'm The Problem" makes the year end, here's another artist who will absolutely make that same list....

"Touch Me Like A Gangster" by Jessie Murph.

I had a hard time picking what song from "Sex Hysteria' to choose for this list, "Sex Hysteria" is one of the worst lbums of the year and Jessie Murph is one of the worst vocallists working n mainstream music in 2025 with this song being representative of everything that is wrong with "Sex Hysteria" so let's run through the problems with this song:

1. She wants rough, dirty sex yet the production cannot lend any atomosphere or imply any kind of sexual tension. 

2. Murph herself flicks between mimicking other pop acts before belting like she is bloody Daffy Duck on steroids. "Duck season" anyone?

3. Murph cannot sell the intensity that rough sex brings with it, there's no anticipation or real edge to the song that would make me believe that she enjoys some bloke pulling her hair while fucking her. 

4. The writing makes E.L James "50 Shades of Grey" written superbly. Geezus christ.

Taylor, you might be the biggest popstar in the world right now but not even that excuses you for this...

"Cancelled" by Taylor Swift

There is nothing more deflating when a big popstar like Taylor Swift releases what at best is some of the worst music of her career and this song should have been scrapped at the writing desk not recorded and put on "The Life of a Showgirl" because my god, Taylor's writing is so far from her best here that it's not even remotely funny and made even worse by Taylor sounding childish as hell matching lyrics like "Did you girlboss too close to the sun" and on the hook "Good thing I like my friends cancelled". This song doesn't even have the sense to be a propulsive rock song which makes this song a complete waste of time.

Bring back Jack Antonoff and do it fast, Taylor because this shit doesn't work for you and take a long break before releasing another album because this comes across as you needing a break. 

"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Calum Scott and Whitney Houston

Here we have it, folks, "Dancing on My Own" part 2! Yes, Calum Scott did the exact same thing to Whitney Houston's 80s classic "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" as he did to Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" and turned it into a bland piano ballad and even more disrespectfully included Whitney Houston who is dead on the song and I just know she'd be fucking appalled by this if she were alive. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a staple of 80s pop and for Scott to turn it into mealy mouthed mush makes me fucking sick. 

"Meet Your Padre" by PartyNextDoor and Drake feat. Chino Pacas

No, we do not need Drake to be meeting anyone's madre or paying respects to their padre if he is going to use Spanish has really bad garnish and this one just feels fucking gross. As one Twitch streamer said "Kendrick made this guy (Drake) switch languages" and he ended up embarrassing himself all over again. 

That wraps this list up. Best hit songs of 2024 coming soon along with the best and worst hit songs of 1994 plus the regular 2025 ARIA single chart.

All 4 1994: 11th December. Put Yourself On Bended Knee Hotstepper

So this week shocked me, we had some wild things happen in the top ten and we have a rather "eclectic" mix of new entries at hand however let's dive into the top ten because we have a brand new number one coming somewhat out of nowhere because I thought this song had peaked instead rising two places to the top spot is "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow, it got there thanks to sales doing really well. 

It got there just ahead of "Zombie" by The Cranberries which is positioning itself to be the next song to potentially take the number one up three spots to number two. 

All of this pushed previous chart topper "Tomorrow" by Silverchair back two spots to number three while "Always" by Bon Jovi also fell back two to number four. 

A new entry enters at number five courtesy of Tom Jones with 'If I Only Knew", we'll talk more about this song later. 

Speaking of talking about something later, Boyz II Men also make an appearance in the new entries however their former number one "I'll Make Love To You" remains at number six.

The biggest victim of all the drama at the top was "Chains" by Tina Arena which slid three spots back to number seven, this song definitely peaked last week.

The second of our two new entries in the top ten is "Short Dick Man" by 20 Fingers feat. Gillette at number eight, again we'll talk about the (questionable) quality of this song later.

Rising two spots to reach the top ten at number nine is "Turn the Beat Around" by Gloria Estefan while The Offspring round out the top ten down two to number te ton and that song's time in the top ten seems to be coming to a close. 

Losers

It might be good night for "Goodnight Girl '94" by Wet Wet Wet on the charts as it tumbled nine to fifty this week.

A bunch of former top ten hits are also making their way out like "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" by Elton John slipping eight to forty six, "7 Seconds" by Youssou N'Doour and Neneh Cherry sliding twelve to forty five, "Rockin For Myself" by Motiv 8 feat. Angie Brown down twelve to forty two, "Swamp Thing" by The Grid collapsed eight to thirty six,"Endless Love"  by Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey slumped ten spots to twenty five and "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails tumbling out of the top ten to twenty one (I am shocked it stuck around in the top ten that long if I am going to be bluntly honest)

"Yesterday, When I Was Mad" by Pet Shop Boys slumped from twenty nine to forty four. "Sure"  by Take That lost it's sure footing on the chart down eight to thirty nine. 

"All Come Together" by Diesel slumped from twenty six to thirty four while "Confide In Me" by Kylie Minogue is slipping away gracefully down ten to number thirty and Jaki Grahm's pretty damn  good cover of "Ain't Nobody" slipped seven to thirty two.

"I Love the Nightlife" by Alicia Bridges is clearly done enjoying the chartlife as it tumbled nine places to twenty four. 

Gains

As for the gains...well we are in that time of year so of course "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey is up eleven spots to number twelve but Christmas doesn't excuse "Baby, Come Back" by Pato Banton feat. Ali and Robin Campbell climbing eleven spots to twenry nine. 

I guess I'll tolerate "Dead Eyes Opened" bv Severed Heads up twelve spots to thirty seven but it's pretty bleak if thats the only gain I vaguely like.

New Entries

Six new entries this week beginning with...

48. “Here Come the Hotstepper” by Ini Kamooze

We're starting a pretty weird line up here with a Jamaican reggae singer who  began performing in the early 90s with this being his debut on the ARIA singles chart. Now this song has all kinds of samples in it with "The Champ" by The Mohaws, "Hot Pants"  by Bobby Byrd ad "La Di Da Di" by Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick. As for what I think of the song? I like it! It's got this summery vibe that fits very well for this time of year and Ini Kamooze sells the whole insanity given 'hotstepper' is a man ion the run from the law in Jamaican patois. Yeah, good song. I dig it!

31. “Better Get a Lawyer” by The Cruel Sea

We move onto the first of two Australian acts up for review this week and somehow oddly appropriate given what I mentioned about man running away from the law on "Here Comes the Hotstepper"! Anyway rhis song comes from The Cruel Sea's fourth studio album Three Legged Dog. 

The content is probably more interesting than the instrumention here which does feel a bit by the numbers with a decent guitar chord progression and Tex Perkins tells the story of getting in trouble with the law even though he hadn't done anything wrong with the ook being from the police officer telling him to get a lawyer and the lawyer he gets had better be a good one. I don't know...the hook is pretty damn memorable but I think The Cruel Sea have done better than this...just saying.

22. “On Bended Knee” by Boyz II Men

Another pianao drenched love ballad from Boyz II Men where he is throwing himself at this woman's feet begging her to give him one more chance even though he has let her down and I have to say this is the most over dramatic tantrum sounding chorus I've ever heard, he vows he will never walk again until she comes back to him and I suppose forgives him for everything she did wrong.

Oh god, there's even a spoken word passage begging her to return and no...in most cases if this sort of theatrics is what this guy is carrying on with, it's time for her to move on and speaking of moving on...lets do it ourselves before I actually vomit in disgust.

17. “Put Yourself in My Place” by Kylie Minogue

Oh thank goodness for Kylie...maybe she can get everything back on track with this song being released as the second single from her self titled album and yeah, no shock that Kylie herself vocally is the highlight of this song, she sounds incredible and that's helped by the mix allowing her and the instrumentation to breathe and better support Kylie.

As for the content, it's a song where she's dealing with the sudden end of a relationship and is begging her ex to put himself in her shoes for a change so he can empathise with what she is feeling over the end of the relationship...the song certainly deals with relationship drama than that Boyz II Men song that we mentioned a moment ago. Great song!

8. “Short Dick Man” by 20 Fingers feat. Gillette

Oh wow. We have found the most insipid and incredibly juvenile song of 1994...congratu-fucking-lations 20 Fingers and Gillette for releasing this god awful piece of song that pretty much is an ode to mocking a man who is unfortunate enough to have a small manhood. The song even uses a part of "Tweeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini" to mock this poor man over the laziest beat available. Absolute garbage, Get this garbage off the charts, it doesn't belong here and everyone involved with this needs to grow the fuck up!

5. “If I Only Knew” by Tom Jones

Thank goodness we're not ending it off on "Short Dick Man" but rather veteran and legend Welsh singer Tom Jones and I got to be honest I was not really expecting much with this song other than it to be carried on the charisma of Jones himself like a lot of his material has over the years so colour me shocked that this song has one HELL of a killer groove and Jones as per usual sounds absolutely phenomenal...also helps when Jones screams "YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" at the beginning of the song...real attention grabber.

The content of the song is pretty much Tom wondering what he has to do to know to get this woman to love him and break down the wall that's between them which to a degree feels somewhat icky but that hook is outrageously sticky so yeah...I dig this.

However it's not best of the week, that's goign to "Put Yourself in My Place" by Kylie Minogue. As for the worst of the week...it's not a competition, I've never been more disgusted listening to a song than "Short Dick Man" by 20 Fingers feat. Gillette so that's running away with the honour of being the absolute worst song of the week. 

ARIA Singles Top 50 Chart Review: 8th December

 So this week feels odd, sure the top ten is reasonably stable especially at the top with "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean still holding the number one spot mostly thanks to streaming because it's not dominant on sales or Youtube. 

"Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift spends yet another week at number two as it still has some consistent streaming, the same applies for "Golden" from K-Pop Demon Hunters at number three.

"Ordinary" by Alex Warren bounced back up one spot to number four thanks to some resurgence on streaming. The same can be said for "Where is My Husband" by RAYE which also gained one spot to number five.

Both songs pushed past "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" by Olivia Dean which fell back two slots to number six 

Disco Lines and Tinashe hold steady at number seven with "No Broke Boys", a song I am really starting to get sick of...this might make my worst hit songs list. 

The hold steady was also in place for "Nice to Each Other" by Olvia Dean at number eight. 

Then we have what ARIA have said is a new entry but I am going to call a re entry because it's "I Run" by HVN (Haven) just replacing the AI vocals with real vocals from Kaitlin Aragon. I am going to be blunt here and say that Kaitlin's vocals do not work on this song at all...anyway it's in at number nine.

Finally holding onto the top ten by rising one spot is Sombr's "12 to 12" but I do not see that lasting. 

Gains

Only major gain this week is "Phantom" by EsDeeKid and Rico Ace up ten to thirty and "Messy" by Lola Young up seven to forty three.  

Re Entries

So like I said "I Run" returned in the top ten at number nine for HVN and Kaitlin Aragon but we do have three other returns this week. starting with  Hozier's "Too Sweet" at number fifty, "Good Luck, Babe!" by Chappell Roan at forty eight and "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter at forty six

Losers

:I am sad that "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean isn't getting the traction it so richly deserves as it slipped eight to forty nine. 

Tate McRae saw "Nobody's Girl" slip nineteen spots to thirty eight while "Do It" by Stray Kids slumped fourteen to twenty four (good, that song sucks)

Drop Outs

We saw five drop outs this week with "Anything but Love" and "Trying On Shoes" leaving for Tate McRae while "The Life of A Showgirl" feat. Sabrina Carpenter and "Father Figure" got rissoled for Taylor Swift.

The only exit that I am disappointed about is "Lady Lady" by Olivia Dean, it's a good song that deserved better.

New Entries

One new entry this week, let's dive into

40. "Chanel" by Tyla

 Brand new song from Tyla on the chart and I have to say I am always happy to see her here especially if the song is actually good like this one, now sure the percussion can drive people nuts and I am not sure Tyla's lazy ennounciation helps the song but you know what? There's a smooth coolness to the song that's all about her wanting her lover to treat her like she's a luxury, something he isn't always going to get. Good song. 

Ditching best and worst of the week this week because only one song...next week is who knows? Maybe ARIA will give dispensation for the Christmas songs to flood the top 50, we'll have to see. 

All 4 1994: 4th December: Dead Love Eyes Come Back by Gyroscope

So we're into the final month of 1994 and honestly...this year has been a whole load of fun and helps that the music barring a few weeks here and there has been pretty darn great...just a shame this week is rough in the new enrries but before we get to all that...let's talk about our top ten where for yet another week, it's "Tomorrow" by Silverchair at number one, its starting to slow down on sales margins. 

Which night be good news for "Always" by Bon Jovi which held firm for another week at number two and looks the most likely to go to number one. Yeah, "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow remained at number three but its a shaky number three at best and "Chains" by Tina Arena looks to have peaked at number four. 

Up five to nnumber five is "Zombie" by The Cranberries which looks set to make a play for number one in the weeks ahead itself. 

"I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men rebounded one spot to number six although that might be because "Spin the Black Circle" by Pearl Jam fell two spots to number seven,

The Offspring moved up one spot to number eight with "Come Out and Play" while "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails fell back three places to number nine, 

Finally down two places to number ten is Madonna's "Secret".

Losers

Down twelve to number forty eight is "When Can I See You" by Babyface while "Nothing But You" by Cold Chisel slumped eight spots to forty seven.

East 17's "Stream" is almost out of chart steam down seven to forty two while "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John stumbled seven slots to thirty eight. "Lay Your Love on Me" by Roachford got abandoned so its down seven to thirty five.

" 7 Seconds" by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry fell from twenty six to thirty three, "Rockin' For Myself" by Motiv 8 feat. Angie Brown fell six to thirty while :"Yesterday, When I Was Mad" by Pet Shop Boys fell ten spots to twenty nine.  "Swamp Thing" by The Grid fell seven to twenty eight. 

Gains

There are quite a few gains across the board this week beginning with "Trouble" by Shampoo which climbed it's way from thirty three into the top twenty at nineteen however the biggest gain of the week belongs to "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey which surged from fotty six to twenty three. 

Headless Chickens remain in "Cruise Control" up six to twenty seven while "Sure" by Take That found a sure footing on the chart up from forty two to thirty one. "Wantaway Lover" by Toni Pearen surged from forty one to thirty six while Wendy Matthews is "Standing Strong" up eight to thirty seven.

Re-Entries

Two returns this week with "Think Twice" by Celine Dion back at frty five and "Last One Standing With You" by The Black Sorrows and Jon Stevens returning at forty six. 

New Entries

Four new entries this week, beginning with...

50. “Gyroscope” by Tumbleweed

We're starting with a rock band formed in Wollongong with this song coming from the album "Galactophonic" and it's yet another song that thinks it's cool to absolutely bury the vocals so deep in the mix that the words being sung can barely be heard...seriously? The music sounds great, the guitars have some crunch to them and the drums go hard but it's all ruined by the mixing and mastering on the vocals. Skip it. 

49. “Dead Eyes Opened” by Severed Heads

So last week it was a NZ band called Headless Chickens, now we're dealing with an Australian electronic/dance act Severed Heads...it's getting bit weird out here! Anyway this song features lyrics taken from a radio program that was narrated by Edgar Lustgarden. Honestly while this is not for me in anyway shape or form...it's a bit too abstract for me, I do see the appeal here...check it out if you are curious. 

44. “Love Spreads” by The Stone Roses

New single from The Stone Roses and this song might be the best I've heard so far of this week's new entries, there's a consistent grunt and energy to the instrumentation I really like, the guitars are the star of the show here. As for the content, the song was apparently inspred by a book called "Women's history of the world" by Rosalind Miles, a 1988 book that discussed womens role in the world, representation and history so yeah...good song, check it out.

40. “Baby, Come Back” by Pato Banton feat. Ali and Robin Campbell

Oh god, I am not going to lie seeing this song featuring members of UB40 had me bracing for this to be bad. Pato Banton is a British reggae singer and this is the first time he has hit the ARIT charts but this song is lyrically a disaster especially when it turns out he messed around behind this girl's back and demanding she comes back and not leave town like he has earned that right to tell her to come back when he hasn't and the victim playing he does in the latter of this song is just disgusting. Get out of here, this song sucks.

Easy worst of the week goes to "Baby, Come Back" by Pato Banton and UB40. Best of the week goes to "Love Spreads" by THe Stone Roses. 

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Review: 1st December.

 Uhh...we got a pretty busy week at hand here, multiple new entries and plenty of movement up and down tbe chart in a week that just completely flies in the face of just how incredibly slow the charts have been this year (something that will be discussed during list time in January) but let's not waste anymore time and get to the top ten where for a second week, it's Olivia Dean at number one with "Man I Need", it's got a sizrable streaming margin even if sales and Youtube aren't quite on board yet.

"The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift remains at number two, this song is number one on sales right now thanks to another ridiculously desperate release of a remix this time from The Chainsmokers. Seriously, Taylor...enough. 

"Golden" by K-Pop Demon Hunters clings on to number three but it's facing competition from "So Easy (To Fall In Love)" by Olivia Dean which gained hard on streaming to move up one to number four.

All of this saw "Ordinary" by Alex Warren slip one spot to number five but I am not sure it's going to stay there because right behind it is "Where is My Husband" by Raye up one to number six, it brushed past "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines and Tinashe at number seven. 

There's more Olivia Dean in the top ten this time with "Nice to Each Other" up one to number eight and that's not a surprise considering "Opalite" by Taylor Swift fell back one spot to number nine. 

Finally something I never saw coming, a new entry at number ten that i thought was a misprint by ARIA...it's "Do It" by Stray Kids, here on streaming from earlier in the week and I am not expecting this to stic around. 

Gains

Our gains are mostly continued ones for Olivia Dean with "Baby Steps" up six to twenty and "Let Alone the one You Love" up eleven to twenty five while there's deluxe album edition gains for Tate McRae who saw "Sports Car" speed up nine to thirty six and "Tit For Tat" also up nine to thirteen. 

Finally "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean is up nine to forty one this week in some positive news for the chart.  Going in the right direction, 

Re-Entries

Just the one return this week and as you can probably guess, it's Olivia Dean with "Lady Lady" back at number forty seven.

Losers.

It was a rough week to be a remaining album track from Taylor Swift's "The Life of  A Showgirl" as "Father Figure" plummeted seventeen to forty nine, the title track with Sabrina Carpenter slipped fifteen spots to forty eight and "Elizabeth Taylor" got slapped with a nineteen spot hit down to thirty seven. 

It was also a rough week for some songs from K-Pop Demon Hunters with "How It's Done" down eight to thirty five and "Your Idol" down  seven to twenty six. 

The one song that wasn't on Tate McRse's deluxe slid seven spots to thirty two that being "Just Keep Watching"

Drop Outs

So we saw two songs from K-Pop Demon Hunters depart with "Free" and "Takedown" both leaving...they both should probably make the year end list, they took album cuts "Wi$h List" by Taylor Swift and "When Did You Get Hot?" by Sabrina Carpenter with them.

Long running hit "Good Luck, Babe" by Chappell Roan also took its exit alongside last week's new entry "Talk of the Town" by Fred Again...feat, Sammy Virji and Reggie.

New Entries

We got five new entries with Tate McRae charting three new songs from the deluxe version of the album so the songs I have decided not to cover are "Trying on Shoes" at forty six and "Anything But Love" at thirty one,

So with that in mind, let's start with...

40. "Phantom" by EsDeeKid and Rico Ace

So EsDeeKid is a British rapper hailing from Liverpool having his break out year even releasing an album in June of this year with this being his first charting song to date and look, I like how menacing the production sounds here, it all fits into the UK drill and grime vibe of the song but the problem here is EsDeeKid himself does not sound remotely convincing or can sell the menace he is going for on this song, the same applies for his cohort here, Rico Ace who is only marginally better and when the lyrics just boil down to EsDeeKid claiming he is focusing on music and his come up...yeah...this ain't as interesting as what these two want you to believe...next!

19.  "Nobody's Girl" by Tate McRae

So I don't think I've made a seceet out of the fact that Tate McRae's music doesn't work for me so I was kind of dreading songs from the deluxe edition of "So Close to What?" (especially as the original album has aged badly) however I actually kind of like this song! Yeah, it's a bit watery, I don't think Tate's vocals sound as good as she thinks they do over this more orchestral beat but I like the lyrics that see Tate embrace being single after a bad breakup and choosing herself for a bit instead of trying to chase another man for what would be another disastrous relationship so yeah while this isn't that good or great...I'll take it this wee beak. 

10. "Do It" by Stray Kids. 

So I am fairly certain this is the first time that Stray Kids have charted in Australia and certainly charted this high, I was shocked this song debuted in the top ten beating out Sombr and Tate McRae. Stray Kids are a K-Pop group featuring eight members all from South Korea so I was curious about this song and why so many people liked it enough for it to chart at number ten...and...I should have curbed some of that curiosity because oh wow...this is messy, its incorporating a lot of sounds from western hip hop and pop before one of the most annoying beat switch ups I have ever heard that features the dying goat from "Mi Gente" (if anyone remembers that song). This song is all beat and no melody and it's not better for it. 

Its easy worst of the week, as for the best of the week...yeah...it's not a great song but "Nobody's Girl" by Tate McRae gets that. Next week? Who knows? I think it could go back to being pretty quiet in the lead up to Christmas, I guess that Haven song "I Run" will be allowed to return given they found a human singer for the song.

All 4 1994. 27th November: All I Want Is Your Wave Pants for Christmas

 So this week brough about some movement in the top ten just not at the very top where "Tomorrow" by Silverchair remains tied to the top spot thanks to terrific sales however as per program for the past frew weaks 'Always" by Bon Jovi is right behind it at number two,

Rising one to number three is "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow while Tina Arena's "Chains' is finally moving in the right direction up three places to number four.

It pushed "Spin the Black Circle" by Pearl Jam back two spots to number five, "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails down one to number six and "I'll Make Love To You" by Boyz II Men slipped one space to number seven. 

Stsying steady at number eight is "Secret" by Madonna while "Come Out and Play" by The Offspring continues to play at number nine.

However we do have a new arrival to our top ten at number ten with "Zombie" by The Cranberries rising five spots to number ten. 

Losers

So we did see "All Come Together" by Diesel down eleven spots to twenty nine while "7 Seconds" by Youssou N'Dour slipped six spots to twenty six. 

Kylie Minogue's "Confide In Me" fell back eight spots to twenty two while "Yesterday, when I was Mad" by Pet Shop Boys floundered six spots to nineteen. 

Gains

So let's start with Gloria Estefan's "Turn the Beat Around" up nine slots to thirteen.,.ugh. CDB also got a decent nine place gain to fifteen with "Hook Me Up".

In unfortunate news, Lucas's "Lucas with the Lid Off" jumped from twenty three to eighteen because Australia hates me.

At least Harry Connick Jr got a six spot rise with "(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name)" to twenty three while "Lay Your Love on Me"  by Roachford is getting some love laid on it up from thirty five to twenty eight. 

The Headless Chickens have found some direction despite being headless with "Cruise Control" up nine to thirty four. 

New Entries

Four new entries this week beginning with...

50. “My Wave” by Soundgarden

So this is the fourth single from "Superunknown" and was only released here in Australia. This song is unusual because of it's 5/4 time signature and you know what? I think it's better for being just that little different because I really do like this even if its more the instrumentation just being awesome, Chris Cornell is buried behind the instrumentation to the point I can hardly hear him. Nice song though

48. “Tighten Up Your Pants” by Audio Murphy feat. Melinda

I do not have the words for this, it's basically Eurodance song using country tropes including squaredancing etc and there's even bizarrely yodelling leading into the first verse of the song but no pedalsteel or rich organic country guitar to make it feel country but rather taking the tropes of country just make another vaguely stupid dance song, we've had plenty like it in 1994 and this one might be the worst yet. Awful. 

47. “Sure” by Take That

So ignoring the fact that I had to dig through nearly half the video to find the song, I am really hoping Take That can save this week because yowsers, this week is looking rough otherwise and...well...I am not sure I like this..it feels messy in some ways especially with the odd brrt noises that don't mesh well with the rest of the production and the female backing vocals singing "Sure" that kind of got on my nerves. The boys sound good at least but still...this could have been better. 

46. “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey

So I have to make something clear here, I generally do not care a lot for Christmas music...most of the Christmas standard songs do not connect for me as an Australian (it'd have to be a completely abnormal summer for Australia to see snow in December) but maybe Mariah Carey's approach to Christmas music can change that...and nope...I cannot stand this doo wopped over sung goofy assed nonsense. Mariah doesn't care about the presence she just wants her man to be sitting under the Christmas tree and in doing so insults Santa for putting a toy under the tree (Excuse me, but Santa and his elves went to a lot of trouble to get you that toy, Mariah)...All I want for Christmas is for this to go away,, 

That wraps our week and wow,,,this was rough, Audio Murphys and Melinda take worst of the week for "Tighten Up Your Pants", As for the best, it's not great but it's going to "My Wave" by Soundgarden.