The Countrytown Country Music Top Twenty Ranked plus brief ARIA singles top 20 ranked.

 It's been awhile since I did a top twenty ranked at least for the ARIA singles chart but here's the one disadvantage of doing that sort of ranking format...you find yourself talking about the same songs every time you go to do the ranking and I do want to save my opinions on the hits of 2021 for year end best and worst lists (coming in January some time hopefully) but there will be a brief look at the state of the ARIA top 50 singles top 20 at the end of this.

However I did want to do a ranking and while I considered the top twenty of the Billboard Adult Alternative chart, I remembered a Aussie chart that website The Music Network hosts thanks to Radio Monitors called the "Countrytown Top 50" which ranks the top 50 most played country music songs which was ideal because I don't get the opportunity very often running a blog that is so ultra focussed on the ARIA singles chart to talk about a genre of music I do love like country music especially as country songs hitting the top 50 is so few and far between (especially on the good side of country but that's another story entirely).

The week I'll be covering is the week of 6th November, if you want to see the full list of not just the top twenty but the entire top 50 then the link is right here: Countrytown Top 50 (The Music Network)

You all know how this works...let's get this show on the road with...

Shit Tier

Geezus, I hoped I'd never have to discuss loathsome piece of shit song ever again but I guess by choosing this chart I did ask for this...

20. "Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes

Quite simply this song is an affront to country music...the younger brother of Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road" only somehow ten times WORSE. I said everything that needed to be said about this song when it debuted on the ARIA singles chart a few weeks ago and if it becomes a hit, I'll have more to say when it inevitably appears high up on the worst list. Fuck this trash.

Bad Tier

19. Country Outta My Girl" by Morgan Evans

So there's two Morgan Evans songs inside the top twenty and of the two...this one isn't good...it's this cliched country song but how you can take Morgan's girl anywhere but you can't take the country out of the girl and while I can appreciate the very country production here and Morgan selling the song with some enthusiasm, the lyrics are utterly cringe. 

18. "If I Didn't Love You" by Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood

What is it with artists I like making bad songs in 2021? I like Carrie Underwood but this song with Jason Aldean just has nothing to it, there's no dramatic stakes or anything that makes me want to engage with the song which is all the more telling with Jason Aldean's flat delivery and the lack of chemistry between Aldean and Carrie Underwood. This song could have worked if it was two people who still love each other but the relationship has hit breaking point but that isn't the case here especially when it feels like 2021's "Nobody But You" by Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. I get why people like it but's not an interesting song to say the least and Carrie did better on "Remind Me" with Brad Paisley.

17. "Cold Beer Calling My Name" by Jameson Rodgers feat. Luke Combs

Anyone else tired of songs about beer and the fact there's songs about inanimate objects like a can of cold beer calling their name. Seriously?. I like Luke Combs and there'll be more of him later on the list  but my god, this just feels like a song doing the standard bros in country music tropes...cold beer, pretty girls and having a good time...these sort of country songs almost need to be extraordinary in the production for me to care about them or even like them as most of these are so ridiculously formulaic, it's not worth it.

16. "Same Boat" by Zac Brown Band

So Zac Brown Band's newest album "The Comeback" is thankfully a return to form after the 2019 disaster that was "The Owl" but why on earth was this song chosen as the single from it when there is better on the album? The clunky production and generic lyrics about how we're all fishing in the same boat and pulling fish from the same hole...I get what the song is trying to do in terms of bringing people together in the midst of a divisive time in America's history but it doesn't get there.

15. "Wild Hearts' by Keith Urban

I was all set to put this in the good tier but I've since heard it a couple more times and yeah no the instrumentation doesn't cover how pathetically cliche and limp the lyrics of this song are. Maan, Keith Urban has gone backward as a writer since "Fuse". 

Meh Tier

14. "Waves" by Luke Bryan

Look, Luke Bryan has a really good voice but dear god the material he records and releases are some really either forgettable or just plain awful nonsense and "Waves" falls into the former category, I couldn't tell you anything about this song other than it's a thing on country radio for some reason.

13. "Justified" by Kacey Musgraves

I actually think this song is pretty good, it's in the meh tier here because I don't believe that this is functionally a country song therefore shouldn't be on a country airplay chart and god damn it...the next two songs here have the same issue...fuck...

12. "Kids on Cassette" by The Wolfe Brothers

So The Wolfe Brothers are the first act of several here that will require some explanation for those reading this in other parts of the world. The Wolfe Brothers are essentially a country rock band comprised of brothers Tom and Nick Wolfe along with childhood friends Brodie Rainbird and Casey Kostiuk with this song being the title track from their fifth studio album "Kids on Cassette" and much lke "Justified"...this doesn't belong on country radio because it's more a pop song with some country elements...that's it.

11. "Run Out of Road" by Melanie Dyer

Shame this sort of country pop from Aussie singer/songwriter Melanie Dyer leans way too far into pop and little less into country but otherwise it's objectively fine even if it doesn't belong on country radio.

Decent 

10. "God Took His Time On You" by Casey Barnes

So here's an Australian Idol alumni with the latest single and while "Come Turn Me On" is one of my favourite songs of 2021, "God Took His Time On You" is a slower ballad and it all sounds really nice instrumentally but I don't know I am not a huge fan of songs that invoke religious figures to talk about how hot a girl is, it's a bit cringey and definitely lowered the song to the decent tier. 

9. "Cold As You" by Luke Combs

It's solid for what it is but when Luke Combs has done better and has better coming to the charts with his new single "Doin' Time", I doubt I will come back to this all that often even if it does all the basics well. 

Good Tier

8. "23" by Sam Hunt

Yeah I know...I'm in shock myself, I still think "Southside" is a terrible album and one of the worst albums of 2020 but "23" is actually proof that Sam Hunt is capable of writing a decent song with "23' being a wistful memory of a relationship when both he and this woman were 23 but it won't matter what she does in her life or what he does in his but they can't take back the time they had together when they were both twenty three however he still wishes her well with whatever she does in her life.The song is pretty solid. I'll take it. 

7. "Love Is Real" by Morgan Evans

So this is the second Morgan Evans song to wind up here and you know...I can kind of get behind this one even if I do think the lyrics are a bit cliched...I mean really...we get it...love is a real thing but you know it's at least got a bit driving momentum and Morgan Evans sounds like he is trying his damn best to sell the song...yeah by Morgan Evans standards, this is fine.

6. "Composure" by Southbound

So we now have an Australian all female country rock trio comprising Missy Lancaster, Sara Bernardo and Andrea Krakovska, they've had at least one Australian country airplay number one with "This is Us" but honestly "Composure" is their statement single because yeah, this is pretty good, I like how the song while being obviously rock but still manages to have its country groove in the guitars, I also like how the trio harmonise here. This was soo close to the excellent category...just a few small production issues that knocked it back.

Great.

5. "Raised Like That" by James Johnston

So James Johnston is a new face in Australian country, he definitely seems to have a fan base too with both his singles doing well on the iTunes chart that I suspect a breakthrough on the ARIA top 50 singles chart might be in order if his label can get the streaming game right (he already has over 200,000 listeners a month on Spotify which is impressive for a new artist) and I do get why because "Raised Like That" is about growing up in the small NSW town of Wingham and reflecting on how he was raised to work hard and give back and is well aware that he probably wouldn't be making country music right now if he wasn't raised to have a work ethic and work hard which is something he is thankful for. I like how catchy the song is. Looking forward to an album from James sometime in 2022!

4. "One Mississippi" by Kane Brown

Kane Brown has frustrated me especially with his more bent toward kind of insipid pop country so when I first heard about this song, I was worried and turns out I shouldn't have been because yeah this is a song I have listened to A LOT in 2021 since it was released. It reminds me a lot of the sounds and tones that were on Randy Hzouser's 2019 album "Magnolia"  and that hook kind of cements that with the subject matter being two people meeting at a bar to catch up and maybe go home together or maybe not but either way it's fine, I like how much of this song is just an absolute blast to sing along too. Less pop, more country would be fine by me though, Kane!

3. "Whatchawanna" by Cornell and Carr

So here's a duo that's going to take some explanation, Matt Cornell and Mike Carr are members of fellow country singer Adam Brand's backing band...a group that has found plenty of award success in the Australian country scene so yeah I wasn't really surprised that this song as a duo turned out to be just that perfect Sunday afternoon at the pub sing a long, it's just a really fun song and the attitude of both Cornell and Car carries this. Its a unapologetically silly do whatever the hell you want country song that harks back to the good old days of the pub sing along

2. "My Boy" by Elvie Shane

Oh I wanted to talk about this song months ago and honestly writing about it now is a good reminder that I need to hear that Elvie Shane album that dropped a few weeks ago because "My Boy is genuinely one of the most heartfelt country songs of the year, Shane is talking about being a step dad to his partner's son and how while the boy may not be his child by blood, he is still his and he will still be a father figure to the boy, it's a subject that's not commonly brought up in music so it kind of sticks out in the memory a bit. Great song!

1. "Live A Little" by Cass Hopetoun

'And the number one is from an Australian singer/songwriter hailing from the Blue Mountains, Cass Hopetoun has been notching success in the Australian country scene for the last couple of years and collabed with fellow Australian country star Andrew Swift on "Say the Word" for his most recent album but "Live A Little" might be Cass Hopetoun's best song to date, it's a song that goes for the route of Hopetoun urging people to take risks, step outside their comfort zone and live life rather than sticking with the same old routine as they have always done and I love how the guitar sounds on this song. Please check this song out if you get the opportunity. 

So to sum up this season of country music, we've got one shit song, five bad songs, four meh songs, two decent songs, three good songs and five excellent songs for a score of 57 out of 100 which is not that bad but it could always be better.

Anyway before we go...as I promised a quick ranking of the current ARIA singles top 20 from November 7.

Shit.

No songs in this tier

Bad

20. "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals

19. "Stay" by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber

18. "Woman" by Doja Cat.

17. "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa

16. "Beggin'" by Maneskin

Meh

15. "Meet Me At Our Spot" by The Anxiety.

14. "Love Nwantiti (ah ah ah)" by Ckay

13. "Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran

Decent. 

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

11. "Shivers' by Ed Sheeran (Yeah, this song grew on me...)

Good.

10. "Ghost" by Justin Bieber

9. "My Universe" by Coldplay feat. BTS

8. "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA

Excellent

7. "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X

6. "Levitating" by Dua Lipa

5. "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow

4. "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X

3. "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish

2. "Easy On Me" by Adele

1. "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo.

Score: 64 out of 100. Pretty good!

ARIA Top 20 Ranked for week of 29th September (Mood, WAP, Midnight Sky)

It’s finally time to yet again take a look a the health of the current ARIA Singles top 20 with Top 20 Ranked for the week of September 29^th 2020 and really, it has been such a long time between rankings mostly due to the fact that the singles chart has been to a point kind of slow where even hit songs from 2019 are still in the top 50 (Looking at you, “Dance Monkey”, “Someone You Loved” and “Circles”!) well into October 2020 however there’s been just enough turnover to allow for this ranking of the chart to go ahead as there are only three songs that I have talked about in a previous ranking (the last one was in May). You all know by now how this works so let us dive right into it…

There are no songs in the awful tier, so we start in the bad tier…

BAD.

20. “Lemonade” by Internet Money & Gunna feat. Don Toliver and NAV

Let’s be real here, NOBODY expected a song featuring two of the worst rappers in the current hip hop scene to be any good, right? Not to mention bringing along the usually mediocre Don Toliver.

I’ll give “Lemonade” this though, the melody of the song is good and I can understand why people like it from that point of view , it’s just such a shame that the rappers on this song offer nought in the way of charisma or personality when they are bragging about all the sex, drugs and jewellery they have. I’ll stick to the Beyonce album of the same name and the sweet drink.

 

19. “You Broke Me First” by Tate McRae.

Australia, I get Billie Eilish has had a relatively quiet year but there is no need to fill the chart with bland derivative rip offs that none of Billie’s charisma or can match her intensity. This song about a fractured relationship is ugly and not good. Pass.

 

18. “Holy” by Justin Bieber feat. Chance the Rapper

Justin Bieber is likely going to be making my top ten worst hit songs twice and guess what? He might get a third entry on the worst list because “Holy” does nothing of what it claims to do. Gospel has passion in the vocals and soaring instrumentation, this has none of that with Bieber crooning that the way his wife or Jesus holding him makes him feel “Holy” and it’s seriously lame then Chance The Rapper comes along to make the song even worse in his verse referencing both Joe Pesci and Lionel Messi…this song is token garbage dressed as ‘gospel’

 

MEH

17. “One Too Many” by Keith Urban and Pink

 This almost wound up in the bad tier because of how much I dislike the fact that this song just strips away Pink’s personality and Keith Urban is a shell of that interesting country artist he was back at the end of the 2000s but if neither of them sound like they care…why should I?

 

16. ‘For the night” by Pop Smoke

15. “Mood Swings” by Pop Smoke

I just do not have an opinion on Pop Smoke’s music. Objectively I can see why people would like these two songs though

 

14. “Roses” by Saint Jhn

This weird discordant song that seems to go in one ear out the other is still here. WHY?

 

13. “Laugh Now, Cry Later” by Drake feat. Lil Durk

Well it is better than the dross he was releasing in 2018 but it’s not better than “Money in the Grave” from 2019 but I’d argue that it’s the sample that makes this song just meh rather than bad.

 

12. “Take You Dancing” by Jason Derulo

This song is saved from the bad tier by that incredible groove under the hook. Everything else about this song is annoying. It also feels like a re-tread of “Savage Love”…Speaking of which….

 

DECENT

11. “Savage Love” by Jawsh 685 and Jason DeRulo

I don’t hate this song; I actually think it’s stupid enough to actually work even if Jason Derulo’s vocals are a mess…that said the discourse around this song is getting progressively worse especially after a recent remix that sent this song number one on the Hot 100 so I may sour on this song before the year is out.

 

10. “Come & Go” by Marshmello and Juice WRLD

I have come around on this one as while Marshmello’s production is still a bit questionable here, this is actually a pretty solid rap rock song that Juice WRLD sells well. Let’s just hope those involved with Juice WRLD’s legacy aren’t going to milk him for all it’s worth like the music industry did to XXXtentacion.

 

9. “Rockstar” by DaBaby and Roddy Ricch

No change for this song, it is still just decent…it is the best thing DaBaby has done all year though.

 

8. “Dynamite” by BTS

This song is just a bit of fun. It would have been cool if the song had a little more explosive presence though and reflected the title of the song but otherwise it’s just a nice pop song to have around.

 

Good

7. “Breaking Me” by Topic feat. A7S

I can’t lie I am a little tired of this song now but its still pretty good…A7S sells the song well enough and the groove is there so yeah, I’ll take it.

 

6. “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion

I can’t see how me placing this song here isn’t going to be controversial but here’s the thing…nakedly brazen sexuality in popular music from women has been a thing in popular music for years and “WAP” really isn’t doing anything that’s all that new but my god this song is so much fun to listen to, the “get a bucket and a mop for this wet ass pussy” line never fails to crack me up and Megan Thee Stallion just absolutely nails her verse here.

If you are that offended by the song, maybe you need to take a chill pill because all you effectively are doing is the work of Cardi B’s marketing team for them.

 

5. “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus

This is not quite Miley’s best song but my god its close. Sampling “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks, Miley just sounds great here and while the 80s worship has at times felt a little overdone at times especially this year, Miley does it well here. I can see this growing on me even more.

 

Great

4. “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles

Once I got past the fact that this song isn’t better than “Adore You” (“Adore You” is the best song on that last Harry Styles album), I actually got to appreciating this song more. It is the second blatant vagina song in the top 20. Harry really wants that high from eating pussy…this is a great track that took its time to really grow on me and furthers the argument that One Direction are better off not reuniting as Harry and Niall are making better music now as solo acts.

3. “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry and MNEK

So much like “Watermelon Sugar”, this former UK number one grew on me A LOT mostly because I realized that this song sounds like something straight out of the dance music out of the early 90s and given a 2020 twist, it’s a catchy Eurodance/pop/house song where MNEK’s heart is telling him that this connection he had made with somebody is more than a crush but his head is telling him something other, it’s that moment we’ve all experienced. This is a darn good song that I am glad became a hit.

 

So here we go again….

2. “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd

Like the last ranking I was all set to put this song at number one but another song during this period came along and stole my heart much like “Adore You” by Harry Styles did but “Blinding Lights” is still an amazing song and one of the The Weeknd’s best songs of his career but it isn’t going to top this ranking so what could be better?

 

1.       “Mood” by 24k Goldn feat. Iann Dior.

Yeah…a trap rock song is topping this ranking. I cannot believe it however this song is something special even if it is quite basic, that hook is one of the most ridiculously catchy things I have heard in a very long time and those guitars are bright and colourful not exactly something I’ve ever associated with music associated with trap but its more than welcome and I more than welcome this song’s run at the top of the ARIA singles chart.

 

So that wraps up this ranking:

We had 0 AWFUL songs

3 BAD songs (1 point) = 3 points

6 MEH song (2 points) = 12 points

4 DECENT songs (3 points) = 12 points

3 GOOD songs (4 points) = 12 points

4 GREAT songs (5 points) = 20 points

 

This gives us a total of 59 out of 100 which is a big improvement on the last rankings but the charts can still be better.

ARIA Top 20 ranked (Autumn/Winter?)

So I didn't do an top 20 tanking for autumn like I had been planning to do, largely because I have been rather busy and also the top twenty has seen a lot of songs I have already rated stick around longer than I wanted them to but here we are. Let's launch into this edition from the ARIA chart for week beginning 24th June.

Absolute garbage 

20. "The London" by Young Thug feat. J Cole and Travis Scott

I am stunned this song is still in the top 20 largely because it is a mess from a production stand point with autotune smeared all over J Cole's voice and it's not nearly melodic enough for Young Thug while the lyrics where Young Thug talks about taking this girl for dinner and then having her eat semen in the garage, what the actual? This is hot garbage and Travis Scott's hook barely saves it.

19. "Easier" by 5 Seconds of Summer.

Ugh. 5 Seconds of Summer, I was rooting for you, we were ALL rooting for you but you go and come up with this turd of a song that's basically four songs combined and unsurprisingly sounds like an absolute mess? Be better than this, boys.

Bad

18. "You Need to Calm Down" by Taylor Swift

Yeah, I might like "Me!" with Brendon Urie more than most people who aren't Taylor Swift fans but this song annoys me, Taylor's almost faux rapping delivery is pretty phoned in and she sounds disinterested and yet again. I won't touch the suggestions that she's using this song to pander hard other than to say I do have friends who are LGBT who say this song and the video makes them a little uncomfortable so yeah...not good.

17. "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi

Believe it or not, I kind of liked this song when it first come out but after having heard it one too many times, I think its kind of overwrought and twee. The song really doesn't have a lot of depth to it beyond his partner leaving him but there's nothing within the song to show why that might be the case, it's all circled around him which does get kind of pathetic.

16. "No Guidance" by Chris Brown and Drake

This should just be a Drake song because he rides the melody a hell of a lot better than Chris Brown and the glaze of autotone wouldn't be needed at all. Chris Brown shouldn't be getting career rehab, hey music industry, you kicked R. Kelly out, think you forgot to clean Chris Brown out while you were kicking out R Kelly.

15. "I Don't Care" by Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber

Ooh boy, this is gonna be controversial but I just can't stand this song especially when both Sheeran and Bieber are capable of far better than what this washed out mess of a song is and that noise on the end of the chorus while not as grating as the noise Nicki Minaj makes on Megatron, it's still almight annoying.


Meh.

14. "Cross Me" by Ed Sheeran feat. Chance The Rapper and PNB Rock

I just really don't care for this song at all. Like some of Ed Sheeran's stuff, it's just there as back ground noise.

13. "Talk" by Khalid

This song frustrates me a fair bit more because it sounds like a Bruno Mars off cut from '24k Magic" and Khalid is at his best when he is moody and the production is darker and more gloomy, it's just way too bright here for me to care about this song. It really should be better than it is.

12. "Sucker" by Jonas Brothers

I am actually sick of this song but it's not that bad even if I find the chorus to be a bit disappointing in terms of the pay off.

11. " SOS" by Avicii feat. Aloe Blacc

I do struggle with record companies cashing in on the popularity of dead artists and "Tim" is one of those albums that probably shouldn't have been released because it does feel like a cash in by some. "SOS" as a song  is fine enough, it's not precisely bad or all that good.. I don't care for it eitther way

Decent

10. "3 Nights"  by Dominic Fike

Yeah, this song grew on me a bit once I realized that I was hearing things that aren't actually there to complain about. It's a solid pop song so while I don't think it will make my year end best list, it's not bad.

9. "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X (Billy Ray Cyrus isn't credited on the ARIA chart)

While it's spent way too long at number one (nine weeks in Australia and will probably get a tenth week, I don't hate this. Yeah the production's clunky but its too ridiculously catchy to be all that hateable.

8. "Piece of Your Heart" by Meduza feat. Goodboys

One of these songs that's a hit in the UK before reaching the Australian charts and it's not hard to see why, it's a decent dance song and reminds me a bit of Loud Luxury's "Body" but unlike "Body", this song seems like its straight out of the school of early 90s dance songs, I honestly don't mind it.

7. "Earfquake" by Tyler the Creator.

So I'll admit to being stunned that this song has stuck around in the top twenty, Tyler has not had the best track record with singles in Australia but I got to say I also don't mind that this song has stuck around because it is one of the better songs off "IGOR"

Good

6. "Money In the Grave" by Drake feat. Rick Ross

I had hope that Drake would drop something good after his team the Toronto Raptors won the NBA title and much to my pleasant surprise, he did drop a good song, It's catchy and the production is pretty solid and adds to the overall mood of the song. Drake's flow is pretty damn great. Not bad!

5. "Never Really Over" by Katy Perry

The return of Katy Perry after the disaster that was "Witness" and I have to be honest even if Zedd's production really does reek of 2017 "Stay" with Alessia Cara, it's the way Katy throws herself into this song that pushes it above being decent into good, she's reallt convincing here unlike on alot of that last album.

4. "Sunflower" by Post Malone feat. Swae Lee

Keeping this short. I still like this song a lot. Glad it's a hit.


Excellent

3. "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish

This song is becoming more meme every day but you know what? Billie Eilish gives me faith in pop music that there's someone ready to challenge that conventional pop music structure with stuff thats different which is what "Bad Guy" does so well.

Speaking of conventional pop...

2. "If I Can't Have you" by Shawn Mendes

So I have no idea why I like this song so much, Shawn Mendes really sells it well over some production that really could have done with being a little sharper framing a song about being away from this girl whom he is in love with.


1; "Johnny Run Away" by Tones and I

I'll confess that most of my love of this song comes from the hook sounding like Amy Shark's "Blood Brothers". For those unaware, Tones is an Aussie busker hailing from Victoria and thanks to Triple J is having a break out 2019 with this being one of two songs on the ARIA top 50 this week but "Johnny Run Away" does the whole LGBT line better than Taylor Swift with the song being about her best friend 'coming out' to a disapproving father and talks about the handling of judgement and rejection from in their family and wider world

So for the total score: 51/100

Just a pass mark at the moment. Not too many great songs on the chart I guess but we'll see what happens moving forward

ARIA Chart top 20 ranked: Spring 2018.

So this is a new thing I am going to be doing toward the end of each season which means four times a year, I am goimg to rank the ARIA chart top 20. Mainly doing it to check the overall health of the chart and that there are some genuinely awesome songs within the top 20.

How the ranking works is that there are 6 levels that range from 0/5 being absolute shit to 5/5 being excellent, these will turn into points and make a total score for the ARIA singles top 20 and yeah it may provide hints as to what might make my year end best and worst hits lists of the year.


So with that explained, let's begin at the bottom of the barrel and clean up the absolute crap first off.


Absolute Shit (0/5)

20. “Arms Around You” by XXXtentacion, feat. Lil Pump, Maluma and Swae Lee (Currently: 17)

This song is a slice of atrocious grave robbery which I strongly object to. Hate the music industry is attempting to continually make money out of somebody who wasn’t a good person or wrote decent music. This song is trash anyway.



19. “Sicko Mode” by Travis Scott feat. Drake. (Currently: 16)

Here because it’s the worst song off “ASTROWORLD” and I am so god damn tired of Drake



Bad (1/5)



18. “In My Mind” by Dynoro (Currently: 13)

I know this song has been a major hit around the world especially in Europe, but I cannot understand or see the appeal of it, the production and the vocals are just so ridiculously grating and horrible, its close to unlistenable.



17. “This Feeling” by The Chainsmokers feat. Kelsea Ballerini (Currently: 20)

Can we just stop the practice of female country artists jumping in the studio with z-grade producers like The Chainsmokers to produce garbage like this song? Kelsea Ballerini, you are so much better than this crap



16. “Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille (Currently: 5)

Ehh. This song is a confused mess and Bastille doesn’t sound good over Marshmello’s EDM beat.



Mediocre (2/5)


15. “Without Me” by Halsey (Currently: 3)

This song lacks balance eg: what did the guy (presumably G-Eazy do for her), its all about Halsey taking credit for G-Eazy’s career and also the beat lacks anything substantial to make this relationship melodrama that Halsey regularly indulges in interesting. It’s not bad by any stretch…just painfully mediocre.



14. “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee (Currently: 6)

I want to like this because of the melody and Post Malone’s cadence isn’t bad per se but the fact this is about being an arsehole to a woman kind of puts me off so yeah, I guess it fits in with the mediocre crew.


13. “Thank U, Next” by Ariana Grande (Currently: 1)

Oh wow, this song is pulling from Mariah Carey hard and I got to be honest I am not a fan of this at all. I get why she’s released and all of that but yeah not a fan at all especially when she has done better this year with “No Tears Left to Cry”.



12. “Body” by Loud Luxury (Currently: 9)

This song annoys me less than the others that I consider to be mediocre largely however that does change how the vocals just go that extra mile to be irritating and it does feel like there’s not a lot of depth to the song.



Decent (3/5)

11. “Better” by Khalid (Currently: 11)

This has been a year where I have come to really like Khalid while I wouldn’t say “Better” is the best song on the “Suncity EP”, there’s still plenty to like about the song with it’s somewhat melancholic R ‘n’ B production and Khalid’s vocals are almost way too relaxing.



10. “Be Alright” by Dean Lewis

This song has faded one me hard in recent weeks, it’s still a good song but some of the lyrics and even the vocal tone of the song feels off in a way that I never actually picked up on when I was head over for the song.



9. “Let You Love Me” by Rita Ora (Currently: 14)

Am in two minds as to whether I actually like this song or not. Rita Ora has this habit of songs that I like but never ever really stick with me or that stick with me but are downright atrocious. Ehh, it’s in the decent category for now.



8. “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga (Currently: 15)

I got to be honest here, this is a song I don’t remember all that much from having listened to the A Star is Born soundtrack, its still good and Lady Gaga just kills vocally.

Good (4/5)

7. “When The Party is Over” by Billie Eilish (Currently: 10)

I can’t lie, it’s been kind of amusing watching everyone fawn over Billie Eilish this year when she was dropping fantastic songs last year but yeah while this song doesn’t quite reach my love of “Bellyache” or “Lovely” (feat. Khalid), this is still a good song.



6. “Eastside” by Benny Blanco feat Halsey and Khalid

My mind hasn’t changed on this song, I still really think it’s a good song that doesn’t quite reach great given the lack of chemistry between Halsey and Khalid.



5. “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (Currently: 2)

This song is sooo close to being a great song to me, I can’t explain why I merely think it’s just good at the moment but it’s close to great. Consider this my 4.5



Excellent (5/5)

4. “Shotgun” by George Ezra (Currently: 3)

It’s the sort of cheery pop song that just kind makes me smile, we could do with some more pop in this vein. I get why some don’t like it but for me, I really dig the hell out of it and I am glad it went number one.



3. “Promises” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith (Currently: 12)

This is a bit of a surprise considering I have mixed feelings on both but Sam Smith sounds amazing on this song especially with Calvin Harris’s production and while the Jessie Reyez giggle and “tonight” are annoying to a degree, it’s not quite enough to stop me loving this song



2. “Youngblood” by 5 Seconds of Summer (Currently: 19)

Thank goodness, this didn’t leave the top 20 last week, I still love this song, it’s got plenty of momentum and energy. I do wish sometimes that the chorus had a big rock guitar riff but the money isn’t in rock music, I get it but even with that it doesn’t stop me enjoying a pretty kick ass song.



1. 1. “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen (Currently: 18)

Yeah, I would have been in trouble if this wasn’t number one but I’ll make it short and sweet, this song is a rock classic. Happy to see it back on the ARIA singles chart even if it’s because of the Freddie Mercury biopic.




Score: 55/100







Comment: Better than I expected. As I have said I have been reasonably happy with how things have gone on the ARIA charts this year but worrying that there’s still a lot of awful to mediocre songs on the chart right now.