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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gains

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

Re-Entries

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

Losers

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

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

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

Drop Outs

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

New Entries

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gains

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

Re-Entries

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

Losers

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

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

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

Drop Outs

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

New Entries

Five new entries this week beginning with...

32. "Break My Soul" by Beyonce

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

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

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

15. "Sticky" by Drake

12. "Massive" by Drake

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gains.

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

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

Re Entries

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

Losses

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

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

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

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

Drop Outs

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

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

New Entries

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

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

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

41. "Clarity" by Vance Joy

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

40. "Sunroof' by Nicky Youre & Dazy

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

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

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

17. "Yet To Come" by BTS

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

4. "Glimpse of Us" by Joji

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gains

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

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

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

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

Re-Entries

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

Losers

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

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

Drop Outs

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

New Entries

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

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

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

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

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

17. "Vegas" by Doja Cat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gains

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

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

Re Entries

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

Losses

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

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

Drop Outs

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

New Entries

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

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

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

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

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

21. "True Love" by Kanye West and XXXtentacion

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

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

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

ARIA Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review. 30th May. When Harry's House Meets the ARIA Singles Chart.

Look...this week is going to be a Harry Styles avalanche...we're going to be doing nothing other than talking about Harry Styles songs for the most part beause all twelve new songa from "Harry's House" made the ARIA singles chart all in the top fifteen with seven of them joining reigning number one "As It Was" in the top ten, it was a blitzkrieg that I am not convinced did all that much damage anyway given Kendrick cleared out the chart for the most part last week but like I said "As it Was" by Harry Styles spends a sixth week at number one thanks to massivc streaming off the back of the album release.

Now this massive streaming is pretty much the same for all the Harry Styles songs in the top ten so I am going to blow through those quickly with "Late Night Talking" at number two, "Matilda" at number three and "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" at number four.

Jack Harlow's "First Class' managed to stem the surge of Harry songs slightly by only falling three places to number five. 

"Little Freak" by Harry Styles debuts at number six ahead of Lizzo's "About Damn Time" which dropped three places to number seven (this song is still strong and should rebound next week).

The rest of the top ten is all Harry Styles though with "Daylight" at number eight, "Grapejuice" at number nine and "Satellite' at number ten.

Gains

So we do have some small gains this week with two place gains for "No Role Modelz" by J Cole to 48, "Woman" by Doja Cat to 47 and "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo to number 37.

"Cooped Up" by Post Malone feat. Roddy Ricch rose one place to 26.

Re-Entries

Two returns this week with one being "Say Nothing" by Flume and MAY-A at 49 and the unsurprising return of "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles at number 44.

Loses

There are a LOT of losers this week as you would expect so in an effort to keep this short, I am only going to go through the double digit losses and really given Kendrick did most of the damage last week, this list of double dgit losers isn't as big as you would think.

We'll begin with Kendrick Lamar album cuts that somehow remained the chart with "Die Hard" fear Blxst and Amanda Reifer sliding 22 to 27 and "N95" down 16 to 18.

"Thousand Miles" by The Kid Laroi slumped eleven places to 20 while "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals fell 10 to 16. 

Finally "Dua Lipa' by Jack Harlow fell fifteen to 46. 

Drop outs

Harry Styles took out the rest of Kendrick Lamar album tracks and two other songs that were already on the way out anyway with "Churchill Downs" by Jack Harlow feat. Drake and "Hurtless" by Dean Lewis.

New Entries

So we did get a Harry Styles album bomb so here are the songs that I won't be covering in full...

"Boyfriends" at 15, "Keep Driving" at 14, "Love of My Life" at 13, "Daydreaming" at 12,  "Cinema" at 11, "Satellite" at 10,  "Grapejuice" at 9, "Daylight" at 8 and "Little Freak" at 6.

That leaves us with just three songs to cover beginning with...

4. "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" by Harry Styles

Ahh yes, the vaguely annoying album opener with blaring horns that really do end up becoming aggravating before getting ridiculous and completely annoying. Then there's the lyrics where Harry sings that he could cook an egg on this girl...what the hell, Harry? Proceeds to call her sweet ice cream and then claim she needs a flake put in her which is all sorts of questionable. This song is the song of gross food and sex double entendre that like Timbaland and Justin Timberlake's "Carry Out" winds up disgusting. Next!

3. "Matilda' by Harry Styles

Ahh so this might be one of my favourite songs on "Harry's House", the plucky guitars and Harry Styles telling the story of this girl he knows and how she grew up an abusive or at leastt troubled household and Harry is the one to show empathy and encourage this woman to move forward with her life...travel the world and achieve everything she wants in life despite her upbringing. It's a sweet and well written song using hiding this woman's identity in the main character Roald Dahl's book "Matilda". Yeah, this is excellent. 

2. Late Night Talking" by Harry Styles.

Last of the songs to deal with here and well, it's a bit of a shame that the somewhat wonky production on the verses kind of rules the vibe that Harry Styles is going for here, he is going for the late 70s/early 80s sound that really doesn't work here or have the the late night vibe that the song seems to need and what but can't reach which is a shame because that chorus is actually really catchy but you win some, you lose some, I guess.

So yeah, in a week dominated by Harry, he gets worst of the week for "Music for a Sushi Resraurant" but he also gets the best for "Matilda"

Next week...the fall out of all this which ARIA will reveal on Friday at 5pm AEST

ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart Top Ten/ Chart Review. 23rd May. Kendrick's Mr Morale and The Big Steppers Album Bomb

 We got the biggest disruption to the singles chart this year courtesy of Kendrick Lamar's final album for TDE called "Mr Morale & The Big Steppers", 14 songs from the album entered the ARIA top 50 this week including three in our top ten so let's start there where for another week "As It Was" by Harry Styles kept the number one spot, it's got a lock on number one thanks to excellent streaming and sales with Youtube also kicking in, its postion at the top will only be strengthened next week thanks to the album release.

That meant "First Class" by Jack Harlow stuck at number two. Now it's still reasonably strong on sales and streaming and also has some youtube but have to wonder if it's going to come under some pressure in the weeks ahead.

That brings us to the first of three new arrivals to the top ten...all of them are from Kendrick Lamar with "N95" debuting at number three and really that's all on streaming, I don't see this being in the top ten next week, it shifted "About Damn Time" by Lizzo back one to number four but this song should rebound, it's still reasonably strong on streaming. 

The second of the new entries from Kendrck Lamar in the top ten is "Die Hard" feat. Bixst and Amanda Reifer debuting at number five. 

All of this pushed "Heat Waves" back two places to number six for Glass Animals (I am ready for this song to go the hell away if I am to be hobest)

The laat of Kendrick Lamar new entries is in at number seven with the album opener "United in Grief"...again no expectation that it will stick around.

"Big Energy" by Latoo feat. Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled slipped back two to number eight while "Thousand Miles' by The Kid Laroi slumped four places to number nine while The Kid Laroi's biggest hit to date "Stay" feat Justin Bieber slipped three places to number ten.

For those wondering how the top ten would look without the Kendrick album bomb...

1. As It Was

2. First Class

3. About Damn Time

4. Heat Waves

5. Big Energy

6. Thousand Miles

7. Stay

8. Bad Habits

9. Where Are You Now

10. Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)

Gains

There are none. Every single song that's not from Kendrick  lost hard this week.

Losses

So not to make this blog post a really long one, I am only going to cover the double digit losses which begins with the thirty place loss for "Churchill Downs" by Jack Harlow feat. Drake...ouch.

"Hurtless" by Dean Lewis suffered an eleven place fall while "Starlight" by Dave collapsed seventeen places to 42 and "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo tumbled eleven to 39.

The momentum has been zapped out of Leah Kate's "10 Things I Hate About You" as it fell 14 to 37 while Adele's "Easy On Me" took a 15 place fall to 34.

Jack Harlow's "Dua Lipa" got unceremoniously dumped 18 places to 31 while "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Harlow took an eleven place slide to 26. 

Drop Outs

There's fifteen drop outs and with Harry Styles album bomb next week, some of these likely have ghad their chart runs ended permanently.

New entries from last week like "This Love (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift, "The Heart Part 5" by Kendrick Lamar (weird, would thave thought name recognition alone would have kept the song in the top 50) and "Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga.

The long running hits that took their exits this week like "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat and SZA, "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilishm "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd and "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles, 

Older songs that got viralitylike "Lost" by Frank Ocean and "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls.

Newer songs that definitely won't qualify for the year end with "Flowers" by Lauren Spencer-Smith. 

Songs that are question marks for the year end like "Tom's Diner" by AnnenMayKentereit & Giant Rooks, "Nail Tech" by Jack Harlow

Definitely making the year end is "Down Under" by Luude feat. Colin Hay

New Entries

So we are in an album bomb situation so here's the Kendrick Lamar songs that charted that didn't qualify for best nor worst of the week.

48. "Auntie Diaries", 44. "Crown", 45. "Mr Morale" feat Tanna Leone, 30. "Savior" feat. Baby Keem and Sam Dew, 22. "Purple Hearts" feat. Ghostface Killah & Summer Walker, 21. "Silent Hill" feat. Kodak Black, 20. "Count Me Out", 17. "Worldwide Steppers", 16. "Rich Spirit", 12. "Father Time" feat. Sampha

So that leaves us with five new entries to talk about here however we aren't starting with Kendrick somehow because...

27. "Cooped Up" by Post Malone feat. Roddy Ricch

So did you know that Post Malone is literally dropping an album called "Twelve Carat Toothache" in June? Yeah given Post Malone was literally one of the biggest artists in the world around 2018/19, it is kind of amazing how under the radar Post Malone has managed to go however considering both "Motley Crue' and "One Right Now" weren't exactly the kind of hits that Post Malone would have expected in the lead of to the album I guess it's not that much of a surprise this upcoming album feels really low key so how is "Cooped Up"?

Like I was with "Motley Crue", I am really disappointed by this, feels like Post Malone is stepping back toward a trap comfort zone that doesn't even begin to make sense after the best album of his career in 2020, yeah the piano sounds good but Post Malone sounds like he is singing in pain over this trap beat that doesn't do much and couple that with Roddy Ricch dropping his most disappointing verse to date? Yeah I'm skipping this one. 

TW: Mentions of abuse. 

19. "We Cry Together" by Kendrick Lamar and Taylour Paige

This is my favourite song on "Mr Morale & The Big Steppers" and I don't say that lightly. More for the very real depiction by Kendrick Lamar and Taylour Paige of an ugly abusive abusive relationship where both Kendrick and Taylour say some terrible things to each other before Taylour Paige delivers a verse while she's in tears and the anger and frustratio felt by both is palpable before it culminates in the pair having sex. The song is set over this ska jazz groove which gives the song a lot more power and adds to the bitter darkness and rage that swells in the song. 

Probably not a song to listen to if you have been in an abusive relationship and find this sort of song triggering.

7. "United in Grief" by Kendrick Lamar

This is one of those songs where we discover that Kendrick Lamar is revealing his own fallibility as a human being questioning his own attitudes to women,  in that he cheated on his partner while he was on tour and the pain that this brief hook up caused her, reflections on his long career in the music industry, he knows and chooses the need to stay humble and all those accolades he has recieved won't last when he does die and how he has entered therapy to deal with his own mental health. If anything this might be the song where Kendrick is at his absolute best on the album in terms of being able to switch up his flow but it's also a painful reminder that like all of us, Kendrick is not perfect, he is also human...something that become more abundantly clear on the album.

5. "Die Hard" by Kendrick Lamar feat Blxst and Amanda Reifer

So this song is a slice of R & B that brings Blxst and Amanda Reifer on board as Kendrick begs for his partner to be patient with him as he is very much in a vulnerable place right now and pleading her to remain loyal to him and that in the hook delivered by Blxst that she can love him despite all his flaws and all that she has had to put up with from him. Kendrick knows that when he falls in love he falls in love hard which for him means a lot of emotion. Its definitely an intertesting song even though the instrumention is more upbeat and less dark than it is on other songs on the album. 

3. "N95" by Kendrick Lamar

Okay so the album opener charts the highest and is a reference to a particular type of mask used during lockdowns etc in 2020 and 2021 but it's Kendrick lashing out at the state of society in 2022 and with particular refernce to Afican-American culture, he warns against chasing material wealth and possessions amid the troubling economic circumstances of so many post COVID lockdowns. Kendrick also spends a bit of the song calling out the criminals who are on the end of attention of the feds. Not really the best song from the album but ehh, I'll take it. 

And that wraps up the week, a week that really was tough to get through but best and worst fell out easily with worst going to "Cooped Up" by Post Malone feat. Roddy Rich. Best of the week going to "We Cry Together" by Kendrick Lamar and Taylour Paige.

Next week, Harry Styles album bomb but we'll find out when the charts update at 5pm AEST on Friday. 

ARIA Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review: 16th May Hold My Heart for This Love

 This week shocked me in one way, he impact of Jack Harlow's album "Call Home The Kids Miss You" is severely blunted this week, now sure he did have two songs from the album that debuted this week but there was nowhere near the impact I was expecting.

This is also obvious when we look to our top ten where much to my surprise, "As It Was" by Harry Styles maintained the number one spot now there's an open question of whether Kendrick Lamar can get anything from "Mr Morale & The Big Steppers" to number one next week but "As It Was" held steady thanks to strong streaming and sales along with decent Youtube.

This meant that despite the album impact, "First Class" by Jack Harlow couldn't retake number one although I will say it was pretty close because the streaming for this song is just as strong however I will say that it may have some stronger competition behind it with that strong competition coming from "About Damn Time" by Lizzo which stormed up nine places to number three thanks to enormous sales and streaming growth and is among the sales leaders, ccould be a playr for number one down the track.

Beyond that though..the rest of the top ten isn't that interesting with "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals continuing to overstay it's welcome by remaining at four while "Thousand Miles" by The Kid Laroi slipped to number five (just me or is this Kid Laroi's most anonymous song to date?) and "Big Energy" by Latto feat. Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled hangs around at number six.

Then there's "Stay" by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber which slipped two places to number sevem. Up one place to number eight is "Cold Heart (PMAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa..unfortunately.

Sliding one place to number nine is "Where Are You Now" by Lost Frequencies and Callum Scott (the sooner this song is gone the better) and finally the biggest loser inside the top ten this week..."Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran down three to number ten as people are finally sick of this god...thank god.

Gains

So the obvious big story in terms of gains is the one I already mentioned for Lizzo's "About Damn Time" hitting number three but what gained big this week? 

Well okay. "Wait for U" by Future feat. Drake and tems up three to number twelve but the gain that raised my eyebrows was the sixteen place gain for "10 Things I Hate About You" by Leah Kate to 22...I mean I get the song has got traction and I do think the song is okay but it's kind of a surprise a song so obviously catty and toxic has this sort of traction.

Re Entries

So 1998 hit "Iris" by The Goo Dolls returned to the top 50 this week at number 45...bit weirded out by this one...I am guessing it's probably viral on Tik Tok at this point.

Fortunately the other return makes more sense because it's "Nail Tech" by Jack Harlow which came back off the back of the album release.

Losers

Mostly pleased with the losers this week because some long term hits are finally starting to move out with "The Motto" by Tiesto and Ava Max down 13 to 50.

"Lost" by Frank Ocean lost seven places to 49 while "Tom's Diner" by AnnenMayKantereit and Giant Rooks slipped seven places to 47.

That said newer songs like the complete crap "Honest" by Justin Bieber feat. Don Toliver slumped sixteen places to 46.

Doja Cat;s "Woman" plunged eight places to 42 while her other big hit "Kiss Me More" with SZA also slipped eight to 41 while "Down Under" by Luude feat. Colin Hay collapsed nine places to 40.

A bunch of songs lost seven places this week with "Mr Brightside" by The Killers to 39, "Watermlon Sugar" by Harry Styles to 37, "Flowers" by Lauren Spencer-Smith to 33. "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X to 27 and "Starlight" by Dave to 25

Drop Outs

Seven songs dropped out this week and look the only one I really unhappy about leaving is "When You're Gone" by Shawn Mendes. 

The others gone are "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac, "Light Switch" by Charlie Puth, "We Don't Talk About Bruno" by The Cast of Encanto (locked on the year end list), "In My head" by Lil Tjay, "That That" by Psy feat. Suga of BTS and finally "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo.

New Entries

Five new entries this week, beginning with...

36. "Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga

We're starting this week's reviews with a song that was recorded by Lady Gaga for the soundtrack of the new Top Gun sequel (the fact we're only now getting a sequel for this is a sign that the film industry have run out of ideas for movies but I digress) and well given Lady Gaga's track record with film songs, I was hoping for something amazing so what did we get? 

We got a ballad that Lady Gaga sounds good on but the production is a mess here for one thing the crescendos on the verses really don't build to much so leaves the chorus kind of really feeling flat which is odd given it's clearly going for the 80s power ballad sound so yeah while I get what the song is trying to do and I don't think it's completely bad...I likely won't be coming back to this song.

31. "The Heart Part 5" by Kendrick Lamar

We got a whole lot more Kendrick Lamar to be discussing next week when the album inevitably bombs the singles chart but this song got released on Monday as part of Kendrick's "The Heart" series where he has released this before every album and well...I am not going to mince words here because this is one of the best songs to be released this year, I can't say if it's better than anything from "Mr Morale & The Big Steppers".

Flipping a Marvin Gaye sample that gives the song a shocking amount of groove and punch, Kendrick gives an update on where he is at in his life and as usual for Kendrick, the lyrics and themes are incredibly dense and quite meta as he raps about life on the streets, sociery's habit of using drugs to quell pain but what tips the song over the edge is the empathy for the late Nipsey Hussle in third verse that made me oddly emotional so yeah if this song made me cry than it's something pretty special. Check it out.

23. "This Love (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

The second single from "1989 (Taylor's Version)" following "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" and I do like the production here, it's cleaner and feels warm with the guitars but for a song that's about a complicated relationship, the lyrics feel suspiciously abortive and simple like Taylor doesn't really seem too keen on fleshing out how and why this relationship has gotten so complicated. Ehh, I don't hate it but I certainly don't love it either.

17. "Churchill Downs" by Jack Harlow feat. Drake

So I am going to say something that some of you will not like..."Call Home The Kids Miss you" is a perfectly serviceable hip hop album that is actually better than the nonsense both Drake and Kanye West released last year and I guess it's mostly because he doesn't engage in the concern trolling that Drake does (and when Drake does do that, it leaves a really sour taste in my mouth) however this is probably one of the best songs on the album, the song is named after the famous racecourse in Kentucky which is Harlow's home state and sees both Harlow and Drake casting some introspection about their lives and their rise to the top of the game over a decent beat if slightly overmixed...I'll take this.

13. "Dua Lipa" by Jack Harlow

Yeah perhaps naming one of your most dank trap songs after one of the most colourful popstars we've currently got is a pretty bad idea, I'm actually surprised Dua Lipa herself gave this the okay considering it doesn't reflect the brand of pop music she makes. It just sounds odd for a trap song where Harlow goes on and on about wanting to hook up with Dua Lipa and yet the song has no groove or energy to it? Come on Jack, you did better on the album but this is not it.

It's also the worst of the week. The best falls out easily as well because that's going to "The Heart Part 5" by Kendrick Lamar. 

Speaking of Kendrick Lamar, expect the mother of all album bombs when the chart updates on Friday at 5pm

ARIA Singles chart top 50 Top 10/ Chart Review: 9th May. Wait Damn Time For 10 Things In The Stars

 Well we have some uncertainty ahead on the charts and it's interesting as to how this might all play out especially as we may well get a couple of weeks in a row of album bombs ahead from Jack Harlow, Kendrick Lamar and Harry Styles in that order so buckle up because I think the weird quiet on the charts is over for the time being.

Let's dig into the top ten where Harry Syles held on to the number one for another week with "As It Was", Now it's hold on number one next week isn't a sure thing but it's been the streaming and sales leader all week and does have good Youtube to maintain top spot. 

However "First Class" by Jack Harlow remains a huge chance of retaking the number one spot next week thanks to a streaming boost courtesy of the new album but it was solid on sales and streaming this week along with the video for the song dropping on Youtube to keep the pressure on "As It Was"

Somehow "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals continues to linger by remaining at number three....I mean seriously I was done with this song Christmas last year...time for it to go.

Remaining at number four is "Thousand Miles" by The Kid Laroi stuck at number four...I am not sure what the future holds for this song especially as it does seem like one of the more anonymous Kid Laroi releases in awhile.

Speaking of The Kid Laroi, "Stay" feat. Justin Bieber also held steady at number five however what is coming to place pressure on the weaker songs above it is "Big Energy" by Latto feat. Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled which climbed four places to number six....sales and streaming are doing a lot for this song.

All this pushed back long time top ten stayers one spot with "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran to number seven, "Where Are You Now" by Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott to eight, "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa back to number nine and "Shivers"by Ed Sheeran to number ten.

Gains

Adele's "Easy On Me" rebounded five places to number 16 (think it's because of a recent TV special on Seven but I could be wrong there). 

"Wait A Minute" by Willow climbed twelve places to 25 which I find weird but not as weird as the fifteen place gain for "Flowers" by Lauren Spencer Smith to 26...can we not indulge that utter bore of a song, please?

Losers

Lil Tjay's "In My Head" tumbled eight places to 48 while Encanto seems to be absolutely done with "We Don't Talk About Bruno" by The Cast of Encanto suffering the biggest slide of the week down sixteen to 47 (Mostly okay with that, I'm ready to start talking about Bruno again as much as I am tired of the song)

"Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac fell out of its chart bed down six spots to 45. 

While 2022 songs are also suffering with "When You're Gone" by Shawn Mendes slipping ten places to 43...bit of a shame because yeah the song has grown on me a fair bit.

"Tom's Diner" by AnnenMayKantereit & Giant Rooks suffered a twelve place diner smash up to 40 while "Hurtless" by Dean Lewis fell seven to 36.

A song that might finally be on the way out is "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA as that plummeted nine places to 33.

Drop Outs

Six drop outs this week with the only one I am really disappointed about is "Numb Little Bug" by Em Beihold falling out, I can only hope the stagnant charts meant it made the year end.

No such worries for "Do It To It" by Acraze feat. Cherish because that's firmly locked on the year end list, it took "Fingers Crossed" by Lauren Spencer Smith and "Boyfriend" by Dove Cameron.

I am not complaining the garbage that is "Let's Trot!" by Brothers feat. Joel Fletcher is gone along with 2018 chart topper "Perfect"by  Ed Sheeran.

New Entries

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

49. "That That" by Psy (feat. Suga of BTS)

So somehow I didn't expect to be talking about K Pop legend Psy on this blog especially in 2022, you might remember he had that massive hit in the early 2010s with "Gangnam Style' which ended up being one of the biggest hits of 2012 (it was 2nd behind Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" on the year end) so while I don't mind the nostalgia, I am kind of well aware that the only reason this charted was because of member of BTS, Suga producing it. As for the song itself, well it reminds me a lot of 2010/11 and the club boom woth elements of the song feeling more like LMFAO had returned! It doesn't really get all that grating until the second half of the song, if you like somewhat silly dance music then you'll enjoy this but this ain't no "Gangnam Style".

38. "10 Things I Hate About You" by Leah Kate

Alright so Tik Tok virality has spawned another newcomer on the charts this time in the form of American Leah Kate who has been releasing singles since 2020 and released her debut album last year with this song being the first of hers to catch any kind of traction. Now I avoided this song for the past week mostly because I was alarmed by the comparisons with "abcdefu" by Gayle (a song that will be making my worst hit songs list for 2022...spoiler) and yet I actually kind of like this one mostly because the instrumentation has some genuine anger behind it which matches the anger in Leah Kate's delivery, the anger in "abcdefu" has always felt very forced from Gayle. 

I guess my major criticism of "10 Things I Hate About You" is that lyrically it does feel reminiscent of Miley Cyrus song "7 Things I Hate About You" especially that last line on the chorus where she says he made her love him...not all that original if you ask me but hey it does fit this highly toxic teenage brand of melodrama, I am fine with this song for now but don't be surprised if it has soured on me come the end of the year.

35. "In The Stars" by Benson Boone

Okay so Benson Boone is an American singer songwriter from Washington with this being the first song of his to crack the top 50 in Australia and I am going to be honest about this, this is a boring dirge of a piano ballad about the death of a loved one yet it's Boone's singing that drives me up the wall here, he sounds like a mix of Lewis Capaldi and Dean Lewis with either marbles or dinner, it's really offputing and not something I want to listen to again. 

28. "Honest" by Justin Bieber feat. Don Toliver

I didn't expect to get a new single from Justin Bieber so soon especially as "Ghost" is still doing fine enough on the charts right now but I was curious about this one especially as 2021 had shown a genuine improvement in Bieber's music so imagine my disappoint when I heard this song and found out that this is a trap clunker more reminiscent of the absolute garbage Bieber released in 2020 on that forgotten about album "Changes" (nobody cares about that album now in 2022, right?). Throw in the fact that it's another Bieber crooning about his wife with lyrics including "I like that cajun on you" and Don Toliver's verse being an absolute mess about smoking skunk and buying weed over Facetime? This is is absolute junk and a complete regression from Bieber. 

15. "Wait for U" by Future (feat. Drake & Tems)

I would have said that the only reason that this song debuted as high as it did was because of the Drake feature but then ARIA revealed that Future's new album "I NEVER LIKED YOU" debuted at number one on the top 50 album so how's this song?. Honestly, it's not anything special as Future mumble raps his way through the song and Drake complains about this girl having a cheap watch after telling her to put a muzzle over her mouth. The sample of Tem's 2020 song "Higher" does sound nice here but wow not feeling the content from either Future 

12. "About Damn Time" by Lizzo

Well it's about damn time that Lizzo returned to the Australian charts with a new song, granted this song had a shaky start in it's first week but then hanks to Tik Tok took off so remarkably that it ended up being the highest new entry of the week. I'll give the song this, that chorus is catchy and Lizzo is doing her best to sell it with the content basically being this reassuring "Life is tough but you'll pull through the worst of it okay" however I do feel like this is just a rehashed version of "Juice" or an attempt to make a part two of "Juice" but hey I'll take it .

And really I have no choice but to give Lizzo the best of the week in a week where I felt like the good tracks needed asterisks around them to some degree as for the worst...Justin Bieber and Don Toliver are getting this for "Honest" because it's such a massive disappointment from an artist who I thought was on the right track to being really good, it beats out Benson Boone for it.

Next week, looks like its plentu of Jack Harlow but we'll see when the chart updates on Friday at 5pm AEST

ARIA Singles Chart Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review: 2nd May

 Well this week was about what I expected, we got a song returning to number one and looks like having some real momentum to hold on to the number one for awhile even despite how busy it looks like the charts are about to be over the next few weeks and our only new entry this week landing predictably hgh but okay let's deal with the top ten first because returning to number one is "As It Was" by Harry Styles as it became the firm leader on streaming and while a little up and down on sales this week, it was still enough to fend off it's rivals,

Former number one "First Class" by Jack Harlow slipped back to number two due to losing that streaming advantage, its actually doing better than expected on sales as well. I expect this to stick around for awhile.

Then there's "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals remaining at number three, this song is really only here on streaming fumes at this point because it's got nothing on sales, it's literally waiting to be pushed out of the top ten at this point.

That brings us to our one new entry this week..."Thousand Milea" by The Kid Laroi, this got to the top ten because apart from the top two, the top ten is rather weak and I am surprised it isn't as strong as I would have thought a new Kid Laroi single usually is.

This caused Kid Laroi's other top ten hit "Stay" with Justin Bieber to fall back one to number five and "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran back to number six.

"Where Are You Now" by Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott remains at number seven somehow while "Cold Heart (PNAU remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa slipped back two places to number eight.

"Shivers" by Ed Sheeran is also on the way out slipping one place to number nine which only means good news for the newest arrival to the top ten....sigh..."Big Energy (remix)" by Latto feat. Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled up four places to hit the top ten at number ten. I only expect this to rise further as it's got traction which is not a good sign going forward.

Gains

The biggest gainer of the week is Harry Styles 2020 hit "Watermelon Sugar" which climbed twelve places to 25 while "Wait a Minut!" by Willow climbed nine places to 37

Re=Emtries

Just one return this week with "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran back at number 50...somehow.

Losers

Weirdly enough I am not all that upset about most of our losers this week...okay, "Numb Little Bug" by Em Beihold losing five places to 49 is worrying as I do like that song a lot.

However when "Let's Trot!" by Brothers feat. Joel Fletcher dropped six places to 44 or "Do It To It" by Acraze feat. Cherish slipped eight places to 42...I am not going to complain.

"Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac tumbled nine places to 39 and "We Don't Talk About Bruno" by The Cast of Encanto shut down eight places to 31,

Drop Outs

Our two drop outs are pretty predictable with both "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I and "Nail Tech" by Jack Harlow gone.

New Entries

Just the one new entry this week so let's talk about...

4/. "Thousand Miles" by The Kid Laroi

One thing I was hoping for from The Kid Laroi is that he'd find a change up or something different to his music or at least something that makes me material less unpleasant to enjoy so how is the lead single for his debut album? Well it's an improvement in terms of the writing where it's Kid Laroi not trying to force this girl to stay but rather he encourages her to stay away from him, knowing that his toxic tendemcies will only end up ruining whatever chance this relationship has. Just a a shame th piano based production does feel clunky and doesn't really reflect the drama of the situation so really I guess I am kind of ehh about this one?

That wraps up another rather abortively short week. Next week, we'll have to see what he get because I am not sure, we'll find out when ARIA updates their charts at 5pm on Friday.

ARIA Singles Top Fifty Top Ten/Chart Review. 25th April. Stagnant Chart Flowers

 So this might be the shortest ever ARIA chart upfate in this blog's short history, I have not ever seen a week like this were it wasn't just the top ten ten that didn't move AT ALL but the entire top fifteen of the chart...now that will change next week when that new Kid Laroi song turns up but wow...if there was enough evidence we need recurrency rules on the Australian charts this week was it because it was dire.

Anyway let's go through the top ten and do it quickly, for a second week, it's "First Class" by Jack Harlow that holds the number one but wow those margins on streaming are looking shaky, it is close which bringas us to his closest competitor "As It Was" by Harry Styles at number two, it's the sales leader and Coachella performance seems to have really boosted the song on streaming as a whole.

"Heat Waves" by Glass Animals at number three, "Stay" by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber glued to number four, "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran remains at number five, "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa at number six and "Where You Now" by Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott.

Then completing the top ten we have "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran at number eight, "abcdefu" by Gayle at number nine and "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow at number ten.

Gains

 "Following The Sun" by Super-Hi and Neeka broke into the top twenty rising to 18 while Lil Tjay's "In My Head" rebounded eight to 31 bur all the other gains are all older songs like "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat SZA up three to 22.  "Middle of the Night" by Elley Duhe up five to 27, "Mr Brightside" by The Killers up six to 28 and "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac up thirteen to 30 and "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles up eight to 37.

Re-Entries

"Dance Monkey" by Tones and I back at 49

Losses

"Nail Tech" by Jack Harlow slides 19 to 45,  "Let's Trot!" by Brothers feat Joel Fletcher down seven to 38 and "We Don't Talk About Bruno" by The Cast Of Encanto down five to 23.

Drop Outs

"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran and "Better Days" by NEIKED and Mae Muller feat Polo G

New Entries.

Just the one new entry this week so let's look at...

47. "Flowers" by Lauren Spencer-Smith

I am kind of surprised this turned up after "Fingers Crossed" hype faded out really damn quickly..."Drivers License" it's not but regardless here's hjer latest single that caught attention on Tik Tok and it's a piano ballad where Lauren bemoans her past relationships and how she was treated after she discovered that it wasn't like that with her new boyfriend. I get the lyrical context of the song, it sucks to be treated badly by somebody you love but why is the production completely unsupportive here, where's the dramatic angry swell to really emphasis the song? Also why does it sound like Lauren is way too close to the microphone? Really not feeling this at all.

That wraps up a rather abortive week. As I mentioned, there's that new Kid Laroi song coming so we'll have to see when the chart updates at 5pm on Friday 

ARIA Singles Top 50 Top Ten/ Chart Review: 18th April Wait A First Class Minute

 Well if this week proved anything it proved 2022 on the charts is finally underway. We got some movement in the top ten again so let's go straight to that where for a second week in a row, we have a new number one that being "First Class" by Jack Harlow, I'll have more to say later but it got here on the back of some insane strength on strength across the board to the point it was impressive even if the charts are in a weak spot.

It pushed easily past last week's number one "As It Was" by Harry Styles, now this song has a lock on the number two position at least right now with solid sales and streaming in its second week, this should hold up for awhile given how weak the rest of the top ten is right now.

"Heat Waves" by Glass Animals fell back to number three mostly because it's no longer at the point of being able to match the top two anymore. "Stay" by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber which remains steady at number four.

"Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran fell two places to number five as streaming fades away and that's all it's got.

"Cold Heart (PNAU Remix" by Elton John and Dua Lipa slipped one to number six while "Where Are you Now" by Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott also dipped one place to number seven. The second of the two Ed Sheeran songs in top ten "Shivers" tumbled one to number eight while "abcdefu" by Gayle slid one to nnumber nine

Finally hanging on to the top ten (just) is "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow at number ten.

Gains

No big gains this week with "Bam Bam" by Camila Cabello feat. Ed Sheeran getting the album boost up three to number eleven. 

Re-Entries

Two returns this week with "Better Days" by Neiked and Mae Muller feat. Polo G at 50 and "Nail Tech" by Jack Harlow at 26

Losers

Just the one big loser this week with "In My Head" by Lil Tjay falling twelve places to 39. 

Drop Outs

So not really all that upset about the drop outs with "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters leaving taking with it "Sweetest Pie" by Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa. "One Right Now" by Post Malone and The Weeknd and "Freaky Deaky" by Tyga feat. Doja Cat. (I've not thought about the latter three in a while)

New Entries

Two new entries this week beginning with...

47. "Wait A Minute" by Willow

So turns out this isn't a new song from Willow, this is a 2015 cut that was on Willow's debut album Ardipthecus, saw Tik Tok virality in 2019 and a couple of years later wound up on the ARIA singles chart so how is the song?  Well it sounds like a 2015/2016 pop cut in that it's somewhat desaturated and yet again Willow's vocals do nothing for me here in that it does feel like she's shouting in places and she's singing quickly just to make all the words fit in somehow, it just feels like a really cluttered song. Not feeling this at all...NEXT.

1. "First Class" by Jack Harlow

I am kind of conflicted on Jack Harlow...more than I want to be...the dude was fantastic on  Lil Nas X's "Industry Baby" but he has never really shown that kind of personality on tracks where he is the lead. so I was worried about this song and well it's pretty obvious that the sample of Fergies 2000s hit "Glamorous" does a LOT of the heavy lifting here along with that sparse piano with the content basically being Jack Harlow reflecting on his rise to the top and living a gangster lifestyle (which I actually don't believe for one second). Look, it's mostly memorable for that Fergie sample and Jack Harlow has done much better,.

However, "First Class" is getting the best of the week even if it's not all that special or good. "Wait A Minute" by Willow gets the worst of the week.

ARIA Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review. 11th April: As It Was In My Hurtless Head When You're Gone

 So this week feels pretty significant mostly and it all comes back to our new number one, our first 2022 song to go to number one in fact so let's jump right into the top ten because our new number one is "As It Was" by Harry Styles, now this song was dominant on sales and streaming, it also did well on Youtube...it completely outstreamed all of it's closest rivals.

All it did was push the next eight songs down one so "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals back to number two, "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran to number three, "Stay" by Justin Bieber and Justin Bieber back to number four, "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa to number five, "Where Are You Now" by Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott to number six, "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran at number seven, "Abcdefu" by Gayle at number eight and "Starlight" by Dave to number nine.

Finally "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow rebounded two places to number ten.

Gains

The remix featuring Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled saw "Big Enetgy" by Latto gain a massive 22 places to 13 (unfortunately)

"Bam Bam" by Camila Cabello feat. Ed Sheeran rose two places to number 14. (I expect this song to get a boost into the top ten thanks to the release of Camila's new album "Familia"

Billie Eilish's "Happier Than Ever" got a three place boost to 40 likely to due to that incredible performance at the Grammys.

Re-Entries

Two returns this week with "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles back at 44 and "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo at 43, the former likely off the back of people hearing the current number one while the latter probably returned on the back of being performed at the Grammys.

   

Losers. 

"Freaky Deaky" by Tyga and Doja Cat slipped nine places to 50 while "Sweetest Pie" by Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa collapsed thirteen places to 49 (Would have thought this one would have more staying power)

Not surprisingly "Everlong" by Foo Fighters tumbled eleven spots to 39...should leave the chart next week but we'll see. 

The virality is wearing off for "Lost" by Frank Ocean as it slipped six places to 35 but the loss that did surprise me was for "The Motto" by Tiesto and Ava Max which got hit with a nine place plunge to 32...again, like "Sweetest Pie", I thought this was going to have staying power and be a hit for awhile.

What I am actually thrilled about is the ten place fall for "Down Under" by Luude feat. Colin Hay...this remix of a classic song sucks and I am glad to see it going away...just a shame it's probably made the year end with how slow the year has been.

The hype around Encanto seems to be falling away hard because "We Don't Talk About Bruno" by The Cast of Encanto fell six places to 15.

Drop Outs

Six drop outs this week with none that I am overly surprised about with Jack Harlow's "Nail Tech" not really having a great run despite it's big debut. "Surface Pressure" by Jessica Darrow will likely make the year end though.

Then we have "Maybe" by Machine Gun Kelly and Bring Me The Horizon,  "Chaotic" by Tate McRae and "Something in the Way" by Nirvana leaving along with "Say Nothing" by Flume feat. MAY-A.

New Entries

Four new entries this week, beginning with...

29. "Hurtless" by Dean Lewis 

Starting off with the lead single from Dean Lewis's sophomore album, I wasn't looking forward to this song as "Be Alright" has only soured on me over time and yet... am I the only getting "Be Alright" part 2 vibes from this? Dean Lewis sounds less like a teenage simp whining petualantly about what his friends say about letting his ex go on "Hurtless" but this song seems like the moment where he finds out she is cheating on him after they had a fight and the chorus just seems really needlessly bitter...I do think it's better than "Be Alright" but runs the risk of souring on me hard if it sticks around.

27. "In My Head" by Lil Tjay

New single from Lil Tjay that samples Iyaz's 2008 hit "Replay" with some sparse piano and trap production with Lil Tjay rapping about being in love and his feelings for this young lady which I thought was pretty sweet until I realized that the song doesn't really have much actual groove behind it and the Iyaz sample of a more memorable song does a lot of heavy lifting. It's fine but I don't see this sticking around.

22. "When You're Gone" by Shawn Mendes

I am going to be honest here, I am shocked Shawn Mendes is actually back on the charts after "Wonder" was a complete disaster for him but anyway he is back with a new song all about his break up with Camila Cabello and colour me shocked, it's a more upbeat synthpop song  that kind of reminds me of late 80s Richard Marx somehow. Now I do think this is a good pop song but not great, the verses are a little too short and there's really not much depth in the writing but it's probably one of the better singles Shawn Mendes has released. Check it out.

1. "As It Was" by Harry Styles

So finally we're talking about the big lead single from Harry Styles from his upcoming album called "Harry's House" and well...seems Harry has turned toward the kind of pop that Niall Horan made on "Heartbreak Weather" except with a indie edge to it and you know what? It's pretty damn great as Harry reflects on his relationship and how nothing feels the same as it did in the past eg: when the relationship first began. Also I will also say the production on this song is absolutely gorgeous especially when the bells kick in. I thought this song was merely good a few days ago but now I am starting to think this might be great,

"As It Was" is also the obvious best of the week. As for the worst of the week...nothing to egregious for once this week but it is going to "Hurtless" by Dean Lewis only because I think that song has the potential to really sour on me in the weeks and months ahead.

Next week, we may well get a new number one for the second week in a round when Jack Harlow turns up but we'll find out next week when the chart updates at 5pm AEST on Friday

ARIA Top 50 Singles Top Ten/Chart Review. 4th April. Tom's Chaotic Big Energy Role Modelz

 I really don't know what to say when I open up to write about the ARIA singles chart in 2022 anymore, this week is one of the worst on the ARIA sSingles chart since I began the blog...yes, even worse than the entirety of 2018 because not only is the top ten stagnant but we've got some abssolute garbage in the new enttries.

Let's blow through the top ten which barely changed at all, "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals spent another week at number one mostly because it's still leading on streaming (I expect that to change next week...I hope)

It held up somehow over "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran somehow still at number two ahead of "Stay" by The Kid Laroi feat. Justin Bieber stuck at number three and "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa glued to number four.

The lone move in the top ten this week sees :"Where Are You Now" by Lost Frequencies feat Calum Scott up one place to number five, it caused "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran to move down one place to number six.

"abcdefu" by Gayle remains at number seven (honestly I am glad this didn't get to number one.. Still not a fan of the song at all)

Dave remains at number eight with "Starlight" despite strong streaming through the week...mostly because sales have really not done much for this song.

"We Don't Talk About Bruno" by The Cast of Enacanto remains at number nine and "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X is stuck at number ten.

Gains

Not much in the way of gains this week with the biggest being for "Let's Trot!" by Brothers feat. Joel Fletcher which rose fourteen places to 26 while "She's All I Wanna Be" by Tate McRae up four spots to 27.

Re- Entries

Following the awful death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, the chart saw the return of Foo Fighters hit "Everlong" at number 28.

Losses

It was a busy week here with the biggest loser this week being "Say Nothing" by Flume feat MAY-A to 44. "Nail tech" by Jack Harlow is a bit of a non entity down twelve spots to 48. 

"Surface Pressure" By Jessica Darrow dow eight to 47 as the Encanto hype wears off. 

Unsurprisingly "Something in the Way" by Nirvana fell twelve spots to 42.and "Freaky Deaky" by Doja Cat slipped seven spots to 41 and also down twelve is "Sweetest Pie" by Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa to 36

Drop outs

"My Universe" by Coldplay feat. BTS dropped out taking with it "Infinity" by Jaymes Young, "Without Me" by Eminem, "Better Days" by NEIKED and Mae Muller (feat. Polo G) and "Love Tonight" by Shouse.

New Entries

Four new entries this week, brace yourselves because this is going to get ugly amd mpt just because we're starting with...

50. "No Role Modelz" by J Cole

Ughh. I am going to keep this short. The fact this is a new entry this week kind of grosses me out because this song is plain awful, okay, the instrumental is fine but J Cole disrespect of Martin Luther King is infuriating...dude, Martin Luther King had more important things to do, like fighting for black Americans rights, also J Cole , your claim is pretty damn shallow which is ironic considering you spend parts of the song bitching about how shallow women are...this song sucks...next!

39. "Chaotic" by Tate McRae

It's kind of surprising to me that Tate McRae is now lodging singles regularly on the singles chart with this one being a piano ballad about how this person grew up and is now wanting to make changes in their life for the better  after being hit with some worries about the future and how they'd rather not cut the problematic people out of their life because the loneliness of losing the friends as awful as they are would be a much worse feeling than continuing to keep those friends. It's a sad and really reflective song that probably could have done without the voice mods at the end of the hook and Tate McRae's vocals still don't impress me but on a week like this one...I'll take it.

35. "Big Energy" by Latto

Life, death, taxes and another female rapper trying to knock off Doja Cat.which isn't a surprise when you realize both Latto and Doja Cat are connected via being produced bgy Dr Luke with this song sampling Tom Tom Club's 1981 song "Genius of Love" along with an interpolation of Mariah Carey's 1995 smash "Fantasy" and really this doesn't impress me at all especially when this song just feels like another generic song in the same vein as others that do this sort of pop/rap sound better. Also I'm not buying the lyrics at all which make this song sound like a stereotypical sex rap that isn't anywhere near as sexy as it thinks it is so yeah not a fan.

18. "Tom's Diner" by AnnenMayKantereut & Giant Rooks

Ugh..feels like I am doing an upside of "Lookin' fine '89" (granted that has been a lot more interesting than the current charts lately) amd for our final new entry of the week, we have two German groups atttempting to cover a classic Suzanne Vega song that was released as a sinlg in 1987 before before becoming a wider hit in 1990 thanks to a remix by DNA which brings us to this cover and dear god this not good the 'do do dos" sound like drunk frat guys who are struggling to remember to anything other than that and the singing on the rest of the song makes :Beggin'" by Maneskin sound like a flock of angels descended from heaven so yeah this is absolute garbage as well.

It's also the worst of the week just edging out "no Role Modelz" by J Cole. "Chaotic" by Tate McRae while flawed takes the best of the week easily.

Next week, likely Harry Styles will make a big play for the number one and we'll probably get new entries from Shawn Mendes, Lil Tjay and Dean Lewis...surely some of those have to better than the crap we got this week, find out on Friday at 5pm when ARIA updates the charts.