Good 1992 Vibrations. 12th July. Workaholic Living In England is Better than the Real Thing

 Oh finally, it's a much calmer week after the weeks of chaos we had but there's more chaos looming on the horizon especially as the contest for number one is pretty close however "Jump" by Kriss Kross held onto the top spot thanks to sales being slightly ahead of  "Save the Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams which remained at number two but it's tightening those margins and looks set to make a strong case to go to number one in spite of how mind numblingly boring and bland it is.

Rising three places to number three is "Hazard" by Richard Marx as it shapes as a challenger to the top two along with "Too Funky" by George Michael up one to number four. 

However the big surprise this week is the four place rise to number five of  "Cry" by Lisa Edwards. This blew me away a bit to be quite honest. Didn't expect people to like this cover of Godley & Creme so much so much so it helped to push Frente's "Clunk (EP)" down two places to number six, "Take it From Me" by Girlfriend down four places to number seven and even "I Can Feel it" by Radio Freedom down one to number eight.

Ignoring my pleas from last week, somehow "As Ugly as They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe jumped one spot to number nine.

While "That Word (L.O.V.E)" by The Rockmelons feat. Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks and Deni Hines slipped two places to number ten and looks to be headed out of the top ten.

Gains

So looks like Australia is indulging the awful cover of KC & The Sunshine Band because KWS's cover of "Please Don't Go" jumped twenty places to 15...yikes.

In  better news from last week, "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price climbed five places to number 12 and "Abba esque" by Erasure jumped eleven places to break into the top twenty at number 20.

"Remedy" by The Black Crows jumped from 36 to 21 this week and "Midlife Crisis" by Faith No More climbed six places to 31. 

"The Disappointed" by XTC climbed from 42 to 35 and "Make Love Like A Man" climbed from 44 to 39 while "Always the Last to Know" by Del Amitri jumping nine places to 40. 

Losers

As per usual, let's start at the bottom of the chart and work our way up, we begin with "Simply The Best" by Tina Turner and Jimmy Barnes which slumped from 32 to 47 while "Kickin' To the Undersound" by Sound Unlimited Posse kicked down from 39 to 46.

Former top ten hit "Stay" by Shakespears Sister plunged from 34 to 42 while "Father's Day" by Weddings Parties Anything dropped from 33 to 41. 

"This Road" by James Blundell is going the wrong way down the wrong road as it dropped down eight places to number 38 while people are ignoring Mr Big's begging to "Just Take My Heart" as it slipped from 28 to 37 (Not surprising considering the song is BAD).

"James Brown Is Dead" by L.A. Style is slowly dying down from 29 to 34 while "Smells Like Nirvana" by Weird Al Yankovic is starting to drift a bit as it dropped from 26 to 33. 

"God Gave Rock n Roll to You Part 11" by KISS handed back their gains to stop at 32 while "In the Closet" by Michael Jackson slipped six places to 30. 

"Even Flow" by Pearl Jam dipped from 22 to 29 while "Mistadobolina" by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien fell nine to 28 and "One in a Million" by Euphoria fell ten places to 24 and "Nothing Else Matters"  by Metallica got hit with a dip from 16 to 22 .

Finally "Twilight Zone" by 2 Unlimited took a seven place plunge to 18. More about a new song from 2 Unlimited in a moment.

New Entries

50. "Workaholic" by 2 Unlimited

Oh boy, the last time I talked about this act, it didn't go well and I still stand by my comments about "Twilight Zone" being a wall of migraine inducing noise so maybe "Workaholic" is better? It slightly even though that squawking noise is really fucking irritating to the year and only punctuated by the rap verses, the chorus and a voice saying "Workaholic". All the song is is declaring themselves workaholics on the dancefloor. Yeah, this is pretty annoying...NEXT.

45. "Love Is Holy' by Kim Wilde

Last week it was XTC, this week it's Kim Wilde being the 80s holdover with a new single on the charts, this being the first single for her album "Love Is" and well, it's not bad! Yeah it's a pop song very much rooted in the early 1990s but Wilde sounds great here and even if the lyrics are just your basic platitudes about nothing taking love away and love being holy when dude is laying with her so yeah if you are expecting Bible quotes based on the title...you might be disappointed. Still it's catchy and has a tightness to it that makes the song work...check it out if you are curious.

44. "Fly Like An Eagle" by The Neville Brothers

This week's cover comes from an American R'n'B, soul and funk group that formed in New Orleans in 1977, this is a cover of "Fly Like An Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band and actually has Steve Miller playing guitar in some parts and well...this cover might be alright? Certainly it's got a fair bit of groove and energy about it and the Neville Brothers are certainly selling the song with some passion in their delivery. The only thing I am not wild about is that odd noise in the mix that makes the song sound like it's being recorded in a factory but otherwise yeah this is pretty good.

19. "Living in England" by The Screaming Jets

Rock courtesy of the title track of the Screaming Jet's EP "Living in England" and of course this track features fast drums, wild guitars and Dave Gleeson actually sounding oddly restrained against production that reminds me a lot of the Baby Animals sound on their debut album but let tell you when that guitar unleashes for a short solo in the middle of the song it's glorious!. It's a short sharp song about having fun living in England, if you just want something to rock out to, this might be worth a listen!

11. "Even Better Than the Real Thing" by U2

About time we got a second single from "Achitung Baby" and yeah this song works around that one central Edge guitar riff while the lyrics play to a sense of irony given the times in 1992 where people would look for instant gratification rather than seeking out the truth (arguable that people seeking instant gratification has always been a thing). I also got to be honest here, I love this sound for U2, Bono sounds great here and the song just pops off. I'd like to see this become a hit if that is possible. Check this out.

Pretty shockingly solid week but I'm giving best of the week to "Even Better than The Real Thing" by U2.

Twilight Zone run away with the worst of the week for "Workaholic"...it's the song that works the least of the five songs here.

ARIA Singles top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review. 12th July. Thot's Heartbreak Anthem S***

We got a cool down week here, folks, even for allowing for a surprise or two in the re entries and even a new entry's arrival that shocked me however on to the top ten and the shock of nobody "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran retained the top spot for the second week in a row, it's got sales and is slowly working its way to the top on streaming, this might have some weeks left to run at the top yet, folks. 

It held up easily over "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo which remained at number but is starting to bleed in the margins on both sales and streaming, it's not as strong as it once was so I can see this coming under pressure from "Beggin" by Maneskin which has a whole heap of momentum thanks to both sales and streaming, there's potential for this song to go to number one down the track.

This pushed "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat SZA back to number four,   "Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby back to number five and "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd at number six.

"Heat Waves" by Glass Animals holds firm or refuses to go away by staying at number seven while that renewed streaming interest in "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X helped it to rise a spot to number eight however that might also be because "Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf dropped one to number nine (honestly I am hoping the influx of new entries will clean this song and one or two other bad songs in the top ten out)

Finally "Deja Vu" by Olivia Rodrigo held steady at number ten, it's locked in it's year end spot now. 

Gains.

Olivia Rodrigo's album tracks still on the chart actually GAINED back ground with "Traitor" up 3 to 11, "Favourite Crime" up three to 22, "Brutal" up two to 32 and "Jealousy Jealousy" up 5 to 33. These album tracks holding up so remarkably well that I am convinced that both "Traitor" and "Favourite Crime" will make the year ARIA end list for 2021 in particular.

"Leave Before You Love Me" by Marshmello feat. Jonas Brothers jumped six to 27 and "I Wanna Be Your Slave" by Maneskin climbed six to 15 as both songs are going to be hits in the making. 

"Holiday" by KSI regained 11 spots to 35 while "Little Bit of Love" by Tom Grennan climbed four places to 20 because this song is now a radio staple for some ungodly reason. 

Re-Entries

Two returns this week that I cannot explain for the life of me...the first of them being Ed Sheeran's 2018 hit "Perfect" back at 48 (Okay it's probably linked to the current number one) while "Dance Monnkey" by Tones and I  refuses to die as it returns at 50. 

Losers. 

There were two album tracks that fell hard this week with Tyler, the Creator's "Wusyaname" feat. Youngboy NBA and Ty Dolla $ign slipping 18 to 40 (come on, let it rebound next week) while "Need to Know" by Doja Cat plunged 14 to 46 (Okay I know it got a video but the song isn't good and "You Right" with The Weeknd is going to be the actual single) but apart from that most of the rest were smaller not really notable losses.

Drop Outs

Similar story this week goes for the drop outs, nothing too notable here with "Lumberjack" and "Juggernaut" both Tyler, the Creator dropping out along with "Solar Power" by Lorde and "I Don't Do Drugs" by Doja Cat. Okay, Lorde's song dropping out is disappointing but not surprising.

New Emtries

Just the two new entries this week, beginning with...

47. "Heartbreak Anthem" by Galantis, David Guetta and Little Mix

So seeing this group of artists on a song together kind of surprised me but also highlights that Little Mix's success in Australia has been scattered at best and that's being polite ("Heartbreak Anthem" is the first song that's hit the Australian singles top 50 since "Woman Like Me" feat Nicki Minaj in 2018) they are more successful in the UK which is kind of disappointing given "Break Up Song" is pretty darn good and while "Heartbreak Anthem" is fine enough, I have no idea why the production on the bridge attempts to drown out Perrie Edwards multiple times on the bridge but otherwise the song is fine and works well, Little Mix sound good here over that piano as they sing about moving forward from heartbreak. Check it out if you are curious.

43. "Thot Shit" by Megan Thee Stallion

So before Megan Thee Stallion became a charting presence, she had an alter ego called Tina Snow which formed the base of her first EP and helped "Big Ole Freak" to chart on thr USA's Billboard Hot 100 and it seems she's returned to that level of lyrical dexterity that was on that EP because this song is awesome, Megan continues her unapologetic sex positive framing which calls out conservatives for their ridiculous moral panic over "WAP" (I just think most conservatives are lazy parents and can't be bothered to actually be parents so complain when the music industry doesn't self police) and continues to assert herself all the while taking ownership of words like "hoe' and 'thot' because she wants to remind men that those words aren't the drag on women they seem to think they are. Anyway, this song is awesome and if this is the direction Megan is continuing in then hell, let the thot girl summer continue!

No worst of the week this week but "Thot Shit" by Megan Thee Stallion is getting best of the week.

Next week, New Music Friday was LOADED with big releases eg: The Kid Laroi collaborating with Justin Bieber, BTS dropped an Ed Sheeran penned song, Billie Eilish released a new song from her forthcoming second album and Post Malone dropped his lead single for an upcoming album so next week is going to be fun when the chart updates at 5pm AEST on Friday

Good 1992 Vibrations. 5th July. Heaven Knows and is Sent so Please Don't Go having a Midlife Crisis

 Ughhh...this week was wild...again...up and down the chart and the turnover as crazy as we got nine new songs in the ARIA top 50 this week but let's begin with the big story in our top ten where to the surprise of absolutely nobody, "Jump" by Kriss Kross get a second week at number one as it has a pretty solid sales margin

Rising one place to number two is "Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams because it's got sales traction...of course it has...it's easy listening dippy doo lovesick schlock that isn't interesting in the slightest but none the less it pushed "Take It From Me" by Girlfriend back to number three as it is starting to lose ground on sales but it did stay ahead of "Clunk (EP)" by Frente which stayed at number four this week.

Rising three places to number five is "Too Funky" by George Michael and it's bringie ng "Hazard" by Richard Marx with it because "Hazard" also climbed three places to number six.

"I Can Feel it" by Radio Freedom rebounded three places to number seven mostly thanks to the collapse of "That Word (L.O.V.E)" by The Rockmelons feat. Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks and Deni Hines three places to number eight.

Rising three places into the top ten is "Cry" by Lisa Edwards which I am fine with I guess...I don't hate the song at all however I am not fine with "As Ugly As They Wanna be" by Ugly Kid Joe rising three places to number ten...seriously?

Gains

So outside of the top ten, there was a ten place gain for 'Damn, I wish I was your lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins to 18 this week as it seems like this song is going to be a hit.

Not on the good side of things though is the rise of "Beauty and the Beast" by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson up from 31 to 25...I know 1992 is the year pop blandness but just stop letting this rise please.

In an even worse piece of news, "God Gave Rock n Roll to You II" by KISS jumped eight places to 27 while "Just Take My Heart" by Mr Big is up ten to 28. 

Losers

Let's start at the bottom and work our way up...dropping seven places to 50 is "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton while "Senza Una Donna (Without a Woman)" by Zucchero and Paul Young dipped five places to 47.

2 Unlimited' s "Get Ready for this" slipped from 39 to 45 while "Be My Baby" by Teen Queens plunged thirteen to 43.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers suffered losses on both fronts this week with "Suck My Kiss" completely collapsed from 26 to 41 and their number one hit "Under the Bridge" tumbled from 16 to 23

"Viva Las Vegas" by ZZ Top lost it's legs to drop 11 places to 40 while "Stay" by Shakespears Sister dropped 14 places to 34 and "Simply The Best" by Tina Turner and Jimmy Barnes stumbled nine spots to 32.

"In the Closet" by Michael Jackson slipped nine to 24 while "To Be With You" by Mr Big skidded out of the top ten down six to 12.

New Entries

Nine of them this week beginning with

49. "Always the Last to Know" by Del Amitri

So this is the latest single from Del Amitri, it comes from the album "Change Everthing" and I kind of like the production here. I just wish the vocals had a little more power to make the song's story stand out. The lyrics about him being the last to find out his girlfriend is cheating on him before the song twists and it's him cheating on her and her being the last to know but there's no real anger or resentment in the vocals which you would think would be necessary for a song like this especially given the subject matter. It's not precisely bad but it is forgettable.

48. "I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey

So this is an unplugged cover via MTV of the Jackson 5's hit from 1970 and look, this is probably what you would expect from a cover by Mariah Carey, the song is performed well even if I think Mariah is over singing at the end. It's fine, check it out if you are curious but the Jackson 5's original is even better.

46. "You Won't See Me Cry" by Wilson Phillips

Ahh new Wilson Phillips...this song song being the first from the group's second album "Shadows & Light" and well...this is actually darker than what I've heard from this act...for one thing the song is a piano ballad as the lyrics highlight sadness yet strength as this woman vows that her ex won't see her cry over the end of their relationship. Yeah, I like this as fair bit...the harmonies on show here are fantastic and fit the mood of the song...check it out.

42. "The Disappointed" by XTC

Ooh here's a hold over from the 80s I didn't expect to see here but none the less it is the lead single for the album "Nonsuch" and according to the band's lead singer Andy Partridge, the song is about people who have experienced being rejected romantically forming a union called "The Disappointed" (it kind of brings to mind incels and neckbeards and yeah look the song is really catchy which I expect from XTC even if I think the song feels like its trying to stick to a formula that worked in the early to mid 80s and its definitely not out of the ordinary for 1992 in popular music but it's fine, check it out if you are curious

37. "Midlife Crisis" by Faith No More

Time for some rock thanks to Faith No More with this song being the lead single from their fourth album "Angel Dust". Interestingly the band's lead Mike Patton suggested that this song was kind of about Madonna which makes this an interestingly framed track because I am not sure I'd want to be told my heart is menstruating...that's kind of yuck and the vocals sound like they might be a little too close to the microphone at points in the verses. I think I'll nope out of this one.

35. "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S

A British dance act covering a KC and the Sunshine Band classic and wow, this is garbage even by 1992 standards...at least KC sold the song with some sincerity in terms of not wanting this girl to leave him but KWS sound like they are singing this the moments after she left and they have been left crying at the door! The vocal delivery here doesn't sound believable AT ALL combine that with the thumping dance beat and there's a headache for everybody. See this trash on my end of year worst list should it become a hit...next!

31. "Abba Esque" by Erasure

So Erasure have covered Abba's "Take a Chance On Me" and unlike KWS, at least there's some genuine sincerity and belief in what they are singing from Erasure and look this ends up being just a really fun cover of an Abba song that I'm not a huge fan of but hey it's ten times better than whatever it was KWS delivered.

17. "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price

Hey a follow to "Not a Day Goes By" (I still like that song) but this is a heartfelt piano ballad that definitely feels like a follow up to the previous story given the lyrics about a love lost, she's moving on and Rick Price wondering if his love will return and their hearts will find a way somehow and he is leaving that to the heavens but the end of this relationship is hurting Price. Honestly this song is pretty terrific. Hope this is a hit for Rick.

13. "Heaven Sent" by INXS

Well we're ending a very long week with INXS single ahead of their eighth studio album "Welcome to Where Ever You Are" and my expectations were promptly met by roaring guitars that unfortunately almost drown out Michael Hutchence. Apparently it was written as a ballad but they turned it into a rock song which does make a lot of sense given the production here but yeah even with that...this is kind of disappointing. 

That was the week and I think Rick Price just takes best of the week for "Heaven Knows" with Wilson Phillips getting honourable mention for "You Won't See Me Cry".

On the other end of the scale, no question that "Please Don't Go" by KWS gets the worst of the week, that song is just a really shitty cover.  Faith No More are getting dishonourable mention for "Midlife Crisis"

ARIA Singles Top 50: July 5th. Wusyaname Lumberjack, I Don't Do Drugs, it's Bad Habits

 I haven't seen a non album bomb week like this in years where there are several big stories up and down the chart starting right at the very top of the chart, what turned up in the top ten and indeed what turned up in the top 50 because yeah we had impacts from albums from Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat but we also had scattered singles impact most of which I have no clue as to whether they will stick around but anyway let's begin with the big story of the week, our brand new number one that kind of blindsided me given I had suggested otherwise on Twitter, "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran debuts at number one, it's Sheeran's 6th number one single in Australia (His previous number ones were "Sing", "Thinking Out Loid", "Shape Of You", "Perfect" and "I Don't Care"), I'll have more to say about the song a bit later but this song got to number one thanks to really cutting through with that sales impact, digital sales did Ed Sheeran a solid this week because this song is not leading on streaming.

That streaming lead belongs to "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo which got pushed back to number two, now its still strong on streaming but those sales are what allowed "Bad Habits" to overtake it, it's still a player for top spot, it stayed comfortably ahead of "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat SZA which despite the album release managed to fall to number three, it's still strong on streaming but again...it needs sales to support it and it's just not getting that support.

"Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby remained at number four and not really looking like it's going to take advantage of the chaos above it even as "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd fell past it down two places to number five.

Maneskin land their first ever top ten song in Australia with "Beggin'" jumped sixteen places to number six!. Now we do have more Maneskin to discuss in the new entries but this song has plenty of momentum to possibly go higher in the weeks to come.

Remaining steady are both "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals at number seven and "Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf at number eight. 

Up one place to number nine is "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X which has experienced a rebound in traction on streaming which is fine by me!

Down four this week is "Deja Vu" by Olivia Rodrigo to number ten. This is on it's way out now having made the year end list anyway.

Gains

So I already mentioned "Beggin'" by Maneskin rising 16 places to hit the top ten at number six but what else gained? 

'Well...Vance Joy's "Missing Piece" broke into the top 20 up three places to 20 while "Little Bit of Love" by Tom Grennan jumped six places to 24. 

"Need to Know" by Doja Cat rebounded eleven places to 32 thanks to the release of the album while "Leave Before You Love Me" by Marshmello feat. Jonas Brothers climbed five places to 33. 

Losers

So as you can imagine with eight new entries this week, there was a lot that lost ground, let's begin with the massive drop for "Holiday" by KSI which plummeted 22 places to 46 and Lorde's "Solar Power" got turned off down 17 spots to 44.

Then there's the eight place drop for Bella Poarch's "Build a Bitch" to 50 and the losses to songs that have spent way too long on the chart now like "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles down 6 to 47, "Someone You Loved" down five to 45 (honestly this song is the perfect example of why the ARIA singles chart needs recurrency rules), "Head & Heart" by Joel Corry down six to 41 and "Mood" by 24k Goldn and Iann Dior down five to 39.

Then there's cases of continuing loss of momentum like 'Butter" by BTS which slipped six to 37. Honestly,  this song has had absolutely no traction on the chart since it's debut week on digital sales or streaming.

Let's blow through the Olivia Rodrigo "Sour" album tracks that fell hard this week like "Jealousy Jealousy" which slipped six places to 38, "Brutal" down nine to 34 likewise for "Happier" which slipped to 27 "Favourite Crime" dropped ten places to 25 and "Traitor" tumbled out of the top ten down five to 14.

Also tumbling out of the top ten was "Body" by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne which tumbled seven places to number 12...this might fall quicker and harder than I think most expect (mostly because the song is kind of bad) while "Rapstar" by Polo G fell nine places to 28 as the album boost died off.

Drop Outs

The chart finally said goodbye and good riddance to "You Broke Me First" by Tate McRae...thank god. Also gone is "Heartbreak Anniversary" by Giveon which unfortunately never got the traction to be the huge hit it deserved to be. 

Maroon 5's "Beatiful Mistakes" feat. Megan Thee Stallion also took it's exit for a second time along with "Lost Cause" by Billie Eilish (bad signs for that new album), "Late At Night" by Roddy Ricch and "The Angel of 8th Ave" by Gang of Youths 

The final two drop outs are Olivia Rodrigo "Sour" album tracks, those being "Enough for You' and "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" 

New Entries

So there are eight new entries this week...granted the majority of these are from Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat so I'm going to endeavour to keep things brief especially as this blog entry is already running long, starting with...

49. "Juggernaut" by Tyler, the Creator feat. Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell Williams

So here's the first of the Tyler tracks to chart this week with featuring credits from both Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell and I will admit that this does feel more like a fragment of a song than anything else but that distorted and somewhat bass heavy production is very much something that Tyler has done in the past of songs like "Okra". Also has to be said that both Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell ride the beat here really well even if its all just hyperbolic bragging about cars and money (Tyler references the fact that he made more money last year than what Google claimed) and Pharrell brags about wearing Chanel and an expensive watch he wears. I'm not going to say that the subject matter weighs the song down a little for me but hey all three ride the beat well so I'll take it.

48. "Cloudy Day" by Tones and I

So we are finally getting an album later this year from Toni Watson with this song being the latest for that album and I have to be honest here if you find Tones and I's voice to be annoying or anything like that than you might well enjoy this track because it's clear here that Tones isn't sounding as abrasive here as she did on "Dance Monkey" or even on "Fly Away", she sounds like a completely different artist. Lyrically, she's questioning  whether she's living in the moment, its actually pretty standard Tones and I fare with that rather anthemic and catchy chorus. Look, it's okay but I wouldn't be surprised if I forget about this in the weeks ahead.

43. "I Don't Do Drugs" by Doja Cat feat. Ariana Grande.

So we have the first of two Doja Cat songs new to the chart this week following the release of the underwhelming album "Planet Her" and we start with a song that I forgot I'd heard five minutes after hearing it where the hook is Doja Cat saying she wants to hook up with this guy but she doesn't do drugs over this weirdly childish beat that wouldn't have sounded out of place on that last Ariana Grande album (which maybe why Ariana fits in so well on this track). The song is just this flat trap beat that does nothing to accentuate the charisma of  Doja Cat and when Ariana starts cooing on the second verse...yeah...this is just one of a couple of examples of the production trying to outdo rather than support Doja Cat on her album. I think I'll pass on this one.

40. "Lumberjack" by Tyler, The Creator

So look this was a strange choice of lead single from "Call Me If You Get Lost" because it does feel like it does better in the context of the album given the song's material spans from Tyler rapping about him releasing this song on Wednesday when the industry accepted new release day is now Fridays to referring to Drake being booed off stage at a music festival in 2019 when the crowd were expecting Frank Ocean. It's not my favourite cut from the album but it's still pretty good...check it out but if you want one of the best songs from "Call Me If You Get Lost"....well....

22. "Wusyaname" by Tyler, the Creator feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla $ign

I am so happy that this song broke through because this is one of the best songs of the year with that stunning production where Tyler admits he has fallen in love with this woman only to discover that she already had a partner and the harmonising by Young Boy NBA and Ty Dolla $ign on that hook is just gorgeous and combined with the sampling makes the song sound like an R'n'B jam that was released in the early 2000s!. Yeah the song is short at a flat two minutes but it's the best two minutes of music you'll hear this year. Please check this out and make it a hit!

21. "I Wanna Be Your Slave" by Maneskin

Geezus, can't we get "Zitti e Buoni" to chart please? Okay, I kind of get the the charm of this song, it reminds me a lot of what Arctic Monkeys  did on their debut album except this is just really clunky sounding like the drums haven't quite been properly mixed here. Either way while "Beggin'" has grown on me, I am not sure this will so I'm going to pass.  

11. "You Right" by Doja Cat feat. The Weekend

This is one of the better songs one the album more because it seems to match the mood that Doja Cat is going for and The Weeknd can also play in this territory pretty openly where Doja is expressing that she's got a man but she's wanting this other guy. I just wish that the chorus wasn't so repetitive but hey, it's fine for what it is so I guess I'll take it...

1. "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran

So here's the big number one debut for Ed Sheeran...a synthpop song where I'm left wondering whether Ed Sheeran is trying to go for a similar sound to The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" with its synth pop sound on the hook that to be fair is pretty catchy and Sheeran sounding kind of like his vocally trying to sound like Bieber for the rest of the song, seriously he sounds anonymous here which kind of makes sense given he is singing about some bad habits in a relationship. Ehh..the song is decent rather than great.

That finally wraps up a long week, best goes to "Wusyaname' by Tyler, the Creator feat. Young Boy Never Broke Again. As for honourable mention, I'll give it to "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran (only because it's more memorable than most of the other new entries).

As for the worst, there's nothing truly atrocious but Maneskin are getting dishonourable mention for "I Wanna Be Your Slave" while Doja Cat and Ariana Grande get worst of the week for "I Don't Do Drugs".

Next week, will likely be a cool down week hopefully after all this latent insanity. The chart updates at 5pm on Friday. 

Good 1992 Vibrations. 28th June. We Will Make Love Like a Man in Winter

 Another stupid busy week on hand here and its just not in the top ten, it's all the way down the chart where we somehow managed to get six new songs lower down the chart so let's get stuck into the biggest story where as I predicted Kriss Kross took number one with "Jump", it was just a matter time as it overtook its rivals sales pushing past "Take It From Me" by Girlfriend which got pushed back to number two as it just couldn't go with "Jump" on sales anymore.

Jumping three places to number three is "Save The Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams...deat god...why is this bland piece of nonsense, it pushed back "Clunk (EP)" by Frente one spot to number four along with "That Word (L.O.V.E)" by The Rockmelons feat. Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks and Deni Hines down one to five and "To Be With You" by Mr Big down one to number six.

Remaining steady amidst all this chaos is "One In A Million" by Euphoria stuck at number seven but it's facing a challenge from "Too Funky" by George Michael which had the biggest gain of any song on the chart this week up from its debut last week of 50 to number eight. Crazy!

Also rising into the top ten is "Hazard" by Richard Marx which climbed from 17 to number nine this week, guess this is going to be a hit also....

Finally, Radio Freedom was a victim of all the top ten chaos as it tumbled two places to number ten.

Gains

So I already mentioned the enormous gain for "Too Funky" by George Michael and the smaller gain for Richard Marx's "Hazard so what else gained? 

Unfortunately "As Ugly as They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe climbed seven places to 13 for some inexplicable reason.  In better news, "The One" by Elton John climbed from 30 to 19 this week while "Man Alive" by Diesel jumped from 27 to 21.

"Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins climbed seven places to 28 while the bore that is "Beauty and the Beast" by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson leapt from 46 to 31...I'll blame the movie for this.

"Fathers Day" by Weddings Parties Anything rebounded from 42 to 34 is good news but when it's bringing with it  "Just Take My Heart" by Mr Big with it up from 44 to 38...that's not a good sign.

In better news "Friday, I'm in Love" by The Cure jumped seven places to 41.

Losers. 

Alright, we have quite a few big losers to get through so let's begin with "Kiss Me" by Indecent Obsession finally on the way out as it slipped from 43 to 48.

"Alive" by Pearl Jam is also heading for the exit as it plunged from 31 to 44 this week as did "Tears In Heaven" which took a dip from 37 to 43. "She's got that Vibe" by R. Kelly & Public Announcement is losing that vibe as the vibes faded eight places to 40. 

"Kickin' to the Undersound" by Sound Unlimited Posse was dragged down twelve places to 37...I cannot believe that it's hung around for this long quite honestly. "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice slipped from 28 to 33. 

While former top ten hit "Be My Baby" by Teen Queens slumped nine places to 30 while "Mistadobolina" by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien plunged seven places to 18 and former number one "Under the Bridge" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers took a leap from 9 to 16.

New Entries

Six new entries this week, let's for some inexplicable reason start with...

50. "We Will Rock You" by Warrant

A cover of a fantastic Queen song that didn't really need to happen but because its on the soundtrack for a Cuba Gooding Jr film called "Gladiator", it's now on the ARIA singles chart and it is awful, there's a huge difference between the swagger that Freddie Mercury used to sell the song and give its aggressive pump up vibe meanwhile Warrantt have all the transgressive power in their voices as seven week old kittens still hoping mum cat will still let them have milkbar, it's pretty fucking pathetic and no guitar solo is going to change that. NEXT!

49. "Winter" by Tori Amos

So this song was recorded for Amos album "Little Earthquakes", a piano ballad about a little girl's relationship with her father and the father teaching her everything he knows about life because yeah he isn't going to always be around and he recognising that it's his role as a parent to teach his daughter those lessons before he can't anymore.

Yeah, this gorgeous and Tori Amos voice over a production that brings in orchestra for the final part of the song is really haunting. Check this out because this is great!

46. "Make Love Like a Man" by Def Leppard

I saw the title and instantly had the dread racing through my body. Here's the follow up to "Let's Get Rocked" from Def Leppard, it comes from their album "Adrenalize" and its just a bit of silly hair rock where the band urges man to make love to their girls like men to "make the girls feel better", the song is pretty stupid but I can't deny it's catchy and a lot of fun. The video is also pretty hilarious.

Check it out if you want a laugh, I probably enjoyed the silly double entendres in the video more than I should though.

45. Do It For Me" by Lionel Ritchie. 

And here we have Lionel Ritchie trying to get sexy with the lead single from his album "Back to Front"...even bringing in a saxophone on the intro and then Lionel starts singing and it's more than clear that Lionel is trying to make his own version of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" for the 90s and dear god it was corny when Captain and Tennille asked their lovers to to do it to them 'one more time' and that chorus is just full of corny cliches that you can tick off. Oh and apart from that amazing saxophone that punctuates the song, the song is as boring as tar and for a sex song that's a problem.

42. "Senza una Donna (Without A Woman" by Zucchero & Paul Young

Okay so bare with me here..."Senza Una Dona" was originally recorded in Italian by Zucchero in 1987 before it was re recorded in English by Paul Young and than was given this elongated title and released as a single and look, it's a song inspired by heartbreak in which the narrator is trying to get through the days following a rough break up and yeah I think both sell the heart break well here even if I think the production could have amplified the loneliness of the song a tad more. It's nothing amazing but I enjoyed this for what it is. 

36. "We Got a Love Thang" by CeCe Peniston

Well, we "Finally" got the follow up single, it's from the album called "Finally" and again, it's CeCe Peniston's charisma that sells this song because that production is pretty standard for 1992 with pianos, bass and drums that seems designated to go off at Fannys nightclub. It's a smooth sultry song where Peniston is singing about this connection she has to her partner and wants to show hm what they have together...It's fine, check it out if you are curious.

That was our week and it turned out a fair bit better than I thought I looked at the chart this week...best is going to "Winter" by Tori Amos...hey if a song can make me cry than it's an easy contender for the best of the week.

As for the worst, it falls out easily because Warrant are getting that for their worthless cover of "We Will Rock You"

ARIA Top 50 Singles Top Ten/ Chart Review. 28th June. Beggin for a Late At Night Holiday with the Angel of 8th Ave

 So this week was interesting to say the least especially as it seems like the "SOUR" album is finally starting recede hard and the new entries are a rather eclectic mix of rock and hip hop so let's rip into the top ten and honestly, the top three didn't change, "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo remains at number one for the fifth week in a row but next week could see it challenged by Ed Sheeran's new single (pending streaming numbers). 

"Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA remains at number two and while it will get the album boost next week (it was tacked on to the end of "Planet Her" despite sounding completely out of step with the rest of the album) and again streaming numbers are going to be the indication here but I still don't see this song getting to number one.

It still stayed above "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd which remained steadying thanks to streaming that isn't dying quite yet but its facing a challenge from the rejuvenated "Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby returning to its peak of number four up two spots from last week, this song's run has been quite remarkable even if I get the feeling this week's rise is on the back of the weakness of the songs below it.

It pushed "Body" by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne down one spot to number five, it just doesn't have the streaming traction to stick around, the same goes for "Deja Vu" by Olivia Rodrigo which slipped one spot to number six

Then there's "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals falling back a spot to number seven and "Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf doing likewise back to number eight,

"Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo looks to be falling away as it slipped two places to number nine while finally on the back of a rebound in streaming "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X returned to the top ten climbing one spot to number ten...happy to see it back...Lil Nas X on the charts is a good thing.

Gains

Lots of smaller gains this week, mostly songs just regaining lost ground finally as the "SOUR" album bomb continues to recede although "Favourite Crime' by Olivia Rodrigo did gain a place to 15 this week. 

The biggest gain of the week came for "Little Bit of Love" by Tom Grennan up 16 places to 30 this week! This looks like being a hit...not sure I want that to happen...

On a better note "Leave Before You Love Me" by Marshmello and the Jonas Brothers is up 12 spots to 38...I'd be fine with this becoming a hit. 

Vance Joy's "Missing Piece" continues on it's upward trajectory as it rises six places to 23 (this song is doing really well on streaming. Seems like the Australian music industry has finally figured out that in order to get hits they need to leverage streaming.

Losers

So let's blow through the Olivia Rodrigo tracks that lost this week like "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" which dropped six places to 44, "Enough for You" slipped eight places to 36, "Jealousy, Jealousy" tumbled five to 32 and "Brutal" down four to 25, 

But there were some heavy losses across the board this week starting with "Lost Cause" by Billie Eilish down thirteen to 45, "Need to Know" by Doja down twelve off it's debut last week to 43 (should rebound next week because of the album...unfortunately) while "Solar Power" by Lorde slipped 13 spots to 27 (kind of expected that to be honest.

Down seven places to 50 is "Beautiful Mistakes" by Maroon 5 feat. Megan Thee Stallion...can't we just make "Thot Shit" by Megan a hit? Would be so much better than giving her a hit through featuring on a Maroon 5 song.

"Butter" by BTS also slipped seven places to 31 because basically it's lost most of it's traction on streaming.

Drop Outs

Two long running hits dropped out this week, those being "Streets" by Doja Cat (will return next week) and "Love Songs Ain't for Us" by Amy Shark and Keith Urban, The other two drop outs are kind of expected with "No Return" by Polo G feat. The Kid Laroi and Lil Durk and the first of the "SOUR" album tracks to drop out that being "Hope Ur Ok"

New Entries

Four new entries that are either trap/hip hop or some form of rock so this could be fun, let's start with...

49. "Late At Night" by Roddy Ricch

So I was looking forward to this especially since Roddy Ricch has been showing some impressive signs of being something good going forward after the breakout year he had last year however this ain't it...yeah it sounds like its got the late night vibe and all but it sounds really clunky and Roddy Ricch is doing nothing in his delivery to suggest that there's being any growth. I don't know, it's really not doing anything for me so I think it's best if we moved on...

48. "The Angel of 8th Ave" by Gang of Youths

So this is Gang Of Youths second appearance on the ARIA singles chart, they first reached the singles chart in February 2017 with "Let Me Down Easy" peaking at 49 so how's the new single? Well if you liked that last Killers album, this is right up your alley as this song signals a change up in sound for Gang of Youths, it sounds more heartland rock which I'm fine with and hearing this kind of rock back on the charts is more than welcome even if I think it's not going to last long. It's a song that explores finding love and settling down in a new city...I think this is a pretty great song...check it out.

24. "Holiday" by KSI

You know I'm kind of surprised I haven't dealt with KSI before, a British rapper and Youtube who is better known in the UK than he is in Australia but none the less we have the first song he has charted on the ARIA singles chart and what we get is a pop trap song riding a gentle acoustic guitar groove where KSI is singing about his girl being his holiday...it's an odd song that I'm not sure I love but for what it's worth it's kind of cute? I don't hate it but I certainly not love it...ehh...I guess?

22. "Beggin" by Maneskin.

Okay so we get Italian rock on the charts courtesy of Eurovision winners Maneskin but this is not the song they won the song contest with, this song is a cover of a song by The Four Seasons that was recorded in 1967 and became popular in the English northern soul scene and the original version reached a peak of 16. Maneskin performed their cover on Italy's version of The X Factor before it was added to the band's album "Chosen" in 2017, the song reached a peak of 39 on the Italian charts despite not being released as a single so I can only imagine that the Eurovision win saw a lot of people around the world with a sudden curiosity so how's the song?

Well those vocals take some getting used to it, they don't quite have the punch that would sell a song like this and the instrumentation is a little clunky sounding. I don't know, it's not really all that good but in a week like this one...it's fine I guess.

Wow...what a strange old week..."The Angel of 8th Ave" by Gang of Youths get best of the week and that really isn't a contest. Unfortunately I think worst of the week goes to "Late At Night" by Roddy Ricch mostly because of how disappointing that song is.

Next week is like to see a Tyler the Creator album bomb along with a mini album bomb from Doja Cat. Ed Sheeran also returns with his lead single and that might challenge for number one so we'll have to see when the chart updates at 5pm AEST on Friday.

Good 1992 Vibrations. 21st June. Beauty is too Funky to Just Take My Heart: Beast

 Mercifully we have a slightly quieter week but it was still busy and the race for number one is well and truly on despite the fact "Take It From Me" by Girlfriend held onto number one fo another week, it's not a strong number one by any matter of means, it only barely held onto number one ahead of "Jump" by Kriss Kross which climbed one spot to number two and at this point everything points to "Jump" taking the number one spot as it has the momentum on sales to get there. 

Frente jumped three places to number three with "Clunk (EP)", it's not quite a player for the top spot just yet. 

"That Word (L.O.V.E)" by The Rockmelons feat. Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks and Deni Hines rebounded one spot to number four, it's definitely not a player for the top and mostly rebounded due to the fact "To Be With You" by Mr Big took a three place hit to number five as it fades out.

At number six, we have the first three songs arriving in the top ten this week and this is probably the worst of the three with "Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams up from 15 to arrive in the top ten...I mean...really...we're really going to reward bland pop music now...come on...

Anyway, it pushed past "One in a Million" by Euphoria which plummeted three places to number seven as it also heads for the top ten exit.

The second of the new arrivals to the top ten is "I Can Feel it" by Radio Freedom which jumped ten places to number eight! Was not expecting this at all but anyway good to them, the song is catchy.

Also staring at the top ten exit is "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers as it slipped two places to number nine.

Finally, the third and final new arrival to the top ten is Lisa Edward's cover of "Cry" which jumped from 34 to hit the top ten at  number ten...okay...I can tolerate this...there's a bit to like about it.

Gains

So what else gained outside of the big gains for Vanessa Williams, Radio Freedom and Lisa Edwards? Well...there was a ten place gain to 17 for "Hazard" by Richard Marx because that's a hit in waiting.

Ugly Kid Joe broke into the top twenty with "As Ugly as They Wanna Be" rising six places to number 20 while "Even Flow' by Pearl Jam climbed six places to 23. Also off its debut last week, "Damn, I Wish I was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins climbed big off it's debut of 50 to 35 this week, I would not be surprised if this song is a hit, the hook is a monster.

"Smells Like Nirvana" by Weird Al Yankovic jumped six spots off its debut last week to number 24 while "This Road" by James Blundell climbed twelve places off its debut to 26. 

Diesel's "Man Alive" got a jump from 31 to 27 and "She's Got That Vibe" by R, Kelly & Public Announcement jumped eight to 32. 

"Tears In Heaven" by Eric Clapton climbed from 44 to 37 this week while "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You Part 2" by Kiss jumped from 46 to 39 somehow.

Losers

Let's start with The Cure because "Friday, I'm In Love" slipped from 42 to 48. Bit of a shame because the song is great!

The same goes for "Weather With You" by Crowded House which plunged from 39 to 47 this week and looks likely to miss the year end list.

Indecent Obsession's "Kiss Me" slipped from 43 to 37 while " Fathers Day" by Weddings Parties Anything dropped nine places to 42.

"Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited is getting ready to make its exit as it tumbled from 24 to 38 while Melissa's "Skin to Skin" slipped thirteen to 34 while "Way Out West" by James Blundell and James Reyne collapsed from 19 to 33. 

"Alive" by Pearl Jam got hit with a nine place drop to 31 while "Be My Baby" by Teen Queens dropped from 16 to 21 and "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica dropped six places to 14

New Entries

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

50. "Too Funky" by George Michael

So this is a single that I wasn't expecting from George Michael but hey given I liked what he did with Elton's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" earlier this year, lets see what "Too Funky" offers and it turns out its the most basic of dance pop jams that...uh...works? Yeah there's a solid groove here which makes sense as the song samples "Somebody Else's Guy" by Jocelyn Brown (released in 1984) as Michael pleads rather animalistically for sex and man, George Michael does have the charisma to deliver such a song. Check this out!

46. "Beauty & The Beast" by Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion

So this unlikely duet is for Disney's animated feature film "Beauty and The Beast, it was first recorded by "Murder, She Wrote" star Angela Lansbury in her role in the film as Mrs Potts. The song describes the relationship between the two lead characters, Belle and this Beast and how the pair have learned to accept each other so can anyone explain why the producers thought it s a good idea to pair Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion together for a duet where it's clear that there is no chemistry and the song is overall as boring as tar? It's got all the appeal of going to a god damn funeral...not pleasant.

44. "Just Take My Heart" by Mr. Big

Well with "To Be With You" being a smash hit, it was only going to be a matter of time before we got a follow up from Mr Big, it's the fourth and final single from "Lean Into it" and it sounds like something straight out of late 80s hair rock, its not exactly bad but those vocals just don't do anything to sell the emotion of the song and I think given the production here, there's a risk this could become dated and kind of forgettable.

Anyway that's our week and "Beauty & The Beast" by Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion runs away with the worst of the week while "Too Funky" by George Michael easily takes best of the week it's not even close either.

Next week, we'll find out if Kriss Kross can finally take that number one spot.