ARIA Singles top ten/Chart Review: 9th August. Skate Dreams of being Happier Than Ever.

Well we got a busy but overall better week than expected thanks to a combination of Billie Eilish and Silk Sonic in the new entries even if the top ten was mostly static so let's begin where there was the least amount of movement because "Stay" by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber spends a fourth week at number one and at this point, it's a matter of when the streaming slows down because it's got huge margins on streaming right now, its set at number one for at least another two weeks or so.

That's bad news for "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran stuck at number two because it just can't compete on streaming even with its handy sales margin and the same goes for "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo which remained at number three despite it losing ground on sales and on streaming hard (also potentially turning attention to "Traitor" which looks like being the next single from "SOUR").

The same goes for "Beggin'" by Maneskin glued to number four for a fourth week, it's streaming has pretty much stalled and sales aren't going to keep holding it up, in fact it's going to come under threat from "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow as that climbed one spot to number five, it's got streaming momentum and I can see this maintaining momentum going forward.

Now this might all be superseded by the first of the impacts of the Billie Eilish album bomb with the album's title track "Happier Than Ever" debuting at number six, now this unlike previous Billie Eilish singles during this album roll out has sizeable traction on streaming so this could be interesting for the songs above it at this point.

All this pushed "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA back two places to number as it just hasn't got any sort of traction anymore, I can see this gracefully leaving the top ten while the same goes for "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals as it slipped back one place to number eight.

Holding steady is "Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby as this version of "Levitating" losing steam thanks to DaBaby's homophobic remarks at Rolling Loud while "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X remains steady at number ten.

Gains

One of the biggest gains of the week belongs to Sleepy Hallow's "2055" which jumped 21 places to 13 as it looks set to become a hit...I am kind of okay with that...the song is pretty decent. 

Unfortunately not on the good side is that "Need to Know" by Doja Cat rose four places to 17 as that looks set to become a hit...joy...

"Cloudy Day" by Tones and I rose three places to 33. 

Re Entries

Two re entries both from Billie Eilish thanks to the album with "Lost Cause" back at 46 and "NDA" returning at number 36. 

Losers

So most of these losers will likely rebound next week when the album bomb recedes but there's worrying signs for Post Malone as "Motley Crew" slips 20 to 50...seems I am not the only one who thinks that song is a disappointment coming from him.

"Goosebumps (remix" by Travis  Scott and HVME fell six to 48...it's probably safe on the year end list but the sooner this audio torture leaves the better.

"You Right" by Doja Cat featuring the Weeknd took a ten place tumble to 47 while "Clash" by Dave feat. Stormzy fell 14 to 43. 

"Favourite Crime" by Olivia Rodrigo fell six places to 39...this song is growing on me and becoming one of my favourite songs from "Sour" so kind of sad to see this heading the wrong way. As for Olivia's second single "Deja Vu", it fell six to 23.

"Not Sober" by The Kid Laroi feat. Polo G and Stunna Gambino fell out of the top ten to hit 18. 

Drop outs

Drop outs are a mish mash of songs ranging from the long running like "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi or songs that just haven't had consistent momentum like "Holiday" by KSI and "Thot Shit" by Megan Thee Stallion, album cuts from The Kid Laroi like "Still Chose You" feat. Mustard and "Over You", Olivia Rodrigo album track like "Happier" or Pop Smoke's "Woo Baby" feat Chris Brown" and songs taking a premature exit like "Permission to Dance" by BTS and "Don't Go Yet" by Camila Cabello although given the way "Permission to Dance" was slipping on streaming how much that song is a premature exit is up for debate.

New Entries

Anyway we have EIGHT new entries to deal with here...well six because Billie Eilish album bomb does fit into my album bomb rules so the songs I won't be covering here are "Billie Bossa Nova" at 40 and "I Didn't Change My Number" at 45

However our look at the new arrivals doesn't begin with Billie so let's start with...

49. "Love Tonight" by Shouse

So I guess I should have seen this coming, Shouse are an Australian electronic duo based in Melbourne with this song being released in 2017 and a subsequent remix of said song by David Guetta saw the song catch fire in Europe thanks to Tik Tok and therefore ending up on the Australian singles chart this week and look, I'm on the fence as to whether I like this or not, electronic house has never been something I have cared for here even if the vocals have a spooky quality to them and those hand claps build pretty nicely into the chorus that's delivered rather flatly so ehh I'll pass on this.

38. "Oxytocin" by Billie Eilish

So here's the first of the songs from "Happier Than Ever" that we'll be taking a look at and this one has a pretty infectious groove here and reminds me a bit of Groove Armada here as the lyrics are from the abuser's point of view and the abuser's need to be aroused and intimate without regard to Billie's feelings but just pushing ahead because it's what he wants to get that sexual hormone oxytocin. I got to say that this was one of my favourite songs from when I first heard the album and yeah, this is still really damn good. 

35. "Getting Older" by Billie Eilish

So the opening song on Billie's album and wow, this is a pretty reflective way to open an album as Billie reflects on growing up and says she's ageing pretty well and managing her life better than she did when she burst onto the scene as a teenager (Billie, nobody handles their teen years well,...being a teenager is a rough ride) and crawling out from the ugliness of the music industry's underbelly. It's also a strong reflection on fan culture and dealing with the love and hate from people. It's a really Billie reflecting on where she is in life at the moment and while I'm not crazy about some of the production here from Finneas, Billie is still allowed to shine here.

32. "Skate" by Silk Sonic

Okay Bruno and Anderson, it took us until August to get second single?! You two are killing me here but anyway here's "Skate" and my god, this is better than "Leave The Door Open" what with that dreamy 70s melody and grooves that allow both Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars to be as charismatic yet smooth as hell in begging this girl to skate on over to them so they can get to know her. Yes, there's some really corny lines but here's the thing 70s music contained plenty of corny lyrics that people ignored because the song felt good and it's the exact same with this song. This is one of the best songs of the year and deserves to be a hit!

28. "Dreams" by Jolyon Petch

And here we have another electronic house song this time courtesy of New Zealand born Australian Jolyon Petch who decided to capitalise on the viral success of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" for electronic house cover of the song...now I am honestly pretty sick of the original right now so what does this new version bring to the table? It's fine...I guess...it's got that thumping bass groove and handclaps but the occasional splash of guitar but I feel like the meaning of the song here gets lost in terms of the fact the bass can distract a fair bit from the vocals here which isn't ideal so yeah not bad but it's certainly not great either.

6. "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish

The album title track earns the highest debut of the week a song where Billie Eilish opens up and becomes more vulnerable as she sings about her abusive relationship and how she's happier than ever when she's away from him and as per most Billie Eilish songs in this era, it starts slow with just a lone guitar and backing vocals supporting Billie as she tells this person that she's not happy with them but can't explain it before that guitar kicks up a gear and the song just goes full on ROCK? Something I wasn't expecting from Billie Eilish of all people and it sounds great! Not sure if it's better than "Bury A Friend" or "When the Party's Over" but holy shit it's close.

That wraps up a pretty good week, in fact when the worst of the week is going to a merely mediocre song like "Love Tonight" by Shouse then this has been a good week. No dishonourable mention because I'm giving a tie for best of the week between "Skate" by Silk Sonic and "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish. "Oxytocin" by Billie Eilish gets honourable mention.

Next week, The Weeknd will show up and likely unsettle top five but we'll have to see when the chart updates at 5pm on Friday.

Good 1992 Vibrations. 2nd August. Pretend We're Deeply Dippy

 Alrighty so we've finally got a cool down week at hand here, the insane turnover slowed for a week although that doesn't necessarily mean what we have in terms of the new entries is anything with substantial quality but we'll get to it, in the mean time let's firstly deal with the top ten where for a second week it's "Hazard" by Richard Marx at number one and let's be real this song has pretty much settled into the top spot now and it intends to be there for the long haul which is pretty much a good thing because it's biggest threat now is the horrendous cover of "Please Don't Go"  by K.W.S which climbed a place to number two and is looking a threat for number one unfortunately.

It was able to move past "Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams which slipped back to number three and looks like it's losing ground on sales, it may well come under threat from "Too Funky" by George Michael which rebounded two places back it's peak of number four.

"Sexy MF" by Prince and the New Power Generation remains stuck at number five mostly because it just can't bridge the gap to the songs above it while Lisa Edwards "Cry" climbs one spot to number six.

Also on an upward climb is "As Ugly as They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe rising one place to number eight and with every week booking a spot on worst list seems more likely for this song.

All of this is because "Jump" by Kriss Kross slumped four places to number eight and is fading naturally. 

Up one spot to number nine is "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins, a song that is getting better and better for me. I really do like it a fair bit.

Finally "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price slipped one spot to number ten.

Gains

"I Don't Care" by Shakespears Sister broke into the top twenty this week by jumping from 23 to 18 while Mariah Carey's "I'll Be There" jumped from 24 to 19.

Girlfriend look set to have another hit on their hands with "Girl's Life" leaping from their debut of 33 to 21 while Kriss Kross's "Warm It Up" climbed ten spots off it's debut to 22. Another debutant from last week, "Everything's Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens climbed all the way from 46 to 25...excellent!.

Unfortunately "Life Is A Highway" by Tom Cochrane climbed ten places to 30...not so good but "You Won't See Me Cry" by Wilson Phillips jumped from 45 to 31 which is good news.

TLC's "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" climbed from 43 to 35 while "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Guns 'n' Roses leapt eight places to 36

Losers

Alright let's begin this with "Always the Last to Know" by Del Amitri which lost all it's gains to slip back nine spots to 48 while "Living In England" by The Screaming Jets slumped nine places to 45. 

"Heaven Sent" by INXS is being heaven sent out of the top 50 as it collapsed from 31 to 44 this week (kind of says something about how INXS fans feel about that song if I am to be honest). 

"Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica plunged from 35 to 41 while "I Can't Help Myself" by Teen Queens took a pleasing dive from 28 to 40 (thank god!)

In further pleasing news, "Midlife Crisis" by Faith No More slipped five to 39 while former chart topper "To Be With You" by Mr Big fell ten places to 37 and "Twilight Zone" by 2 Unlimited fell from 21 to 32 this week. 

Another former chart topper to take a hit was "Take It From Me" by Girlfriend which plunged nine to 28.

New Entries

Two entries this week beginning with...

50. "Pretend We're Dead" by L7

So L7 are an American rock band having their first charting single in Australia and I will admit to some curiosity about the song given the title so how is it? Well the music is a bit chug a chug and the lyrics are a bit banal about how society is beating the individuality out of people so pretend we're dead but the vocals are so flat and passionless, they really don't convey anything here so yeah when rock has done better than this in 1992, there's no excuse for this sludge.

46. "Deeply Dipply" by Right Said Fred

Okay, we're giving Right Said Fred another charting song, why? "Deeply Dippy" might be slightly better than "I'm Too Sexy" but that's because it's boring! It's a song about him being "deeply dippy"
 about this girl he is in love with. The saving grace is literally when the horns kick in on the middle eight of the song but that doesn't save the vocals which don't match the energy of the instrumentation. Ugh.

And that wraps up a pretty short week. No best of the week because both songs are pretty ordinary but worst is is going to "Pretend We're Dead" by L7. Let's hope for better next week

ARIA Singles Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review: 2nd August. Industry Baby is Not Sober or Over You so Don't Go Yet

 So things are about to get interesting on the charts with some of the rumoured up coming releases and indeed could get interesting in the near future but none the less let's get through the top ten because the top half of the top ten wasn't all that interesting to say the least because for a third week "Stay" by The Kid Laroi featuring Justin Bieber remains at number one where it's right now got a strangle hold on the top spot thanks to strong as hell streaming, this song's grip on top spot.

So while "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran steady at number two thanks to excellent sales but it's not got the streaming to be competitive with "Stay" while "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo remains stuck at number three as it bleeds on sales and streaming.

The same goes for "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat SZA at number five for another week, it just can't bridge the gap to those above it anymore.

This places the first of two new entries in the top ten "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow in a strong position to climb higher over the next few weeks  especially in light of the attention new Lil Nas X music seems to attract from his obsessed haters...when will they learn their constant talk about Lil Nas X promotes his music?

It pushed "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals back one place to number seven as somehow it's still got good enough streaming to keep it in the top ten.

The second of the new entries is an impact from the new The Kid Laroi album, "Not Sober" by The Kid Laroi feat. Polo G and Stunna Gambino. More on this song later but it's here because of strong streaming during the week, it'll likely get a second week in the top thanks to there being a deluxe version of the album released

Regardless, it pushed its way above "Levitating" by Dua Lipa which fell back two places to number nine while Lil Nas X has a second song in the top ten with "Montero (Call Me By Your Name" up one spot to number ten.

Gains

Just one one major gain this week and unfortunately it's not on the good side with "Need to Know" by Doja Cat up eleven spots to 21.

Re Entries

As you would expect the only new entry comes from The Kid Laroi with "So Done" back at 46/

Losers

"Holiday" by KSI slips nine to 50, Pop Smoke's "Woo Baby" feat. Chris Brown down 23 to 47. "Happier" by Olivia Rodrigo slumped 13 to 49 while "Favourite Crime" slipped seven to 33, "Motley Crew" by Post Malone slumped 11 places to 30.

Drop Outs

 Some long running hits finally dropped out like "Head & Heart" by Joel Corry and MNEK, "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles and "Fly Away" by Tones and I, they took with them "Leave the Door Open" by Silk Sonic and "Jealousy Jealousy" by Olivia Rodrigo.

Two Pop Smoke songs also fell off with "Demeanour" feat Dua Lipa and "Tell The Vision" feat. Kanye West and Pusha T both gone.

"NDA" by Billie Eilish also left but will likely be back next week.

New Entries

44. "Over You" by The Kid Laroi

So first off the bat is a piano trap ballad from The Kid Laroi and unfortunately The Kid Laroi's vocal delivery happens to be the worst part of the song, he sounds nasal and like he is yelling rather than rapping or singing either way he sounds AWFUL especially for a song where he supposed to be bitter and angry over a girl leaving him which I just don't biy. Yeah...yuck. Let's move on...

43. "Don't Go Yet" by Camila Cabello

So I cannot be the only one surprised that a new Camila Cabello single has hit the Aussie charts, right? Okay, she had a modicum of success thanks to her collab with Shawn Mendes but her second album didn't do as well as I think she would have liked so here's "Don't Go Yet" and well...it's actually really damn great and possibly the best thing Camila has recorded since "Havana", what's more its got more traditional Latin flare than whatever J Balvin and others in reggaeton are crapping out. When that chorus hits, its genuinely magical and that guitar through out the song. Camila also sounds like she's singing within a good range for her. Yeah, check this out, it's an excellent slice of Latin pop and deserves to be a hit.

34. "2055" by Sleepy Hallow

Sleepy Hallow (real name being Tegan Joshua Anthony Chambers) is an Jamaican American rapper who briefly hit the Hot 100 last year with a freestyle so with this song being his first to hit the Australian charts, how is the song? Well I like that guitar provides a good solid melody and that heavy trap sound has been done to death and the lyrics are also pretty well done to death, the song seems to swing toward looking for an escape and having fun so while it's not that good...it's passable...certainly better than a slew of other hip hop on the chart this week.

29. "Clash" by Dave feat. Stormzy

So this is from the new Dave album and from that piano line with that rather all consuming percussion line supports both Dave and Stormzy as they rap about their typical wealth by dropping brand names and bragging about getting to drive expensive cars so in other words this just does nothing for me at all other than waste my time...NEXT!.

26. "Still Chose You" by The Kid Laroi feat. Mustard

So we've got two The Kid Laroi songs in a row here, this one featuring producer Mustard so given the production Mustard has given to both Migos and Roddy Ricch in the past, I kind of have hope that this song might actually be good...and it's passable? The song sample's YG's "I'm Good" with that piano, leaden snaps and percussion and The Kid Laroi sounds less nasal here than he did on "Over You" as he sings about his vulnerability to a serious relationship....I think this is okay, check it out. 

8. "Not Sober" by The Kid Laroi feat. Polo G and Stunna Gambino

And here's the highest charting Kid Laroi to debut this week and much to my surprise this is solid although instrumentation wise this really isn't a change up with sparse piano and percussion as The Kid Laroi, Polo G and Stunna Gambino rap about how relationship break up are leading them to hit drugs and alcohol to deal with their emotions over the break up despite knowing it's not healthy, this is pretty solid stuff and given that Kid Laroi sounds pretty good here...I'll take this.

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

So here is the biggest new entry of the week...right now Lil Nas X's album roll out is 3 from 3 in terms of quality ahead of the album and well...better make it four from four because "Industry Baby" is AWESOME, it's a song where Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow rap about their fame and rise to the top, Lil Nas X even takes a stab at the conservatives who bitched and whined about the video for "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" and that he knows that his haters are contributing to his success by watching his music videos on Youtube and endlessly discussing his music...throw in those horns which sound incredibly triumphant and yeah this song is a Lil Nas X classic....Bring on that album

The best and worst fell out easily with worst going to "Over You" by The Kid Laroi because my god being that nasal is just insufferable. Dishonourable mention to "Clash" by Dave and Stormzy.

As for the best, well...the honourable mention is going to Camila Cabello for "Don't Go Yet" with the best going to "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow. I won't say "Industry Baby" runs away with it because I was torn...that's how good "Don't Go Yet" is.

Next week...looks like being a Billie Eilish album bomb and maybe that new Silk Sonic song....we'll see on Friday at 5pm

Good 1992 Vibrations. 26th July. Everything's Alright when Girls Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg for Jam in Life

 Okay 1992...just stop already...this week was INSANE. We got a brand new number one which we will get to in a moment, wild shifts in the top ten and up and down the chart which kind of characterises what 1992 has been like even if a lot of the music on the chart this year has been dull and kind of limp then there's the long list of new entries which means this blog entry is going to run long...just a warning.

Anyway let's start with the top ten because as I said before we have a new number one and to the surprise of nobody, it's "Hazard" by Richard Marx, yeah it got there because it finally got the edge on sales and tipped "Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams back to number two as its starting to weaken.

Unfortunately this might open the way for "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S which jumped from number six to number three this week. Can we not let this shit go to number one, please? Ughh. Whatever the case it pushed past "Jump" by Kriss Kross down one to number four. 

Then we get to one of the biggest gainers of the week and the gain that caught me off guard, "Sexy MF" by Prince and the New Power Generation up twenty places to number five, I get it but it does feel like it's here on Prince's name alone, the song doesn't do anything for me.

All of that pushed "Too Funky" by George Michael back two to number six and "Cry" by Lisa Edwards slipped two places to number seven. 

Making it's return to the top ten this week is "As Ugly as they Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe rising from eleven to eight...sigh...it unfortunately pushed "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price back one spot to number nine.

Completing the top ten and spending it's first week inside the top ten is "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins up two spots to number ten. I am fine with that! The song is pretty solid.

Gains

So I already mentioned "Sexy MF"  by Prince and the New Power Generation jumping twenty places to hit number five but the big gains didn't stop there because Madonna's miserable "This Used to be My Playground" rocketed up from 50 to 13 which is an incredibly bad sign.

In mixed news, "I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey jumped six places to 24 but the Teen Queens cover of "I Can't Help Myself" also climbed from 42 to 28...another incredibly shitty sign.

Our gains continue to be a disaster because "Workaholic" by 2 Unlimited jumped nine places to 37.

Losers

So we have a long list of losers (thanks to the ten new entries mostly) here beginning with "Even Flow" by Pearl Jam which has never really had a solid footing on the chart to begin with as it tumbled from 36 to 48 while "Djapana (Sunset Dreaming)" by Yothu Yindi plunged from 38 to 47. 

Voice of the Beehive's "Perfect Place" plunged off it's debut down eleven to 42. while "Love is Holy" by Kim Wilde slumped from 29 to 41.

XTC's "The Disappointed" slipped six places to 38 while "Living in England" by The Screaming Jets plunged from 21 to 36...ouch. "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica took a nine place hit to 35 (this song is safe on the year end thankfully)

Unsurprisingly "Heaven Sent" by INXS fell hard from 16 to 31 mostly because it's definitely not INXS's best song.

"The One" by Elton John skidded from 17 to 25 this week...bit disappointing...I still like the song. 

Finally "Take it From Me" by Girlfriend slipped out of the top ten down nine to 19 while "Clunk (EP)" by Frente slumped seven places to 14

New Entries

There are ten new entries so in the interests of trying to keep this short, I'm going to keep each song review pretty short.

50. “My Lovin’ (You’ve Never Gonna Get It)” by En Vogue.

We start our look at the new entries with this song from American R’n’B girl group En Vogue, it comes from their album called “Funky Divas” and samples James Brown’s “The Payback” with the guitar sample forming a large part of the melody as En Vogue deliver a sassy performance telling a douchebag that he can try as hard as he likes but he isn’t going to be getting love from any of these girls. It’s definitely a heck of a lot better than some of the other junk on the chart…I don’t mind this.

 

49. “Four Seasons in One Day” by Crowded House

The latest single from “Woodface” and unlike the previous singles from the album, this song sounds darker and more ominously eery song than their previous singles like “It’s Only Natural” and “Weather With You”, it was also originally intended for that Finn Brothers project with the lyrics reflecting on Melbourne’s changeable weather and how you can have four seasons in one day in the city and reflective the many moods of the band as they were in the process of writing “Woodface”. It’s good but not quite my favourite song from the album. Can we get ”Whispers and Moans” as a single please?

 

46. “Everything’s Alright” by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens

This is a collaboration I wasn’t expecting, Noiseworks frontman Jon Stevens teaming up with Kate Ceberano and crooner John Farnham for a version of “Everything’s Alright” from the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber penned musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Ceberano singing the part of Mary Magdalene while Stevens bringing the rock fire power and Farnham sounding shockingly good here, throw in the choir and we have a rock opera that works really damn well…yeah I like this a lot…check this out!

 

44. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Guns ‘n’ Roses

This week’s cover version (as has been standard thus far in 1992) comes from Guns ‘n’ Roses who have recorded a cover of Bob Dylan’s 1973 classic “Knockin’ on a Heaven’s Door” which they originally recorded in 1990 for the movie soundtrack of Days of Thunder with a slightly modified version added to their 1991 album called “Use Your Illusion II” and is the second single from the album and well, it’s okay. Yeah, Axel Rose sounds about as exactly as you would expect here although I will say there’s a part of me that feels like he is vocally overdoing it but again the guitars and drums sound great here, it’s an interesting cover, check it out.

 

43. “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” by TLC

Another American all girl R’n’B act this time, it’s a debut single from a trio calling themselves TLC with this being the debut single from their debut album called “Ooooohhh” and well…this is something special especially with the way the song uses all sorts of sampling and the TLC members killing it with their charisma suggesting that they aren’t too shameless to beg for attention…uhh, TLC, I don’t think you shamelessly need to beg for attention here because yeah, I love this! Catchy, insanely memorable and a load of fun! Awesome stuff.

 

40. “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane.

And here we have Canadian country rock artist Tom Cochrane with his first charting song on the Aria charts and while I don’t want to call this bad per se because it is catchy and you will find yourself singing along with it however the lyrics are just corny and Cochrane’s delivery just makes me want to turn the sound down so I guess it’s just meh.

 

33. ‘Girl’s Life” by Girlfriend

Here’s the third girl group with a new song on the chart this week with Girlfriend seeking to follow up “Take It From Me”  with a pop/rap song about living a girls life and make keep the boys anticipating them, it’s the sort of flowery girl power song you’d expect, I’m not sure it’s quite as instantly catchy as “Take It From Me” was but Robyn Loau and her bandmates certainly deliver the song with plenty of enthusiasm, may as well make the most of what Girlfriend have offered up here.

 

32. “Warm It Up” by Kriss Kross

Kriss Kross striking while the iron is hot makes sense here, they’ve had a massive number one hit around the world so why not follow it up with their new single and well it definitely sounds eerily similar to “Jump” but hot damn this duo can rap, their flows are really quite incredible, I kind of enjoyed this a lot but Kriss Kross are going to want to change it up a little soon because there’s only so long I can tolerate “Jump” sound alikes.

 

26. “Rhythm is a Dancer” by Snap

Just what 1992 needs more of…Eurodance…this time it comes from a German group Snap who had a number 13 hit in 1990 with “The Power”, a song that is actually a lot better than you’d remember It so that’s why it’s a shame that “Rhythm is a dancer” falls flat? I don’t know, it just lacks that edge that made “The Power” a really fantastic song, it may well be the vocal delivery that doesn’t quite work here especially when the lyrics mention “rhythm being a passion. Ehh, this doesn’t work all that well for me. Next!

 

11. “Jam” by Michael Jackson

A song written for the movie “Space Jam” and wow…could they have buried Michael Jackson further back in the mix here at all? Why would you bury the guy whose charisma can elevate a middling song to something great? I don’t get it because “Jam” really is at best a middling song and not helped by some really strange production decisions…I’ll pass, thanks.

That was our week, a long one at that but for the best...I'm giving that to "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" by TLC with honourable mention going to "Everything 's Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens.

As for the worst, nothing too atrocious here but "Jam" by Michael Jackson is getting it for some really weird production decisions with honourable mention going to "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap.

ARIA Top 50 Singles Top Ten/ Chart Review: July 26th. Woo Baby's Demeanor Tells The Vision

 Well this was the week the top ten slowed down to a near crawl and the only new entries we got were from the second posthumous album from Pop Smoke.place there were some impacts from that Tones and I album but you'll see when we get to all that but let's begin with the least interesting portion of the chart this week which is the top ten where "Stay" by The Kid Laroi feat Justin Bieber remaining at number one for a second week, its got a good stranglehold on streaming and that will only increase thanks to the release of Kid Laroi's album.

Stuck at number two is "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran mostly because it's not able to bridge the streaming gap to "Stay" just yet while it's the same for "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo which is just bleeding in the margins now. 

Staying right where they are are "Beggin" by Maneskin at number four and "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA. 

Rebounding three places somehow is "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals thanks to an odd resurgence on streaming of late.

Another two songs that remained steady this week are "Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat DaBaby (I am pretty much ready for "Love Again" to become a thing here) at number seven and "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd at number eight.

Then there's "Without You" by The Kid Laroi which rebounded one spot to number nine and will likely get a third wind next week. 

Returning to the top ten this week is "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo which climbed two places to rejoin the top ten at number ten because it got a streaming surge which I'm okay with, I kind of like the song!

Gains

The big story in the gains this week is the sudden nine place gain of "Missing Piece" by Vance Joy to 14, I know this song is doing well on sales but I didn't think it was doing this well to be number 14!

Not really happy that "Motley Crew" by Post Malone also broke into the top twenty rising three spots to 19 or that "Little Bit of Love" by Tom Grennan rose four places to 16.

"Holiday" by KSI rose six places to number 41...this should get a boost next week thanks to the album. 

However the biggest gain of the week belongs to "Cloudy Day" by Tones and I which rose thirteen places to number 31 but I'll pin that to the release of Tones and I's album "Welcome to the Madhouse"

Re Entries

Two returns this week with "Need to Know" by Doja Cat back at 32 while the other impact from that Tones and I album saw "Fly Away" back at 50.

Losses

Unsurprisingly the biggest loser this week was unfortunately "NDA" by Billie Eilish which fell 22 places to number 38. 

'Head & Heart" by Joel Corry feat. MNEK slipped seven places to 49 as it seems to be heading out of the top 50...as much as I love the song, it is time for it to leave.

Sadly "Leave the Door Open" by Silk Sonic slumped five spots to 46...it just hasn't had the performance I would have liked...hopefully we get a new single and an album from Silk Sonic soon.

"Goosebumps" by HVME feat. Travis Scott fell six places to 37 while "You Right" by Doja Cat feat. The Weeknd slumped nine places to 30.

Again BTS couldn't hold on to their big top ten debut as "Permission to Dance" slumped 16 spots to 22. Strong sales aren't enough, BTS fans...

Drop Outs

Couple of big ones in the drop outs this week with "Butter" by BTS, "Brutal" by Olivia Rodrigo and "Hold On" by Justin Bieber are gone.

Also leaving are "You Broke Me First" by Tate McRae and "Heartbreak Anthem" by Galantis, David Guetta and Little Mix exits.

New Entries

Three new entries, all of them from the Pop Smoke album so I am going make this pretty quick...

***BEST OF THE WEEK***

47. "Tell The Vision" by Pop Smoke feat. Kanye West and Pusha T

So I have issues with posthumous albums especially if the songs on the album are just fragments but I got to be honest here, I don't mind this as it's got this creaky gospel vibe even if the verses really ain't much as Pop Smoke, Kanye and Pusha T celebrate becoming popular and enjoying their time at the top of the rap and how their lifestyles have changed. Ehh I'll take this.

43. "Demeanor" by Pop Smoke feat. Dua Lipa

So what the hell is Dua Lipa doing on here? She doesn't need to be doing this, she's likely got one of the most iconic albums of the 2020s and yet she's on here on a fragment where none of the elements fit together at all including that bass groove which comes in over Pop Smoke's verse, it just doesn't work at all but it's better than...

*** WORST OF THE WEEK***

24. "Woo Baby" by Chris Brown

Geezus christ, I thought we'd kicked Chris Brown's worthless ass to the curb in 2020 but anyway this is the highest new entry of the week...and it sucks...the production smothers out Pop Smoke's voice and makes Chris Brown sound even weedier than usual and it's nothing even vaguely close to what the producers or Chris Brown think is sexy. YUCK

That wraps up the week, next.week...A Kid Laroi album bomb...sigh...oh well, we'll find out when the chart updates at 5pm on Friday.

Oh Not That Song Again..."From a Distance" by Bette Midler (1991)

Don't think I've made any secret of the fact that I don't like religion and all the problems that especially organised religion brings with it so when I started this series I really wasn't keen on starting with a song that cakes itself in a religious bent but none the less here we are starting with Bette Midler's 1991 hit "From a Distance" mainly because I have been wanting to express the pain that this song gives me every time I hear it.

However let's do a little background before we dig into why "From a Distance" sucks, Bette Midler, at the time, of this song was an ultra successful recording artist and actress, this song was released off the back of the massive success of  the song "Wind Beneath My Wings" and the film "Beaches" and she then decided to record "From a Distance" in 1990 which was a cover of a Nanci Griffith country song written by songwriter Julie Gold released in 1988 and became a number nine hit in Ireland, it was released in late 1990 and peaked at number two on the ARIA singles chart in 1991. It's also important to note that this song came out at the time of the Gulf War. 

Anyway enough of that...now, let's get stuck into the actual song and yeah, the nice opening organs and then Bette Midler opens her mouth and sings the opening verse.

"From a distance

The world looks blue and green

And the snow capped mountains white"

Well yeah but from that same kind of distance the earth is also shades of brown, red and gray, the earth isn't just green grass, blue oceans and white snow capped mountains. Did the writer forget about arid deserts, droughts and grey clouds in the sky too.

We continue

"From a distance
The ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight"

Unless the eagle is flying toward outer space and swooping back down, you aren't going to see an eagle from the kind of distance you are thinking of. Also oceans meet rivers not quaint little streams!

Then we get to the chorus and this is where this song takes a turn from being factually inaccurate to really creepy.

"From a distance
There is harmony
And it echoes through the land

It's the voice of hope

It's the voice of peace

It's the voice of every man"

So I get that this mantra is supposed to rally people and make them feel good but even from that distance Midler has sung of...what harmony echoes through the land? We've always had some kind of war or trouble in the world since humans inhabited it, Also the world isn't just one big land mass either. It's just feel good wishy washy made to make the listener feel good and not see the song for the ridiculous rot it is.

"From a distance

We all have enough

And no one is in need

And there are no guns,

No bombs, and no disease

No hungry mouths to feed"

Again this is wishy washy feel good nonsense,this is somebody living in a dream world where no guns, bombs or disease exist and nobody is going hungry, it's this false distant utopia that doesn't ring true or connect at all and even if it is meant to sell this ideal utopia why is the production so fucking miserable and why does this song get even cornier?

"From a distance

We are instruments

Marching in a common band

Playing songs of hope

Playing songs of peace

They are the songs of every man"

Actually depends on the person, the songs that the writers of this song were singing are likely not the songs the every man are singing or connect to because while yes. we are all human, we are all different and look at a piece of music differently. This is the writer of this song living in some dream world that everybody is dancing around a fire singing "Kumbaya" and "The Land of Hope and Glory" at the top of their voices...then we get to the whole creepy point of this song...

"God is watching us

God is watching us

God is watching us

From a distance"

Holy shit, all that shit about us marching in a common band and how the world is just shades of blue, green and white just to tell us that some God is a Big Brother type fixture watching from a distance...that is just really creepy, even as somebody who is agnostic, this is really creepy in some of th worst ways possible and its matched by how miserable and lifeless the production is but we get a brief break from this creepy God watching us for an anti war epithet.

"From a distance
You look like my friend
Even though we are at war
From a distance
I just cannot comprehend
What all this fighting's for"

So this person looks like your friend and yet you are at war with them? If you are at war with somebody, they aren't your friend, they are your enemy!. Also of course you can't comprehend what the fighting is for if you stand at a distance from it...geezus, doesn't take much to read a newspaper or something instead of pretending you aren't on this planet.

And from there we're back to the main hook about harmony, voices and how some predator called "God" is watching us all from a distance...this song when it's not being creepy, doesn't make a lot of sense and has a lot of vague platitudes. 

Good 1992 Vibrations. 19th July. This Used to Be My Sexy MF so I Don't Care

Ughh...fair warning folks, this week was not a good one in a lot of ways and there are two new entries that pissed me off, one I didn't expect to do that either and when I look at our top ten...it moved in ways that are somewhat depressing because we got a new number one this week..."Save the best for Last" by Vanessa Williams, yep, we now have a gaping hole of a bland sweet nothing of a song at number one even if its not a strong number as it got to the top mostly because it got enough sales

However right behind it is "Hazard" by Richard Marx which moved up to number two and looks set to take the number one next week if "Save the Best for Last" falters.

This pushed last week's number one "Jump" by Kriss Kross down two places to number three as its sales fell away but it remained ahead of "Too Funky" by George Michael and "Cry" by Lisa Edwards (I'm seriously shocked at how well this song is doing right now).

However all three songs are facing a challenge from...and I cannot believe this is happening..."Please Don't Go" by K.W.S which jumped nine places to slot into the top ten at number six, folks, we don't need anymore shitty covers of great songs on the year end list....JUST STOP already.

Hell, I'd even take "Clunk (EP)" by Frente doing better but it slipped one spot to number seven this week.

In better news, the beautiful "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price climbed four places to number eight pushing back "I Can Feel It" by Radio Freedom to number nine.

Finally the biggest loser of all the frantic shuffling was "Take It from Me" by Girlfriend as the former number one slipped from number seven to number ten.

Gains

So what else gained big this week outside of "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S?. Well, "Abba Esque" by Erasure jumped five places to 15 which is good however it brought "Beauty and the Beast" by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson with it as broke into the top twenty surging from 23 to 18...why?

Then there's the questionable gains for "God Gave Rock n Roll to You II" by KISS which jumped ten places to 22...that's not a good sign. At least "Make Love Like A Man" by Def Leppard jumped from 39 to 24 this week.

"Just Take My heart" by Mr Big surged ten places to 27 bringing "She's Got that Vibe" by R.Kelly and Public Announcement up twelve places to 28 with it and I'm fine with the latter...the song is still pretty good.

Then we have songs rising off their debuts last week with "Love Is Holy" by Kim Wilde surging up from 45 to 29 and "I'll be There" by Mariah Carey rising eighteen to 30.

Losers

So there's good news here because "James Brown is Dead" slumped down from 34 to 49 and seems to be finally on the way out...good! See ya on the worst list.

Unfortunately "Fathers Day" by Weddings Parties Anything slumped six places to 47 while "Smells like Nirvana" by Weird Al Yankovic tumbled ten places to 44.

Former number one "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers slipped from 27 to 43 while "Remedy" by The Black Crows needs a cure for its twenty place slide to 41.

"In the Closet" by Michel Jackson is heading further back into the closet on the charts as it fell ten to 40 while "Djapana (Sunset Dreaming)" by Yothu Yindi slipped twelve spots to 38.

"Midlife Crisis" by Faith No More is experiencing a mid charts crisis as it fell six to 37. "Even Flow" by Pearl Jam slumped from 29 to 36 and "Mistadobolina" by Del tha Funkee Homosapien slipped from 28 to 35

Euphoria took a ten place hit with their former number one "One in a Million" to 34 while "Man Alive" by Diesel slipped eight places to 33. 

Finally Mr Big's former number one "To Be With You" skidded from 16 to 23...hopefully a sign that the song is on the way out

New Entries

Five new entries this week and unfortunately...we start with...

50. “This Used to be My Playground” by Madonna

So the queen of pop returns and I was curious about this what evolution Madonna would have in store this time after the smash she had in 1990 with “Vogue’ with “This Used to be my Playground” being the theme song for a comedy film called “A League of their Own” and well, if this song is a sign of what Madonna has planned for her fifth studio album than can I politely suggest that this is not it because this song is just painfully dull and not anything like the Madonna that was making some of the best pop music in mid to late 1980s and in 1990, the production is slow and flat and Madonna singing in a flat monotone that doesn’t suit her at all, this is dreary sludge in a year that’s already had way too much dreary sludge on the charts. NEXT!

42. “I Can’t Help Myself” by Teen Queens

After the inexplicable success of their still pretty terrible cover of “Be My Baby”, Teen Queens return with a cover of The Four Tops massive 1960s hit “I Can’t Help Myself” which is a Motown classic and beloved by so many so what do we get from Teen Queens cover? Well we certainly don’t get smooth happy vibes that the production gave the original, instead we get this jerky weird electro dance vibe that Teen Queens just don’t have the voices to match the energy of the song or the charisma to match the passion in the delivery, if you can’t help yourself than where’s the fucking desperation, Teen Queens? When Four Tops recorded this originally, there was passion and desperation when they sang they couldn’t help themselves but love this girl. Yeah this is get in the bin…NEXT!

31. “Perfect Place” by Voice of the Beehive

Alright so after the success of their cover of “I Think I Love You” earlier in the year, Voice of the Beehive are back with a new single and you know what? This is pretty good, yeah the vocals could afford to be a little louder but compared to the previous two songs this is really good and doesn’t blow absolute ass. I like the melody here and even if the lyrics play into this naïve idealism where they just want to try to make the world a better place even if at times it feels hopeless, yeah this is good, check it out!

25. “Sexy MF” by Prince and The New Power Generation

Prince has underwhelmed me so far in 1992 so with this song being the latest single from the album “Love Symbol” I was curious to see if the pace had stepped up a bit from “Diamonds & Pearls” and again I’m not all that impressed, yeah it’s got a solid groove but the rapping sounds really nasal and not at all fitting with the vibe the song going for especially when Prince croons “Sexy MF” (okay, mother f***er is not at all a sexy term but still) and all in all the track feels slow and plodding in a way that I cannot describe…this just doesn’t work for me…that’s all.

20. “I Don’t Care” by Shakespears Sister

So here’s the third single from “Hormonally Yours” and given the kind of week it is this week, I’m kind of hoping that this is good? Yeah I think it might be, it’s a fast paced pop/rock song anchored heavily in guitar even if I think the high pitched vocal delivery of “I don’t Care” doesn’t work as well as they might have hoped but hey I’ll still take this because it’s a damn solid song. Check it out if you are curious. 

That wraps up an ordinary week on a better note, I’m going to give Voice of the Beehive best of the week for “Perfect Place” just ahead of “I Don’t Care” by Shakespears Sister. Neither song is great but they are still good enough.

As for the worst…I’m giving that to “This Used to be My Playground” by Madonna for being one hell of an unexpectedly dreary song coming from somebody like Madonna…there’s no excuse for that shlock but “I Can’t Help Myself” by Teen Queens is right behind me and is a song that I can see getting even worse.