ARIA Singles top 50 top ten/Chart Review. 4th October. My Universe Goes On for Life

So after the chaos of the last couple of weeks, we might have a couple of quiet weeks here because yeah, this week felt slower even if we have some moves in the top ten and our long running number one starting to show some signs of weakness so let's get to that top ten shall we? 

"Stay" by The Kid Laroi featuring Justin Bieber spends a 12th week at number one but it's starting to show signs of weakness on streaming, those margins aren't as strong as they once were a few weeks ago, this upcoming week could be telling about whether it gets any longer at number one.

"Cold Heart (PNAU remix" by Elton John and Dua Lipa rose one place to number two as it took the sales lead this week, just needs to start getting some strength together on streaming and it may well be a contender for number one if a certain female artist doesn't show up in the next few weeks or it could see it's run for number one neutered.

However it was enough to move past "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran, it's starting to suffer from having competition from his own songs for that presence on streaming especially from "Shivers"

"Heat Waves" renaissance continues for Glass Animals as it rose one spot to number four this week. I am really ready for this song to be gone but it did force "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow back one spot to number five while "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran held it's place at number six.

A new arrival on the chart this week debuts in the top ten at number seven that being "My Universe" by Coldplay and BTS thanks to sales of multiple different versions of the song but the original version did sell well all week and has had some growing traction on streaming however it's usually almost always the second week where songs involving BTS fall back so we'll see if it has any longevity going forward.

It forced "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X back to number eight and "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo back to number nine.

Finally "Beggin'" by Maneskin remained steady at number ten.

Gains

So a song that looks like it is going to be absolutely huge is "Love nwantiti (Ah ah ah)" by Ckay up ten places to number 13 while "Obsessed With You" by Central Cee also climbed ten places to number 31. 

"Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd climbed six places to 38. 

Losers

Sam Smith's "Like I Can" slipped seven spots to 47 while as I predicted last week "Visiting Hours"  by Ed Sheeran continues to make it's way out down 14 places to 46.

Unsurprisingly the biggest loser of the week was  "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" down 15 spots to 43. 

"Get Into It (Yuh)" by Doja Cat has lost all of it's momentum as it slipped nine to 42 and "Hurricane" by Kanye West feat. Lil Baby and the Weeknd slumped seven spots to 29. 

Drop Outs

Just the two drop outs this week with "Moon" by Kanye West and "I Wanna Be Your Slave" by Maneskin both leaving.

New Entries

Just the two new entries this week, let's start with

49. "Life Goes On" by Oliver Tree

So this is one of a couple of songs to go viral this week (there's another one likely debuting on the chart next week) with this one courtesy of TikTok although can I ask if we're going to have songs go viral and chart, can the song at least be good because this is really god damn annoying with Oliver Tree repeating "on and on and on" ad nauseum with the gang vocals chanting "yeah yeah" in the background. This is beyond asinine repetitive and the production sounds like elephants farting. Not good.

7. 'My Universe" by Coldplay and BTS

So here we have the latest single for Coldplay for their upcoming new album called "Music of the Spheres" which is due out later this month, this time bringing BTS on board for added traction and well it's about as synth pop as "Higher Power" with the lyrics playing the basic sentiment of the partner being the centre of the universe hence wanting to put them first. It's certainly better than "Higher Power" or even recent BTS singles. This is fine, check it out

:"My Universe" does take best of the week easily though. "Life Goes On" taking the worst of the week...that song is just intolerable to me. 

Good 1992 Vibrations: 27th September. Ain't No Doubt, Neighbour, Share How You Love A Fool?

Well then, this is an interesting week, feels like we've been on the verge of a week like this for awhile so let's get right to it with the top ten where we do have a new number one..,"Humpin' Around'" by Bobby Brown which finally garnered enough sales to take top spot as "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman slipped back to number two as the sales finally started to fall away months after the Barcelona Olympics, it's run though has been really impressive.

"Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane continues its rise up one place to number three...because of course it is but it gets worse..."Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus which climbed six places to number four and unfortunately looks like it might have enough momentum to challenge for the top spot...eww

Anyway all this pushed "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap down two places to number five while "November Rain" climbed one place to number six for Guns 'n' Roses which at least it pushed "Sesame's Treet" by Smart E's back one place to number seven. "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot rose one spot to number eight.

On its way out of the top ten to my delight is "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S as it tumbled four places to number nine. Good, the sooner it's gone the better even if it's probably safe on the year end...unfortunately.

Finally there's a song spending it's first week in the top ten that being "Best Things in Life are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson which rose seven places to number seven.

Gains

So I already have written about the major gains for "Achy Breaky Heart' and "Best Things in Life Are Free", let's find out what else gained this week,, John Paul Young 's "Love is in the Air" jumped eleven places to 14 thanks to momentum from featured in the movie "Strictly Ballroom"

Girlfriend's big ballad "Without You" jumped a massive twenty spots to 28 while "White Men Can't Jump" rose four to 32.

"Who is It" by Michael Jackson climbed six places to 34...I'm cool with that! I still like the song while "Don't You Want Me" by Felix climbed from 49 to 36 this week/

Re Entries

So there was one re entry and it came from the Black Sorrows with "Ain't Love the Strangest Thing" at number 46.

Losers

So let's begin with "Baby Don't Cry" by INXS down nine places to 50 while former number one hit 'Hazard" by Richard Marx slumped eleven spots to 45. while absolute garbage like "All I Want is You" by Bryan Adams takes  a well deserved eleven place hit down to 43.

Unfortunately Peter Gabriel's 'Digging in the Dirt" fell from 35 to 42 while "Even Better Than the Real Thing" by U2 fell ten to 41. 

"Heaven Knows' by Rick Price slumed from 28 to 35 while "Girl's Life" by Girlfriend slipped from 26 to 31.

"This Used to Be My Playground" by Madonna fell eight places to 27.

New Entries

Five new entries, let's begin with...

48. "Neighbor" by Ugly Kid Joe

Okay so here's Ugly KId Joe's newest single from the album "America's Least Wanted" and here's the issue I have with Ugly Kid Joe...rather than forging their own sound or having a sound that's unique to them and yet again with this song, Ugly Kid Joe sound more like a Guns 'n' Roses cover act rather than having any unique identifying qualities that make them as a band stand out. The content is about this trashy person who moves in next door and starts destroying the community which could be interesting if I could get invested in the lead singer but his anger sounds more like a kid angry that is being forced to eat his vegetables...so yeah this is try hard, cry baby rock. NEXT!

47. "Share This Wine" by Things of Stone and Wood

Oh another breanch of rock here...this time folk rock from Australian band Things of Stone and Wood, this song coming from the band's debut album called "The Yearning" and you know? I like the production here with the jangly guitars providing a solid melody with percussion woven through it. Here's the thing though the vocals feel a bit anonymous even with foreboding lyrics about sharing wine while they sit on the precipice of World War III. The song isn't bad but it's sure not memorable either.

38. "Ain't No Doubt" by Jimmy Nail

So I guess this is the novelty son of the week because this song is by English actor and singer songwriter Jimmy Nail and lordy does "Ain't No Doubt" has all the trimmings of most early nineties pop songs, it's pretty slick in that regard with the horns. The subject matter though is actually a bit darker than the bright colourful production implies as its about a failing relationship where he interpreting what she says as meaning something else entirely or that she's lying to him to spare herself from hurting him. Look, it's pretty memorable but I get the feeling that this could become a nice guys or incel anthem in the years ahead.

37. "What Kind of Fool (Heard That Before)" by Kylie Minogue

Now we have the first single from Kylie Minogue's greatest hits album and was co written by Minogue and two of the team from Stock, Aitken and Waterman, it's a high energy pop number but the problem is here that the song lacks coherent melody and quite often it feels like Kylie has to battle to be heard over all the instrumental elements clashing together, it feels like two songs meshed into one combine that with the lyrics about Kylie calling out a douchebag and I'm feeling not feeling this. It could have been better.

25. "Love How You Love Me" by Teen Queens

Another Teen Queens cover song this time, this is a cover of a 1961 Paris Sisters song and really want is there to say about this? It's not quite as bad as their cover of "Be My Baby" but the flat cooing vocals that show no passion, if you truly love how this dude is loving you then show some fucking passion in your vocal delivery instead of sounding like a giggling teenage girl who has just seen her first penis in the sealed section of some by gone magazine and then there's that production that isn't even vaguely close to being sexy...Yeah it might not be as bad as past efforts but it still sucks.

And that was our week and wow there's not a lot to choose from for the best...maybe "Ain't No Doubt" by Jimmy Nail.

As for the worst...that's going to "Neighbor" by Ugly Kid Joe but any one of about three songs could have gotten it...Kylie was pretty dang close. 

ARIA Singles Top 50 Top Ten/ Chart Review: 27th September. Obsessed With avoiding Fancy Like in my Wildest Dreams

 So this week felt less than I expected, I expected a Little Nas X album which we didn't get but a weird mish mash of new entries including from Lil Nas X but a re recording and one of the worst songs of the year in any genre but we'll get to that because we do need to discuss our top ten where for an 11th week, "Stay" by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber holds firm at number one, it's still incredibly strong on streaming and it doesn't appear that anything is getting near it right now...depending on numbers for that new Coldplay/BTS collab.

It held on ahead of "Bad Habits' by Ed Sheeran which remains at number two while "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa stuck at number three, both have sales but their streaming is just not competitive with "Stay" right now.

Then we get to one of the stories of the week, the impact of Lil Nas X's album with "Industry Baby" feat. Jack Harlow up two places to number four thanks to an upsurge in streaming brought about by the release of the album, it's a matter of whether that streaming surge will last but it did push 'Heat Waves" by Glass Animals back to number five and "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran back to number six. 

There's a new entry at number seven, it comes from Lil Nas X with his latest single "That's What I Want" thanks to consistently solid streaming during the week but that streaming is nothing over the top right now.

Olivia Rodrigo's "Good 4 U" holds steady at number eight. 

Biggest gainer of the week does belong to Lil Nas X as "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" surged back up ten places to number nine.

Finally "Beggin'" by Maneskin also held steady at number ten.

Gains

So I already mentioned "Montero (Call me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X up ten to number nine this week thanks to the album release however the other big gain this week was for "Meet Me at Our Spot" by The Anxiety" up ten spots to 17 but that was it for the big gainers this week.

Losers

Unfortunately with the focus being on "Shivers" now, "Visiting Hours" by Ed Sheeran slipped eight places to number 32 this week, I expect this song to exit in the weeks ahead sadly.

Then there were the Drake cuts that continued to lose ground with "Knife Talk" feat. 21 Savage and Project Pat down eight to 26 and "Girls Want Girls" feat. Lil Baby down six to 13

Then  there's "Hurricane" by Kanye West feat. Lil Baby and The Weekend down ten to 22. 

Drop Outs

Five drop outs this week with there being one big one in "One Too Many" by Keith Urban and Pink making what will hopefully be its final exit...just a shame the song is probably locked on the year end list.

Unfortunately we did lose "Family Ties" by Baby Keem feat. Kendrick Lamar and "Higher" by Bella Taylor Smith...when you see the new entries you'll understand why these exits are unfortunate.

The others are from album bombs with "Champagne Poetry" leaving for Drake while "Off the Grid" feat. Playboi Carti and Fivio Foreign left for Kanye West

New Entries

Five new entries this week and we're starting in a rather gross and disgusting manner with...

50. "Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes 

I don't even know where to start with this or who to apportion blame to for this atrocity of a song being a thing in the first place or the fact it's in the ARIA singles top 50 this week to begin with but I'm not shocked by it, its hardly a surprise though and I'll explain why in a moment but first I'd better explain who Walker Hayes is, Hayes is basically a Nashville country by product churning out awful bro country slurry for the masses, he first charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the awful "You Broke Up With Me" in 2017 and is now having his biggest ever hit with "Fancy Like" hitting number five on the Hot 100 because the song became a viral hit thanks to TikTok and was used by a US restaurant chain that's mentioned in the damn song. 

This song has guitars with no tone, limp percussion and Walker Hayes faux rapping his way through a song and managing to sound even worse than his fucking predecessor Sam Hunt on "Drinking Too Much" and not managing to justify why he sounds so unbearably smug as he raps completely cringeworthy lyrics about his apparently low maintenance girlfriend wanting to dip him like the fries her frosty at Wendys (I'm fairly certain you can be arrested for having sex in public) but every now and then he has to treat her to an upgrade by taking her to Applebees...not a decent restauarant...just another fast food chain that's considered marginally more fucking snooty than Wendys and also features some of the most embarrassing product name dropping in years that makes me think that Walker Hayes is getting paid fucking endorsements for trash like this. 

So where does the blame lie for shit like this? With Sam Hunt's "Body Like a back Road" in 2017 becoming a hit? With people on iTunes buying "Fancy Like" which is how and why the song ended up in the top 50 this week? With the culture in Nashville that enables country music to continue to suffer embarrassments like this? We could have had KACEY MUSGRAVES or even Casey Barnes on the chart instead. Ugh.

It's the worst song to hit the ARIA singles chart since I started this blog. Fuck this song and fuck everything and everyone who enabled shit lie this song to chart.

41. "Obsessed With You" by Central Cee

Now to calm down and talk about British rapper Central Cee who has been chalking up an impressive number of hits in the UK with this being the first song of his to hit the Australian singles chart and well I like his delivery, he can keep a good flow and spit his bars out but those programmed female vocals really annoy the hell out of me, why are they so tinny and programmed on the hook. Central Cee also kind of paints himself as a bit of a stalker here, the lyrics point toward him being more than just obsessed with whatever it is his ex is doing and it kind of gives the song a weird vibe. It's better than "Fancy Like" but yeah I ain't coming back to this.

28. "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift

So this was a surprise release from Taylor Swift especially as she's preparing for the release of the "Red" re recording later this year so nobody was expecting her to release the re recording of a single from "1989" and honestly I was never a fan of the original song however I actually think the re record is much better, Taylor sounds less weirdly weedy on the chorus and overall the song feels lot more organic in the production with that orchestra picking up in the background. Yeah...I'll absolutely take this...nice job, Taylor...wonder if she can make "Shake It Off" somehow tolerable.

23. "love nwantiti (ah ah ah) by CKay feat. Joeboy and Kuami

Another newcomer to the chart with a remixed version of a 2019 song and quite frankly I wasn't expecting this to chart this week but none the less, CKay (real name Chukwuka Ekweani) is a Nigerian singer who has a flair for combining afrobeats, pop and psychedelia in his songs with this being the first to hit the ARIA singles chart and I will say it's a pretty sweet love song where CKay has found somebody he connects with and has fallen in love with and how she makes him feel when she is around him. It's a pretty intense love song if I am to be honest and yeah the Afrobeat elements shine here alongside that guitar. Yeah, I don't mind this...check it out if you are curious especially as its quite unusual to have a song from an African artist on the chart but it's great to see.

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

So I've heard the new album from Lil Nas X and this song is actually one of my immediate favourites from the album with that bright guitar line, it's ridiculously catchy chorus and Lil Nas X's infectious personality bursting through every pore of this song as he goes through what he wants which is to find love with another man something that is often a struggle for a gay black man as being accepted by the black community for being homosexual is still a struggle and finding that acceptance and love is something Lil Nas X is still confronting to this day, he just wants somebody to love him. It's a song that shows how vulnerable Lil Nas X is despite the bright and rather bombastic production. Yeah, I love it...great song!

So that wraps up the week and yeah as it turns out the worst of the week is easy this week, it goes to "Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes because the song is just an absolute turd.

As for the best of the week is a little tougher because there are a two or three options here, I am going to give it to "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X only because I've been going back to that song this week.

Next week is probably going to be a slow down week but I am expecting that Coldplay/BTS collab to debut high so we'll have to find out when the chart updates on Friday at 5pm. 

Good 1992 Vibrations. 20th September. Success Without You has Lead Me to White Men Digging in the Dirt

So here we go with another wild week with a ridiculous number of new entries this week all of them in the lower half of the chart as the top half of our top ten stalled...seriously nothing there changed so let's get to our top ten because for yet another week, it's "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman at number one but those margins are closing and it's going to be an open question of it can retain number one ahead of the strengthening competition behind it.


"Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown looks the most likely to take number one should "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life)" falter any further as it retained number two. "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap couldn't rein in the margin to the songs ahead of it hence remaining at number three while it was the same case for both '"Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane and "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S at number three.


Rising three places to number six is 'Sesame's Treet" by Smart Es up three places to number six...not a good sign that this is heading toward the top five...


Then there's the return to the top ten for "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses which rebounded from 41 to number seven...not sure what sparked this but pretty rare a song has that kind of rise after returning to the chart none the less it forced back "Everything's Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens back one to number eight and "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot to number nine.


Arriving in the top ten this week is "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus up seven to number ten. Looks like this is going to be a thing, folks. Joy.





Gains


So I already spoke about the big gains for "November Rain" and "Achy Breaky Heart" but there were some pretty significant gains outside the top ten this week especially for "Best Things in Life are free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson breaking into the top 20 up from 23 to 17...this will rise further in the weeks ahead.


Then there's also the big gain for Company of Strangers song "Motor City (I Get Lost)" which jumped from it's debut of 48 to 27 this week which is really rather impressive, I am still kind of cold on the song sadly.


What I am not cold on is the excellent gain for "The Day You Went Away' by Wendy Matthews which climbed from 43 to 29...I still stand by this song being excellent however it dragged the not so excellent "Proove" by Radio Freedom up from 42 to 30 this week.


"Just Another Day" by Jon Secada saw a boost up from 47 to 33 while "Breaking the Girl" by Red Hot Chili Peppers climbed from 45 to 39.


Losers


We have a long list of losers this week as well so let's begin where we usually do because "Candyman" by Ratcat lost all it's gains as the candy went sour down from 38 to 50 while "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" by TLC slumped down from 35 to 47.


"Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams collapsed from 28 to 45 as it's best days on the look well and truly behind it. "Abba esque" by Erasure fell ten places to 44. Michael Jackson is in a sticky situation as "Jam" got stuck in reverse down from 32 to 43.


God also gave "God Gave Rock n Roll to You Part II" by Kiss a nine place fall to 42 while "Baby Don't Cry" by INXS cried it's way down eleven to 41.

Former chart topper "Hazard" by Richard Marx hit a hazard as it plummeted down from 25 to 34 while "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price tumbled seven to 28 as Girlfriend skidded down ten places to 26 with "Girl's Life"


"Too Funky" by George Michael slipped from 15 to 21 while "As Ugly as They Wanna Be" by Ugly Kid Joe finally took a well deserved five place hit to number 11...thank fucking god.




New Entries


Eight new entries this week, beginning with...



49. “Don’t You Want Me” by Felix

No, we don’t need a cover of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me”, 1992 has had enough bad covers to last for the rest of the year….okay…it’s not …thank goodness… it’s actually from a British DJ and producer Francis Wright otherwise known as his pseudonym Felix with “Don’t You Want Me” sampling Jomanda’s “Don’t You Want My Love” and is the latest techno/Eurodance dance song to hit the chart but all that aside, how is the song’s quality?

Well as it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised, the song isn’t the ear blasting sack of audio torture that previous hits in this subgenre have been this year, the groove feels more melodic and even if the lyrics do feel like they are being belted into the ground, it’s the same sentence over and over again but the song really pretty short and not all that bad…worth checking out if you are curious.



48. “Without You” by Girlfriend

So after two really rather perky and bright pop songs, Girlfriend have flipped the switch and gone with a piano ballad where Robyn Loau takes lead vocals on the verses and the group singing the chorus together. It’s your pretty standard pop piano ballad about how they’d be lost without their significant other and how heartbroken they’d be but the harmonies are probably the most on point they have been since they debuted and Robyn taking the lead vocal here is a good fit. I kind of like it, check it out if you are curious



46. “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” by Def Leppard

A new single from Def Leppard’s latest album and wow…I can’t be the only one who isn’t impressed at all, this song is trying to be all desperate and begging for somebody to keep them company and let the vocals sound relaxed and well honestly kind of horny and the production is pretty limp to, there’s no portraying of any urgency or desperation in their plight to not be alone, it feels like a rather desperate attempt to keep bad 80s hair metal alive well into the 1990s. I’m skipping this.





40. “Who Is It” by Michael Jackson

Kind of surprised we got a new single so soon from Michael Jackson especially so late in from his album “Dangerous’ and honestly I am kind of digging this even if Michael sounds odd vocally here like he is lacking the usual fire in his delivery but might make sense given the lyrics? The song plays to a man’s despair over his partner leaving him, he then learns she cheated on him and as result wants to know she was playing around with behind his back…the song doesn’t answer those questions and the production makes the song haunting because you just know the questions over who she cheated with and why she cheated on him in the first place will haunt this man. Yeah, this is pretty good.



38. “Lead Me to Water” by Southern Sons

Lead single from Southern Sons second album called “Nothing But the Truth” and honestly this is nothing special, he wants this girl to lead him to water which I am guessing is a metaphor for love or something. At least the guitar sounds pretty great on the middle eight but otherwise this is pretty disappointing and it kind of reminds me of a bad John Farnham B side.



37. “Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home” by Sinead O’Connor

What is with the song titles this week? Well none the less, here’s Sinead O’Connor with a cover of a song that was originally recorded and released as a single in 1962 and eventually became a hit for Lynn in the US country scene going on to peak at number six on the Billboard Hot Country songs chart. O’Connor has made the cover the lead off single for her third album “Am I Not Your Girl?” so how is this cover?

Honestly it only made me want to go back and hear Loretta Lynn’s version because my god why is Sinead O’Connor singing so bloody soft over orchestral arrangement, at least with the original I understood what Lynn is singing about but with the cover, I had to literally strain to understand what O’Connor is singing here especially as the song is reflecting on how success outside of the home is making life at home an absolute failure. I’m passing on this one but go back and hear the Loretta Lynn original…really good.



36. “White Men Can’t Jump” by Riff

Alright so here we have a song for a comedy film of the same name as the song from R’n’B group Riff and honestly, I’m fairly indifferent to this, it’s got a solid and pretty memorable groove and the production really is what makes the song work here but again it’s the vocals, the vocal delivery here is pretty darn forgettable until the rap verse kicks in, you can almost listen to the music and forget that any lyrics come attached with the song! I don’t hate this but I certainly don’t love it either.



35. “Digging in the Dirt” by Peter Gabriel

So not going to lie here, I don’t mind Peter Gabriel’s music, the guy has a solid knack for some solid hooks and memorable melodies so with “Digging in the Dirt’ being the lead single for his sixth album called “Us” I was curious to see what Gabriel would come up with and well…this is a pretty interesting art rock track where Gabriel explores his darker instincts and emotions, finding out what makes a person act the way they do and peeling back the layers within yourself, it’s a definitely a fascinating song that’s kind of grounded in a guitar that could have probably afforded to be more distorted but hey it’s not bad.

However, it’s only getting the honourable mention this week because best goes to “Who Is It” by Michael Jackson…I just love the production a little more on “Who Is It”

As for the worst? Ughh, I am giving to Southern Sons for “Lead Me to Water’…that song just didn’t do anything for me. Sinead O’Connor nets dishonourable mention for the cover of ‘Success has Made a Failure of Our Home” because its got absolutely nothing on the original which is a great song.

ARIA Singles Top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review. 20th September. Its not A OK so Meet Me At Our Spot with your Family Ties

 Ahh after two straight weeks of album bombs...we get a relative cool down week where most of the Drake nonsense left and A LOT flooded in to replace it. I'm glad for this cool down week before Lil Nas X rides in to bomb the chart next week.

Anyway let's dive straight into the top ten where of course there was no change at the top with "Stay" by The Kid Laroi at number one for a tenth week, its still got strong margins on streaming but there could be a challenger afoot.

That challenge won't come from "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran which rebounded two places to number four this week. sales will help it keep its place on the chart but rise no further.

The same goes for "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa which does have some streaming strength and is a pretty dominant force on streaming, it might make a play for number one should "Stay" falter.

Rebounding six places to number four is "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals because it's got traction on streaming again...just lovely...not.

Then we have a new entry at number five and this one kind of surprised me, it's Ed Sheeran's second song in the top five this week, "Shivers"...now I will talk about the song's quality later but it's here on decent sales and rising streaming. 

Then there's "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow which climbed five places to number six. I expect this song to make a play for number one when we get that "Montero" album bomb next week. 

Drake's "Girls Want Girls" feat Lil Baby plummets five places to number seven...this is not going to hang around hopefully.

"Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo' rebounded seven places to number eight, this song is fading slowly on both sales and streaming, its about ready to leave.

Down six to number nine is "Fair Trade' by Drake feat. Travis Scott because like "Girls Want Girls", hype behind "Ceritified Lover Boy" faded.

Finally also leaping seven places on the rebound is 'Beggin" by Maneskin to number ten. 

Gains

Mostly everything that's not Drake or Kanye gained this week so we'll start with "Happier than Ever"
 by Billie Eilish up nine spots to 11 while "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat SZA rebounds 7 to 14 while "Need to Know" also by Doja Cat jumped seven to 15 and "Woman" jumped thirteen to reach a new peak of 17 (I just wish the song was better). 

"Levitating" by Dua Lipa leaped nine places to 16. "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X got a whopping thirteen place rebound to 19 (Look for this to return to the top ten next week). 

"Dreams" by Jolyon Petch returned to the top twenty up fourteen to 20 while "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd climbed sixteen places to 21 and '2055" by Sleepy Hallow up thirteen to 22. "Without You" by The Kid Laroi climbed 19 places to 23. 

"Visiting Hours" by Ed Sheeran recovered seven places to 24. Clinton Kane's "I Guess I'm in Love" climbed seventeen places to to hit a new peak of 25 while 'Missing Piece" by Vance Joy rebounded nineteen places to 26. 

"Little Bit of Love" by Tom Grennan got some love to leap seventeen places to 32 while "Take My Breath" by The Weeknd jumped fourteen to 33. "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo rebounded thirteen places to 37 while "Drivers License" also by Olivia Rodrigo climbed seven places to 41.

Re Entries

It's an insane week for re entries, there's about thirteen of them. "Mood" by 24kGoldn feat. Iann Dior is back at number 50, "I Wanna Be Your Slave" by Maneskin returns at 48. "The Business" by Tiesto gets a second life on the chart at 46.

Unfortunately "One too Many" by Keith Urban and Pink came back at 45. "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd rebounds back into the top 50 at number 43 while a Tik Tok meme saw the return of Sam Smith's 2014 single "Like I Can" at number 42.

Shouse's "Love Tonight" came back at number 40 while "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac glides back in at 39 and "Friday" by Riton and Nightcrawlers feat. Mufasa and Hyperman in at 38

Then there's "Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf" returns at 36 while "Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon back at 35.

"Leave Before You Love Me" back at 34 for Marshmello and the Jonas Brothers while finally "Get into it (Yuh)" by Doja Cat is back at 30. 

Losers

All of the losers are from either the Kanye or Drake album bombs so let's begin with the Kanye songs still on the chart: "Moon" down six to 49, "Off the Grid" feat. Fivio Foreign and Playboi Carti down 21 to 47 and "Hurricane" feat. Lil Baby and The Weeknd down three to 12.

Now for the Drake songs that fell but didn't fall off the chart: I already mentioned the losses for both "Girls Want Girls" and "Fair Trade" but "Way 2 Sexy" feat. Future and Young Thug fell six to 13, "Knife Talk" feat. 21 Savage and Project Pat down five to 18 and Champagne Poetry fell 23 places to 29.

Drop Outs 

No real notable drop outs here with the rest of  Drake's album bomb not already mentioned in the losers or top ten leaving but apart from that both ABBA's songs 'I Still Have Faith in You" and "Don't Shut Me Down" unfortunately also exited along with "Jail" by Kanye West feat. Jay Z.

New Entries

Five new entries this week, let's start with ..

44. "Family Ties' by Baby Keem feat. Kendrick Lamar

So of the new entries this week, two of these have already broken through on the US Hot 100 with this song being he better of the two with brassy production before Baby Keem's opening verse where he raps about Kendrick Lamar (his cousin) partnered with him, previously having worked with Kendrick's label TDE but didn't garner success until the pretty awful "Orange Soda' broke through in the USA in 2020.

Then Kendrick comes in and completely dominates in a completely braggadocious manner as only he can do where he insists on people no addressing unless it's with the acronym G.O.A.T and then gives an update on where he has been because it's pretty well documented that Kendrick has been incredibly quiet during the BLM protests last year, he even references Kanye's born again Christianity while nothing has changed for him. Kendrick just makes this song work because let's be real, Kendrick is who people are listening to this song for.

31. "Higher" by Bella Taylor Smith.

So full confession, I have not paid a shred of attention to The Voice Australia...the show hasn't really created any stars unlike what Australian Idol did for the first couple of seasons so imagine my surprise when going through the chart this week when the winner of the contest showed up on the singles chart this week. Bella Taylor Smith hails from Sydney and won the contest following her rather impressive performance of Andrea Boccelli's "The Prayer" so how is her debut single?

It's fine. Look, it's your standard let's climb every mountain together ballad that's been released time and again from reality TV shows but Bella's voice really does shine through here...the production works just enough to make space for her. in the mix and it's got enough swell to kind of work even if the lyrics are your standard cliches. Yeah you know...it's not bad...check this out.

28. "A OK" by Tai Verdes

So here's the other song only less good that hit the Hot 100 recently coming from American newcomer Tai Verdes who got big on TikTok somehow thanks to a song called "Stuck in the Middle" but "A OK" is the song that broke him on the charts and dear god, this song is AWFUL, for one thing the guitar and the overtly polished smarmy attitude from Verdes because he has a fucking acoustic guitar in his arms that makes me understand why the genre of guys with acoustic guitars has a pretty terrible reputation and then there's the lyrics that fall somewhere between Jason Mraz levels of gross and AJR being repulsively twee eg: "Hey little lady, I know your feeling crazy (woo!) All your other friends making babies (ew)" and inserting a lame cheerleader rhyme into the verse. Throw the smug overtly cheery delivery on the chorus and this song sinks to being worse than its older version from last year... "Sunday Best" by Surfaces, in other words if this becomes a hit, it's a definite contender for my worst list...NEXT!

27. "Meet Me at Our Spot" by The Anxiety

So Willow Smith has formed a new duo with her boyfriend Tyler Cole who also happens to be a musician called "The Anxiety with this being the first song from their debut album to hit the ARIA singles chart and look, I actually think there's a bit to like here...the drum groove is solid and Willow fits this song perfectly about meeting somebody for ice cream etc but Tyler wasn't the best choice to open the song, he sounds grating as hell here. Overall, I don't mind it but it could have been better. Just saying.

5. "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran.

What the fuck is Ed Sheeran's label doing? They've got "Visiting Hours" a truly excellent song that deserves to be a hit yet they decide to drop "Bad Habits" part 2 because this sounds so similar to "Bad Habits" its not funny and feels less like a song that Ed Sheeran is comfortable in but one that his label wanted him to make. rather than the heartfelt material Sheeran is good at making, there's something so cold and calculated about this song where its forcing Ed to do his own impression of The Weeknd's synthwave synthpop flourishes yet it just doesn't work here. Sorry but I just am not digging this.

That's the end of the week and the worst of the week fell out easily with that going to "A OK" by Tai Verdes...the first song this year to really completely piss me off. 

As for the best of the week...well that's harder but I'm going to give it to "Higher" by Bella Taylor Smith...I just kind of like it a little more than "Family Ties"

Next week...Lil Nas X album bomb so brace for that when the chart updates on Friday at 5pm

Good 1992 Vibrations. 13th September. Proove Love is The Strangest Thing the Day You Went Away

So this week turned out to be reasonably normal thank goodness, standard amount of new entries with most of them being Australian which is interesting but anyway before all that let's deal with the top ten which is considerably less interesting because for yet another week "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman maintains the number one but those margins are starting to close even further and could open the way for "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown, which stayed at number two, to potentially take the number one spot soon...it's getting tighter.

That leave Snap's "Rhythm is a Dancer" an interested bystander at number three again this week, it could make hay if "Humpin' Around" suddenly falters in it's chase for number one.

There's a new arrival in the top five with "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane up three places to number four because of all we have to let tepid pop/rock get high...sigh.

At least it pushed "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S down one place to number five...the sooner this is gone the better, the same goes for 'As Ugly as They Wanna Be" down one spot to number six for Ugly Kid Joe.

Unfortunately it also meant "Everything Is Alright" by John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens slipped one to number seven while 'Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot remained steady at number eight,

Rising from 13 to number nine this week is unfortunately "Sesame's Treet" by Smart E's which is NOT a good thing...

Finally, on it's way out is Mariah Carey's cover of "I'll Be There" which is down one to number ten. 

Gains

In promising signs, Rosette's "How Do You Do" rose six places to 14 while "The Best Things in Life Are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson climbed from 39 to 23. I still like both songs.

In a continuation of it's weird chart run, "It's Probably Me" by Sting with Eric Clapton jumped 14 places to 26 this week. while "Love is in the Air" by John Paul Young climbed from 32 to 27. 

Weirdly "Baby Don't Cry" by INXS is up five to 30 and "All I Want Is You" by Bryan Adams is unfortunately also p five to 36.

"She's Got That Vibe" by R. Kelly & Public Announcement up from 44 to 37, it's been hanging around the lower half of the chart for a couple of months now.

Surprisingly "Candyman" by Ratcat is up ten to 38, I'm fine with that...then again maybe it's because it was the best of a really awful week that I'm being nice to this song? I don't know.

Re entries

Just the one re entry with "November Rain" by Guns N Roses back at 41 which is good. I like the song...it's grown on me since it was last on the chart earlier in the year.

Losers

Alright, let's start as usual at the bottom with "Live and Learn" by Joe Public slipping five to 50 while "Warm It up" by Kriss Kross down nine to 46.

Radio Freedom's "I Can Feel It" fell nine to 39 (more on Radio Freedom in the new entries shortly). "Sexy MF" by Prince and The New Power Generation takes a slide down from 29 to 36 while "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" by TLC tumbled from 28 to 35.

Kiss plunged from 37 to 33 with "God Gave Rock n Roll to You II" while "Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams slipped from 23 to 28 and "Hazard" by Richard Marx crashed eight spots to 25,

"This Used to be my Playground" by Madonna collapsed six places to number 20,

New Entriess

Five new entries this week, let's start with...

49. “Ain’t Love the Stangest Thing” by The Black Sorrows.

Here’s the lead single from the Black Sorrow’s seventh studio album entitled “Better Times” and yeah, I’m not sure what to think about this new song, it’s fairly standard Black Sorrows with that bluesy guitar and the instrumentation giving the song a weirdly dark vibe for a song about pondering how love is the strangest thing or maybe that’s the whole point of the song where by it’s musing on the emotions that love makes you feel. Look, it’s fine for what it is but I won’t be surprised if I forget about it in a few days.

 

48. “Motor City (I Get Lost)” by Company of Strangers.

Ohh how to explain this one? Okay so Company of Strangers is an Australian supergroup comprising of Daryl Braithwaite, Simon Hussey, Jef Scott and James Reyne with this song being the lead single and well…this is an interesting because for one thing, it’s got this chugging keyboard and percussion underneath it but the vocals from James Reyne here underwhelm here and it doesn’t quite have the explosive energy it wants and kind of mishmashes styles here with the instrumental post the chorus sounding like something off Daryl Braithwaite’s album of the time but the rest, if anything, reminding me a lot of releases by U2 in 1991. This could be better. Just saying.

 

45. “Breaking the Girl” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Okay, another single from “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”, a ballad that’s more melodic than their previous singles and references the band’s frontman Anthony Kiedis then girlfriend and honestly I’m not sure about this one, it’s definitely not better than “Under the Bridge” but given the week that’s been for new releases in rock and how the song slowly becomes ever more distorted toward the end, it still works for what it is, I’ll take it…I guess.

 

43. “The Day You Went Away” by Wendy Matthews

Well…it’s Australians aplenty this week with this song being the lead single for Wendy’s sophomore album “Lily”, this song originally having been recorded by a British electronic act called Soul Family Sensation, an act Matthews shares a publisher with. The song had been written about a painful relationship breakdown and I got to say the production on Wendy’s version is considerably better, it’s strips the song back to the piano taking out some of the beyond clunky percussion, it allows the listener to focus on the words Matthews is singing as she ponders the breakdown of this relationship and the day this person is ‘leaving her behind’, yeah, this is a gorgeous ballad. Please check this out.

 

42. “Proove” by Radio Freedom

So “I Can Feel It” becoming a top ten hit genuinely surprised me…was not expecting that…so the success of that song means we now get a follow up single and yeah I don’t see this one catching on like “I Can Feel it” mostly because this doesn’t quite have the joy or energy of it’s predecessor, it’s going for this mix between dance/gospel that doesn’t quite work and I have never been wild on the singing vocals that don’t have as much charisma to carry a song like this. Honestly, I feel like the only energy being brought to the song is by the rapping so yeah I’m skipping this.

 

“Proove” by Radio Freedom is getting worst of the week mainly because I can see “Motor City (I Get Lost)” by Company of Strangers growing on me and there’s just too many elements on “Proove” don’t work, it just feels overall a disappointing follow up to a massively successful single.

 

Wendy Matthews runs away with best of the week for “The Day You Went Away” and that wasn’t even a contest.

ARIA Singles Top Ten/Chart Review. 13th September. Certified Drake Boy, Don't Shut Me Down!

Last week was the week of Kanye. This week is the week of Drake and his new album "Certified Lover Boy" slamming into the ARIA singles chart with twenty songs from the album which according to ARIA is a record...just unfortunate that "Certified Lover Boy (or if you wanting be snarky "Certified Streaming Bait") doesn't rise beyond being anything but an insult to ambient background noise apart from moments when Drake decides to faceplant into complete cringe on the album (it happened a fair bit) and given we're out of the realm of album bombs with Lil Nas X likely to get one in a couple weeks time thanks to the release of "Montero", things aren't going to settle down any time soon.

Anyway let's get to the top ten because for yet another week, it's "Stay' by The Kid Laroi feat. Justin Bieber at number one, it's still strong on streaming which is why it held onto the number one spot but those margins are narrowing and there's some signs that streaming could be done with this song.

We then get to the first signs of the Drake album bomb because debuting at number two is "Girls Like Girls" by Drake featuring Lil Baby, now this a single apparently as it's gone to radio but I have questions about how memorable the song is...we'll get to why later.

Then it's "Fair Trade" by Drake feat. Travis Scott at number three because like "Girls Want Girls" it had strong streaming but that's about it... pretty sure it charted this high because name recognition alone...

Then there's Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits" which slipped two places to number four but in stark contrast to everything that isn't Drake this week, it's pretty stable and should rebound.

It's also the case for "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa down two to number five, it's stable and will rebound next week,

Then we get to more Drake because "Champagne Poetry" lands at number six while the other song being pushed as a single "Way 2 Sexy" by Drake feat. Future and Young Thug debuting at number seven.

Concluding the depressing amount of Drake in the top ten is "Papi's Home" at number 8. 

"Hurricane" by Kanye West feat. Lil Baby and The Weeknd slipped five places to number nine (interestingly, if the Drake album bomb didn't happen, it would have remained at number four) 

Finally 'Heat Waves" by Glass Animals remains at number ten for this week.

I regret not doing this last week with the Kanye album bomb but I thought it would be interesting to go through what the top ten would look like if the Drake album bomb didn't happen:

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

9. "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish

8. "Beggin" by Maneskin

7. "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo

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

5. "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals

4. "Hurricane" by Kanye West feat. Lil Baby and The Weeknd

3. "Cold Heart (PNAU remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa

2. "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran

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

Gains

There were no gains this week.

Re Entries

"Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo returned at number 48 in the only return to the chart this week

Losers

Folks, anything that wasn't Drake took hard falls this week, let's start with the hits taken by the previous week's album from Kanye West that somehow remained on the chart with "Moon" falling 28 to 43, "Off the Grid" fell 17 places to 26 and  "Jail" got locked up down 19 spots to 24.

As for the rest of our losers, "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo fell ten to 50 while "Good 4 U" slumped seven to 15. "Little Bit of Love" by Tom Grennan tumbled 13 places to 49. "Take My Breath" by The Weeknd fell 12 to 47 while "Save Your Tears" also by The Weeknd. 

"Missing Piece" by Vance Joy plunged 17 places to 45 while "Without You" by Miley Cyrus feat. The Kid Laroi fell 12 to 44.

"I Guess I'm In Love" by Clinton Kane stumbled nine to 42 (this looks like it may have some traction going forward which is interesting). "2055" by Sleepy Hallow collapsed 10 places to 35 while "Dreams" by Jolyon Petch got hit with a 14 place fall to 34. "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X slipped nine to 32 (It and "Industry Baby" will rebund hard when Lil Nas X gives birth to his album "Montero" on 17th September) while "Visiting Hours" by Ed Sheeran stumbled 15 to 31.

"Levitating" by Dua Lipa slipped seven to 25 while "Need to Know" by Doja Cat slumped ten places to 22.while "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat SZA down seven to 21. "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish down nine to 20 while "Beggin'" by Maneskin crashed ten places to 17.

Drop Outs

So we lost a large majority of the Kanye album cuts but also leaving but will likely all be back in the next few weeks are "Leave Before You Love Me" by Marshmello feat. Jonas Brothers "I Wanna Be Your Slave" by Maneskin, "Astronaut In the Ocean" by Masked Wolf (he dropped an album yesterday so this song will definitely return), "Rumors" by Lizzo feat. Cardi B, "Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon, "Get Into It (Yuh)" by Doja Cat and "Friday" by Riton and Nightcrawlers feat. Mufasa and Hyperman.

The only non Kanye drop out that I expect won't return is "Butter" by BTS.

New Entries

Alright, you all know my album bomb rules, these are all the Drake songs that debuted this week that I won't be giving a review to: "Way 2 Sexy" feat. Future and Young Thug at number 7, "Papi's Home" at number 8, "Love All" feat. Jay Z at number 12. "Knife Talk' feat. 21 Savage and Project Talk at number 13, "In the Bible" feat. Lil Durk and Giveon at number 14, "TSU" lands at 16, "No Friends in the Industry" at 18, "N 2 Deep" feat. Future at 19,  "Pipe Down"  at 23, "7am on the Bridle Path" at 28, "Race My Mind" at 29, "IMY2" feat. Kid Cudi at 33, "Fountains" feat. Tems at 36, "Yebba's Heartbreak" feat. Yebba at 38, "You Only Live Twice" feat. Lil Wayne and Rick Ross at 40, "Get Along Better" feat. Ty Dolla $ign and finally..."Fucking Fans" at 46.

So that leaves us with just five new entries (I'll be keeping the Drake reviews brief) and mercifully we get a brief reprieve from Drake because we start off with...

39. "I Still Have Faith in You" by ABBA

I cannot lie, this is probably the best moment I've had since I created this blog, I never thought I'd have the opportunity to talk about NEW MUSIC from ABBA of all groups...its honestly really just awesome even if it sucks that neither song hit the top ten and wouldn't have hit the top ten even if "Certified Lover Boy" wasn't a thing on the chart this week, this song would have debuted around 22 or 23 but it's even more awesome that the new songs are really good too!. "I Still Have Faith In You" is pretty much a great fit to where they left off n their previous studio album with it's pianos and gospel swell. Agnetha and Frida sound absolutely incredible for their age as they reassure that friend that they will keep the faith and the production just sounds so warm and comforting here. This is really good.

27. "Don't Shut Me Down" by ABBA

So not surprisingly the more pop leaning cut of the two new ABBA songs fared a bit better and would have debuted in the top twenty if not for bloody Drake and again, I can't fault this because this just a gorgeous pop song that opens slow with the description of a scene in a park and lytics about forgiveness and not shutting each other down, its actually weird to hear a pop song that isn't completely washed out sounding and the fact the harmonies on this song from the members of ABBA put most modern acts to shame, Definitely a great song and one I hope becomes a hit. Check this out, its well worth it unlike what we're about to dig into...

6. "Champagne Poetry" by Drake

The most interesting part of this song is that awful sample of "Michelle" by The Beatles which is flattened to where Sir Paul McCartne sounds like a god damn chipmunk as Drake rambles through a series of things including his son, recent events like the Black Lives Matter protests etc, his business dealings with OVO. and his issues with the media coverage of him...yet I'm struggling to care because Drake raps about all this with the enthusiasm of somebody who needs the sound of having passion explained to him. NEXT

3. "Fair Trade" by Drake feat. Travis Scott

So I am guessing this debuted so high because of the Travis Scott feature because this track is an absolute MESS. Drake complains about fake friends and declares he is going to cut those fake friends out of his life but it seems like Travis Scott didn't get the memo because he is off talking about women. men and cars over a sample from a song by Charlotte Day Wilson. I'll be skipping this.

2. "Girls Want Girls" by Drake feat. Lil Baby

So there's only one reason why this song charted so high or will even stick around is because of one line from Drake where he says "Yeah, say that you a lesbian, girl, me too" on the hook and that really just ends any other interest in the song because of the total what the hell line from Drake. Lil Baby is really better than he needs to be on this waste of space of a song which is amplified by the dreary trap beat that doesn't do anything to help either rapper.

That ends the week, neither are a contest this week with ABBA taking best of the week for "Don't Shut Me Down". As for the worst "Fair Trade" by Drake feat. Travis Scott takes the worst of the week.

Next week? Hopefully most of the Drake disappears. Likely new Ed Sheeran and possibly Troye Sivan but we'll see when the chart updates on Friday