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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gains

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

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

Re Entries

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

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

Losers

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

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

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

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

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

Drop Outs

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

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

New Entries

Five new entries this week, beginning with...

36. "Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga

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

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

31. "The Heart Part 5" by Kendrick Lamar

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

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

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

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

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

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

13. "Dua Lipa" by Jack Harlow

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

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

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

Lookin' Fine '89. 14th May. This Is Your Bedroom Eyes Look

 Well then...we've got a pretty interesting week to wade through including some rises that are getting disturbing to say the least and some promise in the new entries but first let's talk about the big news in our top ten which is after sitting back and watching the battle raging ahead of it, "The Living Years" by Mike + the Mechanics reached number one thanks to a massive sales surge, it absolutely roared past "Like a Prayer" by Madonna which got pushed back to number two and is starting to look like it's weakening but we'll have to see.

What is most definitely weakening is "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals which remained at number three but it's done as a contender for number one.

Unfortunately that can only mean that "Stop" by Sam Brown can probably continue its rise as it climbed one place to number four this week while the even worse "Ring My Bell" by Collette also jumped one to number five because Australia is fucking confused right now or think it sounds like Anita Ward's version...ugh.

However in much better news, "Stuck on You" by Paul Norton got a two place gain to number six however I think that may have been helped by the three place collapse to number seven by "I'm on My Way" by The Proclaimers. 

Then much to no one's surprise is the new arrival to the top ten of "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles up four places to number eight. Happy to see it here!.

Hell, it pushed back the increasingly frustrating ballad "Lost In Your Eyes" by Debbie Gibson back two places to number nine while "Chained to the Wheel" by The Black Sorrows fell back one place to number 10 but I am just happy the latter made the top ten at all.

Gains

The hot streak of 1927 singles doing well continues with "Compulsory Hero" up six to twenty.. 

Also rising unfortunately like the malodorous fart that hasn't quite unleashed it's full stench yet is "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler which climbed from 22 to 17. 

Meanwhile breaking into the top ten is "Young Years" by Dragon up three places to 18 and Samantha Fox's awful cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You" leapt six places to 20.

Rising 12 places to 21 is "Hurricane" by James Freud, kind of surprised by this one if I can be honest.

"Fire Woman" by The Cult jumepd seven places to 24 while rising twenty places to 26 is "When Love Comes to Town" by Us with B.B. King. "How'm I Gonna Sleep" by Tim Finn rose nine places to 27 and "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul got a straight boost from 39 to 31.

Finally "Celebrate The World" by Womack & Womack  had a nice ten place gain to 39/

Re Entries

Just the one re entry with "So Good" by Wa Wa Nee back at 49. 

Losers

"Like the Way I do" by Melissa Etheridge is on the way out having dropped six places to 50 while "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown also slipped six places to 46. 

Poision are finding out their song "Your Mama Don't Dance" is dancing it's way out of the chart and it tangoed down twelve places to 44 while "You'll Never Know" by 1927 slumped from 37 to 43.

Unfortunately "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry limped down seven places to 41 while former top five hit "You Got It" by Roy Orbison tumbled nine places to 38 and "End of the Line" by Traveling Wilburys is heading for Destination Chart Exit as it slipped eight places to 33.

The same could said for "Too Many Broken Hearts" by Jason Donovan which took a fourteen place hit to 30 while "Tuckler's Daughter" by Ian Moss crumbled eleven places to 27.

New Entries

47. "This Is Your Land" by Simple Minds

Kind of surprised to see a new single from Simple Minds weven with "Belfast Child" still doing reasonably well on the charts and unfortunately this really doesn't do much for me at all. Yeah, the twang of the guitar is pretty but I feel like the song is missing a cohesive melody at some points and it really does put the structure of the song out of complete whack to the point, it's confusing to listen to. I am skipping this. 

45. "The Look" by Roxette

Okay so next up a Swedish pop duo with their fourth single from thier second studio album "Look Sharp!" and look, what to do want me to say? This song positively drips with appeal! Its outrageously catchy and an extreme amount of fun...it's almost so infectious it should probably be illegal with that hook allowing call and response. This is a great song, check this out!

40. "Leave Me Alone" by Michael Jackson

Latest single from 1987 album "Bad" and features Michael Jackson taking potshots at tabloid rumours about him over a pretty jaunty piano and weird sound effects which I will admit that I am not a huge fan of but it does allow Jackson to plead with the tabloids to leave him alone and to stop making up stuff about him.even if I think the way 'leave me alone' is sung on the hook can be thought of as a little whiny but overall it is a decent Michael Jackson song just not one of his best.

37. "Iko Iko" by  The Belle Stars

Okay so The Belle Stars are a British all girl group and for some ungodly reason we've got their cover of an already much covered song that was originally recorded by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford and Cane Cutters however it failed to chart. It wasn't until jam band the Dixie Cups recorded the song that it became a hit and now we've got this cover from the Belle Stars complete with clanking atonal percussion that makes the song sound like a prolapsed anus, hell the vocals aren't even mixed correctly here. This is flat garbage...next!

25. "Bedroom Eyes" by Kate Ceberano

It's always nice to end a week on an Australian note, this week being the lead single from Kate's third solo album "Brave" and yeah, this is a pretty damn cute song about a woman who despite telling herself that the relationship is over, she's still in love with this guy because of those 'bedroom eyes' he makes and leaves her wanting him. The song has a neat piano line too. Worth checking out.

However it's not the best of the week because that is going to "The Look" by Roxette. Worst of the week in a pretty good week generally is going to "Iko Iko" by The Belle Stars. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gains

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

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

Losers

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

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

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

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

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

Drop Outs

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

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

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

New Entries

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

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

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

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

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

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

35. "In The Stars" by Benson Boone

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

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

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

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

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

12. "About Damn Time" by Lizzo

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

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

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

Lookin' Fine 89. May 7th. The Love Generation When Jack Comes To Town

 We finally got a bit of stability right at the top of the chart this week even if the rest iof the chart feels about as stable as smebody's stomach while sick with the noro virus but anyway let's not waste any time and get started with the top ten because Madonna hangs on to number one with "Like a Prayer", it's got a decent sized sales margin ahead of our new number two that being "The Living Years" by Mike + The Mechanics as it got a sales boost of it's own enough to oush "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals back to number three.

"I'm On My Way" by The Proclaimers remains at number four, "Stop!" by Sam Brown stuck at number five and "Ring My Bell" by Collette at number six.

Debbie Gibson got a one place gain for her ballad "Lost In Your Eyes" to number seven while breaking into the top ten is Paul Norton's "Stuck On You" which rose from 11 to 8 and further entrenching itself in the top ten is "Chained to the Wheel" by The Black Sorrows as it climbed one to number nine.

Finally falling back one is "One Summer" by Daryl Braithwaite to number ten.

Gains

So "Cry in Shame" by Johnny Diesel & The Injectors has absolutely taken off this week as ut flew from 39 to 14! 

Tone Loc also had a top twenty break through as the good "Wild Thing" climbed from 22 to 15 and the awful  "Wild Thing" by Sam Kinison climbed from 25 to 19

In good news "Compulsory Hero" by 1927 jumped from 34 to 20 while "Young Years" by Dragon but I have no idea why anyone wants the song where cats in heat are being strangled with "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler up from 38 to 22...come on, we can do better.

In more bad news Samantha Fox's cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You" is up from 32 to 26.

James Freud got a ten place gain to 33 with "Hurricane" while "Real Gone Kid" by Deacon Blue is up seven places to 41. 

Re Entries

One re entry courtesy of Johnny Diesel & The Injectors with "Don't Need Love" back at  47

Losers

Former chart topper "Teardrops" by Womack & Womack is on the way out down 12 to 48 while "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul slipped nine places to 39.

1927's previous single "You'll Never Know" utterly collapsed from 21 to 37  while in pleasing news "Where Did I Go Wrong" by UB40 slipped from 29 to 35...good.

Disappointingly "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry slipped from 27 to 34 and "Your Mama Don't Dance"by Poison slipped from 26 to 32. 

Roy Orbison's "She's a Mystery to Me" slumped from 17 to 23 and "You Got it" is on the way out as it tumbled ten places to 29 while the same goes for "Soul Revival" by Johnny Diesel & The Injectors down ten to 28. 

New Entries

Three new entries this week, beginning with

50. "The Beat(en) Generation" by The The

We're starting off with British post punk courtesy of The The.with this song being the lead single from the band's third album entitled "Mind Bomb" and while this song does have an oddly lounge feel for post punk, the lyrics are no less angry as they urge people to open their eyes and see what is happening, start questioning politicians motives etc (keeping in mind that in 1989, Britain was in the final throes of the Margaret Thatcher era and the Brits had gone through some really dark times during her tenure as Prime Minister) and challenging the youth to stop believing what they see as half truths and how hatred has been sown into the hearts of a lot of Brits during that time. Not going to say it's a bad song but it's not one that I am going to remember much. 

46. "When Love Comes to Town" by U2 with B.B. King

This is a collaboration I wasn't expecting to be released as a single, Irish rock act U2 collaborating with American blues singer songwriter, guitarist and record producer B.B. King taken from U2's 1988 album "Rattle and Hum" and you know I think this song has the energy and passion that I was missing from that The The song. Bobo and B.B. King throw themselves vocally into this song that it does get impossible not to get carried away with it, it's pretty much a story about how two guys did some really awful things before the loves of their lives come along to turn them into well behaved and well heeled gentlemen. I loved this more than I expected...check this out. 

43. "I'd Rather Jack" by The Reynolds Girls

And we're ending this week with Liverpool sisters Linda and Aisling Reynolds with their breakthrough single "I'd Rather Jack" and as I suspected it's written by two of the members of Stock, Aitken and Waterman because wow it sounds like their formula just a shame the synths here are just completely annoying while the Reynolds sisters have good harmonies, there's not much by the way of interplay between the two. Really, this song is only here because of that hook and that hook alone but otherwise I see no use for this.

It's the worst of this week easily. Best of the week is also easy with that going to "When Love Comes to Town" by U2 with B.B. King

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gains

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

Re=Emtries

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

Losers

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

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

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

Drop Outs

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

New Entries

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

4/. "Thousand Miles" by The Kid Laroi

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

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

Lookin' Fine '89. 30th April Compulsory Hero Only Wanna Sleep in Shame

 Ahh...the battle for number one rages on as the rest of the chart watches in bewilderment, we've got a fair bit to discuss this week so let's get on with the top ten because re taking the top spot is "Like A Prayer" by Madonna, the question is whether or not it can get a decent margin on sales and keep the number one spot next week.

Right behind it is "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals down to number two but it's still holding it's ground and could return to number one again next week such is the competition. 

Remaining an interested spectator is "The Living years" by Mike + The Mechanics stuck at number three, it's just biding it's time now and could make a play for number one soon. Not sure if that;s the case for "I'm On My Way" by The Proclaimers which remains at number four, I feel like this has peaked somehow but we'll see.

But it also means "Stop" by Sam Brown is now a threat to move higher as it rose one place to number five and I am really not that mad about this song's climb this week only because rising six places to number six is the atrocious "Ring My Bell" by Collette....geezus, Australia.

All this meant "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers slumped two places to number seven as it fadess out naturally which could be good news for "Lost In Your Eyes" by Debbie Gibson which moved up two places to number eight. 

One Summer" by Daryl Braithwaite fell back one to number nine while in news that made me smile, "Chained To The Wheel" by The Black Sorrows rose place to join the top ten and I am so happy to see it here.

Gains

The Bangles "Eternal Flame" continues to burn up the charts this week up six to number 12...this is heading for the top ten, guys.

What is interesting is the gains in the twenties especially for "Twist In My Sobriety" by Tanita Tikaram which rose seven places to 23...honestly while I am still not a fan, I find it a interesting song and "Young Years" by Dragon rising off it's debut of 39 to 24 this week which is excllent.

Also excllent is the nine place gain for "Veronica" by Elvis Costello to 28...another pretty good song getting a decent gain is nice to see. Heck, I'll also take the twenty place gain to 30 for Paula Abdul's "Straight Up"/

Not sure how I feel about "Fire Woman" going up seven to 31 for The Cult though.

Gains

Looks we're tossing some junk...or at least the junk is on the way out, a nice example of that is Will to Power's "Baby I Love Your Way - Free Bird" which got dumped ten places to 50...good, it also took "Kiss" by Art Of Noise feat Tom Jones which plummeted from 28 to 49.

I am disappointed "Real Gone Kid" by Deacon Blue never really caught on as it slipped from 32 to 48 while "If I Could" by 1927 slimped from 31 to 45.

"What I Am" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians skidded from 35 to 42 while Melissa Etheridge's "Like The Way I Do" fell from 33 to 41.

Also on it's way to sailing away out of the top 50 is "Orinoco Flow" which collapsed from 22 to 40...thank god...it's safe on the year end though.

The increasingly twee "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" by Marc Almond and Gene Pitney which slipped nine to 33 and the garbage "Where Did I Go Wrong" by UB40 slimped six to 29. 

Entries

44. "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown

So this is the second single from Bobby Brown, taken from his second studio album "Don't Be Cruel" and was writtten after people openly criticised his decision to leave popular American R'n'B boyband New Edition and how it was about not caring what anyone else thinks of his decisions and making tough decisions regardless of what others think. The song is definitely one of the most catchy to hit the chart but Bobby comes across as a bit whiny rather than the strident and forceful if he is trying to defend himself against people talking smack about him. I don't precisely hate this but I don't love it either...which is weird to say the least.

39. "Cry In Shame" by Johnny Diesel & The Injectors

Ahh some good old Aussie pop/rock courtesy of the third single from Johnny Diesel & The Injectors debut album and yeah I love this kind of pop/rock song where Johnny Diesel is just getting blunt about fighting with this significant other and when everything is said and done the partner left crying in shame at what they've lost as a result of the fighting. The lyrics are a bit lame but they are catchy and that sax solo is awesome, I'm taking this!

35. "How'm I Gonna Sleep" by Tim Finn

So bit of a confession...for as much as I am a fan of Split Enz, it's Neil Finn's side of Split Enz that I find myself going back to just that bit more...for as much as Tim is really good so I was curious about this song being the lead single from Tim's self titled third studio album and yeah, it's a smooth pop/rock power ballad with Tim wondering how he is going to get to sleep without this girl around and how he'd rather not be lonely. It's actually a really smooth song even if that breakdown in the middle eight doesn't serve the song all that well with the backing vocals....I'll take it.

34. "Compulsory Hero" by 1927

Alright let's move onto what is the fourth single from 1927 and is an interesting move away from the sound of their previous singles with this one taking more lead from the piano whichmakes sense when you realize the lyrics are taking about a dad's experiences of fighting in the Vietnam War and if you know your history than you'd know that Australian men were conscripted to fight in Vietnam and you had to have a pretty damn excuse to get out of it hence the title "Compulsroy Hero" and this man's family saying "Go and fight in the war but whatever you do please just try to come home and for me that sentiment makes the song hit home a far bit effectively. Good song.

32. "I Only Wanna Be With You" by Samantha Fox

Sigh...I knew there'd come a point where I'd have to talk about British model and singer Samantha Fox, she had a hit earlier in the eighties with the pretty mediocre to awful "Touch Me (I wanna Feel Your body)" and now we get a cover of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want to Be With You". so with much trepidation I checked the song out and holy shit, who borrowed the synths from fucking Pseudo Echo and made a sweet Dusty Springfield song into a raging headache inducing nightmare where the song's main melody songs like it's being played by god damn Alvin and the Chipmunks and when Samantha Fox sounds like she is punching time on the track...that says it all.

It's easily the worst of the week this week because nothing else sinks to that level of awful.

I'm going to give best of the week to "Compulsory Hero" by 1927 for being such a dark song and it's brave to release a song like that in 1989/

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

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

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

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

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

Gains

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

Re-Entries

"Dance Monkey" by Tones and I back at 49

Losses

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

Drop Outs

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

New Entries.

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

47. "Flowers" by Lauren Spencer-Smith

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

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