A Hits 1 weekend countdown catch-up post, Imagine dragons/JID(5/6): Weeks of April 30th-May 7th 2022

 

Hello everyone and what’s up, wooooooooooo! I am finally back from my hiatus, which honestly felt like forever, even though it was a bit less than 2 weeks, and man I really did miss posting here, although I had a really nice vacation. I think I really needed those 10 days to relax and just take some time off from normal life. It’s great to be back though, and don’t worry I definitely have not forgotten about the countdowns I’ve missed. A few things though before we get into it all. First off I’m happy to announce that Waffle has submitted for Summer Madness and that submissions for it are now closed, with that in mind I will probably be kicking it off with round 1 of song voting next week. Next, some of y’all have probably heard by now, but if not here’s a very big announcement. The Chainsmokers are releasing their 4th studio album So Far So Good this Friday the 13th, and to celebrate I will be doing an album review shortly after it’s release, so look for that probably sometime within the next week or 2. I actually got to hear most of the songs early thanks to me joining their Discord server, where they previewed some of the songs to their fans(in full length) I won’t go into too much detail now, but all I’m gonna say is that this album is a lot less electronic than their previous albums, and a lot more chill and tropical sounding, and it’s unlike anything I’ve heard before. They are actually doing a Hits 1 on 1 the day I’m writing this post to, so who knows maybe we’ll get a new album track from them or a single on Hitbound this weekend, regardless though I hope y’all are ready for that and let’s just say that It’s very close right now, but based on the snippets I’ve heard I don’t think High is gonna be my favorite song off this album anymore once it drops. You’ll just have to see how my thoughts play out though very soon. Lastly this is just a reminder that this post won’t be a full chart review, so I’ll just be reviewing any debuts and exits that we gained or lost plus blurbs for noteworthy countdown moves. I won’t be listing out each countdown, nor will I be ranking them or Hitbound. That stuff will start again with this weeks post. Alright now that I’ve explained all that without further ado let’s get into it(Yuh) 

Week of April 30th 2022 

Exits 

Alesso/Katy Perry-When I’m gone(19) 

Kygo/DNCE-Dancing Feet(7) 

These songs were both great, and I’m really gonna miss hearing them on Hits 1, but there’s understandable reasons of why they had to go as both are now out of the top 40 elsewhere. These 2 songs had really bizarre countdown runs though that really baffle me. First off When I’m gone hit a peak of #2 here, yet didn’t really last as long as high peaking songs should, as it only lasted 9 weeks. I guess you could blame it on the fact that it was in the abyss for a while before it debuted, but I’m honestly not gonna do that, because even though a lot of people think this countdown is rigged(which in part I think it is) I know that people still vote for this stuff, and maybe it was just not meant to have a #1 success story like other songs have had. I will miss this song though even though it’s faded on me. Now we get to the big one, which is Dancing Feet, and this one only spent 6 weeks on the countdown and left from #7. Top 10 exits are really rare here, and I like this song, so it kinda sucks that it left. What’s baffling though is the fact that the song is no longer played on Hits 1(as it was dropped from the playlist before I left according to XMplaylist) but it’s in the abyss now because they still for some reason are asking about it on the survey, I’m not sure why it’s still on the survey if it’s not being played anymore, but I expect that to change soon since DNCE released a new song this past week thats actually on Hitbound. Overall though it sucks that this song is gone to because it’s a really great song for both artists and it should’ve been treated way better. Goodbye good song, you will be missed(unless it somehow Re-enters the countdown) 

Debuts 

#30 The Kid Laroi-Thousand Miles(Debuting after 1 week on Hitbound) 

I reviewed this right before I left cuz that’s when it was released, so I won’t go into too much detail, but this is pretty great song at the moment. It’s not as good as any of his other songs though. Laroi sounds great here, although I do understand why some people would hate his voice, I think he does a pretty good job vocally though. The production is a basic trap beat mixed with acoustic guitar, and I think it sounds really good. The writing here is the big highlight though, as it talks about his past relationships, and what he’s learned from them and how those experiences have made him grow over time. I think the writing really suits this well to, it just seems as if it fits in with this type of trap song and it definitely fits in with Laroi’s usual writing style. Overall I like this and I hope it can do well here, 

#28 Leah Kate-10 Things I Hate About You(Hits 1 to watch) 

After what felt like forever Hits 1 finally named a new Hits 1 to watch with Leah Kate and her new song 10 Things I Hate About You. This has actually been here a few weeks before it was named 1 to watch, and in those few weeks it really grew on me, Leah sounds great here, she really reminds me of Olivia Rodrigo and GAYLE with both her writing style and voice being similar to both artists. The lyrics are really creative, I really like how she wrote this with the 10 things she hates about her ex in mind because the listing really enhances the song with counting those down. The production is really cool here to, I’m really digging the pop-punk style beat, and it’s even better when the acoustic guitars are mixed in. Overall, this is just a really solid 1 to watch, and just a great song. 

Beat debut: very close, but I’m gonna say Thousand Miles is slightly better. 

Hitbound 

Everything that debuted Hitbound this week ended up debuting the next countdown, so I’ll be reviewing those songs in a few. We did have 2 Hitbound exits for this week though Riptide by The Chainsmokers, and Speakers by Alec Benjamin. Ughhhhhhhhhhh, RIPtide is already gone(pun completely intended) like come on Hits 1 y’all didn’t even give it a chance, I mean there’s gonna be better songs that fit into radio off the album, but I still think that it would’ve been solid to push. RIP to that tropical song, that will be missed. Speakers was a solid song to, and it would’ve been cool to see it debut, but it probably wouldn’t have done so good here anyways, oh well, we’ll just have to wait for them to get some other song from Alec. 

Blurbs 

A lot of the songs that fell this week actually left the countdown the following week, so I’ll bring those up in the next countdown, 

Lizzo jumped 4 spots off her debut from #28 to #24 with About Damn Time. Great to see this jumping because I’m really starting to love it. 

Sunroof jumped a big 8 spots to #18. Wow! I did not expect that. Also this song is now starting to gain a bit of traction outside of Hits 1, which is great because it sounds like a song that needs to be a spring/Summer hit right now, 

Freaky Deaky jumped 6 spots from #23 to #17. I’ve lost slight interest in this, but hey at least it made a decent sized jump, 

Bam Bam dropped 3 spots from #12 to #15. That didn’t need to happen, but okay I guess. This is still one of my current favorite songs. 

Out of time jumped 8 spots from #21 to #13 I’m a bit confused because this one doesn’t have a lot of AirPlay right now, but Hits 1 is weird like that sometime. 

The Motto dropped 3 spots from #6 to #9, that sucks, I really wish it had hit #1 here. 

Light switch got booted from the top 5 as it dropped from #2 to #7. Yep this was a one and done. 

Boyfriend made a huge leap up 8 spots from #14 to #6, I’m really starting to grow into this more I think as it gets more popular. 

Our biggest jump of the week was Mr Styles with As it was. I completely expected this, and I’m actually shocked that it didn’t hit #1. It probably will though this week, ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, ok I don’t really know how I feel about this honestly. I feel as if I’m growing into this because there’s been times where I’ve been completely vibin to it, but at the same time I know it’s gonna be #1 for a long time and I feel like I’m gonna get annoyed very quickly with this. Also I just don’t know how I feel about Harry singing this song, I just think he could’ve put more into his vocals here. I’m gonna stand completely neutral with this one right now, and I’ll update y’all after this weeks countdown. 

Sweetest Pie jumped 6 spots from #8 to #2. This is great, although we all know it’s gonna be blocked by as it was. It’d be great if it had at least a week at #1 though. 

Enemy held #1 again for the 5th week overall. Could we please get something fresh at the top. 

The biggest drop of the week was Love it when you hate me dropping 9 spots from #3 to #12. I saw this coming from a mile away since it’s also losing traction, so I’m alright with it. 

Countdown extra: Latto/Lil Wayne/Childish Gambino-Sunshine 

#1 song this week 1 year ago: Dua Lipa-We’re good(1/2 weeks at #1)(this remained #1 on the countdown for 2 consecutive weeks so there’s no need for me to mention it again) 

My favorite song from last year-Regard/Troye Sivan/Tate McRae-You(this will remain my favorite for not only next week but also many many weeks to come) 

My least favorite song from last year-Olivia Rodrigo-Deva Vu 

Alright onto this past weekends countdown, I will also put the current abyss below this countdown. 

Week of May 7th 2022

Debuts(note all of these debuted after 1 week in Hitbound) 

#30 Justin Beiber/Don Toliver-Honest 

Ok so kicking off with what is now my least favorite countdown song, and I really contemplated putting this in Orange, but I only use that ranking usually when a song gets a 0/10 from me. This didn’t really suck enough for me to give it the 0/10 ranking, but it’s pretty close. First off this is a trap song, and I don’t think Justin Beiber has really been a strong artist to create trap songs. He actually did collaborate with Don Toliver back on Don’t Go, which was a Hitbound dropout produced by Skrillex. It didn’t rank that well on the 2021 Hitbound dropouts rankdown, and quite frankly if this were to be a dropout, I don’t think it would rank very highly either. Beiber just does not have the voice for this trap beat, it’s too generic and doesn’t sound like it fits his voice well at all, which is embarrassing when I think that he did a great job on Wandered to LA, although that beat was way better produced that this one. Don Toliver was the rapper who did the hook and chorus on Internet Moneys Lemonade, and he sounded fantastic on that song, but his verse here is not great, he doesn’t sound good at all, and his voice sounds too much like he’s trying to immigrate either Young Thug or Future here, which in my opinion are both better rappers. The writing here is just awful to, and it doesn’t hook me in really. Overall this should not be a hit, and I hope that it isn’t. 

#28 Sam Smith-Love Me More 

Sam Smith is back after about a year and a half giving us a taste of their new music. Honestly this isn’t horrible, although I feel like I like this a bit more than I should. Sams always been one of my favorite R&B artists though, so at the same time it’s completely normal for me to like their songs. Sam sounds amazing here, and they have a really soothing voice here. The production is a bit weird sounding because there’s a whole bunch of weird sounds buried in the background, but I still think it fits the vibe of the song well, and I absolutely love the writing here about self-worth and self-esteem. Overall, not much else to say just a really solid song from Sam Smith. 

#25 Khalid-Skyline 

Oh my god, Ladies and gentlemen I think I actually mis-spoke too soon in the last post when I said that Riptide is the song of the summer because I think I found a song that might actually beat it for that, question is can it beat some of the other songs off The Chainsmokers new album, you’ll just have to wait and see, but judging by all that you’ve just read you can probably guess that I’m in love with this next song from Khalid called Skyline. I kinda liked Khalids trap songs from the past few years, but in this one he goes out of his comfort zone a bit and goes for the more pop/disco vibe, and it’s perfect for the summer. A bit basic, but really solid sounding. Khalid sounds amazing here, even with the total vibe change, and man the writing is so catchy and infectious, I can’t help but love it. I can do without the robotic vocals in the intro though, but that’s my only criticism here. Overall amazing, and I hope it does well here. 

#23 Ava Max-Maybe You’re the problem 

Ava Max has returned with the lead single and title track of her upcoming album called Maybe You’re the problem. This is another amazing debut, although I don’t think it’s quite as good as The Motte. Ava sounds awesome here, and I love the 80s production here, it sounds so good with Ava’s voice, and the lyrics are very well written and catchy. My only criticism I’m gonna give this is that at times it sounds like there’s autotune on Ava’s voice. I’m not sure if this is true here, but it doesn’t bring it down too much for me even if there is. Any on her voice. Overall let’s make this bop smash please. 

Hitbound 

DNCE-Move 

Kicking this past weeks Hitbound off with the latest DNCE song(which I mentioned earlier) called Move. This isn’t as good as Dancing Feet, but I still think it’s really solid, and I wouldn’t mind it becoming a hit. I think Joe Jonas sounds pretty good here, and the production suits him really well actually. The writing here is solid to, but it’s nothing too catchy and it’s a bit forgettable. I think I’ll go into more details if this debuts(which I think it will) but for now it’s pretty solid. 

Taylor Swift-This love(Taylor’s version) 

Taylor Swift dropped a new version of a random album track from her old 1989 album this past week called This love. For some reason I didn’t remember this song from when I first listened to the original album years ago, even though I remember listening to the whole thing, but okay I guess. This is decent, but nothing special. If I’m being completely honest Taylor doesn’t sound that great here, escpecially in the verses, but the chorus is alright I guess. The production is decent here to, but again it’s not the best I’ve heard in a Taylor song, it’s very very basic and a bit too slow for her, and is usually don’t like her slow romantic songs. I like her much more upbeat songs a lot better. Writing wise though this is very catchy and I like the repetitive hook. It’d be cool to see if this was a hit, and I guess i wouldn’t mind it becoming one, but at the same time it doesn’t scream radio to me. Overall not a great song, but not horrible I guess. 

Ashe-Hope you’re not happy 

Hits 1 has really seemed to like Ashe since early 2020. As for me, I’m not a real huge fan but whatever I guess. She had 1 or 2 solid songs, but the majority of her music sucks, and that’s mainly because of her voice ruining the whole song. She released this new song this past week called Hope You're not happy and it’s here on Hitbound. This is decent, but it’s nothing special. Ashe really really shouldn’t be a singer I mean her voice is too high pitched for me to enjoy or even like in the slightest, and once again like I’m every other song she creates she talk-sings here. I seriously don’t get the point in why artists do this sometimes. The really cool thing that I guess partly saves it for me though is the production. It’s more R&B-ish here, and I think it fits with Ashes voice slightly better than any of the other production she’s talk-singed on, and it really makes it sound unique. Overall though I don’t think this should be a thing. Next. 

Benson Boone-In the stars 

Benson Boone released a new song the day before I left for my trip, and good thing they picked it up last week cuz I didn’t have time to listen to it before I left. This is decent, but it’s definitely not something special and it underwhelms me a bit. I think Benson Boone sounds great here, and the writing is pretty good, but I feel like the production was a bit empty, and that there could’ve been more done to it. The reason I really liked Ghost town was not only because he has a great voice, but also because I loved the melodies in the production of that song, and because it was slightly faster paced. This does not have either of those things, and it’s a bit forgettable also. I guess this can become a hit if it wants to, but I really don’t care about it that much. Next. 

Tove Lo-No one dies from love 

Tove Lo has officially returned with a new radio single after How Long was unable to take off anywhere 2 months ago. This one is amazing, and way better than that song. I absolutely love the 80s style disco production here, and Tove Lo sounds great. The writing is very great to, and it’s very well written about love and no one can die from being in love. I love the concept that the lyrics give and overall this is just a great and fun song, let’s hope it debuts. 

As for this weeks Hitbound exits we lost Sunshine, Psychofreak, Go the distance and Checkmate. I believe Sunshine was supposed to be pushed by radio in general, but it left because it got withdrawn which sucks because it was a cool little song. Psychofreak and Go the distance were never meant to be hits, but they weren’t singles, and they didn’t scream radio, although it would’ve been cool to see the former debut, and we finally got rid of Checkmate also, and while this song is decent, I don’t think it was too special, nor was it gonna get a big push anyways. It stayed for way too long though, and I’m a bit glad it’s gone actually. 

Best Hitbound debut: Tove Lo-No one dies from love  

The abyss 

The Walters-I love you so 

Blxst/Tyga/Ty dolla $ign-Chosen

Diplo/Miguel-Don’t forget my love 

Tom Grennan-Remind me 

Surfaces-I can’t help but feel

Doja Cat-Get into it(Yuh) 

Pharrell-Just a cloud away

Becky G/Karol G-MAMII 

Lady GaGa-Hold my hand 

We only gained 3 abyss songs this week, and we also lost 2. I haven’t yet heard the new Lady Gaga song, but I know it’s from the new TopGun movie and I think it’ll debut soon, so I’ll review it next week, even if it doesn’t debut. 

Our first new song is Just a cloud away by Pharrell. This was on the soundtrack for Despicable Me 2, which came out like 8 or 9 years ago. I remember this song being played in the movie though, and now it’s becoming popular thanks to TikTok(of course) this is decent, but I think I really should listen to it more because I think it’ll grow on me, for right now it’s just decent though. I think Pharrell sounds amazing here, and the lyrics are awesome, but the production doesn’t scream radio to me, and also I think they could’ve not made Pharrell oversing a bit in the chorus like when he sings,” Away way way way way way,” Etc, but other than that and the production I think this a decent enough song. 

Hits 1 has finally given in(how nice) and after 2 months after it has been released they finally picked up on MAMII from Becky G and Karol G. I was a bit skeptical going into this because I’m usually a hit or miss with Latin music, but this is actually pretty good. Both vocalists sound really good here, and I love their chemistry. The chorus is really catchy, and the rest of the song is great. I have no clue what their saying cuz it’s all in Spanish, but it doesn’t bother me because of how catchy it is to listen to. I also love the production it sounds like something my local Mexican restaurant always plays, it’s basic but it works. Overall I wouldn’t actually mind this debuting. 

We lost Peru and Heaven takes you home. The latter I wasn’t suspecting to do anything here anyways and it wasn’t that good, so I don’t think that. Peru was really good though and it’s sad to see it go. I didn’t really like it at first but it’s really grown on me since it debuted Hitbound. I wish it got more time on the countdown, but oh well, goodbye good song, you will be missed. 

Countdown extra: Pinkpanthress/Willow-Where you are 

Blurbs 

Thousand miles jumped 6 spots to #24, Awesome! It was also the biggest jump of the week. 

To the moon jumped 5 spots from #27 to #22. I’m a bit confused as to why this happened because the song has a not so great amount of AirPlay, and I just don’t get the appeal to it either. 

About Damn time jumped another 3 spots. Yay! 

Weatherman made a small comeback jumping 3 spots from #23 to #20. I don’t understand why this is happening but Okay. 

House on fire is back in the top 20 at #18. That’s cool. 

Sunroof continued to jump another 3 spots to #15. 

After dropping hard last week Love it when you hate me jumped back into the top 10 again. 

Boyfriend jumped to #3 this would be great if it can hit #1 before As it was. 

Enemy remained in the top spot, however it has been taken off the survey, so that most likely means a new #1 will come along in the next countdown. What will the #1 song be? You’ll just have to wait to find out. 

The biggest drop of the week was a tie between Fteaky Deaky, 2Step and Big energy all moving down 2 spots each, 2 spots, wow! That’s actually not a record breaking biggest drop, anyone remember when a few songs dropped 1 spot last year? but it’s definitely the smallest one we’ve seen this year, 

We lost Woman, Overpass Graffiti, Fingers crossed and IDGAF. Woman deserved way better, and it sucks to see it go, but at the same time I’m hoping Get into it(Yuh) can debut. Overpass Graffiti had a great run and spent 5 weeks at #1, so I’m not sad it’s gone. Fingers crossed deserved way better also, and it would’ve been nice to see it go further than it did, and as for IDGAF it was solid, but it was never bound to be huge.  

All of the extra stuff I reviewed earlier stays the same. 

I will continue listing the oldest 5 countdown songs in next weeks post. 

#1 recommendation for Hits 1(that’s actually released):  Gryffin/Calle Lehman-Alive 

Alright that is gonna do it for this review of the 2 countdowns. I’m sorry this is a bit sloppier looking and out of order from my full chart reviews, but I promise I’ll be back doing those again this week, and everything look a lot better. It’s great to be back, and I look forward to more posts to come and the start of Summer Madness. Thanks so much do reading and I’ll see y’all in the next one.