Niall Horan (1) – Week Of September 2, 2017

Wow. We are already in September. It feels like 2017 has really been flying by. It's crazy. Anyway, the countdown this week was pretty good for the most part. I hope everyone had a great Labor Day. There's not much else I have to say. So let's just get right into things. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• James Arthur – Say You Won't Let Go (#29)
• DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber/Chance The Rapper – I'm The One (#41)
• Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving (#42) [4 Weeks At #1]
• Childish Gambino – Redbone (#43)

Last Week's #1 Song: Charlie Puth – Attention

The Countdown

45. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar (#40)

44. Steve Aoki/Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On (#45)

43. Julia Michaels – Issues (#44)

42. Bruno Mars – That's What I Like (#34) [1 Week At #1]

41. Train – Play That Song (#37)

40. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts (#30)

39. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#38)

38. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer (#39) [8 Weeks At #1]

37. Linkin Park/Kiiara – Heavy (#27)

36. Halsey – Now Or Never (#32)

35. Shawn Mendes – Mercy (#35)

34. Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises (DEBUT)

33. Julia Michaels – Uh Huh (#31)

32. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee/Justin Bieber – Despacito (#21)

31. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (DEBUT)

30. Bruno Mars/David Guetta – Versace On The Floor (#18)

29. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#11)

28. Kygo/Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me (#23)

27. AJR – Weak (#26)

26. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#33)

25. Hey Violet – Hoodie (#28)

24. The Chainsmokers – Honest (#25)

23. Kesha – Praying (#20)

22. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry – Feels (#16)

21. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#13) [9 Weeks At #1]

20. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious (#36)

19. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You (#19)

18. Mono Mind – Save Me A Place (DEBUT)

17. P!nk – What About Us (#22)

16. Fall Out Boy – Champion (#15)

15. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#24)

14. All Time Low – Good Times (#17)

13. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (DEBUT)

12. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#14)

11. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls (#12)

10. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#6) [3 Weeks At #1]

  9. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#8) [3 Weeks At #1]

  8. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#2)

  7. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#10) [4 Weeks At #1]

  6. Charlie Puth – Attention (#1) [1 Week At #1]

  5. Linkin Park – One More Light (#9)

  4. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#3) [4 Weeks At #1]

  3. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#4)

  2. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#5)

  1. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#7) [1^st Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Justin Timberlake – Can't Stop The Feeling

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (–18)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious (+16)

New Entrants
~ I'm surprised Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato – No Promises managed to debut so quickly. I still think it's a good song even though it's been around for quite a while now. Both vocalists sound really good together. I like the production. The best part is probably the final chorus when we get to hear both of their voices blended together with the build-up in the background leading to the final drop. It's not an amazing song by any means. But I can appreciate it for what it is. One thing's for sure, it's better than Sorry Not Sorry.

~ Next we have Ed Sheeran debuting with Galway Girl. This is definitely a little bit of a different sound for him. It has this really cool folk vibe to it that's something I can definitely get into. Ed Sheeran really shows off what he's capable of vocally. I like the lyrical content. All in all, it's a really good song. My only complaint is that it's too short. But that aside, it's a great song and I hope it does well.

~ Being one of the two debuts in the Top 20, we have Mono Mind – Save Me A Place. I don't think words can explain how much I love this song. It has this awesome electronic vibe that catches my attention from the very start. I've never heard anything quite like this. I love the beat. The electronic effect on the vocals in the verses sound really cool. I love the way the female vocalist, who sounds a little bit like Ellie Goulding, comes in for the chorus followed by the whispering of "That's where I want to be." The production on this track is exceptional. Overall, I think it's a fantastic song that deserves this kind of recognition. For me, this is my favorite debut of the week. Hopefully it does well. But I don't think it'll have a problem with that after having debuted all the way up at #18.

~ Finally, we have the return of Taylor Swift all the way up at #13 with Look What You Made Me Do. I'll admit, I was pretty split on this at first listen. I didn't exactly get into it until the second and third listens. But even then, it's still not an amazing song. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews and I can 100% understand why someone might dislike this song because I'm 50/50 here. It has a good vibe. I like how it's a little darker than all her other songs. I love the pre-chorus. But the actual chorus seems a little underwhelming to me. It's very repetitive and there's no actual singing. It's probably the weakest out of all of her lead singles. The best part is the final build-up with the phone conversation where she says the old Taylor is dead. Overall, it really is not that great of a song. But there's just something about it that gets me hooked into it. I can't really explain it. It's catchy, but there's something about it that makes it appealing despite it being a very weak track. So I guess you could say I like this in more of a guilty pleasure kind of way. But it's one of those songs where I know I'm going to get sick of it pretty quickly. Hits 1 is obviously going to overplay it, so I guess I'll just have to live with it.

Oh and as far as the music video goes, the best part is easily the end.


Hit-Bound
Here is the Hit-Bound list:

• The All-American Rejects – Sweat
• Halsey – Bad At Love
• Rita Ora – Your Song
• Selena Gomez – Fetish
• Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
• Sabrina Carpenter – Why
• Zedd/Liam Payne – Get Low
• Andy Grammer – Give Love
• Evaride – Heartless (DEBUT)
• Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do (DEBUT)
• Justin Bieber/BloodPop – Friends
• Harry Styles – Two Ghosts
• PRETTYMUCH – Would You Mind

~ Maroon 5 are back. Normally, I would be excited about this. But they're music has been seriously going downhill lately. What Lovers Do is honestly just boring in my opinion. It doesn't have the same kind of energy as some of their older hits like Wake Up Call. Also, we really don't need to hear Adam Levine's falsetto for an entire chorus. It doesn't fit nor does it sound good. This band used to be one of my favorites. But if they keep releasing this kind of music, that'll keep bumping them down.

~ Next we have Evaride with Heartless. This is definitely something I can get into. It brings a lot more energy than What Lovers Do. The vocals sound good. I really like the chorus. All in all, it's a cool song. I hope it debuts soon.


Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. The All-American Rejects – Sweat
2. Evaride – Heartless
3. Justin Bieber/BloodPop – Friends
4. Harry Styles – Two Ghosts
5. Halsey – Bad At Love


Throwback Summer Hits
~ As part of the Labor Day edition of the Weekend Countdown, we had some summer throwbacks thrown into the countdown in between songs. Here is the list of all the songs included.

• 5 Seconds Of Summer – She Looks So Perfect
• Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman
• B.o.B/Hayley Williams – Airplanes
• Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
• Charli XCX – Boom Clap
• Demi Lovato – Cool For The Summer
• Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do
• Eminem/Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie
• Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)
• Florida Georgia Line – Cruise
• fun./Janelle Monáe – We Are Young
• Iggy Azalea/Charli XCX – Fancy
• Katy Perry – California Gurls
• Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
• LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem
• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us
• Magic! – Rude
• Maroon 5 – Love Somebody
• Maroon 5 – Payphone
• Mike Posner/SeeB – I Took A Pill In Ibiza
• Miley Cyrus – Party In The U.S.A.
• Omi – Cheerleader
• One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
• Pitbull/Ne-Yo/Afrojack/Nayer – Give Me Everything
• Robin Thicke/Pharrell/T.I. – Blurred Lines
• Sia/Sean Paul – Cheap Thrills
• Taylor Swift – Bad Blood
• Twenty One Pilots – Ride
• Walk The Moon – Shut Up and Dance
• Wiz Khalifa/Charlie Puth – See You Again

~ This list is fine for the most part. I personally would've preferred to see more older songs and less songs from the past two years.

~ It's hard to listen to Maroon 5's new single after listening to Payphone and Love Somebody, two songs that were enjoyable even if they weren't Maroon 5's best work.

~ Of course Blurred Lines is here. But I'm a little surprised Imagine Dragons – Radioactive didn't make it on considering that it was pretty much Hits 1's Song of the Summer for 2013.

~ As I said in the Independence Day edition of the countdown, I love hearing the 2012 hits again, including Call Me Maybe, Payphone, We Are Young, and What Makes You Beautiful.

~ On that post, I also said I don't think See You Again can really qualify as a summer throwback (even though it was a hit in the summer). I still stand by that because it's not the kind of song you'd want to be blasting in your car. However, songs like Party In The U.S.A., Party Rock Anthem, and Shut Up and Dance are a different story.

~ I'm glad to see that Airplanes made it on the list of throwbacks yet again. I still think it's a fantastic song. With B.o.B's catchy verses and Hayley William's memorable chorus, it stands out as one of my favorite songs of 2010.

~ Along with Airplanes, we also have Love The Way You Lie on here, which was another massive favorite of mine back in 2010. I said that this song is my personal favorite of all-time and I stand by that decision. This is the kind of rap music I like. Excellent production, good lyrical content, fantastic guest vocalist for the chorus, and overall great presentation. This is what I like to hear. Not the crappy rap music nowadays with trap beats that all sound the same and meaningless lyrics. Kudos to Eminem for really setting an example for other rappers. And Rihanna just shines like a diamond on this track.

Top 5 Summer Throwback Picks

1. Eminem/Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie

2. B.o.B/Hayley Williams – Airplanes

3. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

4. Maroon 5 – Payphone

5. Pitbull/Ne-Yo/Afrojack/Nayer – Give Me Everything

Save Me A Blurb

~ So Charlie Puth clearly couldn't handle being #1 for a second week, so Niall is now at the top. This constant changing of #1 songs does nothing but make me a little bit anxious as Liam Payne is not that far from the top. But thinking realistically, Taylor Swift will be at the top either next week or the week after. Then I'm sure it'll stay there long enough for Strip That Down to start to make its way down. So really, we only need to hold that song away from the top for one more week (maybe two, but I doubt it). Let's hope Niall has it in him to hold out for another week before Taylor comes in hot.

~ I can't help but notice Body Like A Back Road sitting at #3. And I just realized that this is his highest peaking song. Good to know North America enjoys listening to mediocre country music as opposed to artists like Carrie Underwood.

~ I'm very pleased with the jump from Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious. It's been getting better with each listen and I'm glad to see that it's doing well here. Hopefully it can keep this up and not turn into the next Wild Thoughts.

~ I really shouldn't be surprised to see Despacito outside of the Top 30. It's like Hits 1 is purposely underrating the biggest songs in the country. First I'm The One, then Wild Thoughts, and now this. Their tagline, "The 45 biggest songs in North America," gets more questionable every time something like this happens.

~ Not much else really went on. Play That Song is in the Bottom 5 showing signs of a potential departure in the near future. And thankfully, Bad Liar fell to the very bottom of the countdown.

~ As far as our exits go, Redbone deserved to leave. I'm The One was pretty underrated, but it wasn't that amazing to begin with. Say You Won't Let Go lasted much longer than I thought it would. But at the same time, it left pretty early. I expected it to hang around in the Bottom 15 for a longer period of time. Finally, the departure of Starving was long overdue. I understand if songs like Closer stay this long. But Starving was never as big of a hit outside of this station. All I have to say is that it's about damn time.

Top 20 Review

0 – Crap:

20. Liam Payne – Strip That Down

1 – Bad:

19. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry

18. Imagine Dragons – Believer

2 – Mediocre:

17. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road

3 – Decent:

16. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay

4 – Good:

15. All Time Low – Good Times

5 – Great:

14. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do

13. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill

12. Charlie Puth – Attention

11. Niall Horan – Slow Hands

10. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back

9. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low

8. Hailee Steinfeld – Most Girls

7. Linkin Park – One More Light

6. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay – Something Just Like This

5. Fall Out Boy – Champion

4. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You

3. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:

1. TIE: P!nk – What About Us

1. TIE: Mono Mind – Save Me A Place

Total Score: 83/100 = 83% (B)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Eminem/Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie

Most Missed Countdown Song: Eminem/Rihanna – The Monster

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Thirty Seconds To Mars – Walk On Water

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend (#12)

My Top 5 Picks

1. TIE: Mono Mind – Save Me A Place

1. TIE: P!nk – What About Us

3. Macklemore/Skylar Grey – Glorious

4. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha – Back To You

5. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts