2018 Grammy Awards: Reactions and Thoughts

Hey guys! So the 60^th Annual Grammy Awards took place last night. I thought that, as a music reviewer, it would only be right to talk about what I thought of the Grammys. For the sake of time, this will not be a full-on review where I go through each and every performance. Instead, I'll just give quick thoughts on certain things that happened during the show. I'll pretty much be thinking out loud and just voicing my thoughts. So my apologies if this post doesn't look very professional. I'm just doing this because I want to share my personal opinions.


Kendrick Lamar opened up the show and I don't think they could've picked a better artist. Kendrick really knows how to kick things off and I thought his performance was really cool. There was a lot going on, but it was really good. It was energetic and it really grabbed people's attention. Of course, the only disadvantage to having someone like Kendrick go first is that it'll be really hard to surpass the bar he set, because let's be honest here, he set it really damn high. For a good while during the show, I was pretty damn sure he had the best performance of the night. By the end of the show, that wasn't the case. But his performance was one of the best in my opinion and I wouldn't be surprised if others considered it the best. Kendrick is a very talented man and I'm glad he is as popular and loved as he is. He's the reason I don't hate all rap music. So I'm glad his performance went great as expected.


Soon after, we had performances from Lady Gaga with Mark Ronson, Sam Smith, and Little Big Town. Gaga started out with her new single, Joanne, which I really like. Then she moved into her big ballad hit, Million Reasons. Although I would've loved to have heard Joanne in full, she did amazing with Million Reasons. Anyone that thinks this woman is not talented needs to re-look at their definition of talent. Lady Gaga is one of the best singers I've ever heard and she really shows off her voice here. I thought her performance was very moving and special. Sam Smith brought to the stage his song Pray from his latest album. I don't have much to say here, but I did really like the performance and the song. He has a great voice, which you all probably know by now. He's really good at conveying emotion with his music. The performance wasn't amazing by any means. But I really liked it and I'm enjoying the song. Little Big Town's performance was enjoyable as well, though nothing that stood out. I've heard Better Man a lot at this point and it's been out for a while now. I was kind of hoping for a new song. But the performance was still enjoyable and Little Big Town are one of the reasons I like country music. Groups like them and Lady Antebellum are just a couple of my favorites within that genre. They have really good music and they're very talented. So I'm glad they were given the opportunity to perform at the Grammys and I know they were also nominated along with Lady Antebellum for Best Country Album, but lost to Chris Stapleton. They did, however, win Best Country Duo/Group Performance for Better Man, which I'm pleased with. They deserve it. I'm glad that they're popular in the world of country music.


After all that, we had a tribute to Fats Domino and Chuck Berry. I didn't care too much for that performance. Then afterwards, we got to see Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee perform Despacito. As you know, I still love this song and I was very entertained by this performance. Both artists sounded great and if I'm being honest, just about everything with Daddy Yankee is great in my opinion. He is very talented. As I've said before, I'm glad this song was successful. Not very many Latin songs like this normally crossover into mainstream. It was pretty much just artists like Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, two artists that I really enjoy. But I'm glad this one was able to make it into the world of mainstream music. It's a very catchy song and we should really have more Latin-pop songs making it big like this one. As I've said before, I'm Latino, so I have a thing for this kind of music. But I do genuinely believe that songs like these deserve success. More people should hear this kind of music. So I thought this was a very enjoyable performance overall.


Childish Gambino soon followed with a performance of Terrified. I thought this was one of the highlights of the night. Childish Gambino really showed me that he's more talented than I thought. I like the song. It has a weird creepy vibe that I find appealing. He actually has a great voice from listening to that performance. Overall, I thought it was really enjoyable and a stand-out of the night. It was different, but cool. I now understand why people really like this guy. He has quite the talent. P!nk then brought us another song from Beautiful Trauma. This time around, she performed Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken. I really like this song just like most of her latest album. It's definitely slower, but that's what makes it stand-out. I'm glad she chose this song as opposed to another performance of What About Us or Beautiful Trauma. It's not that I don't love those songs. But we've seen them performed live before. I'm glad some of the other songs from her latest album are getting acknowledged. The performance starts off slow and calm. But towards the end is when P!nk really belts it all out, further proving that she is a fantastic singer. I love the lyrics and everything about this song. I'm so glad this performance went well. I love P!nk. This was another stand-out performance in my opinion. It was fantastic.


The big performance of the night soon followed and it came from Bruno Mars and Cardi B as they performed Finesse. Despite my initial distaste for this song, I've come around to it and I really enjoyed this performance. I didn't love Cardi B here. I thought she was kind of annoying and with how new she is, I don't think she should be performing at the Grammys yet. But other than that, I found the performance entertaining. Bruno Mars sounded good and he is a really good dancer. I would love to be able to dance like him. While I didn't love this as much as others did, I enjoyed it and I think that's enough for someone that hasn't been huge on Bruno Mars lately. I'm starting to appreciate him more and his music is growing on me. Just give me more time and it's very likely I'll become a fan once again. I'll admit, his award acceptance speeches showed that he's a good person and that he truly cares about the music. But overall, I liked the performance.


Following that, we had a performance from Sting and Shaggy. Didn't care too much for this one. It was okay. But it didn't really do it for me. The next big performance came from DJ Khaled with Rihanna and Bryson Tiller as they performed the smash hit, Wild Thoughts. As you know, I love this song. It was #9 on my Top 45 songs of 2017. So I was very happy when I found out that this song would be performed since I don't think I've ever seen it performed live. One of the reasons I love the song so much is because of the vibe and the Latin influences here. Obviously there's some Santana sampled here. But the guitar fits so nicely and sounds really cool. I think it was put to very good use. I applaud DJ Khaled for putting an amazing song like this together. But like I said, I love the vibe and the way the performance was setup. The backup dancers were all really good. Rihanna sounded really good. I'm glad Bryson Tiller was able to perform because his verse surprisingly adds a lot to the song. It's like the icing on the cake. DJ Khaled's unnecessary shouting throughout the song was a little annoying, but mostly amusing for some reason. The dance moves were all really good, especially at the end. Rihanna has some good moves. Overall, I loved this performance. This was definitely one of the best. This was the one performance I re-watched the most. Everything about it was amazing in my opinion. I'm glad we got to hear Wild Thoughts as opposed to something mediocre like I'm The One.


Soon after, we got a more emotional performance from Brothers Osborne, Maren Morris, and Eric Church. Their performance was a tribute to the victims of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. It's really sad that these shootings still happen to this day. So I was moved by their rendition of Tears In Heaven. I thought it was really good. I really don't have much else to say about this, but I did enjoy it. Next we had Kesha performing Praying. But instead of going solo, she brought along Bebe Rexha, Andra Day, Cyndi Lauper, Julia Michaels, and Camila Cabello. I really love the song as you know. I thought the performance was fantastic and very moving. I'm so glad Kesha made it through everything she had been going through. She is a true fighter and I love her for that. I'm so glad she was able to perform on the Grammys because I think everyone should know her story and that you can overcome these kinds of situations. Her performance was very powerful. I thought she sounded great. I'm annoyed that Praying didn't win Best Pop Solo Performance, but I'll talk more about that later. But overall, I thought it was a fantastic performance. Definitely one of the best of the night.


Following Kesha, we had performances from U2, Elton John with Miley Cyrus, Ben Platt, Patti LuPone, SZA, and Chris Stapleton with Emmylou Harris. I thought they were all pretty good. But none of them really stood out necessarily. I like that U2 and Elton John are still performing. They're very talented. Ben Platt I recognized from Pitch Perfect and I never realized just how amazing his voice is. He really shows it off here and he sounds great. Patti LuPone's performance was good, but didn't really stick out, at least not to me. I like SZA and her performance was pretty good. I also like Chris Stapleton. He's obviously very popular in country music. He's very talented and I liked his performance. The final performance came from Logic with Alessia Cara and Khalid. They performed 1-800-273-8255. I love how right before their performance, they were acknowledging all of the artists we've lost recently including Tom Petty, Dolores O'Riordan, and Chris Cornell. They showed Chester Bennington last and immediately went into Logic's performance, which I like since Chester's death was from suicide. The performance was really no different from the performance at the MTV Video Music Awards several months ago. But I still find it very moving. I absolutely love the song and I can understand if some think it was poorly executed. But it's very moving to me and while I was never in a position where I considered suicide as an answer to my problems, I feel for those who have been there. I know this song has helped many people and I'm so glad Logic was allowed to perform it at the Grammys because it has such a powerful message that resonates with a lot of people. He, Alessia Cara, and Khalid all sounded great. I loved the speech from Logic at the end. It was so powerful. This was my favorite performance of the night and I thought it was a great way to close the show.


So the performances were pretty good for the most part, but the awards are a different story. I do not agree with a lot of the choices that were made. For example, Best Pop Solo Performance went to Ed Sheeran for Shape of You. I like that song, but it's nothing compared to Kesha's Praying, Lady Gaga's Million Reasons, and P!nk's What About Us. I would've loved to have seen Kesha win this award because she has been through so much and Praying is a fantastic song that touches people on an emotional level. Shape Of You doesn't do that. It's nothing more than a catchy song. It seemed like the obvious pick and I was hoping the Grammys would surprise us, but nope. Kesha got robbed.


For Best New Artist, Alessia Cara took home the award. I'm okay with that because I like her. But she is not that new. I don't know why she keeps getting nominated for these best new artist awards. Her first release was in 2015. By now we've heard five singles from her (Here, Wild Things, Scars To Your Beautiful, Stay, and 1-800) and she already has an album that was released back in late 2015. I like her, so I'll let it pass. But I think Khalid or even SZA would've been a good choice. Frankly, I'm just happy it wasn't Julia Michaels or Lil Uzi Vert.


Best Pop Duo/Group Performance went to Portugal. The Man for Feel It Still. I'm happy with that. Portugal. The Man are like the underdogs here since Something Just Like This, Thunder, and Despacito all seemed like obvious choices. So I'm glad they got to receive a Grammy despite only crossing over into pop/mainstream recently. I have been growing out of the song recently. But it's still catchy and I'm glad they're getting recognized for their work.


Best Pop Vocal Album went to Ed Sheeran for ÷. I'm not surprised here considering the other nominees. I would've loved to have seen Rainbow or Joanne receive the award. But for some reason, I just knew Divide would win. I'm not really sure how the Kaleidoscope EP from Coldplay got nominated. And Evolve and Lust For Life were not that good overall. While I would've preferred Rainbow or Joanne, I'm fine with Divide. It's a pretty good album. I'll give it that.


All of the rap awards went to Kendrick Lamar, and rightfully so. He had a great year in 2017, so I'm glad he received these awards as opposed to Cardi B or Migos and Lil Uzi Vert. As far as the country awards go, Chris Stapleton was the big winner winning everything except Best Country Duo/Group Performance because he wasn't nominated since he's a solo act. Lady Antebellum were nominated a couple of times and I would've loved to have seen them win. I'm still a big fan of them. But it seemed obvious that the awards would go to either Chris Stapleton or Little Big Town. And I'm so glad Body Like A Back Road did not win for Best Country Song or Best Country Solo Performance. The Grammys did well there by not picking that song for either.


Now for the big awards. First up is Song of the Year, which went to Bruno Mars for That's What I Like. Me personally, I really wanted 1-800 to win that award just because it was so much more meaningful and moving. I'm assuming Song of the Year relates to the songwriting since all of the songwriters are recognized for each nomination. If that's the case, 1-800 should've won in my opinion. That's What I Like really isn't that special. I could even understand Issues winning this award because the lyrics had meaning to some people and I guess people found it relatable. I don't like the song at all. But I could understand why that song was nominated and why it could've won. I would say the same for 4:44. That's What I Like and Despacito really didn't seem that special as far as the songwriting went. But they were obviously the two most popular. So with all that being said, I don't think That's What I Like deserved this award. I would've preferred 1-800. But oh well.


Then we have Record of the Year, which I believe goes to the song that was best produced. The award went to Bruno Mars for 24K Magic. Here, I can understand him winning since it is a catchy song and people love the throwback vibe. But it seemed like the obvious choice and I was hoping Kendrick Lamar would've gotten the award for Humble. I really liked that song. But 24K Magic I can understand to some extent.


Finally, we have the biggest award for Album of the Year, which went to Bruno Mars (again....) for 24K Magic. I genuinely believe that either Kendrick Lamar or Lorde deserved this award. 24K Magic seemed like the obvious choice that would be ruled out first. I was hoping the Grammys would surprise us with Melodrama winning the award like they did with Beck's Morning Phase a few years ago. I was hoping Lorde would have her shining moment for something that was universally acclaimed by critics. But it had to go to fucking Bruno Mars for an album that consists of only nine songs. The Grammys overpraised him this year. I liked his acceptance speech, but damn. This award should've gone to someone else, ideally Lorde or Kendrick Lamar. I feel like more work was put into their albums. 24K Magic winning just makes it seem like the Grammys are a popularity contest and that kind of annoys me. This goes for Song of the Year and Record of the Year as well, both of which Bruno Mars won as well. I won't argue with anyone that says 24K Magic is a good album. But Album of the Year? Nope.



That's it guys! Those are my thoughts on the 2018 Grammy Awards. They could've been better as far as the awards went. But the performances were all pretty good. Keep in mind that I just typed up my thoughts with no fancy formatting or anything like that. I was just thinking out loud. I also typed this really fast so I apologize for any grammatical errors. I caught a few myself, but I could've missed some. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading and I should have my Hits 1 Year-End countdown post sometime this week, hopefully.


My Top 10 Performances
1. Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid – 1-800-273-8255
2. Kesha – Praying
3. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller – Wild Thoughts
4. Kendrick Lamar – Medley
5. P!nk – Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
6. Lady Gaga/Mark Ronson – Joanne / Million Reasons
7. Childish Gambino – Terrified
8. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee – Despacito
9. Bruno Mars/Cardi B – Finesse
10. Sam Smith – Pray

Imagine Dragons (5) – Week Of January 27, 2018

Hey guys! I apologize for the hold up on my Hits 1 Year-End countdown post. I've been busy lately and it's a lot of work. If I'm lucky, I'll have it for you guys this week. Aside from that, the Grammy's will be airing tomorrow night. I'll be watching, but I most likely won't do a review just because I have other posts to work on. Though I may talk about the performances in short in my next countdown post. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor (#26)
• Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#39) [9 Weeks At #1]
• Harry Styles – Kiwi (#43)
• Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#44)

Last Week's #1 Song: Imagine Dragons – Thunder

The Countdown

45. The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn (#45)

44. P!nk – What About Us (#42) [1 Week At #1]

43. Charlie Puth – Attention (#41) [1 Week At #1]

42. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#20)

41. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#31)

40. Zayn/Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (#35)

39. Kesha – Praying (#36)

38. Wolves – Animal (DEBUT)

37. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#29) [1 Week At #1]

36. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#39) [3 Weeks At #1]

35. NF – Let You Down (DEBUT)

34. P!nk – Beautiful Trauma (DEBUT)

33. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#37) [1 Week At #1]

32. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#32)

31. Symon – Lonely Girl (#34)

30. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do (#16)

29. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#28) [5 Weeks At #1]

28. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (DEBUT)

27. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#30)

26. Justin Timberlake – Filthy (#23)

25. Louis Tomlinson – Miss You (#22)

24. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#18)

23. Eminem/Ed Sheeran – River (#24)

22. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (#7)

21. Bruno Mars/Cardi B – Finesse (#33)

20. Maroon 5 – Wait (#38)

19. G-Eazy/Halsey – Him & I (#21)

18. Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't (#25)

17. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#19)

16. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#14) [3 Weeks At #1]

15. Post Malone/21 Savage – Rockstar (#17)

14. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#10)

13. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#11)

12. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself (#27)

11. Camila Cabello – Havana (#6) [1 Week At #1]

10. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#12)

  9. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/Florida Georgia Line/watt – Let Me Go (#8)

  8. Charlie Puth – How Long (#2)

  7. Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves (#13)

  6. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#3)

  5. Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran/Future – End Game (#15)

  4. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days (#9)

  3. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#5) [2 Weeks At #1]

  2. Halsey – Bad At Love (#4) [2 Weeks At #1]

  1. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#1) [5^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Twenty One Pilots – Heathens (2)

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (–22)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Maroon 5 – Wait (+18)

New Entrants
~ First up this week, we have WØLVES with Animal. I love this song now just as much as I did when it made its debut on Hit-Bound. It's a very fun track. I really like the chorus. The production here is really good. I think the vocals sound great. I'm glad it was able to make its debut here because I do think it deserves more recognition. Hopefully this song does well. I'm really enjoying it at the moment.

~ Next we have NF with Let You Down, a song that's been popular for a little while now. I actually really like this song. It's one of the few good rap songs nowadays. This one actually has some meaning to it. I really like the lyrics and it's actually a pretty emotional song. I saw the music video recently and it kind of made me like the song more. I love the dark vibe. I feel like that helps enhance the meaning of the song. NF's vocals sound pretty good for the most part. I like his work on the chorus. The high-pitched voice isn't that pleasing to the ears, but it's not the worst thing I've ever heard. Overall, I give this song credit for standing out in the rap genre. I personally think it's really good and hopefully it does well.

~ Bringing her second song onto the countdown, we have P!nk with Beautiful Trauma. As you may know, I'm a fan of P!nk. I think she's very talented and has a fantastic voice. What About Us was my #4 song of 2017. Now we get the follow-up, Beautiful Trauma. While it's not as good as its predecessor, it's still a really good song. P!nk's vocals sound really good as usual. I love the chorus. I think it's really catchy. The song is definitely one of my favorites from her latest album. I'm glad it made its debut even though it was on Hit-Bound for a while. Hopefully it does well like What About Us.

~ Last (and definitely least), we have Camila Cabello with the follow-up to Havana, Never Be The Same. I think this song was very poorly produced. Her voice is annoying, especially when she attempts to go high in the pre-chorus. I don't love the chorus. This song is basically why I wasn't a fan of Camila when she released Crying In The Club. Havana was good, this is not. This was a very poor choice for the follow-up single. It's not the worst thing ever, but it's not something I could see myself enjoying in the future.


Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list.

• Sofi Tukker/NERVO – Best Friend
• Troye Sivan – My My My!
• Clean Bandit/Julia Michaels – I Miss You
• The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy
• Portugal. The Man – Live In The Moment (DEBUT)
• Post Malone – I Fall Apart (DEBUT)
• All Time Low – Last Young Renegade
• Wild Things – Don't Wanna Feel It (DEBUT)
• Zedd/Maren Morris/Grey – The Middle (DEBUT)
• Alan Walker/Noah Cyrus/Digital Farm Animals – All Falls Down
• AJR/Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• Kesha/The Dap-King Horns – Woman
• Spencer – Whatever

~ Now that Feel It Still is starting to fade on me, Live In The Moment makes its debut. I think it's a pretty cool song and I wouldn't mind seeing this on the countdown soon. I'm not really a fan of I Fall Apart, though it's not awful. I'll talk more about this if it debuts on the countdown. Don't Wanna Feel It is pretty catchy and I like the vocals. It's nothing amazing, but it's enjoyable.

~ Now for the one you've been waiting for. Zedd makes his return with The Middle. Just when I thought he couldn't get any lower than Get Low, he releases this song, which is easily the worst out of everything he's done recently. I feel like he's been selling out lately because his music has gotten very mediocre. I did like Starving and Stay at first, but neither of them stuck with me. In fact, The Middle actually sounds like both of those songs combined. This song lacks originality and good production. Zedd used to be so good, but now he's trying to be mainstream and people are actually giving in, which annoys me. Nothing about this song stands out. The production is underwhelming and somewhat annoying. This shouldn't even be considered EDM. I'm a fan of Maren Morris, but I'm not huge on her contribution here. She sounds good in some parts. But for the most part, she doesn't stand out. Overall, I'm not a fan of this at all. Zedd has lost what made him unique. I'm not looking forward to any future releases if we're going to keep getting songs like this. I'll stick to Clarity and True Colors, two albums I really liked for the most part.

But seriously, listen to songs like Addicted To A Memory with Bahari and Papercut with Troye Sivan and you'll know what I'm talking about.


Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks
1. Troye Sivan – My My My!
2. Clean Bandit/Julia Michaels – I Miss You
3. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
4. The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy
5. Kesha/The Dap-King Horns – Woman


Never Blurb The Same
~ Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days jumped into the Top 5 this week, which I'm very pleased with. If it's not too much to ask, I wouldn't mind seeing this song at #1 sometime in the near future. Two artists that have impressed me lately certainly deserve it. I want it to achieve what Glorious could not.

~ Also in the Top 5, we have Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran/Future – End Game. I wasn't too huge on Look What You Made Me Do and Ready For It, but I certainly wouldn't mind End Game being a #1 hit. I'll take it over our current #1 any day.

~ Walk The Moon – One Foot makes its Top 10 debut this week, much to my pleasure. I'm glad Hits 1 is treating this song well. It deserves to be as big as Shut Up and Dance and I want people to know more songs from this band than just that one.

~ X Ambassadors – Ahead of Myself made an interesting jump this week into the Top 15. I'm certainly not complaining as I really like this song. Hopefully it can stick around for a little while. This song is doing better than I thought it would.

~ Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft has finally fallen out of the Top 10. I'm guessing this one is finally starting to fade out. It has definitely been going strong for a song that was only a minor hit. But it's about time that this dropped.

~ Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask made a sudden drop this week out of the Top 20. Yikes. But considering that this wasn't a big hit, I'm not that surprised. I just thought Hits 1's love for Niall would've caused this song to be another #1 hit. Guess not.

~ Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do also had an unexpected drop this week. I guess with Wait starting to gain steam, this one was bound to drop. For some reason, I thought this had a shot at #1. It was definitely more worthy than songs like Don't Wanna Know. But this song has been fading on me a little bit lately, so I'm not too heartbroken about this fall.

~ Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes was definitely holding out in the upper half of the countdown for quite a while lately. I'm surprised this didn't drop sooner. I do still like the song. But it did well enough on the countdown that I'm not too saddened by this.

~ As far as the exits go, Bedroom Floor left a little unexpectedly. But I'm happy about it. Look What You Made Me Do deserved to leave as well. I'm glad this wasn't that overrated. Shape Of You had a very long run here and I think it was time for it to leave. But I'm pleased with how successful it was. And finally, Kiwi was underrated as expected. Hopefully someday Hits 1 and America in general will learn what good music is.


Top 20 Review
0 – Crap:
20. Imagine Dragons – Thunder

1 – Bad:
19. Post Malone/21 Savage – Rockstar
18. Lauv – I Like Me Better

2 – Mediocre:
17. Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't
16. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft

3 – Decent:
15. Maroon 5 – Wait

4 – Good:
14. Halsey – Bad At Love
13. Camila Cabello – Havana
12. Dua Lipa – New Rules

5 – Great:
11. Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves
10. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go
9. Charlie Puth – How Long
8. Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran/Future – End Game
7. X Ambassadors – Ahead of Myself
6. Imagine Dragons – Believer
5. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
4. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
3. G-Eazy/Halsey – Him & I

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:
1. TIE: Walk The Moon – One Foot
1. TIE: Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days

Overall Score: 78/100 = 78% (B)


Throwback Pick Of The Week: Maroon 5 – Wake Up Call

Most Missed Countdown Song: Zedd/Matthew Koma/Miriam Bryant – Find You

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Justin Timberlake/Chris Stapleton – Say Something

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Tie Between Runaground – Chase You Down (#9) and Jon Bellion – All Time Low (#11)


My Top 5 Picks
1. TIE: Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
1. TIE: Walk The Moon – One Foot
3. G-Eazy/Halsey – Him & I
4. Eminem/Ed Sheeran – River
5. P!nk – Beautiful Trauma

Imagine Dragons (4) – Week Of January 20, 2018

Hey guys! Last week, I set up a poll where you guys voted for your favorite song from my Top 5 of 2017. Out of the 56 votes, it looks like Something Just Like This just barely rose to first place, with Praying only being one vote short of tying. I just wanted to see what people thought of my Top 5. These two songs are definitely fan favorites and frankly there's nothing to not love about them. I also set up a new grading scale for the Top 20 Reviews. My old system was identical to the grading system in school. But I decided to change it to make it more fair. This new system begins this week and will be the new permanent grading scale. Before we get to this week's Fresh 45, here are the songs we're saying goodbye to this week.

• Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay (#42) [4 Weeks At #1]

Last Week's #1 Song: Ed Sheeran – Perfect

The Countdown

45. The Shadowboxers – Hot Damn (#41)

44. Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#44)

43. Harry Styles – Kiwi (#45)

42. P!nk – What About Us (#37) [1 Week At #1]

41. Charlie Puth – Attention (#40) [1 Week At #1]

40. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#39) [9 Weeks At #1]

39. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#38) [3 Weeks At #1]

38. Maroon 5 – Wait (DEBUT)

37. Liam Payne – Strip That Down (#36) [2 Weeks At #1]

36. Kesha – Praying (#33)

35. Zayn/Sia – Dusk Till Dawn (#32)

34. Symon – Lonely Girl (#27)

33. Bruno Mars/Cardi B – Finesse (#30)

32. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#31) [4 Weeks At #1]

31. Taylor Swift – ...Ready For It? (#35)

30. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#43)

29. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#28) [1 Week At #1]

28. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (#29) [5 Weeks At #1]

27. X Ambassadors – Ahead Of Myself (#21)

26. Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor (#26)
25. Fall Out Boy – Hold Me Tight Or Don't (#19)
24. Eminem/Ed Sheeran – River (#14)
23. Justin Timberlake – Filthy (#24)
22. Louis Tomlinson – Miss You (#34)
21. G-Eazy/Halsey – Him & I (#20)
20. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes (#13)
19. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#18)
18. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#23)
17. Post Malone/21 Savage – Rockstar (#16)
16. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do (#15)
15. Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran/Future – End Game (#22)
14. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#17) [3 Weeks At #1]
13. Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves (#8)
12. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#25)
11. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#12)
10. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#7)
  9. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days (#10)
  8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/Florida Georgia Line/watt – Let Me Go (#4)
  7. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask (#11)
  6. Camila Cabello – Havana (#5) [1 Week At #1]
  5. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#1) [2 Weeks At #1]
  4. Halsey – Bad At Love (#3) [2 Weeks At #1]
  3. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#6)
  2. Charlie Puth – How Long (#9)
  1. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#3) [4^th Week At #1]

#1 Song This Week One Year Ago: Hailee Steinfeld & Grey/Zedd – Starving (4)

Biggest DROP!!!... Of The Week: Eminem/Ed Sheeran – River (–10)

Biggest Jump Of The Week: Tie Between Walk The Moon – One Foot and MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (+13)

New Entrants
~ Our lone new entrant this week comes from Maroon 5 with the follow-up to What Lovers Do. This one is Wait and there really isn't anything exciting about this one. It's definitely better than Don't Wanna Know and Cold, but it's not the Maroon 5 I used to know. Once upon a time, they used to be my favorite band. But they've been disappointing me lately. Like I said when this debuted on Hit-Bound, Adam Levine has essentially taken over the band. They used to be pop-rock and you could tell there was a band. But here they're just pop and anyone that's somehow not familiar with Maroon 5 probably wouldn't know that this is a band, as opposed to a solo artist. I find this ironic since it seems that are more members now than there were before. Of course I'm just making an assumption. I don't know anything for sure. But I don't remember there being seven band members. They're literally Maroon 7. You'd think this would mean that they'd be more pop-rock. But nope. Like I said, it's better than Don't Wanna Know and Cold. Adam does decent on the vocals. The chorus is kind of catchy. I don't love the production overall. The song itself is okay, but nothing memorable. Frankly, I'm just glad they didn't bring in some mediocre rapper or a singer that does not sound good with the band like they did on Cold and Help Me Out.


Hit-Bound
~ Here is the Hit-Bound list.

• NF – Let You Down
• Kesha/The Dap-King Horns – Woman
• Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same
• Alan Walker/Noah Cyrus/Digital Farm Animals – All Falls Down
• P!nk – Beautiful Trauma
• Spencer – Whatever
• Troye Sivan – My My My!
• Clean Bandit/Julia Michaels – I Miss You
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
• The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy (DEBUT)
• Wolves – Animal
• All Time Low – Last Young Renegade
• AJR/Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
• Sofi Tukker/NERVO – Best Friend

~ It took me a few listens to grow into Sick Boy. While it's no Something Just Like This, I like this song. Andrew Taggart takes on the vocals once again and I think he sounds good here. The production is pretty good and the song is catchy. I'll talk more about it when it debuts.

Top 5 Hit-Bound Picks

1. P!nk – Beautiful Trauma

2. Troye Sivan – My My My!

3. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes

4. Clean Bandit/Julia Michaels – I Miss You

5. Kesha/The Dap-King Horns – Woman

Beautiful Blurbs

~ I know it may seem like I grew to hate Thunder very quickly. But the truth is, I never actually loved this song. I only took it because it was better than Believer at the time. But even at first, I found it quite mediocre. It took several listens for me to be able to tolerate it. But now that I've come around to Believer, Thunder became extremely mediocre again and the fact that it's so popular really only makes matters worse. So I'm not very thrilled to see it back at #1. I'll take any song in the Top 10 over this any day, even Love So Soft even though I'm not a fan of that one either. But Thunder is basically Imagine Dragons hitting rock bottom. Though my opinions on this and its predecessor have changed a lot, I'm believe my thoughts currently will remain as they are.

~ Jumping up to #2 this week, we have Charlie Puth – How Long. I'm not too surprised by this given how successful its predecessor was. While I don't like this as much as Attention, I'd certainly be cool with this reaching the top spot. Charlie Puth has shown some true potential with these two songs and I'm glad they're both successful.

~ To some people's distaste, we have Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be at #3 this week. I know I have the unpopular opinion among the critics. But I can't find anything to hate about this song. I get that some may not like Florida Georgia Line essentially taking over the song. I do recommend this version if you're one of those people. But I like this song and I want to see it at #1. It's a big deal for Bebe Rexha and she's very talented. I'm glad she finally has a big hit.

~ Walk The Moon – One Foot made a really nice jump this week into the Top 15. I'm glad to see this one becoming a hit. It's very deserving and it's one of the best songs out there right now. It may not hit the height of Shut Up and Dance, but it's still a whole lot of fun.

~ Louis Tomlinson – Miss You also made a nice jump into the Top 25. It seemed like it wasn't really going to go anywhere, but I'm glad it was able to make that leap. This song is very underrated.

~ MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low made an interesting jump this week back into the Top 30 from the Bottom 5. I'm okay with this. I still like this song as strange as it may seem. There's just something about it that makes it such a good song.

~ As far as our exit goes, I'm pleased to see this one make its departure. It was certainly long overdue and was never even anything special to begin with. But at least it's finally gone.

~ I've been really enjoying both Him & I and One Foot this past week. So I consider them both to be the best song on the countdown. Fun fact: Both songs have the "cross my heart, hope to die" lines in the chorus.

Top 20 Review

0 – Crap:

20. Imagine Dragons – Thunder

1 – Bad:

19. Post Malone/21 Savage – Rockstar

18. Lauv – I Like Me Better

2 – Mediocre:

17. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft

3 – Decent:

16. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still

4 – Good:

15. Halsey – Bad At Love

14. Camila Cabello – Havana

13. Dua Lipa – New Rules

5 – Great:

12. Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes

11. Niall Horan – Too Much To Ask

10. Maroon 5/SZA – What Lovers Do

9. Charlie Puth – How Long

8. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go

7. Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves

6. Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran/Future – End Game

5. Imagine Dragons – Believer

4. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be

3. Ed Sheeran – Perfect

2. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days

BONUS: 6 – Best Song On The Countdown:

1. Walk The Moon – One Foot

Overall Score: 80/100 = 80% (A)

Throwback Pick Of The Week: Britney Spears – ...Baby One More Time

Most Missed Countdown Song: Maroon 5 – Love Somebody

#1 Recommendation For Hits 1: Tie Between Carrie Underwood/Ludacris – The Champion and Troye Sivan – The Good Side

Favorite Countdown Song This Week One Year Ago: Jon Bellion – All Time Low (#10)

My Top 5 Picks

1. TIE: G-Eazy/Halsey – Him & I

1. TIE: Walk The Moon – One Foot

3. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days

4. Ed Sheeran – Perfect

5. Eminem/Ed Sheeran – River

Year-End Special: 25 Best Songs of 2017 That Missed Hits 1

Hits 1 usually picks up a good chunk of the best songs of each year. But they don't pick up every good song. And some songs that end up being the best of the year are ignored. So I would like to recognize the 25 best songs of 2017 that did not make it on to Hits 1. For a song to be eligible for this list, it needed to have not entered Hit-Bound nor the Weekend Countdown. Songs from the YouTube15 are eligible since these songs are not in Hits 1 regular rotation.

Keep in mind that these are not all of the good songs that missed Hits 1, but simply the twenty-five best. Some of these you may recognize because they were big hits that simply failed to make it on to Hits 1 for whatever reason. But there are some songs you may not know. Some of these were not actually released as singles. These songs are from a multitude of genres. So I encourage you to read this post with an open mind and possibly even listen to a few of these songs. You may find something you like. Who knows? So now I will present to you, the twenty-five best songs that did not make it on to Hits 1 during the year of 2017.

• Kendrick Lamar – Humble

This one was a pretty obvious choice and it was a very big hit outside of Hits 1. It ended up being the #4 song of 2017 for Billboard. Kendrick Lamar is definitely one of the most talented rappers of our time, especially compared to all the mediocre trap rappers we have dominating the charts nowadays. This man is one of the few people that gives me faith in the rap genre. Humble is a fantastic song and was very well-produced. Kendrick is a very good rapper and he shows it here on this song. I like the lyrical content. I really like the chorus. The song is short, but it's very good and it'll leave you wanting more. I was satisfied with how it did on the charts. It was well-received by the public and I'm glad. Kendrick Lamar is one of the few rappers I can bear to listen to.

• French Montana/Swae Lee – Unforgettable

I'm not big on French Montana overall. But Unforgettable is a definite stand-out from 2017. It's not your every day trap song. It actually has some dancehall influences. The production here is on point throughout the whole song. The beat had me captivated. French Montana's verses are actually not bad. Rae Sremmurd's Swae Lee actually sounds really good in the chorus. I think I like the song a lot more than I should. But it's undeniably catchy. It had my attention from start to end. This was a big hit as well peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, which I think is good. This is one of the few rap songs I really liked from 2017. It's much better than some boring, repetitive trap song that sounds just like everything else from that genre. Unforgettable was a stand-out from the rap genre during 2017.

• Kygo/Ellie Goulding – First Time

This song came after It Ain't Me, which ended up being ranked my #1 song of 2017. I had high expectations and I was most certainly not disappointed. Kygo has almost never failed to disappoint me, at least not yet. The production is very good during the whole song. Ellie Goulding's vocals shine like they always do. I really like the chorus and I think the drop sounds pretty cool. They are some cool chopped-up vocals towards the end of the song that remind me of this song's predecessor. It's a shame that this didn't get as big as It Ain't Me. It was certainly worthy of it. But it seems as though Kygo may simply be a one-hit wonder in the United States. As much as I don't want that to be, it's probably the reality. But despite this failing to take off, it is definitely one of the best songs of the year.

• Clean Bandit/Zara Larsson – Symphony

This was another song that failed to take off in the United States, yet was successful in other parts of the world. Being the follow-up single to Rockabye, I thought it was just as good as its predecessor. Unfortunately, the public apparently didn't feel the same. I love the production here and how there were some classical elements thrown into it. That's what makes Clean Bandit stand out from other groups. It's a shame people don't notice these things. Zara Larsson was an excellent choice for the guest vocalist spot as she is very capable of hitting every high note in this song. That being said, her voice sounds amazing throughout the whole song. I really like the lyrical content. The music video was cool as well. Like I said, it's a shame this didn't take off. But it's still fantastic and it only made me like Clean Bandit more.

• Thirty Seconds To Mars – Walk On Water

It didn't take long for me to fall in love with this song after its release. Jared Leto, while being a great actor, is a fantastic singer and I've enjoyed a lot of what Thirty Seconds To Mars have released. Walk On Water is definitely an anthem. The chorus is fantastic and while it seems repetitive, it's undeniably catchy. That's also when Jared Leto's voice shines the brightest. I love the addition of the gospel choir in the background and while their part also seems repetitive, I think it sounds really cool. And I love how the song is called Walk On Water. The only person that can walk on water is Jesus Christ and Jared Leto actually looks a lot like Jesus, which I thought was a little funny. Overall, great song. I wish it was more successful.

• Keith Urban/Carrie Underwood – The Fighter

I can picture this song being on many people's worst of 2017 lists, especially those reviewing country music. Sure, this is the furthest thing from country I've heard all year. But I just really like it. I can't say I entirely know why. It has a very catchy hook. I think Keith Urban sounds good for the majority of the song. I like the addition of Carrie Underwood in the chorus and the way the vocalists switch back and forth with each line. I have a thing for duets like that, especially with songs like Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men. This song sounds a little country, but it's mainly a pop track and that's really not a bad thing, at least for me. I love a catchy pop tune and that's pretty much what The Fighter is for me. I've certainly heard worse "country" songs this past year.* Overall, I was pleased with how this song turned out. While both artists have done better, their duet is a lot of fun regardless. This barely made it on to the Billboard Year-End chart for 2017. But I'm glad it did and that it was somewhat successful.

• Avicii/Rita Ora – Lonely Together

After the major success of Wake Me Up and the minor success of Hey Brother, I was certainly interested in hearing more from Avicii. His second studio album, Stories, came out in 2015 and I wasn't a huge fan of Waiting For Love, but I liked some of the songs like Broken Arrows, which had some country influences from Zac Brown Band. In 2017 he released an EP, of which Lonely Together is a single from. While it's not as good as what Avicii has previously done, it's definitely an enjoyable song. I like the production and Rita Ora sounds really good here. I didn't even know this song existed until I stumbled upon it on YouTube. I'm very glad I did because it is a very good song. I wish Avicii could have another big hit like Wake Me Up. But unfortunately, that probably won't happen.

• Lorde – Homemade Dynamite

I'd like to start off by apologizing for my confusing thoughts on Green Light. It's actually a really good song that I wish had done better. Melodrama is a really good album and Homemade Dynamite is a favorite of mine. It reminds me of some of the songs from Pure Heroine. Lorde has a very interesting voice that I didn't think sounded great in dance-pop song, which is probably why I disliked Green Light at first. But it sounds fantastic on a song like this. Her vocals are almost mysterious in a way, especially in the chorus, which I love. The production is interesting and stands out as well. It's a very dark song and I think it works very well for Lorde. I can't picture any other artist pulling off a song like this. It's no wonder why this song as well as the album was critically acclaimed. I wish this was a bigger hit.

• Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me

I find it mind-boggling that this did not get as big as Sorry Not Sorry, yet it's so much better. Sorry Not Sorry was a mess all around with strange production and pitchy vocals. It didn't sound like her. But Tell Me You Love Me was a huge step up in my opinion. This type of song is very fitting for Demi Lovato as she has the perfect voice for it and sure enough, she definitely showcases her vocal capabilities here. She sounds really good all throughout the song, especially when she reaches her usual big note towards the end of the song. The production here is exceptional as the song is filled with horns that sound great and cool hand-claps in the chorus. It's very possibly the best song I've heard from Demi Lovato since Heart Attack. Sure, she's had a bunch of good songs since then. But none of them amazed me as much as Tell Me You Love Me did. It's a shame this didn't really take off even after the release of the music video.

• J Balvin & Willy William/Beyoncé – Mi Gente

This may be an unpopular opinion within the blogging community. But I choose to stand by this song. The first time I heard it was when it came on my Pandora station. It was the original version, but I found it quite catchy and enjoyable. I told myself that I wouldn't mind seeing it become a hit. Sure enough, it did, but partially because of the remix with Beyoncé, who I think sounds really good here. I think the song has a really cool beat. As someone with a Latin background, I have a thing for Latin songs like this one and artists like Ricky Martin, Prince Royce, and Enrique Iglesias. So that may have something to do with why I like this song. But honestly, I just think it's really catchy. Everyone sounds great on here. I'm glad it was a hit even though it failed to make it on to Hits 1. This song has some really good things about it that will make it remembered by me.

• Lindsey Stirling/ZZ Ward – Hold My Heart

This song as well as Lindsey Stirling's previous single, Something Wild, got some radio airplay on stations like The Pulse (SiriusXM channel 15). But aside, it really wasn't a hit at all. For those that don't know, Lindsey Stirling is an America's Got Talent alumni from season 5. She's a violinist, dancer, and composer. She's very talented and her music is very good. I was first exposed to Shatter Me, which featured Lzzy Hale from Halestorm, and I loved that song. Stirling is a pro at what she does. I've never heard the violin incorporated into music the way she does it. Something Wild was like your everyday pop song, but with the addition of the violin, it made it sound so much better. She showcases her talent well here on Hold My Heart. I love the chorus. I think it's really catchy. ZZ Ward sounds really good. She has a good voice and I'm glad she was able to show it off here. The production is really good. I thought this was a great song and I wish more people would recognize the amount of talent that goes into everything she releases.

• All Time Low – Dirty Laundry

The predecessor to Good Times definitely caught my attention the first time I listened to it. It wasn't a favorite among some of the YouTube critics. But it was definitely a favorite of mine. I get that this song doesn't really have much to it and that people probably expected more. But I appreciate the song for what it is. I like the way first chunk of the song is a bit quieter. I think it compliments Alex's vocals very nicely. Then when we get to the final chorus, we still get hear him scream a little as the song gets a little louder. But I love how it builds up to that moment. The song was organized very nicely and it was well-produced. When I reached the end of the song the first time I listened to it, I knew it was well worth my time. In a way, the song reminded me of Missing You, another song from this band that I enjoyed. I wish this was a bigger hit. But at least Good Times was somewhat successful, at least on Hits 1.

• PVRIS – Heaven

I really like this song and this band. Their most recent album, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell, was definitely a favorite of mine in 2017. I think what makes PVRIS stand out from other bands for me is how they have a female vocalist, Lynn Gunn. There aren't very rock bands with female lead vocalists aside from Evanescence. Amy Lee is a very talented singer. She's one of my favorites and Lynn Gunn is not that far away from being a favorite of mine as well. She has a very powerful voice and she really shows it here on Heaven, which was the lead single from their most recent album. I think she sounds fantastic on this song as well as pretty much every other song from the album. I love her voice. The instrumentation here is really good as well. I think the band sounds great. I really like the lyrical content. All in all, it's a great song. I think PVRIS is underrated and I've been a fan of them for a little while. I liked their first album, White Noise, and songs like You and I. Their new album definitely impressed me and this song was one of my personal favorites.

• Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones

Like I've said before, MANIA seems to be a mixed bag for me. I'm not a fan of their experimental singles. This song and Champion were really the only ones that appealed to me because they really felt like the Fall Out Boy I like. I'd argue that this is even the better song between the two. The Last Of The Real Ones takes me back to a time when Fall Out Boy were a bit more rock. The instrumentals here sound fantastic. I love how loud and fast-paced the song is. Patrick Stump's vocals sound amazing in this song. I'm disappointed that this song failed to make it on to Hits 1. They picked up Champion, but skipped this and went right to Hold Me Tight Or Don't, which is a shame because I don't like that song and I love this one. Apparently, the entire MANIA album is available for preview listening. My brother was playing each song for me and they all sounded pretty mediocre. So this is one of the only good songs from that album. I wish the public treated it better. It was worthy of being a hit in my opinion.

• N.E.R.D/Rihanna – Lemon

I'm probably going to have a hard time defending this song. I don't know what is about this song, but I just love it. Obviously, it's more of a guilty pleasure, at least for me. It's been a long time since I've heard from Pharrell's side project. I actually hated this song at first. I thought it was stupid and annoying. But I gave it more listens because I was quite fascinated by Rihanna's contribution. I don't think I've ever heard her rap like that. In time, I grew into the song. The production isn't much. But the vocals are decent. There isn't any actual singing here, but both artists sound good rapping. There isn't much to this lyrically and the music video is quite strange. But there's just something about this song that has my undivided attention. It's probably Rihanna because I doubt I'd like this song as much as I do if it didn't have her. But I have to say, it was a good comeback for N.E.R.D. The song is entertaining and actually kind of fun to listen to. I can understand if some don't like this, but it's definitely something I've actually gone out of my way to listen to. It's that catchy.

• Papa Roach/Skylar Grey – Periscope

I've never been too drawn into Papa Roach's music. I've always thought they were okay. They have a few good songs every now and then. Their most recent album, Crooked Teeth, came out last May. I didn't listen to the whole thing. I skimmed some of the tracks. But I thought Periscope was a stand-out. Jacoby Shaddix sounds really good all throughout the song, especially when he shouts "Through a periscope!" I really like the chorus. I love that they brought Skylar Grey as a guest. She's very underrated, yet talented. I remember this was the first song I'd heard from her since Cannonball featuring X Ambassadors. She sounds really good on here. I love her voice and I think she and Shaddix sound good together. I like the production and instrumentation here. I think it's a cool song overall. It's a favorite of mine from Papa Roach.

• Fitz & The Tantrums – Roll Up

HandClap was obviously a big success. I first heard Roll Up on Alt Nation and I soon became addicted. HandClap was one of the catchiest songs of 2016 and Roll Up is one of the catchiest songs of 2017. Fitz & The Tantrums have pretty much always produced catchy music. I thought Out Of My League and The Walker were both really catchy. Roll Up has some cool production. It may sound a little goofy. But I love it. It fits the band very well. Michael Fitzpatrick really shows off his vocals here. He sounds really good all throughout this song, especially in the chorus. The repetition of "Roll Up" sounds cool. This song had me hooked from the first listen and I still love it. Definitely one of my favorites this past year. I wish these guys had more hits because they are very talented.

• Cold War Kids – Love Is Mystical

Cold War Kids have never released something that stuck with me, at least not as much as Love Is Mystical. This song is definitely their best song in a long time. I love the production here. The song was put together very well. It has a stomping chorus that sounds amazing. The vocals here are really good and I really like the lyrical content as well. I really don't have much else to say about this song. It's one of those songs that you kind of have to listen to to understand what I'm getting at. But I definitely recommend taking a listen if you haven't heard it yet.

• Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness – Fire Escape

I've kind of been a low-key fan of Andrew McMahon ever since I first heard Cecilia & The Satellite on Alt Nation. I was a big fan of that song and then I heard Something Wild by Lindsey Stirling, which Andrew was featured on. I loved that song as well. It was very beautiful track with a nice incorporation of the violin. Andrew has a very good voice, which is why I became a fan. When Fire Escape was released as the lead single from his most recent album, Zombies On Broadway, I was instantly a fan. I love the use of the piano in this song. The chorus was louder than I expected, but it sounds amazing. Andrew's vocals sound really good as they have in the past. The lyrical content is really good. I love the repetition of the line, "Swinging from the fire escape." I think this man is very talented and I'm glad he's been successful on stations like Alt Nation and The Pulse. Whether this song is as good as Cecilia & The Satellite, I don't know. But Fire Escape has been a very enjoyable listen this past year.

• Shinedown – How Did You Love

Shinedown's 2015 album, Threat To Survival, definitely had some singles that stuck with me, this being one of them. Cut The Cord, the lead single, is easily one of the band's best songs. It's loud, it's energetic, and it gets you pumped. How Did You Love doesn't reach that level, but it definitely gets the job done, which is not surprising for Shinedown. I usually find myself enjoying their music, even if it's not the best they've done. How Did You Love is a really good song in my opinion. I think the instrumentation and production is really good. Brent Smith's vocals sound fantastic. He's definitely one of the strongest singers I've ever heard not just in rock, but in music in general. I love the original album version, but I also love the piano version. That version really highlights Brent Smith's vocals and it makes him sound even more amazing. I love when an amazing singer like him does a piano track that really showcases his voice. It just made me love the song even more. I was pleased with how this song did on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart as it peaked at #1, which is nothing new for Shinedown being their 11^th number one hit. But overall, I'm definitely a fan of the band and this song.

• Wrabel – The Village

I've been a fan of Wrabel since he was featured on the song Teen Feet Tall by Afrojack. I thought he had a really good voice and I wanted to hear more from him. He collaborated with Marshmello on the song Ritual, which was a favorite of mine last year. That was another song with great vocals from him. We even got a few solo singles like 11 Blocks, which I heard frequently on The Pulse. I loved that song. After a few more singles and an EP, we got The Village, which I fell in love with from the first listen. It's a beautiful song about acceptance. The lyrical content is fantastic and I love the music video. The video is about the struggle of a transgender teen and it was made shortly after President Trump's ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. We need more songs like this that support equality for all people no matter race, gender, or sexual orientation. I'm glad Wrabel took on this song. He sounds fantastic as always. I love his voice. He's very underrated, which is unfortunate because he is so talented. His songs are all really good. He's also featured in Kygo's new album, Kids In Love, and it's one of the best songs on the album partially because of his amazing vocals. But yeah. The Village definitely stood out to me. I look forward to hearing more from him.

• The Killers – The Man

This is hands-down the catchiest song of the year, at least in my opinion. I love The Killers. I grew up listening to these guys, especially their album, Day & Age, which is really good. I really like The Man. It's a little different for The Killers, but man is it catchy. I first heard this on Alt Nation and I've loved it ever since. I'm glad it was successful on their Alt-18 countdown. The production here is on point. Brandon Flowers' vocals still sound as good as they used to.  It's a very interesting song that I simply cannot help but love. I've loved The Killers for quite some time now. This song is no exception. It may even be one of their best songs along with songs like Human, Spaceman, and Mr. Brightside. It's seriously that good. Like I said, I'm very pleased with how successful it was on Alt Nation. The rest of the album, Wonderful Wonderful, is really good as well. But The Man was definitely something.

• Imagine Dragons – Walking The Wire

I've been pretty mixed on Imagine Dragons' latest music. I hated Believer at first, but now I love it. I loved Thunder at first, but now I hate it. It's not even that I got sick of Thunder. I realized it's just not a good song for Imagine Dragons. It lacks what made Night Visions stand out. But Walking The Wire is fantastic. It's probably the best song from Evolve along with songs like Whatever It Takes. This song feels so powerful the way it was produced and the way Dan Reynolds belts out the chorus. It kind of gave me chills the first few times I listened to it. The lyrical content is really good. It's an amazing love song that I wish got more attention. This should've been released as a single, not Thunder. This is the more powerful song that has so much more meaning. It's also not one of those songs that gets annoying after hearing it so much. Dan Reynolds really shows what he's capable of vocally in this song. It was very well put-together. I wish it was released as an official single. But sadly, it's not more than a promotional single. These kinds of songs tend to get overlooked.

• Kygo/Justin Jesso – Stargazing

I did not expect this song to come out when it did. But as you probably guessed, I fell in love with this song from the first listen. It's very similar to It Ain't Me, which I also loved. The production here is really good. Kygo impressed me yet again. I love the chorus and I think the drop is really catchy. The chopped-up vocals fit nicely. Justin Jesso sounds really good all throughout the song. I like the lyrical content. The music video was a little emotional for me. Along with this original version, there's also an orchestral version, which I think sounds really cool. Justin's vocals sound a bit more raw and we get to hear Kygo on the piano with a beautiful-sounding orchestra in the background. It puts a cool spin on the song. Overall, I love this song. It's not Kygo's best, but it's definitely one of his best. As someone that has been a fan since Firestone and Stole The Show, I think this is quality work from Kygo. He makes tropical house something that is really enjoyable and I love that he was able to get his name out there in 2017 with It Ain't Me (thanks to Selena Gomez). I definitely his latest album if you haven't heard it. But yeah. Stargazing was a big stand-out towards the end of the year.

• Linkin Park/Pusha T/Stormzy – Good Goodbye

The final song on this list is also possibly the best one (not that the rest of these were in any particular order). It comes from Linkin Park from their latest album, One More Light. I didn't love that album, but it had a few good songs like this one. I love Linkin Park's incorporation of rap into their pop-rock style. We finally get to hear Mike Shinoda's rapping again. I think his verse sounds really good and I'm honestly just glad that he even had a verse because he's one of the reasons I love Linkin Park. I really like Pusha T's verse as well. It sounds cool and he sounds very good. I don't love Stormzy's verse. It's okay. But I would've much preferred a second verse from either Mike Shinoda or Pusha T. Chester Bennington takes on the chorus as expected and I think he sounds really good here. He shows off his voice very nicely in this song. I love the song's production. It's definitely not like the old Linkin Park, but it's an interesting new direction. This is probably the best off of the album along with the title track. I remember when this was first released as a promotional single, I thought it was a lot better than the other pre-releases. Then after hearing the rest of the album, it became a favorite of mine. Once again, I want to say rest in peace to Chester. It's still very heartbreaking. He and Chris Cornell were two of the biggest losses in music in 2017. I'm glad Linkin Park were able to get one more album out and while it may have been torn apart by fans, I appreciated it for what it was. I didn't love it. But I applaud them for taking their own path and doing what they want. Good Goodbye turned out to be a really good song, one that I will definitely remember.

You have finally reached the end! Those were the 25 best songs of 2017 that failed to make it on to Hits 1 that I wanted to acknowledge. Unfortunately, I didn't get every good song from this past year in this list. But these were the 25 best. Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! The Hits 1 Year-End ranking is next. But before I go, I want to talk about something.

One of our readers who is part of our blogging community (he goes by the name ".") has created something called the 2017 Hits 1 Year-End Rankdown. The concept of this game was taken from the Pulse Music Board, which he is part of. Basically, he has a form for you guys to fill out where you rank every song from Hits 1's Top 45 of 2017 based on your opinion. #45 is your least favorite, while #1 is your favorite. Then what he does is he takes the average ranking for each song and counts down the Top 45 based on those averages. Then at the end, he does some calculations and shows whose ranking was the most accurate. If you want to get a better idea of what I'm talking about, feel free to check out the rankdowns for 2015 and 2016.

We're still looking for participants for the 2017 ranking. I myself am participating. All you have to do is enter your name (or remain anonymous) and rank every song from Hits 1's 2017 Year-End ranking based on your opinion. It's very simple. Then after he gets the list together, he'll update this page on a daily basis and reveal five songs at a time. Like I said, it's simple and I think it's cool to see how everyone ranks a certain song. This is not mandatory by any means, but if you want to participate, which I encourage, you have until this Saturday, January 20 at 3:00 PM EST to submit your list. The links you need are down below.


The main page where the results will be posted (any questions can be addressed here): http://countdownguyblog.blogspot.com/p/2017-hits-1-ye-rankdown.html

The form to submit: https://goo.gl/forms/GlcR525SW83xddpY2

*Body Like A Back Road