One Direction (4) - Week of April 28, 2012

We're in another Golden Age on the countdown, as the voters have DTHNOBbed yet another (and perhaps the most significant) bastion of "suck". Before we get on to this week's Fresh 45, here's a list of all the songs we're saying good-bye to this week.

• Rihanna Ft. Calvin Harris - We Found Love
• Chiddy Bang - Ray Charles

The Countdown:

1. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#2) [Fourth Week at #1]
2. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe- We Are Young (#1)
3. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (#5)
4. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#4)
5. Katy Perry- Part of Me (#9)
6. Flo Rida feat. Sia- Wild Ones (#6)
7. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#7)
8. Nicki Minaj- Starships (#18)
9. Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know (#10)
10. Carly Rae Jepsen- Call Me Maybe (#13)
11. Train- Drive By (#3)
12. B.o.B- So Good (#8)
13. The Cab- La La (#12)
14. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull- Dance Again (#20)
15. Andy Grammer- Fine By Me (#19)
16. Karmin- Brokenhearted (#15)
17. Neon Trees- Everybody Talks (#14)
18. Chris Rene- Young Homie (#16)
19. Adele- Rumour Has It (#21)
20. September- Party in My Head (#11)
21. Maroon 5 - Payphone (#17)
22. David Guetta feat. Sia- Titanium (#39)
23. Hot Chelle Rae- Honestly (#23)
24. Lucas Prata feat. Lenny B- First Night of My Life (#33)
25. The All-American Rejects- Walk Over Me (#26)
26. K'naan feat. Nelly Furtado- Is Anybody Out There? (#25)
27. Taylor Swift- Eyes Open (#24)
28. Gym Class Heroes feat. Ryan Tedder- The Fighter (#29)
29. Cher Lloyd - Want U Back (#28)
30. Calvin Harris- Feel So Close (#22)
31. Grouplove- Tongue Tied (#44)
32. Gavin DeGraw- Sweeter (DEBUT)
33. Justin Bieber- Boyfriend (#31)
34. Adele- Someone Like You (#38)
35. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#27)
36. Hot Chelle Rae - I Like It Like That (#36)
37. Flo Rida feat. David Guetta and Adele - Good Feeling (#35)
38. Jessie J- Domino (#32)
39. Skrillex feat. Sirah- Bangarang (#37)
40. Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch- Ass Back Home (#41)
41. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#40)
42. Pitbull feat. Chris Brown- International Love (RE-ENTRY)
43. M83- Midnight City (#42)
44. Outasight- Tonight Is the Night (#34)
45. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#30)

Biggest DDDDRRRROOOPPPP!!!!!...of the week: Gavin DeGraw - Not Over You (-15)
Biggest Jump of the Week: David Guetta Ft. Sia - Titanium (+17)
#1 Song, 1 Year Ago This Week: Katy Perry - E.T.


This week, we got a completely unexpected resurrection from Pitbull Ft. Chris Brown - International Love.  It's unexpected because that song has pretty much been absent from the Hits-1 rotation for a long time (save for its weekly appearance on the countdown).  Also jumping onto the countdown this week is Gavin DeGraw - Sweeter.  It's a step down from Not Over You, but it's still sounds pretty decent.

Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe and Nicki Minaj – Starships both completed their ascent to the Top 10 this week, with the former making the latter’s progress look downright remedial.  It’s a pretty strong bet that both will be around the Top 10 for some time, and will be part of the regime that succeeds the What Makes You Beautiful / We Are Young / Stronger trio.

It’s hard to find things to gripe about when so few songs on the countdown piss me off.  I guess I could sit and gripe that Adele – Set Fire to the Rain is lingering too long in the Top 10, or that the thoroughly underwhelming Andy Grammer – Fine By Me is on the countdown at all, let alone at #15.  With We Found Love gone, it’s a difficult contest as to which song is truly the worst of the bunch, but I’d have to say that Adele – Rumour Has It, Adele – Somebody Like You (I promise, I have nothing against Adele!), Justin Bieber – Boyfriend, and Calvin Harris – Feel So Close are firmly in the running.  Still, that’s hardly a catastrophic bottom-4….none of them are out-of-this-world annoying.

I guess Train – Drive By’s run at #1 was cut short, its spot in the top 5 snagged by Katy Perry – Part of Me.  I really thought that Part of Me would have been up there awhile ago, but apparently the initial buzz it carried with it was short-lived.

Editor’s Picks – Top 5 Songs

1) Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know

2) Taylor Swift – Eyes Open

3) Maroon 5 Ft. Wiz Khalifa – Payphone

4) Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

5) David Guetta Ft. Sia - Titanium