Macklemore (3) - Week of March 23, 2013

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We’ve been waiting awhile for something like this to transpire.  It’s been hard, I know.  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.

• Justin Timberlake Ft. Jay-Z - Suit and Tie
• Maroon 5 - One More Night
• Skylar Grey Ft. Eminem - C'mon Let Me Ride
• Redfoo - Bring Out the Bottles
• Sam and the Womp - Bom Bom
• Justin Bieber Ft. Nicki Minaj - Beauty and a Beat

The Countdown: 

1. Macklemore Ft. Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop (#1) [Third Week at #1]

2. Ke$ha - C'mon (#6)

3. Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks (#9)

4. Swedish House Mafia - Don't You Worry Child (#3)

5. The Script Ft. will.i.am - Hall of Fame (#7)

6. Olly Murs - Troublemaker (#5)

7. Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light 'em Up) (#14)

8. Calvin Harris Ft. Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing (#10)

9. fun. - Carry On (#18)

10. Pitbull Ft. Christina Aguilera - Feel This Moment (#12)

11. Lumineers - Ho Hey (#2)

12. Demi Lovato - Heart Attack (#17)

13. Maroon 5 - Daylight (#13)

14. Macklemore Ft. Ryan Lewis - Can't Hold Us (DEBUT)

15. Hot Chelle Rae - Hung Up (#16)

16. Bruno Mars - When I Was Your Man (#15)

17. Milan & Phoenix - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (#19)

18. Taylor Swift - 22 (#31)

19. Passion Pit - Take a Walk (#22)

20. Pink - Try (#11)

21. Icona Pop - I Love It (#30)

22. Kelly Clarkson - Catch My Breath (#4)

23. Little Mix - Wings (#23)

24. Mumford & Sons - I Will Wait (#40)

25. Cher Lloyd - With Ur Love (#26)

26. Cee Lo Green - Only You (#21)

27. Imagine Dragons - It's Time (#20)

28. Chiddy Bang - Happening (#32)

29. Britt Nicole - Gold (#33)

30. Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven (#27)

31. One Direction - Kiss You (#8)

32. MKTO - Thank You (DEBUT)

33. fun. - Some Nights (#36)

34. will.i.am Ft Britney Spears - Scream and Shout (#41)

35. Awolnation - Sail (DEBUT)

36. Ke$ha - Die Young (#35)

37. DJ Pauly D Ft. Jay Sean - Back to Love (DEBUT)

38. Emeli Sande - Next to Me (#24)

39. Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble (#44)

40. Krewella - Alive (DEBUT)

41. Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa- Payphone (#42)

42. Nelly - Hey Porsche (#28)

43. Muse - Madness (DEBUT)

44. September - Hands Up (#34)

45. Phil Phillips - Home (#38)

Biggest DDDDRRRRROOOOOPPPPP!!!!!....of the week: One Direction – Kiss You (-23)

Biggest Jump of the Week: Mumford & Sons – I Will Wait (+16)

In aggregate, it’s hard not to be impressed by this week’s new entrant class.  It would have been setting the bar too high (not to mention downright cruel) to expect Macklemore and Ryan Lewis to surpass Thrift Shop, but the beauty of producing a song that good is that you have plenty of room to regress and still wind up with quality.  Can’t Hold Us debuted all the way up at #14.  Macklemore is arguably more impressive in this song, but they don’t come close to achieving the possibly once-in-a-career hook of Thrift Shop.  I don’t have much to say about long-time Hit-Bound veteran MKTO – Thank You other than 1) I like it and 2) It’s…well…a long-time Hit-Bound veteran.

Muse – Madness makes Thank You look like it only did two tours on Hit-Bound.  I plugged for Madness to get promoted to the countdown during the week of Christmas (yikes), and its March 23^rd debut gives it possibly the longest Hit-Bound tenure ever, though I don’t keep data on that.  It’s probably no coincidence that it debuted the week of March Madness, considering that it was the theme song for this year’s tournament.  Oh, and ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad-mad-mad will get in your head like crazy.  The debut was long awaited and deserved, and Spyder Harrison even acknowledged as such, inserting a “FINALLY” before his announcement of the debut. 

The last time we checked in on DJ Pauly D, he was toiling away on Hit-Bound with his hilarious-but-terrible single, Beat Dat Beat.  This time, he was a little more successful, teaming up with Jay Sean to produce the decidedly above-average Back to Love.  It helps immensely that Pauly D doesn’t have to carry the vocals this time around, but it’s not the singing that makes this song as good as it is, it’s the music behind it.  I’m pretty impressed, and frankly shocked, that our favorite Jersey Shore loudmouth created this.

I am not quite sure why I enjoy Awolnation – Sail as much as I do.  There’s very few words in the song and it’s quite odd for pop music.  There’s just something about the pacing and the way the word “Sail” is sung spoken that sucks me in.  We’ll leave it at that.  Krewella (de Vil???) burst onto the scene to answer my cry for more energy on the countdown, and her song, Alive is a pretty damn good solution to that particular problem, thank you very much.

Hamblurber and Fries

- Wow, look at that Top 5!  Ke$ha – C’mon becomes the latest horse on the #2 carousel, making the Top 5 on the countdown as good as it’s ever been.

- The debut of the superior Alive renders September – Hands Up somewhat obsolete, and it looks like there was some recognition of that in this week’s voting, bouncing Hands Up down to #44.  It might not be around long.

- Call me crazy, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Maroon 5 – One More Night

- Maroon 5 – Payphone just hit its 11-monthiversary on the countdown this past weekend…..can it be the first song to last a full year???

- fun. – Carry On just entered the Top 10 for the first time, and knowing the general enthusiasm for fun., I don’t see it leaving anytime soon.

- Sorting out my Editor’s Picks is going to be interesting over the next few weeks….I really don’t know what to do with this infusion of good songs that really don’t notably outrank each other (though I’d argue Can’t Hold Us) is a clear notch below the other debuts.

- If anyone has any wicked sweet blurb-isms for me to incorporate into my weekly installments, please feel free to share.  You may see your idea in a future edition of the countdown review!

Editor’s Picks – Top 5 Songs

1) Muse – Madness

2) Ke$ha – C’mon

3) DJ Pauly D Ft. Jay Sean – Back to Love

4) Taylor Swift – 22

5) Demi Lovato – Heart Attack