Macklemore (4) - Week of March 30, 2013

Sorry I’m late with this again.  The week does tend to get away from me.  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.

• Milan & Phoenix - Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
• Britt Nicole - Gold
• Phil Phillips - Home

The Countdown:

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

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

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

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

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

6. Olly Murs - Troublemaker (#6)

7. fun. - Carry On (#9)

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

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

10. Taylor Swift - 22 (#18)

11. Maroon 5 - Daylight (#13)

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

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

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

15. Demi Lovato - Heart Attack (#12)

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

17. Little Mix - Wings (#23)

18. MKTO - Thank You (#32)

19. Krewella - Alive (#40)

20. Muse - Madness (#43)

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

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

23. Awolnation - Sail (#35)

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

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

26. Pink - Try (#20)

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

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

29. Florida Georgia Line - Cruise (DEBUT)

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

31. fun. - Some Nights (#33)

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

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

34. September - Hands Up (#44)

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

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

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

38. Chiddy Bang - Happening (#28)

39. Pink Ft. Nate Reuss - Just Give Me a Reason (DEBUT)

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

41. One Direction - Kiss You (#31)

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

43. Anna Kendrick - Cups (DEBUT)

44. Nelly - Hey Porsche (#42)

45. Lumineers - Ho Hey (#11)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPPP!!!!.....of the week: Lumineers – Ho Hey (-34)

Biggest Jump of the Week: Muse – Madness – (+23)

Three newbies this week.  Anna Kendrick – Cups is reasonably catchy, but only 2:15 in length, making me wonder what the Hits-1 Weekend Countdown is going to do with that extra minute-and-a-quarter (at least) of programming each week that it now has to spare with this song in tow.  In the world of songs of more legitimate length, Florida Georgia Line makes its first entry into the Hits-1 Weekend Countdown with Cruise.  I am typically excited when a country song makes it to the countdown because only the cream-of-the-crop of country music tends to be good enough to be noticed by the mainstream.  Cruise falls short of the lofty expectations set by previous countdown country songs, such as Zac Brown Band – Toes, Blake Shelton – Honey Bee and Lady Antebellum – Need You Now.  That said, it’s still decent.  There’s just nothing all that notable about it.

Finally, we come to Pink Ft. Nate Reuss – Just Give Me a Reason.  Officially, the song was “co-written” by the two, but Nate Reuss’s (that guy from fun...c’mon people) fingerprints are all over this one, as it’s lyrically completely out of line with anything Pink has come up with on her own.  It’s certainly the best of this week’s new entrants.  Time will tell where it stacks up against the better songs of 2013, but the fact that it’s in that conversation initially is a reasonably good sign.

Blurbs With Friends*

- The large jump by Muse – Madness makes me wonder why it took so long to make the countdown in the first place, with that kind of support.

- #2 Carousel Weekly Update: Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light ‘em Up) has become the latest horse, and it looks like there’s some momentum for it to succeed Macklemore Ft. Ryan Lewis – Thrift Shop atop the countdown.

- I don’t think I need to explain to anyone my feelings about what happened regarding the #3 spot on the countdown this week.

- Mumford & Sons – I Will Wait, after weeks of stagnating, has ascended to the #13 spot on the countdown.  November 2012 called, it wants its thing-that-would-have-made-sense-at-that-point-in-time back.

- 5 of last week’s debuts clustered between #19 and #23.

- That’s quite the ::SPLAT:: for Lumineers – Ho Hey.  #45?  Mercy.

*Thanks to reader Alex for this one 

Editor’s Picks – Top 5 Songs

1) Muse – Madness

2) Krewella – Alive

3) Demi Lovato – Heart Attack

4) Taylor Swift – 22

5) Pink Ft. Nate Reuss – Just Give Me a Reason