Imagine Dragons - Week of July 6, 2013

This was a heck of a week.  The top of the countdown had itself a pretty significant overhaul – and for the better, too.  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.

• Taylor Swift - 22
• Pitbull Ft. Christina Aguilera - Feel This Moment (DTHNOBx2)

The Countdown:

1. Imagine Dragons - Radioactive (#2) [First Week at #1]

2. Selena Gomez - Come & Get It (#8)

3. Maroon 5 - Love Somebody (#16)

4. Macklemore Ft. Ryan Lewis - Can't Hold Us (#1)

5. Avril Lavigne - Here's to Never Growing Up (#4)

6. Zedd Ft. Foxes - Clarity (#11)

7. Florida Georgia Line - Cruise (#7)

8. Icona Pop - I Love It (#6)

9. Capital Cities - Safe and Sound (#13)

10. Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell and T.I. - Blurred Lines (#19)

11. Ke$ha Ft. will.i.am - Crazy Kids (#12)

12. Awolnation - Sail (#27)

13. Jason Derulo - The Other Side (#12)

14. Anna Kendrick - Cups (#20)

15. Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light 'em Up) (#4)

16. Bruno Mars - Treasure (#21)

17. Calvin Harris Ft. Ellie Goulding - I Need Your Love (#23)

18. Emblem 3 - Chloe (#26)

19. Daft Punk - Get Lucky (#9)

20. Michael Buble - It's a Beautiful Day (#18)

21. Classified Ft. David Myles - Inner Ninja (#15)

22. The 1975 - Chocolate (#22)

23. Chris Brown - Fine China (#30)

24. Kelsi Luck - That's What I Like (#24)

25. Pink Ft. Nate Reuss - Just Give Me a Reason (#5)

26. The Summer Set - Boomerang (#43)

27. Mariah Carey Ft. Miguel - #Beautiful (#25)

28. Paramore - Still Into You (DEBUT)

29. Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven (#37)

30. Ariana Grande - The Way (#28)

31. Olly Murs - Troublemaker (#29)

32. Nikki Williams - Glowing (DEBUT)

33. Hot Chelle Rae - Hung Up (#3)

34. Labrinth Ft. Emeli Sande - Beneath Your Beautiful (#35)

35. Demi Lovato - Heart Attack (#10)

36. Swedish House Mafia - Don't You Worry Child (#38)

37. fun. - Some Nights (#39)

38. Tegan & Sara - Closer (#36)

39. MKTO - Thank You (#42)

40. Macklemore Ft. Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop (#32)

41. Ke$ha - Die Young (#33)

42. Jennifer Lopez Ft. Pitbull - Live It Up (#44)

43. Emeli Sande - Next to Me (#45)

44. Drop City Yacht Club - Crickets (#41)

45. Little Mix - Wings (#40)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest Ju….wait…hold on a sec.

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOPPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Hot Chelle Rae – Hung Up (-30)

Ahhhhhhhh that felt good.

Biggest Jump of the Week: The Summer Set – Boomerang (+17)

The last time we checked in on Paramore was a few years ago when The Only Exception was parading around the upper ranks of the countdown.  That song was decent, but fairly lifeless and ultimately overplayed.  Fortunately, the word “lifeless” does not apply to the decidedly above-average Still Into You.  I’m not crazy about the melody of the verses, but the initial transition into the chorus, complete with noticeable uptick in pace, is excellent.  Nikki Williams – Glowing is another song with quite the contrast in pace between the chorus and verses, but it’s not quite as effective.  Still, the countdown has seen worse.  The song alternates between dance jam and something that would clear out the dance floor.  I’m guessing it’ll be remixed to no end.

Blurbs & Spices

- [Yup, again]

- Welp, I never tabbed Imagine Dragons – Radioactive as a potential #1 song upon its entry to the countdown, but it’s clearly done a lot better than I had expected.  The countdown could do, and recently has done, a lot worse with its #1 song selections.  This works just fine.

- The #2 slot, however, is more than a little aggravating.  Selena Gomez – Come & Get It is superlatively disinteresting and mediocre, much like most music produced by, well, Selena Gomez.  She may be one of the most overrated artists out there these days. 

- Going right on down the list to #3….apparently the countdown gods were panicked that a Maroon 5 song might not touch the Top 5, so Love Somebody saw itself a nice jump after lurking in the #10 - #20 range for seemingly forever.

- Avril Lavigne – Here’s to Never Growing Up and Capital Cities – Safe and Sound made their Top 10 debuts this week, plus Zedd Ft. Foxes – Clarity found itself a new high-water mark at #6.  All of these things are good.

- In addition to Hung Up, Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark and Pink Ft. Nate Reuss – Just Give Me a Reason took big tumbles.  These things are also good – this countdown desperately needed an infusion of out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-but-mostly-out-with-the-old.

- Speaking of Selena Gomez, she was this weekend’s countdown host (might that have something to do with her song’s promotion to the #2 slot?).  Like Miley Cyrus, she was just awful.  For the millionth time, I don’t want to see an unenthusiastic celebrity do this show.  We also lose a lot of information about jumps/drops, entrants/exits, and recaps of sections of the countdown when Spyder Harrison’s not the DJ.  This is an open plea to fix the overabundance of guest hosts.

Editor’s Picks – Top 5 Songs

1) The 1975 – Chocolate

2) Zedd Ft. Foxes – Clarity

3) Paramore – Still Into You

4) Jason Derulo – The Other Side

5) Capital Cities – Safe and Sound