Sirius XM Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Review

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Flo Rida - Week of February 11, 2012

Purge time! A few of these were overdue for a swift DTHNOB to the face, so let's clean some house. 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.

Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
Cobra Starship - Fool Like Me
Young the Giant - Cough Syrup
Nicole Scherzinger - Don't Hold Your Breath (DTHNOBx2)
The Downtown Fiction - Thanks for Nothing
The Cab - Bad
Kelly Rowland Ft. Big Sean - Lay It on Me

The Countdown: (Source: Wikipedia)

1. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#7) [New #1]

2. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#20)

3. LMFAO- Sexy and I Know It (#3)

4. Katy Perry- The One That Got Away (#12)

5. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (#9)

6. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger (#2)

7. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#21)

8. Jessie J- Domino (#8)

9. Hot Chelle Rae feat. New Boyz- I Like It Like That (#13)

10. Outasight- Tonight Is the Night (#10)

11. Cobra Starship feat. Sabi- You Make Me Feel... (#5)

12. Bruno Mars- It Will Rain (#6)

13. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#17)

14. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#15)

15. Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine- Stereo Hearts (#14)

16. Big Time Rush feat. Mann- Music Sounds Better With U (#32)

17. David Guetta feat. Usher- Without You (#1)

18. Adele- Someone Like You (#4)

19. Childish Gambino- Heartbeat (#23)

20. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#22)

21. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#18)

22. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (#25)

23. Sean Kingston- Party All Night (Sleep All Day) (#16)

24. The Fray- Heartbeat (#28)

25. Chiddy Bang- Ray Charles (#27)

26. Train- Drive By (#33)

27. Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch- Ass Back Home (#42)

28. Toby Keith- Red Solo Cup (#30)

29. Flo Rida feat. Sia- Wild Ones (DEBUT)

30. Matt & Kim feat. Soulja Boy & Andrew W.K.- I'm a Goner (#24)

31. Coldplay & Rihanna- Princess of China (#31)

32. Foster the People- Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) (#26)

33. Pitbull feat. Chris Brown- International Love (DEBUT)

34. Selena Gomez & the Scene- Love You Like a Love Song (#19)

35. LMFAO- Sorry for Party Rocking (#36)

36. Breathe Carolina- Blackout (#11)

37. Skrillex feat. Sirah- Bangarang (DEBUT)

38. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe- We Are Young (DEBUT)

39. Mac Miller- Knock Knock (#34)

40. Lady Gaga- You and I (#40)

41. KDrew- Body & Soul (She Got Control) (DEBUT)

42. All-American Rejects- Beekeeper's Daughter (DEBUT)

43. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars- Young, Wild & Free (#43)

44. The Cab- La La (DEBUT)

45. Kelly Clarkson- Mr. Know It All (#44)

Biggest DDDDDRRRROOOOOPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!..........of the week: Breathe Carolina - Blackout (-25)

Biggest Jump of the week: Adele - Set Fire to the Rain (+18)

I haven't done an "obituaries" section in awhile, but I have some parting words for these songs. Super Bass, you were awesome. I have no idea how you found yourself in this position when you were #3 just two weeks ago. Fool Like Me, you never got your due, and you are doomed to forever be lost in the shuffle of significantly inferior Cobra Starship songs. Bad, you should have had a bullet point next to your name two months ago instead of a single digit. And finally, Lay It on Me, you were every bit as unworthy of a spot on the countdown as this quick exit suggests.

With 7 debuts this week, I'm a busy man. Let's get started with the rundown. The highest debut was Flo Rida Ft. Sia - Wild Ones, clocking in at #29. Personally I think this song trumps Good Feeling in pretty much every respect, but I'm probably not going to be in the majority there. Sia is pretty good in this song, and Flo Rida turns in his best performance since Club Can't Handle Me. Pitbull Ft. Chris Brown - International Love is the second song to enter the countdown in 2 weeks with strong #1 potential, and is the more deserving of the two. Pitbull is a little better than his usual self, while Chris Brown steals the show and makes the song really worth listening to.

Pete Wentz declared Skrillex to be the breakthrough artist of 2011. I'm not sure about that, and I'm sure there's going to be some seriously polarized opinions of his debuting countdown song, Bangarang. I don't think I could compare it to any song I've ever heard before. I'm in the camp that likes it a good deal, but man, is it weird. Guess this is the new direction of electronic dance music. f.u.n. Ft. Janelle Monae - We Are Young is a nice song with a particularly good chorus. Been on Hit-Bound for a little while, and happy to see it finally made the jump. Longtime Hit-Bound veteran KDrew - Body and Soul finally debuted this week. At first I wasn't the biggest fan of this song, but it's definitely grown on me. KDrew sounds a bit like a Michael Jackson wannabe more than once. Despite overall being a fan of the All-American Rejects, I have to rank Beekeeper's Daughter last in this class of new entrants. However it's a surprisingly strong class, so that's not really much of an insult. The final new entrant is The Cab - La La. I was definitely turned off by Bad, but this song has much better pacing and energy, and it works.

Whew.

This week Flo Rida - Good Feeling continued the trend of a rotating cast of not-really-deserving #1 songs simply because there's not a great alternative out there. As I predicted/alluded to last week, Adele - Set Fire to the Rain made the big jump to the top 5 this week, and that's my pick for next week's likely #1 song. Also, my prediction regarding David Guetta Ft. Nicki Minaj - Turn Me On as a potential #1 gained a lot of momentum this week, as it jumped 14 spots to #7.

A couple of decent talents waiting in the wings on Hit-Bound, most notably M83 - Midnight City and second-most-notably Demi Lovato - Give Your Heart a Break. I'm pulling very hard for Midnight City to make the countdown just so it becomes eligible for my Top 45 of 2012, because if it does, it already has a pretty good spot locked up on that list.

Based on listening during the week, I expect a decent amount of turnover on next week's countdown. Look for Katy Perry - Part of Me to go straight from high school to the NBA next week, while Lucas Prada - First Night of My Life and Andy Grammer - Fine By Me are likely Hit-Bound graduates. Those three songs are listed in order of debut likelihood, with the first being a lock.

Friday, February 10, 2012

David Guetta (3) - Week of February 4, 2012

There were a lot of facepalms surrounding this week's Top 5. 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:

Bush - The Sound of Winter
Lady Gaga - Marry the Night

The Countdown: (Source: Wikipedia)

1. David Guetta feat. Usher- Without You (#7) [Third Week at #1]

2. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger (#13)

3. LMFAO- Sexy and I Know It (#41)

4. Adele- Someone Like You (#8)

5. Cobra Starship feat. Sabi- You Make Me Feel... (#43)

6. Bruno Mars- It Will Rain (#2)

7. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#23)

8. Jessie J- Domino (#11)

9. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (#5)

10. Outasight- Tonight Is the Night (#17)

11. Breathe Carolina- Blackout (#6)

12. Katy Perry- The One That Got Away (#4)

13. Hot Chelle Rae feat. New Boyz- I Like It Like That (#12)

14. Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine- Stereo Hearts (#1)

15. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#15)

16. Sean Kingston- Party All Night (Sleep All Day) (#14)

17. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#10)

18. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#19)

19. Selena Gomez & the Scene- Love You Like a Love Song (#9)

20. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#18)

21. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#29)

22. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#20)

23. Childish Gambino- Heartbeat (#21)

24. Matt & Kim feat. Soulja Boy & Andrew W.K.- I'm a Goner (#26)

25. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (DEBUT)

26. Foster the People- Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) (#22)

27. Chiddy Bang- Ray Charles (#25)

28. The Fray- Heartbeat (#16)

29. Kelly Rowland feat. Big Sean- Lay It on Me (#36)

30. Toby Keith- Red Solo Cup (#28)

31. Coldplay & Rihanna- Princess of China (#34)

32. Big Time Rush feat. Mann- Music Sounds Better With U (#38)

33. Train- Drive By (#24)

34. Mac Miller- Knock Knock (#31)

35. The Cab- Bad (#33)

36. LMFAO- Sorry for Party Rocking (#27)

37. The Downtown Fiction- Thanks for Nothing (#35)

38. Nicole Scherzinger- Don't Hold Your Breath (#30)

39. Young the Giant- Cough Syrup (#44)

40. Lady Gaga- You and I (#32)

41. Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch- Ass Back Home (DEBUT)

42. Cobra Starship feat. Plastiscines- Fool Like Me (#37)

43. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars- Young, Wild & Free (#39)

44. Kelly Clarkson- Mr. Know It All (#42)

45. Nicki Minaj- Super Bass (#3)

Biggest DDDDDRRRROOOOOPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!.........of the week: Nicki Minaj - Super Bass (-42)

Biggest Jump of the week: Tie between Cobra Starship - You Make Me Feel and LMFAO - Sexy and I Know It (+38)

I'll briefly discuss the new entrants first, but that's only out of habit and not because it's the real meat of what happened this week. Gym Class Heroes Ft. Neon Hitch - Ass Back Home debuted. Similar to Stereo Hearts, it's a catchy chorus sung by a non-member of Gym Class Heroes intermixed with significantly worse verses, courtesy of Travie McCoy's standard flavor. Only the gap between the two is even more severe than Stereo Hearts, and not in a good way. Kelly Clarkson - Stronger may indeed be the sure-fire #1-potential new entrant the countdown hasn't seen in a long time, debuting all the way up at #25. Originally known for being lip-synched by Chris Berman to sell Toyotas, it's almost certainly overrated, but the countdown has seen far worse songs hit the top spot.

Alright, now for the elephant in the room. It was interesting to listen to this week's countdown. I started listening somewhere around #20 (and was aware of the bottom 5 songs as well), and by the time Bruno Mars - It Will Rain played at #6, all 5 of last week's Top 5 had been accounted for. This made me excited for some new blood at the top of the countdown, because other than David Guetta Ft. Usher - Without You, Maroon 5 Ft. Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger, and Adele - Someone Like You, all of the usual suspects had already been accounted for. Even Adele - Set Fire to the Rain, the song apparently most on the cusp of making the jump to the countdown's elite, had already been played at #20. So just imagine my delight when I discovered that the two "mystery songs" were a totally random comeback from the decisively mediocre Cobra Starship - You Make Me Feel and the never-even-been-in-the-top-5-before-and-never-should-have-been LMFAO - Sexy and I Know It, each jumping 38 spots on the countdown. In addition to that making no sense, it did a successful job at making me very, very angry. What a great week.

Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Ft. Bruno Mars - Young, Wild & Free was listed as the #4 most downloaded song in that mini-segment last week, so here's hoping that it's just going to be a late bloomer.

Oh yeah, and really? I was plenty aware that Nicki Minaj - Super Bass didn't really need to be in the Top 5 anymore, but why did it get blasted all the way down to the bottom spot on the countdown so quickly?

Friday, February 3, 2012

Gym Class Heroes (7) - Week of January 28, 2012

Wow. I guess the countdown was so desperate to keep Bruno Mars - It Will Rain out of the top spot that it yanked a past-it's-prime song all the way up from the low-20's to block it. Before we get on to this week's miraculous Fresh-45, here's a list of all the songs we're saying good-bye to this week.

Lenny Kravitz - Stand
The Script - Nothing

The Countdown: (Source: Wikipedia)

1. Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine- Stereo Hearts (#22) [Seventh Week at #1]
2. Bruno Mars- It Will Rain (#2)
3. Nicki Minaj- Super Bass (#8)
4. Katy Perry- The One That Got Away (#9)
5. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (#5)
6. Breathe Carolina- Blackout (#21)
7. David Guetta feat. Usher- Without You (#1)
8. Adele- Someone Like You (#33)
9. Selena Gomez & the Scene- Love You Like a Love Song (#7)
10. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#14)
11. Jessie J- Domino (#11)
12. Hot Chelle Rae - I Like It Like That (#6)
13. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger (#4)
14. Sean Kingston- Party All Night (Sleep All Day) (#24)
15. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#13)
16. The Fray- Heartbeat (#12)
17. Outasight- Tonight Is the Night (#18)
18. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#16)
19. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#17)
20. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#41)
21. Childish Gambino- Heartbeat (#34)
22. Foster the People feat. Cee Lo Green - Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) (#31)
23. Flo Rida feat. David Guetta and Adele - Good Feeling (#3)
24. Train- Drive By (#19)
25. Chiddy Bang- Ray Charles (#20)
26. Matt & Kim feat. Soulja Boy & Andrew W.K.- I'm a Goner (#25)
27. LMFAO- Sorry for Party Rocking (#28)
28. Toby Keith- Red Solo Cup (#39)
29. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#36)
30. Nicole Scherzinger- Don't Hold Your Breath (#15)
31. Mac Miller- Knock Knock (#42)
32. Lady Gaga- You and I (#45)
33. The Cab- Bad (#10)
34. Coldplay & Rihanna- Princess of China (#32)
35. The Downtown Fiction- Thanks for Nothing (#23)
36. Kelly Rowland - Lay It on Me (DEBUT)
37. Cobra Starship feat. Plastiscines- Fool Like Me (#29)
38. Big Time Rush - Music Sounds Better With U (DEBUT)
39. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars- Young, Wild & Free (#38)
40. Bush- The Sound of Winter (#35)
41. LMFAO- Sexy and I Know It (#40)
42. Kelly Clarkson- Mr. Know It All (#30)
43. Cobra Starship - You Make Me Feel... (#44)
44. Young the Giant- Cough Syrup (#27)
45. Lady Gaga- Marry the Night (#26)

#1 song, 1 year ago this week: Katy Perry - Firework (glad to see this previously discontinued tradition is back!)
Biggest DDDDDRRRRROOOOOPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!.......of the week: The Cab - Bad (-23)
Biggest Jump of the week: Adele - Someone Like You (+25) (side note: Seriously….again??? What is going on here?)

Kicking it off with our new entrants….Kelly Rowland - Lay It On Me isn't bad the first couple of times you hear it, but there's really not a lot of hidden value there. I'm already sick of it, and it's only been about 5 days since it really entered the Hits-1 regular playlist. Very similar song to Nicole Scherzinger - Right There. The other new entrant, Big Time Rush - Music Sounds Better With U is much better. The lyrics sound like they were written by a 16 year-old (which I guess makes sense), but whatever, it sounds good.

So Stereo Hearts randomly hits #1 for the 7th time over a month after it was last in the top spot. It obviously doesn't belong there anymore, but I'll take it. Here's hoping It Will Rain drops a spot or two next week so that we don't have to keep sweating this out.

And in other news….Nicki Minaj - Super Bass is up to #3 now??? What in the world is going on here? It topped out at #6 a long time ago, the week of November 12th. What is it doing up here? It was in my Top 10 of 2011, so I can't say I'm disappointed. Just a little confused.

Given the alternatives, I'll happily welcome back Breathe Carolina - Blackout into the top 10. Gavin DeGraw - Not Over You is a welcome addition as well. As of now the countdown is still waiting for a new entrant that's a sure-fire future #1 song. There really isn't anything around that looks like it'll just take the world by storm. Next week I'm near-positive we'll see Kelly Clarkson - Stronger make it's debut on the countdown, as it's been played quite a bit this week. Maybe that will fill the void, for better or for worse.

I'm starting to come around on Childish Gambino - Heartbeat. Originally I didn't like it much, but I feel like I didn't really give it that much of a chance. I'm now pulling for it to move on up the charts.

Editor's Picks - Top 5 songs
Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Ft. Bruno Mars - Young, Wild & Free
Jessie J - Domino
Bush - The Sound of Winter
One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
Cobra Starship- Fool Like Me

Friday, January 27, 2012

David Guetta (2) - Week of January 21, 2012

And so David Guetta and Usher stand at the top of the countdown, nobly defending the #1 spot against the sea of mediocrities and fecal matter encroaching closer and closer to claim what is not rightfully theirs. 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.

Patrick Stump Ft. Lupe Fiasco - This City
Nicki Minaj Ft. Rihanna - Fly

The Countdown: (Source: Wikipedia)

1. David Guetta feat. Usher- Without You (#2) [Second Week at #1]

2. Bruno Mars- It Will Rain (#6)

3. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#8)

4. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger (#21)

5. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (#4)

6. Hot Chelle Rae feat. New Boyz- I Like It Like That (#3)

7. Selena Gomez & the Scene- Love You Like a Love Song (#1)

8. Nicki Minaj- Super Bass (#29)

9. Katy Perry- The One That Got Away (#15)

10. The Cab- Bad (#7)

11. Jessie J- Domino (#9)

12. The Fray- Heartbeat (#26)

13. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#12)

14. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#16)

15. Nicole Scherzinger- Don't Hold Your Breath (#19)

16. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#36)

17. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#39)

18. Outasight- Tonight Is the Night (#17)

19. Train- Drive By (#42)

20. Chiddy Bang- Ray Charles (#25)

21. Breathe Carolina- Blackout (#11)

22. Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine- Stereo Hearts (#10)

23. The Downtown Fiction- Thanks for Nothing (#14)

24. Sean Kingston- Party All Night (Sleep All Day) (#13)

25. Matt & Kim feat. Soulja Boy & Andrew W.K.- I'm a Goner (#24)

26. Lady Gaga- Marry the Night (#31)

27. Young the Giant- Cough Syrup (#28)

28. LMFAO- Sorry for Party Rocking (#20)

29. Cobra Starship feat. Plastiscines- Fool Like Me (#22)

30. Kelly Clarkson- Mr. Know It All (#32)

31. Foster the People- Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) (#30)

32. Coldplay & Rihanna- Princess of China (#23)

33. Adele- Someone Like You (#5)

34. Childish Gambino- Heartbeat (#27)

35. Bush- The Sound of Winter (#38)

36. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#18)

37. Lenny Kravitz- Stand (#34)

38. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars- Young, Wild & Free (#41)

39. Toby Keith- Red Solo Cup (#40)

40. LMFAO- Sexy and I Know It (#33)

41. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (DEBUT)

42. Mac Miller- Knock Knock (DEBUT)

43. The Script- Nothing (#44)

44. Cobra Starship feat. Sabi- You Make Me Feel... (#37)

45. Lady Gaga- You and I (#45)

Biggest DDDDDDRRRRRROOOOOPPPP!!!!!!!........of the week: Adele - Someone Like You (-28)

Biggest Jump of the week: Train - Drive By (+23)

Sorry everyone, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Mac Miller - Knock Knock jumped onto the countdown. I know, I know, you're all really upset about this. Let's just try to band together and suck it up for the next month and a half before it gets mercifully DTHNOBbed. What would be hysterical is just how bad this song would be without the somewhat catching "da"s and "dum"s being sung in the background. The other new entrant, Black Keys - Lonely Boy is significantly better and a good output from a quality band that is finally getting some mainstream love within the past couple of years.

For some reason Nicki Minaj - Super Bass jumped all the way back up to #8 this week. Ummmm…I'll take it? Honestly, I'll take any bright spot like that on a week where "that stupid Bruno Mars song" rises up to #2. Seriously, if that song hits #1, I quit. But not really.

Cady Groves - This Little Girl got kicked off of HitBound. Oh well. There's a few decent talents still on HitBound, but overall there's nothing I'm really excited about in the near future.

So far my prediction regarding David Guetta Ft. Nicki Minaj - Turn Me On hasn't worked out too well. The song promptly dropped 18 spots this week. I'm not going to change my stance though. Guess it'll just look even more awesome now when I'm right.

In other news, Breathe Carolina - Blackout just jumped out of the top 20 for the first time since August 6th. That's insane. I wonder if it's really just on it's way out this time. The countdown's second-most tenured song has been around since July 6th, second only to Cobra Starship - You Make Me Feel.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Selena Gomez - Week of January 14, 2012

The countdown quite literally just DTHNOBBed the summer of 2011. 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.

Katy Perry - Last Friday Night
LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem (DTHNOBx2)

The Countdown: (Source: Wikipedia)

1. Selena Gomez & the Scene- Love You Like a Love Song (#4) [New #1]
2. David Guetta feat. Usher- Without You (#1)
3. Hot Chelle Rae feat. New Boyz- I Like It Like That (#12)
4. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (#3)
5. Adele- Someone Like You (#8)
6. Bruno Mars- It Will Rain (#9)
7. The Cab- Bad (#42)
8. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#7)
9. Jessie J- Domino (#6)
10. Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine- Stereo Hearts (#5)
11. Breathe Carolina- Blackout (#10)
12. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#19)
13. Sean Kingston- Party All Day (Sleep All Night) (#13)
14. The Downtown Fiction- Thanks for Nothing (#8)
15. Katy Perry- The One That Got Away (#2)
16. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#21)
17. Outasight- Tonight Is the Night (#13)
18. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#34)
19. Nicole Scherzinger- Don't Hold Your Breath (#14)
20. LMFAO- Sorry for Party Rocking (#15)
21. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger (#17)
22. Cobra Starship feat. Plastiscines- Fool Like Me (#29)
23. Coldplay & Rihanna- Princess of China (#32)
24. Matt & Kim feat. Soulja Boy & Andrew W.K.- I'm a Goner (#35)
25. Chiddy Bang- Ray Charles (#24)
26. The Fray- Heartbeat (#25)
27. Childish Gambino- Heartbeat (#36)
28. Young the Giant- Cough Syrup (#33)
29. Nicki Minaj- Super Bass (#20)
30. Foster the People- Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) (#16)
31. Lady Gaga- Marry the Night (#22)
32. Kelly Clarkson- Mr. Know It All (#38)
33. LMFAO- Sexy and I Know It (#30)
34. Lenny Kravitz- Stand (#23)
35. Patrick Stump feat. Lupe Fiasco- This City (#37)
36. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#27)
37. Cobra Starship feat. Sabi- You Make Me Feel... (#43)
38. Bush- The Sound of Winter (#31)
39. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#39)
40. Toby Keith- Red Solo Cup (#18)
41. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars- Young, Wild & Free (#26)
42. Train- Drive By (DEBUT)
43. Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna- Fly (#45)
44. The Script- Nothing (#44)
45. Lady Gaga- You and I

Biggest DDDDDDRRRROOOOOPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!.....of the week: Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup (-22)

Biggest Jump of the week: The Cab - Bad (+35)

This week saw the resurrection of Lady Gaga - You and I, perhaps to compensate for the recent decline of Marry the Night. Going straight from high school to the NBA this week was Train - Drive By. I hadn't actually heard it before thinking about composing this, so I YouTubed it. It's now on its fourth repeat, so I guess that's a pretty good sign. Pretty much all of Train's countdown songs I've had a pretty favorable reaction to, at least initially. Eventually over the course of several months they tend to wind up in the good-not-great category (Hey, Soul Sister, If It's Love, Marry Me).

Make that 5 repeats…..

Just a week after David Guetta surprisingly taking the #1 spot, Selena Gomez follows it up with an equally surprising coup. Pretty interested by this, seeing as how both of these songs have been floating around the top 10 for awhile, not really threatening to top the countdown, and then all of a sudden everyone's looking up at them. Both songs I'd describe as good-not-great, and both are better than the six songs immediately beneath them, so I think I'll be comfortable with the current ranking until some better alternatives come along. Dominooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Speaking of that….there's seriously a lot of crap/mediocrities clotting up the #3 - #8 spots. Someone should fix that. Perhaps none more irritating than The Cab - Bad. No, it's not the worst of the bunch, that title belonging to We Found Love, but that's a song that really looked like it was on its way out before scoring the biggest jump of the week, quite randomly. As Spyder Harrison himself might say, perhaps this song is becoming "schizophrenic".

The song to watch right now is David Guetta Ft. Nicki Minaj - Turn Me On. I'm calling it right here, this one has a very good shot at a #1 bid on the countdown down the road…..probably in a month or so. And yes, I will remind you all obnoxiously that "I called it" when it happens.

Friday, January 13, 2012

David Guetta - Week of January 7, 2011

If ever there was a week that I didn't think I would be able to do one of these, it's this one. However, the show must go on, especially considering that we've found ourselves with the most surprising #1 song in countdown history, save for maybe The Script - Breakeven. 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:

Nickelback - When We Stand Together
Justin Bieber - Mistletoe
Dev - In the Dark
Lady Gaga - You and I
T-Pain Ft. Wiz Khalifa & Lily Allen - 5 O'Clock

And here's a list of all the songs we said good-bye to last week (yes, I did miss a week, but I had no way of getting my hands on the song list)

Avril Lavigne - Wish You Were Here

Last week's #1 song: Rihanna Ft. Calvin Harris - We Found Love (ick)

#1 Song of 2011 According to Sirius XM Hits-1, Based on Most Times Played on the Station in Calendar 2011: JTX - Love In America

The Countdown: (Source: Wikipedia)

1. David Guetta feat. Usher- Without You (#7) [New #1]
2. Katy Perry- The One That Got Away (#2)
3. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (#1)
4. Selena Gomez & the Scene- Love You Like a Love Song (#17)
5. Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine- Stereo Hearts (#19)
6. Jessie J- Domino (#12)
7. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#3)
8. Adele- Someone Like You (#37)
9. Bruno Mars- It Will Rain (#10)
10. Breathe Carolina- Blackout (#6)
11. Sean Kingston- Party All Night (Sleep All Day) (#13)
12. Hot Chelle Rae feat. New Boyz- I Like It Like That (#4)
13. Outasight- Tonight Is the Night (#20)
14. The Downtown Fiction- Thanks for Nothing (#8)
15. LMFAO- Sorry for Party Rocking (#22)
16. Foster the People- Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) (#25)
17. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger (#5)
18. Toby Keith- Red Solo Cup (#18)
19. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#14)
20. Nicki Minaj- Super Bass (#36)
21. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#35)
22. Lady Gaga- Marry the Night (#9)
23. Lenny Kravitz- Stand (#21)
24. Chiddy Bang- Ray Charles (DEBUT)
25. The Fray- Heartbeat (#23)
26. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars- Young, Wild & Free (#24)
27. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (DEBUT)
28. Nicole Scherzinger- Don't Hold Your Breath (#32)
29. Cobra Starship feat. Plastiscines- Fool Like Me (#27)
30. LMFAO- Sexy and I Know It (#11)
31. Bush- The Sound of Winter (#33)
32. Coldplay & Rihanna- Princess of China (#26)
33. Young the Giant- Cough Syrup (#29)
34. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (DEBUT)
35. Matt & Kim feat. Soulja Boy & Andrew W.K.- I'm a Goner (#31)
36. Childish Gambino- Heartbeat (DEBUT)
37. Patrick Stump feat. Lupe Fiasco- This City (#40)
38. Kelly Clarkson- Mr. Know It All (#43)
39. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#34)
40. Katy Perry- Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) (#30)
41. LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock- Party Rock Anthem (RE-ENTRY)
42. The Cab- Bad (#44)
43. Cobra Starship feat. Sabi- You Make Me Feel... (#45)
44. The Script- Nothing (#39)
45. Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna- Fly (#16)

Biggest DDDDDDDDRRRRRRRROOOOOOOPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!....of the week: Nicki Minaj Ft. Rihanna - Fly (-29)
Biggest Jump of the week: Adele - Someone Like You (+29)

Last week saw Nicole Scherzinger - Don't Hold Your Breath return for a farewell tour, while this week we saw a jump-back from LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem. The new entrant this week to get the most excited about is David Guetta Ft. Nicki Minaj - Turn Me On, but it's not all that incredible. Adele - Set Fire to the Rain jumped on, and it's her only good song to hit the countdown besides Rolling in the Deep. Chiddy Bang - Ray Charles has a fairly catchy intro. I feel like Chiddy Bang is probably fairly decent, but I don't like them, so that's all I'm going to say about that song. Finally Community's Childish Gambino makes a debut with Heartbeat, which I could certainly live without. There are now two songs on the countdown with that title. Weird.

I never thought there was even a possibility that David Guetta Ft. Usher - Without You would take the crown, but it's a welcome surprise given that the only alternatives seemingly are The One That Got Away and We Found Love. Welcome to the top spot, David Guetta, please stay as long as you like.

The other pleasant surprise this week is that Jessie J - Domino is getting some Top-10 love, up to #6. That song has been getting pretty popular of late, and it's a dark horse to eventually take over as #1. Here's to hoping.

Times are busy folks. See you next week.

Editor's Picks: Top 5 Songs
Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars- Young, Wild & Free
One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
Jessie J - Domino
Bush - The Sound of Winter
Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup

Friday, January 6, 2012

A Special Hits-1 Post -- The Top 45 Songs of 2011 as Ranked by Yours Truly

I pretty much decided to write this as soon as I found out Hits-1 was forgoing its top-45 countdown for the year. In determining what songs to put on this list, I took into account whether they reached their peak in calendar year 2011. I only considered songs that appeared on the Sirius XM Hits-1 Weekend Countdown, so no songs that were mainstream but didn't get played on the station, nor did I include any songs that made it just to Hit-Bound. I also slightly considered how well the song did on the countdown, but this was a pretty minor factor.

Anyway, enjoy this if you're particularly bored. I figured that I spend enough time every week bashing the songs that I don't like, so maybe this will give everyone an idea of what I actually thought was good. Happy new year!

45) Pitbull Ft. Ne-Yo - Give Me Everything - The song that seemingly every Cleveland Indians player used as their walk-up music, this was one of those songs that I didn't like at first, got really popular on the countdown, and then I actually started to miss it as it made its exit. There's a couple spots where the beat in this song is pretty lazy (one in particular toward the beginning, which kind of ruins it off the bat), which damaged its overall ranking.

44) Demi Lovato - Skyscraper - This was actually my #1 "Editor's Pick" one week this year, but I, like the countdown voters, got sick of it kind of quickly and DTHNOBbed it.

43) Big Time Rush - Boyfriend - This song was around during the interlude where we didn't have Hits-1 weekend countdown documentation on Wikipedia. I think it has a catchy chorus, and the rest of the song is just decent.

42) Selena Gomez & The Scene - Love You Like a Love Song - Yep. I got suckered in by the "re-peat peat peat peat peat" part of the chorus. This is Selena Gomez's best song, and it isn't all that close.

41) Lifehouse - All In - Lifehouse is a band I've done a bit of an about-face on during 2011, as I used to not much care for them.

40) Jason Derulo - It Girl - Check please! I thought that this was his best song since Whatcha Say. I haven't much cared for In My Head (inexplicably #2 on last year's Hits-1 rankings) or the incredibly lazy Don't Wanna Go Home. This one was definitely a win for Mr. Derulo, however.

39) Maroon 5 Ft. Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger - If anything, I am proud to say that Maroon 5 finally did something that wasn't exceptionally mediocre. This song had a much quicker pace to it than most of their music, and it definitely worked. Huge year for frontman Adam Levine.

38) Ultraviolet Sound - Girl Talk - I'm almost too embarrassed to put this song on the list. It didn't last long on the countdown and certainly had obnoxious tendencies, but loved the beat and found it weirdly addicting for about a month. Heh. Guilty pleasure.

37) Bush - The Sound of Winter - The obligatory occasional minor-chord-y alternative rock song that appears on the countdown. I thought this one was a pretty big winner. So far, the countdown performance has disappointed a bit, but that's expected for a song that really wasn't meant to please all ears.

36) The Script - For the First Time - This is another band I did a complete about-face on during 2011. I found their breakthrough single, Breakeven, to be pretty mediocre, but the three follow-ups, The Man Who Can't Be Moved, For the First Time, and Nothing were all pretty good. Seeing this band perform live on TV made them a band I want to see in concert, and definitely convinced me that they're pretty talented.

35) David Guetta Ft. Rihanna - Who's That Chick - Totally a strange song. David Guetta only sings 3 words in the song and Rihanna carries the rest of the load. It's one of the songs that actually uses her voice effectively, and I'll thank Guetta for that.

34) Avril Lavigne - Smile - This was the lesser of the two pretty-good-not-great songs that have been put out there by Avril Lavigne this year.

33) Taio Cruz - Higher - This song was a bit of a more acquired taste….I enjoyed Taio Cruz's other songs more easily right off the bat. Eventually I came around on this one due to the chorus.

32) Plug In Stereo Ft. Cady Groves - Oh Darling - And here's the second of my true guilty pleasure songs on this list. If anything, I appreciate this song for introducing me to Cady Groves, who has a pretty good voice.

31) The Band Perry - If I Die Young - I'm a much bigger fan of the non-acoustic version that played on Hits-1 than the one that played on the country / soft rock stations. This is a pretty sad song but one that was extremely well written and sung exceptionally well.

30) Lady Gaga - Born This Way - This is Lady Gaga's lone entry on this list. I found most of her new album disappointing and inferior to her previous work. This song was the only big winner, and the lone #1 of the bunch, barring Marry the Night taking the crown in coming weeks.

29) Adele - Rolling in the Deep - Far and away Adele's best performance off of her severely overplayed new album. This song's pacing is absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, Hits-1 probably is responsible for beating this song all the way down to #29 on this list, as it got played until I absolutely could not stand it anymore.

28) Breathe Carolina - Blackout - I feel stupid for at one point thinking that this song would be a Hit-Bound lifer. I couldn't have been more wrong, as it's currently one of the most tenured songs on the countdown, if not the most tenured song (will have to check on that!). The beat is very good, and the interlude might just be my favorite part.

27) Jessie J. Ft. B.O.B. - Price Tag - Surprise! B.O.B. is yet again the 2nd best artist in a top-40 song! Jessie J had a pretty solid year.

26) Rihanna - Cheers (Drink to That) - It had me annoyingly singing "Cheeeeeeeeers to tha freakin' weekend" at parties pretty much all fall long. 'Nuff said.

25) Avril Lavigne - What the Hell - …….and this is the second of her two pretty-good-not-great songs.

24) Patrick Stump Ft. Lupe Fiasco - This City - This one grew on me more and more as the year wore on. It just gets me thinking about Chicago, and how much I love living here.

23) Blake Shelton - Honey Bee - One of the biggest country tunes of the year, this didn't get anywhere near its due on the Sirius XM Hits-1 Weekend Countdown. I'll be your Conway Twittaaaayyyyyy…..

22) Every Avenue - Tell Me I'm a Wreck - This is basically the poster child for good songs that get played on Hits-1 but don't appear on mainstream radio. Surprisingly made it all the way up to #6 one week.

21) One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful - Or….maybe THIS is the aforementioned poster child. Still riding the wave of this one. Exceptionally catchy vocals. But as I've mentioned before, don't watch the music video.

20) Ke$ha - We R Who We R - This was a top-10 mainstay in the early part of the year, and certainly a welcome one. You might argue that it was a 2010 song, but you don't have any authority, because I am the one ranking the songs.

19) Chris Brown - She Ain't You - I guess "smooth" would be the best way for me to describe my feelings on this song. Another good one that didn't really get it's due on this station.

18) Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts - I had never heard of Christina Perri before this song. It's kind of a weird one, and is exactly the type of song I typically don’t like that much. So I'm not sure why I did. But for a few weeks earlier this year, it was always the one I would hope would get spun on Hits-1.

17) Nickelback - When We Stand Together - I suppose this is where I lose most of you. I don't care. Nickelback's lone song on the countdown this year was a pretty good one.

16) Jessie J - Domino - I like how my car displays the artist and name of the song currently playing, because apparently everyone thought this was Katy Perry the first time they heard it. I didn’t really make the connection at first, but I would probably have been in that camp in the absence of that particular feature of my automobile. Excellent upbeat rhythm, and Jessie J's best song.

15) Dr. Dre Ft. Eminem & Skylar Grey - I Need a Doctor - I just thought this song was a pretty cool one for Dr. Dre to put out there, basically having Eminem call him out for his flaws. It presented a pretty interesting view of the friendship of two pretty interesting rappers.

14) Wiz Khalifa - Roll Up - I thought this got DTHNOBbed way too quickly. On tough days at work, I would listen to this on repeat to keep me going, as I love the (I guess you could call them) instrumentals in the background of the chorus.

13) Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks - I've probably talked more about this song than any other in 2011. I just don't understand how a song like this found its way to the top of the pop charts, as it seems way too weird for it to be mainstream. Fortunately, there was something about the beat or the words or something that people just couldn't get enough of. Excellent breakthrough song for Foster the People.

12) Sugarland - Stuck Like Glue - Another song blurring the line between country and pop, non-Taylor Swift division, this incredibly catchy melody was on my mind for much of the early winter months of 2011.

11) The Script - Nothing - I'm wondering if The Script will ever sing a song that isn't about a failing/failed relationship. This is the best of the bunch that they've put out there.

10) Wiz Khalifa Ft. Snoop Dogg - Young, Wild & Free - Just my opinion, and I've stated it here before. This is the best rap song, non-Eminem division, that has been on the countdown in recent years.

9) Jennifer Lopez - On the Floor - The beat of this song had me turning the volume way up in my car. I wish it had a better tenure on the countdown. It did far better on non-Sirius radio stations. The DJ at my wedding played a pretty crappy version of this song, which I can tack on to the many, many reasons I was dissatisfied with him.

8) Iyaz Ft. Travie McCoy - Pretty Girls - Excellent tune from Iyaz, and possibly the best I've ever heard from Travie McCoy.

7) Nicki Minaj - Super Bass - Apparently I just start singing this song a lot when I'm drunk. In any case, I would always get excited to hear this song at parties, on trolleys, or at bars. One of the very best pop songs of 2011, and one that made me actually start to like Nicki Minaj a little bit.

6) Flo Rida Ft. David Guetta - Club Can't Handle Me - Okay, I think this is probably the most lenient I've been with regards to including songs that were put out in 2010 on this list. There were few songs last winter that I was more excited about.

5) Katy Perry - Firework - #1 for several weeks at the beginning of 2011, this song is one of Katy Perry's best. It's a pretty uplifting song with an attached music video that I think is pretty cool. Unlike a lot of stuff that gets put out on this countdown, it actually delivers a positive, socially responsible message to listeners.

4) JTX - Love In America - The longest tenured song of 2011 was also one of the very best. I don’t think I ever really got sick of this one since its debut the first week of the calendar year. It's just energetic and fun.

3) Katy Perry - Last Friday Night - I think I had a serious addiction problem with this song. It seemed like I still loved it ages after people got sick of it. It hit #1 on this countdown a record 7 times, so apparently I wasn't alone, and I will continue to get incredibly excited to hear this song at a party/bar/wedding.

2) Carlos Santana Ft. Chris Daughtry - Photograph - Usually covers just make me miss the original. However, this past summer, this song was a mandatory roll-the-windows-down-and-blast-it tune. I can't say enough about Chris Daughtry's vocals. He simply has one of the best singing voices out there today, and he's flat out excellent in this song. I came into this ranking thinking I would put this one at #1, but just when I went back for another listen to a lot of these songs, another one stole the show.

1) 30 Seconds to Mars - Closer to the Edge - When I first made this ranking, this was a bit lower, around #6. Then over the past few days at work, I listened to it again. And again. And again. And again and again and again to the point where there's really no contest. This was my absolute favorite countdown song of 2011. The music video helped me to fully appreciate it. I would love to see this song played live someday with the crazy lighting that they used for the video. It's one of the rare songs on the countdown that can't just be written off as "trashy pop". It's much better than that.

Thanks for reading, and here's to a great 2012 on the countdown!