One Direction (5) - Week of May 26, 2012

In which our voters don’t fail us……………… 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 – Eyes Open
• Flo Rida – Good Feeling
• Jennifer Lopez Ft. Pitbull – Dance Again
• Adele – Rumour Has It (DTHNOBx2)

The Countdown:

1. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#2) [Fifth Week at #1]

2. Flo Rida feat. Sia- Wild Ones (#4)

3. Carly Rae Jepsen- Call Me Maybe (#7)

4. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe- We Are Young (#1)

5. Maroon 5- Payphone (#8)

6. Nicki Minaj- Starships (#6)

7. Gotye feat. Kimbra- Somebody That I Used to Know (#3)

8. Usher- Scream (#9)

9. Train- Drive By (#5)

10. Karmin- Brokenhearted (#12)

11. Neon Trees- Everybody Talks (#10)

12. Gym Class Heroes feat. Ryan Tedder- The Fighter (#17)

13. Gavin DeGraw- Sweeter (#14)

14. David Guetta feat. Sia- Titanium (#27)

15. Andy Grammer- Fine By Me (#16)

16. Havana Brown feat. Pitbull- We Run the Night (#13)

17. The Cab- La La (#18)

18. Cher Lloyd- Want U Back (#15)

19. Alex Clare- Too Close (#22)

20. Sammy Adams- Only One (#29)

21. The All-American Rejects- Walk Over Me (#20)

22. Demi Lovato- Give Your Heart a Break (#27)

23. Grouplove- Tongue Tied (#28)

24. Katy Perry- Wide Awake (DEBUT)

25. Imagine Dragons- It's Time (#25)

26. Mark Foster, A-Trak & Kimbra- Warrior (#34)

27. Hot Chelle Rae- Honestly (#35)

28. Pitbull- Back in Time (DEBUT)

29. Rita Ora- How We Do (Party) (DEBUT)

30. B.o.B feat. Taylor Swift- Both of Us (#43) 

31. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (#23)

32. Calvin Harris- Feel So Close (#11)

33. One Direction- One Thing (DEBUT)

34. Lucas Prata feat. Lenny B- First Night of My Life (#24)

35. Katy Perry- Part of Me (#36)

36. Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch- Ass Back Home (#31)

37. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#33)

38. Chris Rene- Young Homie (#21)

39. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#32)

40. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#39)

41. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#44)

42. B.o.B- So Good (#26)

43. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#40)

44. September- Party in My Head (#45)

45. M83- Midnight City (#38)

Biggest DDDDRRRROOOOPPP!!!!!.......of the week: Calvin Harris – Feel So Close (-21)

Biggest Jump of the Week: B.O.B. Ft. Taylor Swift – Both of Us (+13)

It’s been two weeks since I first started panicking about the future of the countdown, but here we are two weeks later, after two straight weeks of the new entrants out-producing the exits.  Granted, this is in large part due to the voters DTHNOBbing the proper songs more so than the spectacular-ness of the new entrants (I certainly won’t miss Good Feeling, Dance Again, or especially, Rumour Has It).  But the other part is that despite the absolute glut of crap on Hit-Bound, the voters have managed to cherry-pick the cream of the crop.  There were 3 winners and 1 decent song (Train – 50 Ways to Say Goodbye) on Hit-Bound as of last week (out of 14-ish) and the voters graduated 2 of those winners this week.  Now only Goldhouse – The Moment remains on Hit-Bound as a song to get excited over.

Anyway, here’s what we wound up with, when all is said and done.  Feeling that Katy Perry was done cranking off songs of the album she seems to keep appending things to, I was very surprised to see another song from her, Wide Awake, go straight from high school to the NBA this week.  My first instinct was that it’s not the best, but better than Part of Me, The One That Got Away, and E.T.  However, I think that this might just be “shiny new toy” syndrome talking….I feel like this one’s easy to get sick of.

Men in Black 3 debuted in theatres last weekend, so appropriately, the theme song for the movie, Pitbull – Back in Time debuted on the countdown this week.  It’s not a complete and total failure, though my wife did accuse it of murdering the movie Dirty Dancing.  It would not have been my first choice to graduate from Hit-Bound, but I promise you, we could be way worse off.

Now for the winners.  One Thing is no What Makes You Beautiful, but it’s a pretty good tune from One Direction that is certainly better than most 2^nd singles that I see hit the countdown from new artists.  Nice to see they won’t be a one-hit wonder.  My favorite new entrant, however, is probably Rita Ora – How We Do (Party).  That one kind of snuck up on me, because I don’t remember liking it this much when it was on Hit-Bound.

It was only a matter of time, but the powerhouse new entrants that debuted on the week of April 21 both ascended to the Top 5 for the first time this week, and that’s a very, very good thing.  Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe and Maroon 5 – Payphone are both knocking at the door of the #1 spot, and neither one is bluffing (I’m looking at YOU, Train – Drive By).

The countdown continues to be in good shape, but we’re in even more danger than we were a couple of weeks ago.  Hopefully there’s low turnover until Hit-Bound funnels out some of the garbage that threatens to invade our Top-45.

Editor's Picks: Top 5 Songs

1) Maroon 5 - Payphone

2) Karmin - Brokenhearted

3) Rita Ora - How We Do (Party)

4) Imagine Dragons - It's Time

5) Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know

fun. (5) - Week of May 19, 2012

The imminent disaster facing this beloved list of 45 songs was delayed by a week.  Thankfully.  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:

• Skrillex Ft. Sirah – Bangarang
•  K’Naan Ft. Nelly Furtado – Is Anybody Out There
• Justin Bieber - Boyfriend

The Countdown: 

1. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe- We Are Young (#1) [Fifth Week at #1]

2. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#4)

3. Gotye feat. Kimbra- Somebody That I Used to Know (#5)

4. Flo Rida feat. Sia- Wild Ones (#3)

5. Train- Drive By (#7)

6. Nicki Minaj- Starships (#6)

7. Carly Rae Jepsen- Call Me Maybe (#8)

8. Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa- Payphone (#16)

9. Usher- Scream (#12)

10. Neon Trees- Everybody Talks (#9)

11. Calvin Harris- Feel So Close (#10)

12. Karmin- Brokenhearted (#13)

13. Havana Brown feat. Pitbull- We Run the Night (#15)

14. Gavin DeGraw- Sweeter (#27)

15. Cher Lloyd- Want U Back (#20)

16. Andy Grammer- Fine By Me (#21)

17. David Guetta feat. Sia- Titanium (#26)

18. The Cab- La La (#18)

19. Gym Class Heroes feat. Ryan Tedder- The Fighter (#17)

20. The All-American Rejects- Walk Over Me (#14)

21. Chris Rene- Young Homie (#19)

22. Alex Clare- Too Close (#36)

23. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (#2)

24. Lucas Prata feat. Lenny B- First Night of My Life (#22)

25. Imagine Dragons- It's Time (#38)

26. B.o.B- So Good (#45) 

27. Demi Lovato- Give Your Heart a Break (DEBUT)

28. Grouplove- Tongue Tied (#32)

29. Sammy Adams- Only One (#24)

30. Taylor Swift- Eyes Open (#11)

31. Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch- Ass Back Home (#37)

32. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#40)

33. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#28)

34. Mark Foster, A-Trak & Kimbra- Warrior (DEBUT)

35. Hot Chelle Rae- Honestly (#18)

36. Katy Perry- Part of Me (#30)

37. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#33)

38. M83- Midnight City (#44)

39. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#41)

40. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#34)

41. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull- Dance Again (#35)

42. Adele- Rumour Has It (#25)

43. B.o.B feat. Taylor Swift- Both of Us (DEBUT)

44. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#42)

45. September- Party in My Head (#43)

Biggest DDDDRRRROOOOPPPP!!!!!....of the week: Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) (-21)

Biggest Jump of the Week: B.O.B. – So Good (+19)

So somehow when we’re teetering on the brink of…..crappy music, the new entrants out-produced the exits, with all due respect to Bangarang.  I’m glad Boyfriend is gone….that week it jumped into the teens scared me, but it got the standard countdown Justin Bieber treatment with a quick exit.  In that respect, the voters treat all of his songs the same, good or bad.

Anyway, new music.  Demi Lovato – Give Your Heart a Break was the best song on Hit-Bound for a few weeks after the graduation of M83 – Midnight City.  Then, about a month ago, it got kicked off Hit-Bound (TRMNOB!??!?!), which is typically the say-all-end-all for any song getting to see the countdown.  However, this week it thankfully hopped on, all the way up at #27.  Kimbra has done a successful job of convincing me she’s weird as hell.  Best known (so far) for her role as the female singer in Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know, Kimbra recently released an album of her own, and we’re seeing her first countdown song in the form of Warrior.  It’s manages to be modern and 80’sesque at the same time, and the result is pretty decent.  I’m liking this one so far. 

B.O.B. Ft. Taylor Swift – Both of Us is the last new entrant.  Step 1) B.O.B. and Taylor Swift decide to collaborate on a song.  Step 2) Everyone says “wow….that’s an unexpected combination”.  Step 3) Hype Hype Hype.  Step 4) We’re stuck with it for at least 3 months.  Seriously, has anyone actually listened to this song?  B.O.B. is not a good rapper.  Taylor Swift is generally pretty average and was incapable of saving this song.  Both of Us is terrible, and debuts as the worst song on the countdown. 

Whew….I need a little cool-down mini-paragraph here……

Ahhhh much better.

B.O.B.’s better song, So Good was the Biggest Jump of the Week.  That’s undoubtedly because a different B.O.B. song debuted at #43, so they had to move it far away from that slot on the countdown.  I don’t understand this rule that has existed for as long as I’ve listened to this countdown.  I understand their desire to not play 2 songs by the same artist too soon after one another, but it sort of messes up the integrity of the ranking system.

Honestly, all in all, not a bad week.  Maroon 5 – Payphone made its Top-10 debut, Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know continues to tease by jumping back up to #3, and Train – Drive By is back in the Top 5.  And hey, M83 – Midnight City unexpectedly survived.  Pretty solid.

Editor’s Picks – Top 5 Songs

1) Maroon 5 – Payphone

2) Karmin – Brokenhearted

3) Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know

4) Imagine Dragons – It’s Time

5) David Guetta Ft. Sia - Titanium

fun. (4) - Week of May 12, 2012

We’re still in our Golden Age, but let me tell you, that status is more precarious than it’s ever been.  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:

• Jessie J – Domino (DTHNOBx2)
• Hot Chelle Rae – I Like It Like That

The Countdown:

1. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe- We Are Young (#1) [Fourth Week at #1]

2. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (#4)

3. Flo Rida feat. Sia- Wild Ones (#7)

4. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#2)

5. Gotye feat. Kimbra- Somebody That I Used to Know (#3)

6. Nicki Minaj- Starships (#9)

7. Train- Drive By (#10)

8. Carly Rae Jepsen- Call Me Maybe (#11)

9. Neon Trees- Everybody Talks (#12)

10. Calvin Harris- Feel So Close (#16)

11. Usher- Scream (#39) [Biggest Jump]

12. Karmin- Brokenhearted (#13)

13. The All-American Rejects- Walk Over Me (#20)

14. Havana Brown feat. Pitbull- We Run the Night (#31)

15. Taylor Swift- Eyes Open (#22)

16. Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa- Payphone (#17)

17. Gym Class Heroes feat. Ryan Tedder- The Fighter (#21)

18. The Cab- La La (#15)

19. Chris Rene- Young Homie (#14)

20. Cher Lloyd feat. Astro- Want U Back (#19)

21. Andy Grammer- Fine By Me (#26)

22. Lucas Prata feat. Lenny B- First Night of My Life (#27)

23. Hot Chelle Rae- Honestly (#24)

24. Sammy Adams- Only One (#41)

25. Adele- Rumour Has It (#32)

26. David Guetta feat. Sia- Titanium (#23)

27. Gavin DeGraw- Sweeter (#28)

28. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#5)

29. Skrillex feat. Sirah- Bangarang (#42)

30. Katy Perry- Part of Me (#6)

31. K'naan feat. Nelly Furtado- Is Anybody Out There? (#37)

32. Grouplove- Tongue Tied (#30)

33. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#35)

34. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#44)

35. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull- Dance Again (#18)

36. Alex Clare- Too Close (DEBUT)

37. Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch- Ass Back Home (#33)

38. Imagine Dragons- It's Time (DEBUT)

39. Justin Bieber- Boyfriend (#43)

40. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#8) [Biggest Drop]

41. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#45)

42. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#40)

43. September- Party in My Head (#29)

44. M83- Midnight City (#38)

45. B.o.B- So Good (#25)

Biggest DDDDRRRROOOOPPPP!!!!....of the week: Adele – Set Fire to the Rain (-32)

Biggest Jump of the Week: Usher – Scream (+28)

Two newbies to talk about this week.  I am a big fan of Imagine Dragons – It’s Time.  I was not optimistic about all of the potential new entrants to the countdown, this week, but It’s Time took a big leap forward and surprised me.  It’s got a pretty unique sound.  Alex Clare – Too Close is so dull and useless, it’s in commercials for Internet Explorer 9!  Ha!  Nerd joke!  But seriously, it’s the first pure undeniably weak new entrant in quite some time.  The most disappointing part of it is that the first 30 seconds (of the full, non-radio version) make you think it’s going to be awesome.  But most of the song is uninteresting, and the chorus is particularly terrible.

Unfortunately, songs like Too Close might be the way of the future.  I had the (dis)pleasure of listening to Hit-Bound last weekend, and there’s a lot of crap on the way.  A couple of decent songs, but mostly crap.  If the song rotation during this week is any indication, we’re in for a lot of new entrants this upcoming weekend.  Normally it’s exciting to talk about new music, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a situation where I’m lamenting the loss of a few winners to make room for garbage.  That’s not a write-up to get excited over.

All three of last week’s new entrants got the typical “2^nd week boost” and then some, jumping 28, 17, and 17 spots.  At the very least.  Usher – Scream and Havana Brown Ft. Pitbull – We Run the Night seem to have some staying power, collecting votes from people who treat their car like a dance club.

I’m ready for the fun. – We Are Young era to end.  It’s a good song, and at 4 weeks at the top spot, I think it’s gotten its due and then some.  Ideally I’d hope that none of the Top 3 are still in the Top 3 next week (despite all being good songs), but I’ve learned that it’s a pipe dream to root for songs on the countdown that have run their course to make a quick exit.

I originally labeled Karmin – Brokenhearted as a clone of the recently DTHNOBbed (x2!) Jessie J – Domino.  I feel like that’s still an apt comparison, but I was wrong about which one is superior.  It’s definitely Brokenhearted.

I’ll use this last paragraph as an (prebituary?) apology to B.O.B. – So Good.  I hate to admit it, but B.O.B. managed to put something out there that I liked (all by himself!!!!!).  I think the difference is that he carries the singing parts in that song.  He’s a terrible rapper, but a decent singer.  I feel like this song is going to get kicked out shortly to make room for his new duet with Taylor Swift.  But we’ll get to that.  I feel like I might need 500 words to cover that one…..

Enjoy this rotation of Hits-1 music while it lasts, kids.  It’s all going to crap in the next few weeks.

Editor’s Picks – Top 5 Songs

1) Maroon 5 – Payphone

2) Karmin - Brokenhearted

3) Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know

4) Imagine Dragons – It’s Time

5) M83 – Midnight City

fun. (3) - Week of May 5, 2012

Better late than never, right?  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.

• Adele – Someone Like You
• Pitbull Ft. Chris Brown – International Love (DTHNOBx2)
• Outasight – Tonight Is the Night

The Countdown: 

1. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe- We Are Young (#2) [Third Week at #1]

2. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#1)

3. Gotye feat. Kimbra- Somebody That I Used to Know (#9)

4. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (#3)

5. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#4)

6. Katy Perry- Part of Me (#5)

7. Flo Rida feat. Sia- Wild Ones (#6)

8. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#7)

9. Nicki Minaj- Starships (#8)

10. Train- Drive By (#11)

11. Carly Rae Jepsen- Call Me Maybe (#10)

12. Neon Trees- Everybody Talks (#17)

13. Karmin- Brokenhearted (#13)

14. Chris Rene- Young Homie (#18)

15. The Cab- La La (#13)

16. Calvin Harris- Feel So Close (#30)

17. Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa- Payphone (#21)

18. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull- Dance Again (#14)

19. Cher Lloyd feat. Astro- Want U Back (#29)

20. The All-American Rejects- Walk Over Me (#25)

21. Gym Class Heroes feat. Ryan Tedder- The Fighter (#28)

22. Taylor Swift- Eyes Open (#27)

23. David Guetta feat. Sia- Titanium (#22)

24. Hot Chelle Rae- Honestly (#23)

25. B.o.B- So Good (#12)

26. Andy Grammer- Fine By Me (#15)

27. Lucas Prata feat. Lenny B- First Night of My Life (#24)

28. Gavin DeGraw- Sweeter (#32)

29. September- Party in My Head (#20)

30. Grouplove- Tongue Tied (#31)

31. Havana Brown feat. Pitbull- We Run the Night (DEBUT)

32. Adele- Rumour Has It (#19)

33. Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch- Ass Back Home (#40)

34. Jessie J- Domino (#38)

35. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#37)

36. Hot Chelle Rae feat. New Boyz- I Like It Like That (#36)

37. K'naan feat. Nelly Furtado- Is Anybody Out There? (#26)

38. M83- Midnight City (#43)

39. Usher- Scream (DEBUT)

40. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#45)

41. Sammy Adams- Only One (DEBUT)

42. Skrillex feat. Sirah- Bangarang (#39)

43. Justin Bieber- Boyfriend (#33)

44. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#41)

45. David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj- Turn Me On (#35)

Biggest DDDDDRRRROOPPPP!!!!.....of the week: Tie between Adele – Rumour Has It and B.O.B. – So Good (-13)

Biggest Jump of the week: Calvin Harris – Feel So Close (+14)

Some new stuff to talk about this week.  Sammy Adams – Only One is living proof that you don’t have to have any vocal talent whatsoever to produce an average-y pop song.  Rihanna has loads of vocal talent….what’s her excuse?  Havana Brown Ft. Pitbull – We Run the Night jumped onto the countdown.  It’s a pretty good dance jam that has much more value in a club/bar/party scenario than in your car or on your computer at work.  Usher – Scream jumped onto the countdown.  It’s a pretty good dance jam that has much more value in a club/bar/party scenario than in your car or on your computer at work.

The big story this week is the ascension of Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know into the 3^rd slot on the countdown.  We’ve seen a couple songs that have had a previous extensive stint on the countdown do this lately (Nicki Minaj – Super Bass, randomly and Train – Drive By, less randomly) only to discover they were pretenders, rather than contenders for a #1 bid.  Here’s hoping that things work a little bit differently this time.

This is kind of a rough week, because it’s one of the only weeks in awhile where I would have been happier if there was no change in the countdown songs rather than have the new entrants replace the exits.  This is including the fact that the superlatively disinteresting Adele – Someone Like You got kicked off, so that’s saying something.  Hopefully this gets reversed soon before I can start calling it a trend.

Editor’s Picks – Top 5 Songs

1) Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know

2) Taylor Swift – Eyes Open

3) Maroon 5 – Payphone

4) Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

5) M83 – Midnight City

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

fun. (2) - Week of April 21, 2012

We’ve got loads of craziness to attend to, so let’s jump right in.  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:

•          The All American Rejects – Beekeeper's Daughter
•          David Guetta Ft. Usher – Without You
•          Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Ft. Bruno Mars – Young, Wild & Free (DTHNOBx2)
•          Pitbull Ft. Chris Brown – International Love
•          Childish Gambino – Heartbeat
•          Coldplay Ft. Rihanna – Princess of China (DTHNOBx2)

The Countdown:

1. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe- We Are Young (#2)

2. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#3)

3. Train- Drive By (#4)

4. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#11)

5. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (#1)

6. Flo Rida Ft. Sia - Wild Ones (#5)

7. Adele - Set Fire to the Rain (#8)

8. B.O.B. - So Good (#21)

9. Katy Perry - Part of Me (#6)

10. Gotye feat. Kimbra- Somebody That I Used to Know (#16)

11. September- Party in My Head (#23)

12. The Cab- La La (#22)

13. Carly Rae Jepsen- Call Me Maybe (DEBUT)

14. Neon Trees- Everybody Talks (#18)

15. Karmin- Brokenhearted (#20)

16. Chris Rene- Young Homie (#29)

17. Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa- Payphone (DEBUT)

18. Nicki Minaj- Starships (#13)

19. Andy Grammer- Fine By Me (#32)

20. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull- Dance Again (#17)

21. Adele- Rumour Has It (#30)

22. Calvin Harris- Feel So Close (#19)

23. Hot Chelle Rae- Honestly (#26)

24. Taylor Swift- Eyes Open (#28)

25. K'naan feat. Nelly Furtado- Is Anybody Out There? (#27)

26. The All-American Rejects- Walk Over Me (DEBUT)

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

28. Cher Lloyd feat. Astro- Want U Back (DEBUT)

29. Gym Class Heroes feat. Ryan Tedder- The Fighter (DEBUT)

30. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#36)

31. Justin Bieber- Boyfriend (#15)

32. Jessie J- Domino (#40)

33. Lucas Prata feat. Lenny B- First Night of My Life (#25)

34. Outasight- Tonight Is the Night (#12)

35. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#31)

36. Hot Chelle Rae feat. New Boyz- I Like It Like That (#44)

37. Skrillex feat. Sirah- Bangarang (#14)

38. Adele- Someone Like You (#42)

39. David Guetta feat. Sia- Titanium (DEBUT)

40. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#38)

41. Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch- Ass Back Home (#9)

42. M83- Midnight City (#10)

43. Chiddy Bang- Ray Charles (#39)

44. Grouplove- Tongue Tied (#24)

45. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (#33)

Biggest DDDRRROOOOOOPPP!!!!.....of the week: Tie between Gym Class Heroes Ft. Neon Hitch – Ass Back Home and M83 – Midnight City (-32)

Biggest Jump of the Week: Tie between B.O.B. – So Good, Chris Rene – Young Homie, and Andy Grammer – Fine By Me (+13)

After reading all of the above, I know what you’re thinking.  This week sucked pretty bad.  After all, those exits are collectively pretty good, and Midnight City dropped to the Bottom 5 the week right after first cracking the Top 10.

This puts a lot of pressure on the new entrants, and they did not disappoint.  On average, the 6 newbies are pretty strong, including 2 absolute powerhouses, both of which are deserving of their own paragraph.  Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe debuted after spending a week or two too long on Hit-Bound.  That’s not the shocking part.  The shocking part is that it’s #13.  Wow.  That’s probably a record for highest debut ever on the countdown.  I haven’t progressed to “addict” status regarding to this song like some that I’ve talked to about it, but it’s good, and the hype is justified.  Popularity gets a boost from the video made by Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez to this song.

Welp, there it is.  Maroon 5 can no longer be dismissed as mediocre and uninteresting.  After their breakout hit, Moves Like Jagger, they teamed up with Wiz Khalifa to produce Payphone, which is every bit as good, if not better.  Similar to Call Me Maybe, it debuted insanely high on the countdown, up at #17.  Adam Levine deserves all the credit in the world for taking this formerly stale band, who very recently produced average-y hits like Misery, and Give a Little More, and turning their music into something that you actually can justify listening to on repeat.  

I am probably higher than the average person on Cher Lloyd – Want You Back, but I can’t help it….the pacing of that song is too perfect for it to not be catchy.  Adele - Rolling In the Deep is the only song made in the past few years surpassing it in the general rhythm/pacing department.  The All-American Rejects – Walk Over Me is stylistically different from their recent DTHNOB, Beekeeper’s Daughter, but unfortunately, it’s not really any better.  I feel like this is a band that is losing their edge a little bit.  Lead singer Tyson Ritter has never really had that great of a voice, but the group has been able to produce melodies where it could be tolerable, or even effective (Swing, Swing, Gives You Hell).  Lately, that has not been the case.

Gym Class Heroes Ft. Ryan Tedder – The Fighter is probably the 2^nd worst new entrant, but it’s a significant step up from Walk Over Me.  I feel like this one is going to be easy-ish to get sick of, and it’s ceiling isn’t really that high, but for now, it’s OK.  Finally, we have David Guetta Ft. Sia – Titanium, which could be considered the best new entrant most weeks, but this week it’s a clear 3^rd or 4^th.  Sia’s voice sounds great in the chorus.

Train – Drive By is getting pretty close to that #1 slot, eh?   It might break through, but more likely, it’ll stick around in limbo between the 2-5 slots for a bit, similar to its predecessor, Hey, Soul Sister.

Gonna cut it off here, as I’ve already passed the nonexistent word limit for this installment.

Editor’s Picks: Top 5 Songs

1) Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know

2) Taylor Swift – Eyes Open

3) M83 – Midnight City

4) Maroon 5 Ft. Wiz Khalifa – Payphone

5) Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

Kelly Clarkson (3) - Week of April 14, 2012

Some pretty good things happening this week, but unfortunately, we need to start off on kind of a sour note.  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.

• Olly Murs – Dance with Me Tonight
• Gym Class Heroes Ft. Adam Levine – Stereo Hearts

The Countdown:

1. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (#4) [Third Week at #1]

2. fun. feat. Janelle Monáe- We Are Young (#1)

3. One Direction- What Makes You Beautiful (#2)

4. Train- Drive By (#8)

5. Flo Rida feat. Sia- Wild Ones (#3)

6. Katy Perry- Part of Me (#6)

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

8. Adele- Set Fire to the Rain (#11)

9. Gym Class Heroes feat. Neon Hitch- Ass Back Home (#9)

10. M83- Midnight City (#20)

11. The Wanted- Glad You Came (#5)

12. Outasight- Tonight Is the Night (#42) [Biggest Jump]

13. Nicki Minaj- Starships (#17)

14. Skrillex feat. Sirah- Bangarang (#10)

15. Justin Bieber- Boyfriend (#13)

16. Gotye feat. Kimbra- Somebody That I Used to Know (#26)

17. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull- Dance Again (#29)

18. Neon Trees- Everybody Talks (#12)

19. Calvin Harris- Feel So Close (#25)

20. Karmin- Brokenhearted (#14)

21. B.o.B- So Good (#15)

22. The Cab- La La (#22)

23. September- Party in My Head (#23)

24. Grouplove- Tongue Tied (#18)

25. Lucas Prata feat. Lenny B- First Night of My Life (#21)

26. Hot Chelle Rae- Honestly (#32)

27. K'naan feat. Nelly Furtado- Is Anybody Out There? (#40)

28. Taylor Swift- Eyes Open (#28)

29. Chris Rene- Young Homie (#27)

30. Adele- Rumour Has It (RE-ENTRY)

31. Flo Rida- Good Feeling (#33)

32. Andy Grammer- Fine By Me (#36)

33. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (#31)

34. The All-American Rejects- Beekeeper's Daughter (#24)

35. David Guetta feat. Usher- Without You (#37)

36. Gavin DeGraw- Not Over You (#16) [Biggest Drop]

37. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars- Young, Wild & Free (#45)

38. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy (#30)

39. Chiddy Bang- Ray Charles (#39)

40. Jessie J- Domino (#34)

41. Pitbull feat. Chris Brown- International Love (#41)

42. Adele- Someone Like You (#40)

43. Childish Gambino- Heartbeat (#43)

44. Hot Chelle Rae feat. New Boyz- I Like It Like That (#44)

45. Coldplay & Rihanna- Princess of China (RE-ENTRY)

Biggest DDDDRRROOOOPPPP!!!!!!...of the week: Gavin DeGraw – Not Over You (-20)

Biggest Jump of the Week: Outasight – Tonight Is the Night (+30)

For some reason the countdown voters saw fit to have Dance with Me Tonight (temporarily?) tie Kid Cudi – Erase Me for most hysterically short tenure in countdown history.  Godspeed, Olly Murs.  Hope to see you again soon.  That song deserved better.

No new music this week.  Just resurrections.  Coldplay Ft. Rihanna – Princess of China returned for a farewell tour.  After surfacing on Hit-Bound the week of March 3^rd, Adele – Rumour Has It made the jump to the countdown this week, which makes the song’s career trajectory: Hit-Bound -> Countdown -> DTHNOB -> Hit-Bound(x2) -> Countdown(x2).  No other song has ever taken that 4^th step of re-entering Hit-Bound after getting booted from the countdown.  This would be more exciting if the song wasn’t terrible. 

Even if entrant/exit news wasn’t the best, there were a few pretty solid developments within the countdown itself.  Train – Drive By unexpectedly and pleasantly made the jump to the Top 5, while Gotye – Somebody I Used to Know and M83 – Midnight City both jumped 10 spots, with the latter getting boosted into the Top 10.  For the first time in forever, all 10 songs in the Top 10 are good, which is pretty awesome considering where we were at the beginning of February when almost the entire countdown sucked.  Sure, Flo Rida Ft. Sia – Wild Ones has been beaten to death by the Hits-1 DJs and Adele – Set Fire to the Rain has run its course, and I no longer particularly care to listen to either, but at their cores, they’re good songs.  The other 8 range from decent (Kelly Clarkson – Stronger on the low end) to awesome (Midnight City on the high), and I would rather listen to any of those 8 than change the station to see what else is on.  For now.

In the “stayin’ alive” department, Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Ft. Bruno Mars – Young, Wild & Free first dropped into the bottom-5 of the countdown from its mid-20’s “heyday” the week of January 14^th.  Exactly 3 months later, it’s hanging around at #37.  Fight on boys, fight on.

Editor’s Picks – Top 5 Songs

1) Gotye – Somebody I Used to Know

2) M83 – Midnight City

3) Taylor Swift – Eyes Open

4) Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Ft. Bruno Mars – Young, Wild & Free

5) Train – Drive By