So, we're now into the second quarter of the year, and there have been some minor changes regarding the chart's. There are only a couple of hangers-on from earlier in the year now, and things seem to really be setting themselves up for summer. So, without any further ado, let's jump into this:
10. Passionfruit - Drake (Chart Position - 3)
Wow, two weeks ago this was number 4 in my own listings, and now it's slap bang at the bottom. Mind you, a couple of weeks ago was one of the worst charts since the beginning of the year, so what do you expect? I certainly wouldn't call this song a masterpiece, or even competent. There are far, far too many flaws which you notice upon re-listening, the most notable one being the vocals. Even if the rest of the song was any good, Drakes flat, dull vocals would be enough to drag this down into the mire of tedium and predictability that most Drake songs inhabit. The lyrics aren't great on this either, but at least the instrumental has a decent baseline and some good melodies. While really quite poor in comparison to everything else on the chart, at least this is better than most of Drake's previous efforts.
9. Slide - Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean & Migos (Chart Position - 9)
This song is rather bizarre, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. It's certainly not what one would expect from Calvin Harris, but I'm not sure it's exactly what I would have wanted either. Normally, Harris is very much in the EDM camp, yet this song feels more tropical house than EDM. And while that is a decent approach to take in and of itself, I don't feel it quite comes off here for two very big reasons. The first is a simple one, and it's one that's affecting a lot of music at the moment: the vocals are massively disconnected from the song instrumental. Now, I don't really know who Frank Ocean or Migos are, but they're vocals certainly don't suit this song. They feel much too flat for a mostly upbeat instrumental. And the second big issue with this song is a more complex one: it's just really, really dull. There's nothing really new or innovative within: just a whole load of tedious, repetitive beats that sum up the Tropical House genre to a tee. Sure, there are some interesting elements, but it's a song I can only really recommend to insomniacs. It certainly sent me to sleep several times.
8. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (Chart Position - 6)
I think my thoughts from last week just about sum this song up:
I'm still adamant that this isn't as good as Closer, Paris or even All We Know. Sure, there is plenty to like about the song, like most of the instrumental, or the lyrics, but the vocals definitely aren't the thing that people are going to like about this. Sure, Coldplay have their fans, but I'm not one of them, and I don't get the appeal of using them on a song like this. It needs to be upbeat and full of energy, and this isn't. It's really not a bad song though, and while the beat drop isn't great, it had grown on me a little more over the past few weeks. Something Just Like This is a little bit of a mixed bag: while it shows growing confidence for the Chainsmokers, it's another poor performance from Coldplay, and is the perfect example of a song being weaken by dodgy guest vocals.
7. It Ain't Me (with Selena Gomez) - Kygo & Selena Gomez (Chart Position - 7)
So, it's been a few weeks since I've talked about this song, and, while I have listened to it a few more times, I'm still none the wiser as to why I like this so much. It's just seems to have found a little bit of a likeable groove in me, despite the fact that there are plenty of things stacked against this song. The mixing is probably a bit too loud, and the lyrics don't really make much logical sense. Also, I'm not the world's biggest Selena Gomez fan, so the fact that this one has been a hit with me is a bit baffling. However, I think that this is probably one of Gomez's strongest vocal performances, and the instrumental itself is very well crafted, just perhaps a bit loud. This song is a very odd beat, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to effectively grapple with it. But sometimes it's nice to have something that works, although you're not entirely sure why.
6. New Man - Ed Sheeran (Chart Position - 10)
Every Ed Sheeran song this week is using posts from previous weeks, as I intend to do a full album review at some point:
In contrast to most of the album (although not the singles released so far), this has a much more upbeat tempo. I think it makes a lovely contrast, and it shows the total range of Sheeran's voice. It's almost rap at points, but not quite, because it's a bit more skilfully controlled. I like the way this is a totally different breakup anthem to Happier - it's much more angsty, but without being over the top and irritating. A lovely companion piece to Happier, with a strong beat and strong vocals.
5. Stay (with Alessia Cara) - Zedd & Alessia Cara (Chart Position - 8)
New and different. Just what I like. This is a very unusual song, it doesn't follow the conventional structure of the two genres it riffs off: EDM and Tropical House, but yet could fit into both perfectly. Whereas Slide feels like an artist trying to fit rigidly into a genre that is already winding down, Stay feels like it's reinventing both genres at once. The instrumental has a power to it that's rarely heard in much modern chart music, and I love all the effects. There are a lot of them, yet it doesn't feel like too much. Instead they just seem to fit into the song perfectly, with the ticking clock being one that I particularly love. Alessia Cara's vocals are fantastic, really top rate, even with all the modulation that her voice is subject to at times. My one little niggle with this song is that the lyrics feel rather dull and samey in their subject matter. It's the sort of romantic flim-flam you might expect from any pop song. Nevertheless, despite the weak lyrics, the stylish and sophisticated execution more than makes up for that, and this is a song I hope will be 'staying' (pun intended) around for quite sometime.
4. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran (Chart Position - 5)
Every Ed Sheeran song this week is using posts from previous weeks, as I intend to do a full album review at some point:
Now, of course, this song's been out for quite some time, but I don't think that's any great detriment upon this song. On the contrary, this song's longevity has been one of it's highlights. It's such a simple song, about the innocence of youth, about returning home to find everything's changed, about that feeling of returning to a place you haven't seen in years. Now, anyone can produce a song about those topics, but Sheeran manages to make it feel real. You're going through the experiences with him, and I think that's such a powerful image to have. Now, of course, Sheeran is a musical master, and while his lyrics and voice would be enough to sell this, he is aided by a fantastic beat and some excellent melodies that provide an excellent instrumental for this song. Castle On The Hill is one of the strongest songs of the year, and I think it's possibly a little bit of a minor classic, since it's mostly been overshadowed by Shape Of You. Fantastic.
3. Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran (Chart Position - 2)
Every Ed Sheeran song this week is using posts from previous weeks, as I intend to do a full album review at some point:
Of course this was going to be here. Shape Of You is undoubtedly Sheeran's greatest hit, and it's not hard to see why. It has such a relaxed feel to it in every element of production: the writing, the vocals, the melodies, the beat, everything just feels so relaxed and chilled. The story of simple physical attraction is wonderfully told, and it never amounts to anything more than it purports to be. I know I keep saying this about Sheeran, about his storytelling, but it is true - he does tell a story with his music. Each song is like a little short story that paints a world perfectly, but never outstays it's welcome. This is helped by Sheeran's voice, which, like every song on this list, is just phenomenal. He has an amazing instrument, and is totally in command of that instrument. That his songs have possibly the best production values on the chart is another positive. Sheeran has many different styles, all of which are executed successfully, and Shape Of You is the ultimate proof of that. The crowning glory in the career of one of the best artist's of the past decade. Simply amazing.
2. Galway Girl - Ed Sheeran (Chart Position - 1)
Every Ed Sheeran song this week is using posts from previous weeks, as I intend to do a full album review at some point:
Why wasn't this released as a single? This is fantastic! It's electronic, mixed with Irish river-dance, mixed with a wonderful acoustic sound. It shouldn't, by rights, work... but oh my God, it does! It's upbeat, slow, different and familiar all at the same time. It's simply about an Irish girl who has a one-night stand with Ed, and I love it's simplicity. It isn't pretentious about anything, just tells it like it is. And I love it. It's melody is simple, allowing it's barrage of styles to come together, and it doesn't outstay it's welcome either. It's nice and short, and it just works. Simply magical.
1. Symphony (feat. Zara Larsson) - Clean Bandit & Zara Larsson (Chart Position - 4)
I still love this song. Is that to do with the fact that it's a triumphant return to form for Clean Bandit? Yes. Is it to do with the fact that Zara Larsson is one of the best up-and-coming singers at the moment? Yes. Is it a great collision between two artists at the top of their game, and manages to be both interesting and different? Yes. Seriously, this is something bloody special, and that's rare in the charts. I don't care if I sound like a madman, but when music's as good as this, I've got every right to shout. Totally amazing, and a song to believe the hype about.
So, this is the Spotify Chart cross-compared with my listings for ease of reference:
Spotify:
1. Galway Girl - Ed Sheeran
2. Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran
3. Passionfruit - Drake
4. Symphony - Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson
5. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran
6. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
7. It Ain't Me - Kygo and Selena Gomez
8. Stay - Zedd and Alessia Cara
9. Slide - Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean and Migos
10. New Man - Ed Sheeran
Me:
1. Symphony - Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson
2. Galway Girl - Ed Sheeran
3. Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran
4. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran
5. Stay - Zedd and Alessia Cara
6. New Man - Ed Sheeran
7. It Ain't Me - Kygo and Selena Gomez
8. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
9. Slide - Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean and Migos
10. Passionfruit - Drake
I'll be back next week with another chart analysis!
10. Passionfruit - Drake (Chart Position - 3)
Wow, two weeks ago this was number 4 in my own listings, and now it's slap bang at the bottom. Mind you, a couple of weeks ago was one of the worst charts since the beginning of the year, so what do you expect? I certainly wouldn't call this song a masterpiece, or even competent. There are far, far too many flaws which you notice upon re-listening, the most notable one being the vocals. Even if the rest of the song was any good, Drakes flat, dull vocals would be enough to drag this down into the mire of tedium and predictability that most Drake songs inhabit. The lyrics aren't great on this either, but at least the instrumental has a decent baseline and some good melodies. While really quite poor in comparison to everything else on the chart, at least this is better than most of Drake's previous efforts.9. Slide - Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean & Migos (Chart Position - 9)
This song is rather bizarre, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. It's certainly not what one would expect from Calvin Harris, but I'm not sure it's exactly what I would have wanted either. Normally, Harris is very much in the EDM camp, yet this song feels more tropical house than EDM. And while that is a decent approach to take in and of itself, I don't feel it quite comes off here for two very big reasons. The first is a simple one, and it's one that's affecting a lot of music at the moment: the vocals are massively disconnected from the song instrumental. Now, I don't really know who Frank Ocean or Migos are, but they're vocals certainly don't suit this song. They feel much too flat for a mostly upbeat instrumental. And the second big issue with this song is a more complex one: it's just really, really dull. There's nothing really new or innovative within: just a whole load of tedious, repetitive beats that sum up the Tropical House genre to a tee. Sure, there are some interesting elements, but it's a song I can only really recommend to insomniacs. It certainly sent me to sleep several times.8. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (Chart Position - 6)
I think my thoughts from last week just about sum this song up:
I'm still adamant that this isn't as good as Closer, Paris or even All We Know. Sure, there is plenty to like about the song, like most of the instrumental, or the lyrics, but the vocals definitely aren't the thing that people are going to like about this. Sure, Coldplay have their fans, but I'm not one of them, and I don't get the appeal of using them on a song like this. It needs to be upbeat and full of energy, and this isn't. It's really not a bad song though, and while the beat drop isn't great, it had grown on me a little more over the past few weeks. Something Just Like This is a little bit of a mixed bag: while it shows growing confidence for the Chainsmokers, it's another poor performance from Coldplay, and is the perfect example of a song being weaken by dodgy guest vocals.7. It Ain't Me (with Selena Gomez) - Kygo & Selena Gomez (Chart Position - 7)
So, it's been a few weeks since I've talked about this song, and, while I have listened to it a few more times, I'm still none the wiser as to why I like this so much. It's just seems to have found a little bit of a likeable groove in me, despite the fact that there are plenty of things stacked against this song. The mixing is probably a bit too loud, and the lyrics don't really make much logical sense. Also, I'm not the world's biggest Selena Gomez fan, so the fact that this one has been a hit with me is a bit baffling. However, I think that this is probably one of Gomez's strongest vocal performances, and the instrumental itself is very well crafted, just perhaps a bit loud. This song is a very odd beat, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to effectively grapple with it. But sometimes it's nice to have something that works, although you're not entirely sure why. 6. New Man - Ed Sheeran (Chart Position - 10)
Every Ed Sheeran song this week is using posts from previous weeks, as I intend to do a full album review at some point:In contrast to most of the album (although not the singles released so far), this has a much more upbeat tempo. I think it makes a lovely contrast, and it shows the total range of Sheeran's voice. It's almost rap at points, but not quite, because it's a bit more skilfully controlled. I like the way this is a totally different breakup anthem to Happier - it's much more angsty, but without being over the top and irritating. A lovely companion piece to Happier, with a strong beat and strong vocals.
5. Stay (with Alessia Cara) - Zedd & Alessia Cara (Chart Position - 8)
New and different. Just what I like. This is a very unusual song, it doesn't follow the conventional structure of the two genres it riffs off: EDM and Tropical House, but yet could fit into both perfectly. Whereas Slide feels like an artist trying to fit rigidly into a genre that is already winding down, Stay feels like it's reinventing both genres at once. The instrumental has a power to it that's rarely heard in much modern chart music, and I love all the effects. There are a lot of them, yet it doesn't feel like too much. Instead they just seem to fit into the song perfectly, with the ticking clock being one that I particularly love. Alessia Cara's vocals are fantastic, really top rate, even with all the modulation that her voice is subject to at times. My one little niggle with this song is that the lyrics feel rather dull and samey in their subject matter. It's the sort of romantic flim-flam you might expect from any pop song. Nevertheless, despite the weak lyrics, the stylish and sophisticated execution more than makes up for that, and this is a song I hope will be 'staying' (pun intended) around for quite sometime.4. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran (Chart Position - 5)
Every Ed Sheeran song this week is using posts from previous weeks, as I intend to do a full album review at some point:
Now, of course, this song's been out for quite some time, but I don't think that's any great detriment upon this song. On the contrary, this song's longevity has been one of it's highlights. It's such a simple song, about the innocence of youth, about returning home to find everything's changed, about that feeling of returning to a place you haven't seen in years. Now, anyone can produce a song about those topics, but Sheeran manages to make it feel real. You're going through the experiences with him, and I think that's such a powerful image to have. Now, of course, Sheeran is a musical master, and while his lyrics and voice would be enough to sell this, he is aided by a fantastic beat and some excellent melodies that provide an excellent instrumental for this song. Castle On The Hill is one of the strongest songs of the year, and I think it's possibly a little bit of a minor classic, since it's mostly been overshadowed by Shape Of You. Fantastic.
3. Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran (Chart Position - 2)
Every Ed Sheeran song this week is using posts from previous weeks, as I intend to do a full album review at some point:
Of course this was going to be here. Shape Of You is undoubtedly Sheeran's greatest hit, and it's not hard to see why. It has such a relaxed feel to it in every element of production: the writing, the vocals, the melodies, the beat, everything just feels so relaxed and chilled. The story of simple physical attraction is wonderfully told, and it never amounts to anything more than it purports to be. I know I keep saying this about Sheeran, about his storytelling, but it is true - he does tell a story with his music. Each song is like a little short story that paints a world perfectly, but never outstays it's welcome. This is helped by Sheeran's voice, which, like every song on this list, is just phenomenal. He has an amazing instrument, and is totally in command of that instrument. That his songs have possibly the best production values on the chart is another positive. Sheeran has many different styles, all of which are executed successfully, and Shape Of You is the ultimate proof of that. The crowning glory in the career of one of the best artist's of the past decade. Simply amazing.
2. Galway Girl - Ed Sheeran (Chart Position - 1)
Every Ed Sheeran song this week is using posts from previous weeks, as I intend to do a full album review at some point:
Why wasn't this released as a single? This is fantastic! It's electronic, mixed with Irish river-dance, mixed with a wonderful acoustic sound. It shouldn't, by rights, work... but oh my God, it does! It's upbeat, slow, different and familiar all at the same time. It's simply about an Irish girl who has a one-night stand with Ed, and I love it's simplicity. It isn't pretentious about anything, just tells it like it is. And I love it. It's melody is simple, allowing it's barrage of styles to come together, and it doesn't outstay it's welcome either. It's nice and short, and it just works. Simply magical.
1. Symphony (feat. Zara Larsson) - Clean Bandit & Zara Larsson (Chart Position - 4)
I still love this song. Is that to do with the fact that it's a triumphant return to form for Clean Bandit? Yes. Is it to do with the fact that Zara Larsson is one of the best up-and-coming singers at the moment? Yes. Is it a great collision between two artists at the top of their game, and manages to be both interesting and different? Yes. Seriously, this is something bloody special, and that's rare in the charts. I don't care if I sound like a madman, but when music's as good as this, I've got every right to shout. Totally amazing, and a song to believe the hype about. So, this is the Spotify Chart cross-compared with my listings for ease of reference:
Spotify:
1. Galway Girl - Ed Sheeran
2. Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran
3. Passionfruit - Drake
4. Symphony - Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson
5. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran
6. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
7. It Ain't Me - Kygo and Selena Gomez
8. Stay - Zedd and Alessia Cara
9. Slide - Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean and Migos
10. New Man - Ed Sheeran
Me:
1. Symphony - Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson
2. Galway Girl - Ed Sheeran
3. Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran
4. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran
5. Stay - Zedd and Alessia Cara
6. New Man - Ed Sheeran
7. It Ain't Me - Kygo and Selena Gomez
8. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
9. Slide - Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean and Migos
10. Passionfruit - Drake
I'll be back next week with another chart analysis!
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