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| Roddy Richh had a monster February on both the singles and albums charts. (Atlantic) |
This is the second edition of a feature wherein I rank all the songs to chart in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 during the span of a month. I've covered most of the songs in the previous month, so I won't be writing them up as much. Though some of my opinions have changed on a couple songs. I've changed the format since that post, because embedding Youtube videos on Blogger
28. blackbear - "hot girl bummer" (Peak Position: #15)
Dethroning Justin Bieber's "Yummy" for worst pop song on the charts in the past month is something called "blackbear" with something called "hot girl bummer." That of course is a play on the "hot girl summer" meme popularized by Megan Thee Stallion.
This song is the first time many have ever heard of blackbear, but he's actually an industry vet. He's produced and written songs for the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, G-Eazy, Mike Posner and Justin Bieber (co-writing Bieber's smash hit "Boyfriend" with Posner). If he wrote a track for Post Malone he'd hit insufferable white rap/r&b star bingo.
It's not an actual parody of Megan Thee Stallion's "Hot Girl Summer" track, because that song is a ton of fun. This is, as the name suggests, a bummer. It's a culmination of all the MGK and Post Malone artistic slop of the past several years. It's somebody who came up with the easiest joke off an existing thing and put a decent-enough beat and chorus on it. It sucks.
Eminem raps a lot of words in a very small amount of time. This song has him rapping the fastest he's ever rapped. Who cares in 2020? We know he can rap fast. His individual lines seem meaningless at best and are laughable at worst. Eminem seemed like a parody of himself a decade ago, and now I don't even know what he is now.
"Yummy" managed to stay in the top twenty based on the release of the album. "Yummy" is still an abomination. Just because it's no longer the worst song on the charts does not mean I've softened on it. I hate it more. "hot girl bummer" and "Godzilla" are just so much worse.
I'm still not sure I get the appeal of "Dance Monkey," but it's continued to ascend in February. Good for the people who are able to stomach it, I guess.
Last month I complimented "Memories" for being more boring than outright bad as far as Maroon 5 singles go. Its stock has dramatically fallen for me since then. As the song has become a bigger hit, the laziness of just going out and barely changing "Canon in D" has become more evident to me. Still not their worst stuff by any stretch, but it's rough.
I still don't love Capaldi's voice, but I've come to tolerate this song a lot more in the past thirty days. There's always going to be a sappy, overdramatic ballad on the charts featuring a singer-songwriter from the UK these days. Some artists do it better than others. Capaldi is just giving us a break from Ed Sheeran, and for that I'm thankful. Song still gets on my nerves, though.
After hearing Bieber's new album in its entirety I think I have more appreciation for him singing the most by-the-numbers possible country song in the world if it means him doing less of what the album sounds like.
This is the weakest of the Jonas Brothers' comeback singles. I didn't think anybody was really looking for that "Born to Hand Jive" feel in 2020, but it works enough.
I really liked "Sucker" and "Cool," and that entire comeback album was nice, but if this is a sign of the direction of the band afterwards I can see them getting stale pretty quickly. The song itself is a pretty bland rendition of some good ol' fashioned rock 'n' roll. The appeal seems to mostly come from the video where the Jonases recreate scenes from Grease, Say Anything and Risky Business with their wives. It's cute, but there's just not much going on musically.
Legitimate question: Are people really listening to the version of this song without Rosalia and Lil Baby? Because it seems like it's just the base version of the song that's charted, even though it's the less interesting version. I think Billboard combines different versions of songs into one sometimes to avoid redundancy, so it could just be that. I haven't actually heard this song on the radio, so I have no idea what the case is. I mean, the remix still isn't the best song in the world, but it's loads better than this audible shrug.
This song has lost a lot of its luster for me in the past month. I can't get over it just sounding like two different songs by two different artists. The two halves just don't mesh together in any way. I think I'm also just kind of salty that this is now Future's highest-charting song ever. I'm not even sure this is in the top 50 singles that have featured Future (now that's a list for another day).
I actually haven't heard this song much in February despite it staying in the top 10, which is probably why I haven't soured on it too much. I could see it really grating on me if I was hearing it everywhere, but to me it's still just a perfectly fine piano ballad.
This is a massive improvement over "Yummy," even if it's still a largely forgettable tracks. Nothing in Bieber's performance is particularly interesting, and Quavo's verse is pretty half-assed. I think Poo Bear and The Audibles' production here is pretty nice, though. I like the percussion a lot. The entire album is a bit of a dud, but this is one of the brighter spots for better or worse.
I'd be lying if I didn't say this song wasn't starting to grate on me a lot more as time has gone on, but the hook is still so undeniable. I find myself humming it to myself every few days. It was a song that was absolutely made for the short-form viral video circuit, because the actual verses seem blander and blander with every listen, but that damn chorus could soundtrack a million more TikToks.
The top ten in February seemed pretty stagnant for most of the month, so most of the big hits began annoying me more while I was waiting for something to freshen up the charts. That definitely goes for "Circles," which is still one of Post Malone's better tracks even as I'm starting to tire of it. Still really like that sunny backing beat.
I was pulling for Lana Del Rey, but Billie Eilish was the pop star charged with making the theme to the newest Bond film. I was really hoping somebody who has been heralded as the future of pop music would do something a little more different. This sounds like "a Bond theme sung by Billie Eilish" than "a Billie Eilish Bond theme," y'know?
That's not to say it's bad! I like the symphonic feel of Bond themes. Hearing the classic Bond motifs in a big pop hit every few years is always neat. I bet this is going to work a lot better when paired with an extremely high-budget five-minute credits sequence. I like this a lot more than Sam Smith's "Spectre," which was just as bland and forgettable as that movie was. Adele's "Skyfall" is still probably the crowning achievement for Daniel Craig-era Bond movies, but this is a solid entry.
Last month I mentioned how this seemed like The Weeknd's most formulaic hit to date, and I still largely feel like that's true. He's still an interesting figure in pop music, but there have been definite diminishing returns when he does the "Yeah, I'm a heartless scumbag that doesn't care about anything but meaningless sex and drugs" trope. Outside of having a bigger budget, there's nothing about this song that's better than anything on The Weeknd's first few projects.
Billie Eilish was the big winner in late January's Grammys, so she had some big streaming weeks in the immediate aftermath. I think "Everything I Wanted" and its ruminations on fame are a lot more poignant after that night (which was an Official Coronation Of The Next Big Thing if there ever was one). I still prefer the more brash songs from Eilish, but the production from Finneas here still has so many nice flourishes. I think we'll get more "slow, ruminative" Eilish in the future, and she seems really comfortable in that zone.
I felt like Maren Morris' Girl was a bit letdown after 2016's killer Hero (probably one of the best country-pop albums of the last decade). It was still a really solid listen and head-and-shoulders above most country that makes its way onto mainstream radio.
I think Morris has found a way to balance the pop and country side of things a lot better than just about anyone else in that field (except maybe Kacey Musgraves, but Musgraves hasn't seen the chart success yet). I think a lot of people are disappointed that she seems more and more interested in increasing the level of "pop" in the "country pop" mix, but I think she's still largely fine. I don't think she'll be going Full Taylor anytime soon (nor should she; her voice works so much better when there's at least something resembling country music around her). This is just a nice, breezy track. I'm really happy it's gotten more airplay recently, even though the single was initially released almost a year ago.
It felt like Harry Styles' newest album was going to come-and-go on the charts without much of a push, which is a shame. He's definitely making the best music out of any of the former One Direction members. Luckily "Adore You" seems to be making its way up the charts. It just happens to be a couple months after the album dropped.
It's a really nice bit of pop rock/soul, the extremely pleasant kind of retro-leaning music Styles has built his solo career on. It's got extremely tight production and a killer chorus, but the way the guitar solo plays with the backing vocals halfway through the song is what really sells me on this song. This is something I can see myself coming back to a lot more. It feels really fresh in the current pop scene.
Roddy Richh's incredible 2020 has continued with another hit breaking into the top 20 in February. It's not as immediately catchy or playful as "Ballin'" or "The Box" are, but it's still a really great rap track.
Mustard and Richh have a really good chemistry on their tracks together. I think this might be the best fit with Mustard's sound since his initial stuff with YG. Obviously Roddy's not on the same level as a rapper as early-to-mid 2010's YG, but the chemistry is undeniable on tracks like this. If they keep getting together for tracks like this, they're going to dominate the year even more as the weather warms up.
Speaking of Mustard and Richh, I still really love this song. I think it showcases Richh's Young Thug-inspired vocal performances the best out of his hits, and it's become a go-to in my rotation when it's sunny outside. If I drove, I would play this in the car a lot with the windows down.
I'm not sure what more I can say about something like "Good As Hell" other than it continues to be a very uplifting track that usually makes me smile when I hear it.
Another song that I'm really not sure how to describe more than I already have. "Bop" has such an infectious beat and DaBaby just flows all over it. It's not his best track period but it's probably the best example of how he's refined his formula.
I think I was a bit unfair to this song last month. I really focused in on the pre-chorus and how it interrupts the song's groove. I think that bit of the song before the drop is better than I gave it credit for. I like the disco guitars and glistening keyboards more with each listen. The bass groove is still without a doubt the best part of the song, but it doesn't completely kill the momentum like I had said.
I'm really starting to love this song as I hear it. It goes well with spring-like weather, I think. Dua Lipa herself is pretty killer in her performance, especially in her inflections on some of the verses. I've going to a wedding in a week, and I feel like this is going to be the kind of song that absolutely blows up the dance floor.
Last month I expressed disappointment that "Heartless" was the recent single from The Weeknd that blew up and not "Blinding Lights." Maybe they listened, because "Blinding Lights" had a better February than "Heartless" did.
I'm a lot more interested in The Weeknd when he gets into retro pastiche mode rather than brooding R&B mode. "Blinding Lights" is exactly the sound I want from him. My goodness, the synth lines here. Modern pop music taking notes from new wave is pretty played out at this point, but when it hits like this there's nothing like it. Max Martin produced the hell out of this song, too. He and The Weeknd really are a good combo.
Still a blast when I hear it, even though it's one of the four different songs they play on regular pop radio. I should be tired of it. I'm still not.
"The Box" is still the biggest song of 2020 by far, and it's not particularly close. I loved the track when I first heard it, and I've only fallen more in love with it since. Richh has a perfect earworm on his hands. I can't stop listening to it. The way he changes up his voice, the beat, everything. I don't know how long Roddy is gonna stay on top or how he follows up being the biggest rapper on the planet right now, but I'm really looking forward to it. I hope he doesn't get into a rut and is able to get really weird with it.
Still as lovely as it was last month.
Album Time
1. Mac Miller - Circles (Warner Music)
2. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush (Modular)
3. Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (Interscope)
4. Roddy Richh - Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial (Atlantic)
5. Halsey - Manic (Capitol)
6. Lil Wayne - Funeral (Young Money)
7. A Boogie wit da Hoodie - Artist 2.0 (Atlantic)
8. Justin Bieber - Changes (Def Jam)
9. Post Malone - Hollywood's Bleeding (Republic)
10. Eminem - Music to Be Murdered By (Shady)
February was a lot busier on the album charts than January was. Unfortunately I didn't love a lot of what came out, but there are a few gems here.
Circles is definitely the best of the bunch here. I got into it a little last month, but it bears repeating that it seems like a lot more lovingly-crafted project than a lot of rapper's posthumous releases, though it seems like he might've been pretty far into the creation of this album already. Miller's production works well with Jon Brion and it really is a perfect companion piece to Swimming.
The widely-anticipated The Slow Rush from Tame Impala is a solid release, but it doesn't really feel like it hits as hard as any of the band's first three albums. It's still perfectly capable of setting the vibe, but there's nothing here that blows me away like "Lucidity," "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards," or "The Less I Know the Better." I can't help but to feel a little disappointed after five years between albums, but it's still not a bad release by any stretch. Just not as strong.
Eilish's debut album continues to do well on the charts. It's already long been one of those albums that lingers in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for months and months based on streaming. I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. It's still a really killer debut, one that gives you a good idea of who Eilish is and what she's about, while still leaving a lot of room for improvement. I end up revisiting individual tracks from the project a lot more than the full album itself, but it's mostly held up.
Roddy Richh's album has done really well commercially as his star continues to rise. I still don't like it as much as his Feed Tha Streets tapes, but it's still a very solid listen.
I've never really loved Halsey. Maybe it's because my first exposure to her was "New Americana," one of my least favorite pop singles in recent memory. But I think she's improved a lot in the last five years and matured her sound a bit more. Plus, I can't be too mad at an album that gives Alanis Morissette a prominent spot in 2020.
Lil Wayne probably doesn't have another classic in him, and most projects he drops tend to be uneven. That's fine. You get enough glimpses of his skill from time to time that it's worth checking into his new stuff. Funeral probably has more misses than hits. It's far from Weezy's best effort, but it's definitely not his worst either.
I don't really love A Boogie wit da Hoodie's stuff very much. He gets a lot of streams and seems to do well in the Spotify algorithm-type places but doesn't seem to have much of a following beyond that. His music is extremely listenable. You can usually hear some good high-budget production and occasionally one of the guest verses he gets will bring it, but nothing he's made is particularly essential.
Speaking of inessential, Justin Bieber's Changes is his worst album since he hit puberty, even though I feel like it's supposed to be his most "mature" album yet. There just doesn't seem to be much artistic growth since Purpose. If anything, I think he's regressed.
Post Malone still sucks, and I don't want to waste time and energy writing words about Eminem's latest overlong embarrassment of a record.
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