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| Lil Uzi Vert put seven songs in the top 20 in March and topped the albums chart for several weeks |
I was slacking on this one because it's a little bit daunting. March was the biggest month of the year for individual songs in the Top 20. That's largely because between Lil Uzi Vert's two albums charted in the month of March, seven individual songs made the top 20. Uzi had some monster streaming weeks, and the charts reflected it. That being said, this might not be so daunting because other than the Uzi songs and a couple others, the charts largely stayed the same. I have very few extra thoughts on many of the songs I've covered previously. So let's dive in.
34. Blackbear - "Hot Girl Bummer" (Peak Position: #11)
America is going through enough right now. Do we really need something this awful and depressing creeping into the top 10?
My thoughts on "Memories" have absolutely plummeted since I first heard it. This tends to happen for most Maroon 5 songs that hit the radio. At first, I think very little of the song, but as it gets increased airplay, I hate it. Even a lower-key Adam Levine like the one we get on this track is gratgin. I officially hate this more than "Dance Monkey."
That being said, I still really hate "Dance Monkey."
Spoiler alert for the rest of this list: I really like several of the Lil Uzi Vert songs that hit the charts in the past month. Unfortunately, "That Way" doesn't hold up. The Backstreet Boys interpolation used is extremely annoying. This was technically the second single for Eternal Atake, but this and lead single "Futsal Shuffle 2020" were only considered "bonus tracks" on the album itself. This really is a considerable step down from the tracks on the album itself. It sounds like Uzi trying too hard for a crossover hit, and he's got too big of a following to need to try doing stuff like that. This being included on the album itself probably helped boost streaming numbers, but it didn't need it.
We need another Capaldi hit or one of the other sad British pop singer-songwriters to come up with a new hit so I don't need to hear this anymore.
I never thought I'd say this, but I'd prefer the most overwhelmingly douchey bro country over something this bland and lifeless. At least bro country has (very, very bad) ideas.
Lil Uzi Vert re-explores his biggest hit (and one of the best major rap songs of the past decade) "XO TOUR Llif3" for Eternal Atake. It's one of the album's worst ideas. Trying to release a follow-up to your best-known song is a tricky task, and this just makes me want to listen to "XO TOUR Llif3" on repeat instead of hearing this ever again.
I continue to be surprised by the continued success of this song. Sure, Drake's probably the biggest artist in the world, and Future's a proven hitmaker as well. Still, I'll never get over the disjointed nature of this song. I've grown an active disdain for this song after initially shrugging it off. It's not awful; it's just that these two can do and have done so much better together.
At first I kinda liked the percussion and production in this otherwise forgettable Bieber track, but it's been annoying me as this became a bigger hit, and I really don't like the hook so much.
I've kinda praised this song in past months for being so dang catchy while still not outstaying its welcome even as its become overplayed. I think I've really reached the point where I'm sick of it. It was a good four months, but I'm done. Maybe if the verses were a little stronger, I'd be less tired of it.
I thought the original "Suicidal" was a relatively weaker track in Melly's catalog, though it worked fine as a rather forgettable single. The late Juice WRLD adds a bit to improve this, but maybe that's just because it's a bit harrowing to hear him in a posthumous release sing about death. And knowing that Melly might face life in prison (or even the death penalty) for double-homicide, even more harrowing.
Like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby saw big album-streaming numbers translate into some chart success. Obviously, Baby didn't get seven tracks into the top 20, but he had a couple hits because of it. I'm bigger on Lil Baby than a lot of people, but this is one of his weaker singles. I think the hook works for him really well, but the verses are entirely forgettable. Wish the beat came through just a tad more. It's easily digestible trap music, but Baby's capable of better.
I like a decent amount of Lovato's stuff, but this isn't doing too much for me. I don't want to dump too much on a song about overcoming self-image issues from somebody who's coming off some well-publicized substance abuse issues. It's a fine pop song with a nice message.
Post Malone continues to dominate charts with a song where I can't come up with any further ways to say "it's pleasant." "Circles" is a record-breaking song as far as time spent in the Top 10 goes, but I'm not convinced it's because people necessarily love the song. It's just a song that's there and relatively inoffensive, so it gets continued airplay.
"My Oh My" follows the "Havana" formula well by blending mainstream pop music with a little retro-Cuban flair and a guest verse from one of the hottest rappers at the moment. This isn't quite a "Havana" repeat, but I dig it. As much as I like a lot of DaBaby's music, I think this might work with somebody a bit more Young Thug-esque who can stand out on the guest verse more. It's not quite the earworm as other Cabello songs are, but it still works. It's a breezy sub-3 minute track. I can dig it.
BTS is the biggest band in the world, and this is their highest-charting song in America. It's fine, but drags on a bit as it goes on. As far as their singles that have broken out in America go, this is maybe my least favorite. I do like the original a bit better than the Sia version that was released, but even the original seems like it's just missing something. Maybe BTS and Sia just weren't the right pairing.
Lil Baby's a lot better when he has another artist to bounce off of, and he's even better when that other artist is Gunna. I don't think "Heatin' Up" is as good as some of their other collaborative stuff, but it feels like Baby has a hell of a lot more urgency whenever Gunna steps in, which puts this track ahead of something like "Woah." I think if you had the urgency of this track's verses and put it with a hook as catchy as "Woah," you'd have an ideal Lil Baby song. This still works well.
I've said "Heartless" is one of The Weeknd's weaker major singles a few times, now. I still think that the song actually works better as part of After Hours, but as a single it still falls flat. I get why they released it as a single because it is pretty classic The Weeknd, but it's just not something I'm listening to individually as much as other tracks we'll get to.
Still a very nice, subtle track from Eilish, but hasn't had the staying power with me as much as some of her other tracks. Still really love some of that production.
This nearly cracked my top ten last month, and despite it only being #15 this month, I actually grew on this song. There's just some really great stuff above it on this list. Wild that this might not even be in the top 5 retro-pop songs of the month.
Still a very nice piece of summery country-pop. I really do love Morris' voice. I'm cool with this lingering on the charts like it is right now. It's a breath of fresh air. Very "comfortable" but I don't think it's "generic," like the Dan + Shay song is. Probably helps that this has an actual good country singer on it, and not Justin Bieber randomly deciding to go country.
This is a song that's been gradually climbing the charts for a few months now. Certainly warmer weather has helped that. There's a lot of really solid disco-influenced pop music coming out right now, and it's really working for me. I think as a society we've largely come back to the idea that disco is extremely good, and modern songs that are heavily influenced by disco don't seem out of place. I'll take pop songs that are derivative of disco or new wave over more "contemporary" monogenre Post Malone stuff any day. Doja Cat was an artist who was bound to break out eventually, and I'm glad it was this song that did it. Could use just a little more burst of her personality here, but still very good.
"Baby Pluto" was Uzi's biggest hit of the month because his success largely stemmed from album streams, and this is the first track on the album. It's a really good introduction, with some nice flow switches. Some great energy from Uzi. None of the Uzi tracks that will appear on the rest of this list (including this) are even singles, but they could easily work as singles.
I've said that despite making very formulaic music, DaBaby hasn't been getting old for me. After listening to his latest album (which I will most likely be covering next month), that's not really the case. It's not great when he stays in his lane on that album, and it's even worse when he switches it up. Still, I think "Bop" as a culmination of that formula works for me. It was bound to have diminishing returns at some point, but this still sounds fresh in my ears.
Uzi released two "discs" for Eternal Atake in two different weeks. Five tracks from the first disc charted in the top 20, but only two from the superior second disc (also known as Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World 2) ended up here. I'll still definitely take the Kobe Bryant tribute "Bean," which is somehow Chief Keef's highest-charting single ever. Keef's been a huge influence on rap in the last decade, and it's nice to hear him on a legitimate hit. I hope we get more of him on the charts again, even if he's plenty comfortable doing whatever the hell he wants to at a given moment, and chasing hits doesn't seem to be one of those things.
The second track off Eternal Atake builds really well off "Baby Pluto." This is one of the best tracks from that project. I love the energy he brings, and the beat from Brandon Finessin and Bugz Ronin is perfect. This is another absolutely phenomenal vocal performance from LUV. Some great ad-libs. Uzi and the producers play off each other really well.
Big records from other big "mumble" rappers didn't hurt Roddy Ricch too much. His two big hits have remained staples on radio stations and playlists. Ballin' seems to have fallen down a bit more than "The Box," which is a bit of a shame. Even after several dozen plays of this song, I still find it a lot fresher-sounding than a lot of stuff from similar-sounding rappers. I think the Mustard beat working so well with Roddy goes a long way.
The title track from The Weeknd's album is a bit of a weird choice for a single, since it's six minutes long and quite a bit of a slow burn. It rules, though. It's a really good mix of classic mixtape Weeknd and his higher-budget mainstream hits. I tire of a hell of a lot of pop songs after the three minute mark. The three minute mark is when this absolutely hits for me, when you get more of that guitar. Production from Illangelo, DaHeala and Mario Winans is absolutely killer. The Weeknd has translated great to a mainstream setting, but I've been missing some of those more atmospheric, slow-burning tracks that he was doing on Trilogy. This knocks it out of the park.
The opening track for Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World 2 is an even better opener than "Baby Pluto" was. Another track where he absolutely brings it. The only complaint I have is that he teases the beat drop a little too much at times. I do love that beat though (courtesy of Oogie Mane and Supah Mario). Something about the chimes.
Another really great piece of dance-pop on the charts, this time from one of the best artists of the generation at making that kind of music. I liked the more toned-down (for Gaga, at least) Joanne and loved her work on the A Star is Born soundtrack, but I'm glad she's back to making music that sounds like this. This could be up there with anything from the The Fame/Monster/Born This Way era. I didn't know how much I missed this Lady Gaga until I heard it. Really looking forward to this album now.
I'm out of breath just thinking of this song, which is probably the biggest highlight from either disc of Lil Uzi content (32 songs!). Uzi is just flowing all over this thing. "One eye open, 'Luminati like Fetty Wap/Microwave help me dry out the Redi Rock/Throwin' money, beat the pockets, got heavy knots/Gettin' guala, they don't know when the fetti stop/Every day my birthday, why the confetti stop?" Something called "Silly Watch" shouldn't be this great. How is yet another trap song about watches this fun? This isn't quite the achievement of something like "XO Tour Llife" but it definitely stands out in Uzi's catalog.
Roddy Ricch's biggest threat of taking over the No. 1 spot on the charts continues to thrill. As far as "Pop Star Weeknd" goes, this might be his best song yet. He pairs so well with Max Martin. This is infectious.
Still somehow not sick of "The Box." Some real lightning-in-a-bottle stuff. This held onto the No. 1 spot the entire month, and I'm still not mad.
I can't believe there was a time where I didn't think this was the best song on the radio. There was a time I hardly thought it was a top 10 song on the radio. This has only gotten better with every repeat listen. It's disco-pop perfection. The bass groove gets me every time. There's so much killer percussion. The strings on the bridge, man. It's a perfect pop song.
I don't think I'll be able to talk about Dua Lipa's entire album in this column unfortunately, but it's probably going to be the best pop album of the year. Don't sleep on it. The album tapers off for a bit towards the end, but most of it holds up to the standard of "Don't Start Now."
It's Album Time!
Here are the albums that cracked the top 3 of the Billboard 200, ranked:
1. Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake [Atlantic]
2. Bad Bunny - YHLQMDLG [Rimas Entertainment]
3. Jhene Aiko - Chilombo [Def Jam]
4. BTS - Map of the Soul: 7 [Bighit Entertainment]
5. Lil Baby - My Turn [Quality Control Music]
6. YoungBoy NeverBrokeAgain - Still Flexin', Still Steppin' [Atlantic]
7. Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man [Epic]
Uzi had four songs from his double album break my top 10 in the songs ranking, so it's no surprise that I'm pretty big on Eternal Atake. The album release is some weird chart-manipulation stuff. Both discs I consider different albums, but they're counted as the same for the sake of the charts, and that helped keep Uzi on top. I think the highs are more consistent on Eternal Atake (disc one), but after being front-loaded falls off towards the end. Don't think the two singles released as bonus tracks fit all that well, and they're weaker anyway. Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World 2 is a lot more consistent throughout, which makes me prefer it slightly.
Speaking of uneven, most of the rest of the albums fall in this category. YHLQMDLG, Chilombo, Map of the Soul, and My Turn have some good stuff in all of them, but none of them need to be over an hour long like they are. I'd say YHLQMDLG and Chilombo in particular are prevented from being truly great albums because of this. There's simply too much filler. You can make good 45 minute albums out of them.
Map of the Soul: 7 is around 75 minutes long, and even though I like BTS mostly, most pop albums that long aren't going to keep my attention that long unless they get real weird with it. BTS does not get weird with it. Love that a Korean act is doing huge numbers Stateside, but the project as a whole is a little blah.
Lil Baby is a rapper that works better in small doses, so My Turn being his longest project since blowing up hurts him. It's an album where you definitely want to pick and choose tracks based on features and beats, and not necessarily listen to as a whole.
Still Flexin', Still Steppin' luckily clocks in less than 40 minutes, but I've never been as high on Youngboy as I am other rappers. It's fine. Probably worth a listen if you're into him, but tops off at "pretty solid" for me.
The Ozzy album is bad old man rock, and it gets even worse when Post Malone enters the mix. Gross.
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