Twostepcub's Best of 2017: Part Six - #50 to #41...

We've reached the halfway point of my year-end countdown of the biggest songs on my weekly music chart; the ones that climbed the highest and/or stuck around the longest. You can catch up on parts one through five by clicking here, and yesterday's recap of the 25 also-rans can be found by clicking here. Let's get back into it...

#50 - "Drinkin' Problem" - Midland
          from the album On The Rocks (2017)
          Highest rank: #3 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 19
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #45
          Songwriters: Midland (Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy, Jess Carson), Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

Who'd have thunk that a former soap opera actor would front the best of the neo-traditionalist bands of this year? Wystrach, an alum of Passions fronts this trio that sounds like they took the baton from Joe Nichols and ran with it, and this swaying track was one of the most different sounds mainstream country radio took ahold of. Their debut album is stellar.

Killer lyric: They keep on talkin' drawing conclusions,
                    They call it a problem, I call it a solution...

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#49 - "The Greatest" - Sia
          from the album This Is Acting: Deluxe Edition (2016)
          Highest rank: #7 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 16
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18
          Songwriters: Sia Furler (Sia), Greg Kurstin

 
The Australian-born singer/songwriter who topped last year's recap with "Cheap Thrills", followed it up with this epic dance-pop song that transformed into a piece of art from its video, which was an interpretive dance art piece portraying the events of the massacre of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Dancer Maddie Ziegler has become almost like an extension of Sia's person and vision, and while the video harkens on stark reality, Sia's inspirational and armor-toughening lyrics and delivery make this more of a celebration of life than a mourning dirge. Just as essential in both visual and musical forms as Logic's "1-800-273-8255" for LGBTQ youth.

Killer lyric (no pun intended): Well, uh-oh, running out of breath, but I
                                                 Oh, I, I got stamina
                                                 Uh-oh, running now, I close my eyes
                                                 But, oh oh, I got stamina...

#48 - "Star Of The Show" - Thomas Rhett
          from the album Tangled Up: Deluxe (2015)
          Highest rank: #3 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 16
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #45
          Songwriters: Thomas Rhett, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip

Country singer Rhett wrote this with his dad (also Rhett), and landed a fourth consecutive airplay hit from his Tangled Up re-release. Last year he placed at #30 with his crossover pop hit "Die A Happy Man", and at #36 with the funky "T-Shirt", but with this its John Mayer smoothness along with woos taken straight from Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up".

Killer lyric: And everybody's wondering and wanting to know,
                    What's your name, who's that girl,
                   With the prettiest smile in the world?
                   Oh, what gets me the most is you don't even know,
                   That you are the star of the show...

#47 - "Trouble" - Cage The Elephant
          from the album Tell Me I'm Pretty (2015)
          Highest rank (in 2017): #7 (two weeks) (in 2016 reached #4 for a week)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 19 (in 2016 was on the chart for 26 weeks)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
          Songwriters: Cage The Elephant (Brad & Matt Shultz, Jared Champion, Daniel Tichenor, Nick Bockrath, Matthan Minster), Dan Auerbach

There are five singles that were on last year's top 100 that made it to this year as well, and this was one of them. It was at #26 last year, and spent a total of 45 weeks total on my list, and for good cause. This dream-pop departure for the bluesy indie-rock band from Kentucky didn't stop captivating me with its swirling into craziness verses and ethereal production. (They were also on last year's list with "Mess Around" at #42.)

Killer lyric: We were at the table by the window, the view,
                    Casting shadows, the sun was pushing through,
                    Spoke a lot of words, I don't know if I spoke the truth...

#46 - "Heathens" - twenty-one pilots
          from the album Suicide Squad: The Album (Original Soundtrack) (2016)
          Highest rank (in 2017): #5 (one week) (in 2016 spent six weeks at #1) 
          Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 23 (in 2016 was on for 21 weeks)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
          Songwriter: Tyler Joseph

 Another of the five that repeated on this year-end recap, this one was all the way at #13 last year, one of three the duo placed on the chart (along with "Stressed Out" at #4 and "Ride" at #7). This was the best thing to come out of this franchise goop. The worst? Steven fuckin' Mnuchin. (The pair also have a song on the "bubbling unders" as well...)

Killer lyrics: We don't deal with outsiders very well,
                      They say newcomers have a certain smell,
                      Yeah, I trust issues, not to mention,
                      They say they can smell your intentions...

#45 - "Better Man" - Little Big Town
          from the album The Breaker (2017)
          Highest rank: #4 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 20
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34
          Songwriter: Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift returned to country radio, not on her own, but as the songwriter of this #1 format hit for the best country vocal band in history, Little Big Town. Two years ago, they landed at #74 for the year with the haunting "Girl Crush", and now with this reflection of a love gone by that's miles above the petty shit Swift has apparently kept for herself. But seriously, this is a personal best for her, and strikes to my very heart.

Killer lyrics: But your jealousy, I can hear it now,
                     You’re talking down to me like I’ll always be around,
                     You push my love away like it’s some kind of loaded gun,
                     Boy, you never thought I’d run...

#44 - "Issues" - Julia Michaels
          from the EP Nervous System (2017)
          Highest rank: #13 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 23
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11
          Songwriter: Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Benjamin Levin (Benny Blanco), Stargate (Tor Hermansen and Mikkel Eriksen)

This generation's "song doctor" (think Diane Warren or Holly Knight) has her first success as a recording artist with this thoughtful slice of pop set in a trippy lite-EDM setting.

Killer lyrics: You do shit on purpose,
                     You get mad and you break things,
                     Feel bad, try to fix things,
                     But you're perfect...

#43 - "Dirt On My Boots" - Jon Pardi
          from the album California Sunrise (2016) 
          Highest rank: #28 (three weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 32
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37
          Songwriters: Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley

Along with the aforementioned Midland the flag-bearer for neo-traditionalism in country music this year, Pardi, who was on the "bubbling under" lists both last year ("Head Over Boots") and this one ("Heartache On The Dancefloor") went a little bro-rock on this one, but the dividends paid off, and he didn't sacrifice the fiddle and banjo for it either.

Killer lyrics: Hard as I worked all day,
                      I'm gonna work harder loving on you,
                      Spin you all over that dance floor,
                      Right out of them high heel shoes...

#42 - "Praying" - Kesha
          from the album Rainbow (2017)
          Highest rank: #7 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 19 (still charting)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #22
          Songwriters: Kesha Sebert (Kesha), Ryan Lewis, Ben Abraham, Andrew Joslyn

2017 started with the comedown of awaiting the inauguration of the "grab 'em by the pussy" president, and months before any #metoo movement, Kesha was the one famous woman who had gone through hell and back in both legal, physical and emotional turmoil at the hands of producer/mogul Dr. Luke, whom she sued for sexual and emotional abuse, and to be released from her restrictive contract that bound her to him. Even though her rape case was thrown out for statute of limitations, I truly believe that this injustice, coupled with Trump's victory and Kesha's eventual triumph on her first post-Luke album, helped in spurning the movement for women to acknowledge and fight back against these men of power like Weinstein that have used women for years without repercussions. Consider this the #metoo anthem then (though I obvs don't have the right to do it, maybe a suggestion?)

Killer lyrics: I'm proud of who I am,
                     No more monsters, I can breathe again,
                     And you said that I was done,
                    Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come,
                    'Cause I can make it on my own,
                    And I don't need you, I found a strength I've never known,
                    I'll bring thunder, I'll bring rain,
                    When I'm finished, they won't even know your name...

#41 - "You Look Good" - Lady Antebellum
          from the album Heartbreak (2017)
          Highest rank: #6 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 20
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #59
          Songwriters: Hillary Lindsey, Ryan Hurd, busbee 

The former kings and queens of crossover country, who had last appeared on my year-end recap in 2015 as a featured artist on EDM DJ Audien's "Something Better" at #57, returned with a new album this year, and I credit the format's misogynist phase for not giving this more of a shot (it stopped on the country chart at #4). The band's last country fare got them two spots on my 2014 list with "Compass" at #77 and "Bartender" at #83.

Killer lyrics: Black dress, 2 the 9s, New Year's in a pent,
                     From the floor, to the roof, make the skyline spin,
                     Yeah, you're killing me boy in your black-faded jeans,
                     Ain't gotta work hard when you're smilin' at me...

We'll be entering the top-40 of my year-end recap tomorrow, with music from a Lady, a coaster ride, the reincarnation of Michael Jackson, and more.