Twostepcub's Best Hits of 2018: Part Seven - #40 to #31...
#40 - "Beyond" by Leon Bridges
from the album Good Thing (2018)
Highest rank: #7 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 21
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
Songwriters: Leon Bridges, Nate Mercereau, Ricky Reed, Justin Tranter, Austin Jenkins, Joshua Block
Smooth blues-rock artist Leon Bridges, who landed at #59 on my year-end recap for 2016, returns with this gentle love song that was successful on the pop, rock, and soul charts.
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#39 - "Africa" by Weezer
from the single "Africa" (2018)
Highest rank: #1 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 19
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #51
Songwriters: David Paich (Toto), Jeff Porcaro (Toto)
The entry on this list that was started from a Twitter meme, Post-punk rockers Weezers take the advise of one of their fans and covered two songs from soft-rock kings Toto this year. Their version of "Africa" went to #1 on Billboard's Alternative Rock radio chart, and also topped mine. And still its just one of the back-to-back songs that reference 1982, when Toto IV was released. (BTW Weezer's "Feels Like Summer" was an "also ran" last year, landing at #110...)
#38 - "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)" by Jake Owen
from the EP Jake Owen (2018)
Highest rank: #1 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 19
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #43
Songwriters: Tommy Cecil, David Ray, Jody Stevens, Craig Wiseman, John Mellencamp
And also from 1982 was John Mellencamp's "Jack And Diane", which already had been sampled by the likes of Jessica Simpson, but to much better effect with this story song from Jake Owen. Using the sample as an instrument and a rhythm pattern to lay the new song on somehow fit perfectly, and gave it a "mash-up" feel like it could've come from Glee.
#37 - "Done For Me" by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani
from the album Voicenotes (2018)
Highest rank: #1 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 17
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #53
Songwriters: Charlie Puth, Kehlani, Jacob Kasher, John Ryan
The third hit single from Puth's Voicenotes album (lead-off "Attention" was #9 on last year's list) does have a strong sonic connection to Wham!'s "Everything She Wants", but instead of trying to put bells and whistles to "new it up", he retains the classic instrumentation and brings in Kehlani as the romantic counterpart to give her side of the story. And the smooth and sexually ambiguous music video is sexy but classy. Again, this is the stuff Timberlake should be doing.
#36 - "Bad At Love" by Halsey
from the album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017)
Highest rank: #5 (five weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 17
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5
Songwriters: Halsey, Ricky Reed, Justin Tranter, Rogét Chahayed
"P!nk Meth" had her biggest solo hit so far with this brooding number that switches gender preferences mid-song successfully, something quite difficult to do. Her voice is a little tough to take at times, but the track frames it better, much better, than "Now Or Never" did when it was an also-ran last year (#115).
#35 - "New Rules" by Dua Lipa
from the album Dua Lipa (2017)
Highest rank (in 2018): #7 (two weeks) (also was #7 for two weeks in 2017)
Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 18 (was on for 16 more in 2017)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6
Songwriters: Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren, Ian Kirkpatrick
In 2017 this made my year-end list at #62, when it was a huge international hit. But as the year passed, and America finally got on board with this woman-power take on "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover", it remained on my chart for 34 weeks total. A percussive kiss-off to an ex who wants back in, this was embraced by women and gay men everywhere.
#34 - "Up All Night" by Beck
from the album Colors (2017)
Highest rank: #4 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 18 (was on for 11 more weeks in 2017)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
Songwriters: Beck, Greg Kurstin
This "Beck got his groove back" track slipped on to the recap last year at #92 as it was already in the top ten, but continued through this one as well. It finally heralded in the long-awaited Colors album (the lead single "Dreams" was on my year-end back in 2015 at #31), but with "Up All Night" with its heroine music video greatness conquered alternative radio.
#33 - "Say Amen (Saturday Night)" by Panic At The Disco
from the album Pray For The Wicked (2018)
Highest rank: #1 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 20
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #60
Songwriters: Brendon Urie, Jake Sinclair, S*A*M, Lolo
Brandon Urie's now one-man-modern-rock show proved he had the goods this year as he has his first pop top ten hit since "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" way back in 2006 with "High Hopes" (which we saw earlier). This is the single that preceded it, a Fall Out Boy-style sing-a-long accompanied by the most graphically violent music video I have seen in quite a while.
#32 - "Natural" by Imagine Dragons
from the album Origins (2018)
Highest rank: #1 (four weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 18 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13
Songwriters: Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons), Ben McKee (Imagine Dragons), Daniel Platzman (Imagine Dragons), Wayne Sermon (Imagine Dragons), Justin Tranter, Matthias Larsson (Mattman & Robin), Robin Fredriksson (Mattman & Robin)
I never understood the hate towards Imagine Dragons, which transferred over from Maroon 5 sometime in the 2010s. Sure they're like the Walmart of alternative rock at this point since radio narrows down what they'll play to certain niche numbers, but that's not the fault of these guys. This is the first of three entries on my list from them this year - they were my #2 last year with "Believer". Dan Reynolds is a real and modest frontman, and his support of the LGBT community to the point of creating and promoting a documentary about it is miles ahead of what most "divas" set in their minds to do.
#31 - "One Foot" by Walk The Moon
from the album What If Nothing (2017)
Highest rank: #2 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 20
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #65
Songwriters: Nicholas Petricca (Walk The Moon), Kevin Ray (Walk The Moon), Sean Waugaman (Walk The Moon), Eli Maiman (Walk The Moon), Ben Berger (Captain Cuts), Ryan McMahon (Captain Cuts), Ryan Rabin (Captain Cuts)
The boys who gave us the #1 song on my year-end chart for 2015, "Shut Up And Dance", took their time to release their follow-up album, but with "One Foot", it was worth the wait, with this inspirational yet funky rock number that is what I picture Maroon5 would have done if they were left to themselves. Nick Petricca remains an alluring frontman, but the whole band gels into an 80s throwback of realness with this one.
I'll be back
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