Twostepcub's "Best Hits" of 2019: Part Five - #60 to #51

We're coming up to the halfway point on my year-end countdown of the biggest songs of my weekly music chart this past year. You can catch up with parts one, two, three, and four, as well as the whole series by clicking here. And away we go...

#60 - "ME!" by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie
          from the album Lover (2019)
          Highest Rank: #9 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 20
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #6
          UK Singles chart peak: #3
          Songwriters: Taylor Swift, Brendon Urie, Joel Little

Taylor has certainly had an odd year in 2019. First off, her presence in media culture was undeniable, but not as monolithic as it was on the release of Reputation in 2017. Her two big singles which show on my list this year, "ME!" and "You Need To Calm Down", both missed going to #1, stopping at the runner-up spot and both kept from #1 by "Old Town Road" from Lil Nas X. Swift certain tried to make "ME!" an "event record", from the narcissistic capitalization and punctuation of the title to the marching beat of the record itself, it's success seemed like a failure at the time. Brendon ends up lengthening his relevance until the next single took hold, and Swift got a narrative for her that either explained or distracted from her.

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#59 - "She Got The Best Of Me" by Luke Combs
          from the album This One's For You Too (2019)
          Highest rank (in 2019): #5 (one week, was there for three more weeks in 2018)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 18 (took 13 more weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #31 took
          Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1
          Songwriters: Luke Combs, Rob Snyder, Channing Wilson

Luke's fourth single from his expanded debut album became his fourth #1 hit on the Country Airplay chart, and it was well-deserved, with a crashing drama that rivals the best of the 1990s in the genre. The second of the three songs on this year's countdown that was on the recap for 2018, where it was #91, the song would've been in the top-20 had its point total been split. But if there was one mainstream country album you would give to an aspiring country fan, it would've been This One's For You Too.  Last year, besides this one, he had "One Number Away" at #16.

#58 - "Social Cues" by Cage The Elephant
          from the album Social Cues (2019)
          Highest rank: #3 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 16
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
          Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1
          Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1
          Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #1
          Songwriters: Cage The Elephant (Matt Shultz, Brad Shultz, Dan Tichenor, Jared Champion, Matt Minster, Nick Bockrath), John Hill

After a break of four years from their last studio album, alternative rocker Cage The Elephant returned strong with two entries on my year-end list, both which topped the rock radio chart this past year. This one has 80's-esque touches to its spacey arrangement. The band was last on the year-end with "Trouble" at #47 for 2017...

#57 - "Love Ain't" by the Eli Young Band
          from the album This Is The Eli Young Band: Greatest Hits (2019)
          Highest rank: #20 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 23
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #50
          Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1
          Songwriters: Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley, Shane McAnally

I'm not sure what their record company was thinking at the beginning of this year, releasing a greatest hits retrospective after the lead single from their last album ("Saltwater Gospel") not even making the top-40, but things must've change when this driving number became their biggest hit and first #1 since 2013's "Drunk Last Night". I'm sure the sentimental Wounded Warrior-assisted music video helped.

#56 - "Nothing Breaks Like A Heart" by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
          from the album Late Night Feelings (2019)
          Highest rank: #7 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: #19
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #43
          UK Official Top Singles chart peak: #2
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #19
          Songwriters: Miley Cyrus, Ilsey Juber

In 2015 Ronson's last album Uptown Special had the massive single with Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk", but then couldn't follow it up with anything. With this year's Late Night Feelings, the tone and reaction was much more muted, but more varied, with three songs so far reaching my list (and three making the British top-40), including this first release, his song with Miley Cyrus that was the best from either of them in years. Open range pop that has the emotion of a country song and an energy of a rave.

#55 - "Cringe" by Matt Maeson
          from the album Bank On The Funeral (2019)
          Highest rank: #8 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 24 (was on for one week in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
          Billboard Alternative Rock chart peak: #1

This newcomer from Virginia had a one-off charmer that blessed the rock charts that works its "quiet-loud" dichotomy like an Imagine Dragons record. His Christian metal roots come through with this eerie music video.

#54 - "All To Myself" by Dan + Shay
          from the album Dan + Shay (2018)
          Highest rank: #12 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 19
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28
          Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1
          Songwriters: Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney), Jordan Reynolds, Nicolle Galyon

Having established themselves as the "kings of boyfriend country", this midtempo love song was the third successful single from their self-titled third album. The first, "Tequila", was my #6 song of 2018 as it coursed through country to pop to easy listening radio.

#53 - "Only Human" by the Jonas Brothers
          from the album Happiness Begins (2019)
          Highest rank: #3 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 18 (still charting)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #3
          Songwriters: Jonas Brothers (Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas), Shellback

This pseudo-ska third single has received a lot of hate since its release, and while it's not as strong as their "comeback" "Sucker" was, it was a bit above the second release "Cool", and had the benefit of showing up in a particularly weak time on the charts quality-wise.

#52 - "Movement" by Hozier
          from the album Wasteland, Baby! (2019)
          Highest rank: #9 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 19
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
          Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #3
          Songwriters: Hozier, Marcus Dravs

The Irish singer/songwriter's lead single from his sophomore album, "Nina Cried Power", made my also-ran list last year at #121, while its two follow-ups were able to make the list this year. This one amazes with his use of volume in production and vocal performance is simply stunning. A dance staple in a totally different milieu.

#51 - "One Less Day (Dying Young)" by Rob Thomas
          from the album Chip Tooth Smile (2019)              
          Highest rank: #13 (four weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 20
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #12
          Billboard Dance Club Songs peak: #3
          Songwriter: Rob Thomas

This year saw Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas, once one of the biggest names in pop music, come back pretty muted but still in the game with this driving single that may have missed the main pop chart but doing decently at older radio...

OK folks, we've come to the halfway point on my recap. I'll return with a reworked b-side by a fallen queen, gender-non-binary singer has a question, and a pop star addresses her exes.