Twostepcub's "Best Hits" of 2019: Part Nine - #20 to #11..

We're almost to the end of my year-end countdown of the biggest "hit" songs on my weekly music chart. You can catch up with parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight, or the whole series so far by clicking here. And away we go...

#20 - "Senorita" by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
          from the albums Shawn Mendes (Deluxe Edition) and Romance (2019)
          Highest rank: #2 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 22 (still charting)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1
          Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #2
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #20
          UK Singles Chart peak: #1
          Songwriters: Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Watt, Benny Blanco, Ali Tamposi, Charli XCX, Cashmere Cat, Jack Patterson (Clean Bandit)

The "it" couple of 2019 ("allegedly") comes together with a half-dozen other singers/producers to come up with this intimate Latin-style love ballad, and boy do they try to sell it. No matter what their relationship is "Senorita" is a natural progression to Cabello's own "Havana", which was at #29 on last year's countdown (her "Never Be The Same" also made the list at #12).

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#19 - "Shallow" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
          from the album A Star Is Born (Original Soundtrack) (2018)
          Highest rank: #4 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 28 (was on for seven weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #2
          Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #2
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
          UK Singles Chart peak: #1
          Songwriters: Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando

Onwards to a more fictional couple, with A Star Is Born stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper go through a vocal rollercoaster with this guitar ballad that anchored the remake of the Judy Garland/Barbra Streisand movies. Winning the Oscar and a pair of Grammys didn't hurt either. But seriously, this is Gaga at her most raw and emotional, and Cooper more than pulls his weight here.

#18 - "Close To Me" by Ellie Goulding and Diplo featuring Swae Lee
          from the album TBA and the single (2018)
          Highest rank: #4 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 28 (was on for two weeks in 2019)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (one week)
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1
          Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #5
          Songwriters: Edie Goulding, Savan Kotcheka, Thomas Wesley Pentz, Ilya

British pop muse Goulding, who was last on the recap in 2016, when she placed both "Something In The Way You Move" at #39 and #55 with "On My Mind", returns here with a white-girl hip-hop exercise featuring Rae Sremmerd and producer Diplo. Middle of the road dance pop with some interesting turns.

#17 - "Eastside" by Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid
          from the album Friends Keep Secrets (2018)
          Highest rank: #8 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 34 (was on for two weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1
          Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #4
          UK Singles Chart peak: #1
          Songwriters: Benny Blanco, Halsey, Khalid, Ed Sheeran, Nathan Perez

Producer Blanco, Halsey, and Khalid share some history pop-up video style with this understated ballad about love in the past. Halsey's bisexuality and Blanco's geeky insecurity are quite identifiable to all genders and ages.

#16 - "Talk" by Khalid
          from the album Free Spirit (2019)
          Highest rank: #4 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 30 (still charting)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3
          Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Airplay peak: #1
          Billboard Adult R&B peak: #1
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #10
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #8
          Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #3
          UK Singles Chart peak: #9
          Songwriters: Khalid, Disclosure (Guy & Howard Lawrence)

Khalid, whose breakthrough single "Location" was at #93 for last year's recap, makes the big-time with this collaboration with British neo-house duo Disclosure to create an electro-soul classic in a way their work with Sam Smith made more than the sum of its parts. The soul jam of the year.

#15 - "Speechless" by Dan + Shay
          from the album Dan + Shay (2018)
          Highest rank: #19 (two weeks)
          Weeks in the Top-40 (in 2019): 41 (was on for six weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24
          Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #5
          Songwriters: Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney), Jordan Reynolds, Laura Veltz

After the "boyfriend country" duo took over Florida Georgia Line (and formerly Lady Antebellum)'s role as the crossover act of the genre with their "Tequila", which was my #6 song of last year, they up the ante with this ready-set for weddings ballad. Following the same pattern, including a re-entry to the big chart as their airplay on easy listening radio gained, the pair are using their comparisons to Rascal Flatts to a profitable (and musically gratifying) effect.

#14 - "Walk Me Home" by Pink
          from the album Hurts 2B Human (2019)
          Highest rank: #2 (five weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 30
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #49
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1 (one week)
          Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #1 (one week)
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1 (one week)
          UK Singles Chart peak: #8
          Songwriters: Pink, Scott Friedman, Nate Ruess

Pink's Hurts 2B Human album was absolutely robbed of a Grammy nomination this year. While Beyonce's vanity soundtrack for the Lion King and Ariana's uneven thank u next got nods for the best pop album, this one should have gotten this as well as Album of the Year. Blame pop radio for being too fragmented for adult mainstream music to be appreciated. This song, another in her repertoire of anthems of the downtrodden, also should have gotten a nod, but then again it should've made the pop top 40. And her visuals remain stunning as always. This is the top of the three entries of hers this year, matching last year, when she had my #1 song with "Beautiful Trauma".

#13 - "You Need To Calm Down" by Taylor Swift
          from the album Lover (2019)
          Highest Rank: #1 (five weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 23 (still charting)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #3
          UK Singles Chart peak: #5 
          Songwriters: Taylor Swift, Joel Little

Now as for the music video "event" of the year, you can't deny Taylor's second single from her Lover album. This song from the get-go was polarizing, from both the "haters" but also from the purity-test homos and the like, with the "why does she talk about herself then go and talk about the LGBT community" like she can't multi-task. In fact, the song itself is a nice little projection from the little worries of the trolls that knock her on-line to the bigger problems of a community she has gleaned a lot (and profited a lot from) to wrap it up on a little coda about the fan-base fights between (always) female pop acts. They all need to calm down indeed. And the video, a three minute gay pride parade of celebrities and allies was quite a welcome alternate universe from the utter fuckery Trump and his cult , yes you are a fucking cult, have lowered this country into. (BTW last year Swift had "Delicate" at #46 on my year-end recap.)

#12 - "Happier" by Marshmello and Bastille
          from the single (2018)
          Highest rank: #1 (five weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 23 (was on for ten weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (one week)
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #2 (eight weeks in 2019) 
          Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #2 (three weeks in 2019)
          Billboard Alternative peak: #1
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1 (one week)
          Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #1 (five weeks in 2019)
          UK Singles Chart peak: #2
          Songwriters: Marshmello, Bastille (Dan Smith), Steve Mac

Speaking of videos, if it weren't for Taylor, this tearjerking clip for EDM king Marshmello's "Happier" would have gladly taken the crown. After building up his presence last hear, where his "Friends" with Anne-Marie took the #26 spot in 2018, while his "Wolves" with Selena Gomez ended up at #57, and even this song showed up on the also-rans at #109. And again, I cannot watch this without bawling like a baby. Dan Smith gives his all to not sound robotic, and ends up with his own biggest success as well.

#11 - "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish
         from the album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019)
         Highest rank: #2 (four weeks)
         Weeks on the chart: 32
         Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week)
         Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #6
         Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #5
         Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #2 (one week)
         Billboard Alternative peak: #1 (two weeks)
         UK Singles Chart Peak: #2
         Songwriters: Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell

And now we have the left-field breakout this year, from an 18 year old child of ex-pats from the British Isles who makes eerie, disturbing, but yet fun pop music with her older brother Finneas. Eilish is a force of nature in a tiny frame, and the quickness of how many smaller hits finally gave rise to this time signature experiment is a marvel. Say what you will about the Lolita connections in the lyrics about "stealing your dad", but I take it as a boast not unlike the countless shitty rappers on SoundCloud bragging about stealing your girl and putting a twist on it. No matter, whatever happens in Billie's world, it's she who is in control. Hopefully this won't wear her welcome and delegate her to "one-hit-wonder" status, she had so much to give right now. Oh, and we all can agree that the "duet" version with Justin Bieber didn't exist.

And now it's down to ten. The ten biggest of 2019. But first, I'll be bringing a spotlight to the 25 "also-rans" that were just as worthy this year, including an EDM legend gone too soon, the newest thing on the talk-show circuit, the should've been Entertainer of the Year at the CMA's, and more.