Twostepcub's "Best Hits" of 2019: Part Six - #50 to #41...

We've passed the halfway mark on this year's recap of the top songs of the year on my weekly music countdown. You can catch up with parts one, two, three, four, and five, or the whole series to date by clicking here. And here we go, on the post-Christmas side...

#50 - "Millionaire" by Chris Stapleton
          from the album From A Room, Volume 2 (2017)
          Highest Rank: #8 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 19 (was on for two weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #47
          Billboard Country Airplay peak: #2 (three weeks)
          Songwriters: Kevin Welch

The roots country artist took "Broken Halos", his #1 country hit from From A Room, Volume 1 to #73 on my year-end chart for 2018. This time around his offering from Volume 2, which stopped at the runner-up spot on the country chart, does a bit better. Chris is truly the light for male country music storytelling , and this is part proof.

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#49 - "Higher Love" by Kygo and Whitney Houston
          from the album TBA (2020)
          Highest rank: #14 (three weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 18 (still charting)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #63
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #12
          UK Singles chart peak: #2
          Songwriters: Steve Winwood, Will Jennings

This year's tropical house breakthrough came when Norwegian DJ Kygo took a bonus track from a Japanese version of a Whitney Houston album that was a remake of a #1 pop hit for Steve Winwood and converted it to a welcome return for the late singer. With a transformation not unlike Winwood's "Valerie" became "Call On Me" years ago, Kygo uses most of Whitney's vocal performance to a song that truly deserved a wider audience.

#48 - "Lo/Hi" by the Black Keys 
          from the album Let's Rock (2019)
          Highest rank: #1 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 15
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: "bubbled under" at #109
          Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1 (eight weeks)
          Billboard Mainstream Rock peak: #1 (two weeks)
          Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1 (one week)
          Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #1 (five weeks)
          Songwriters: Black Keys (Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney)

After a five year break, which say Dan Auerbach make a great second solo album (from it the song "Shine On Me" was an also-ran in 2017 at #107), and both producing records for others, such as Auerbach's work on my favorite album of this year, Yola's Walk Through Fire, the duo reunited with this funky and grimy little number that gets its entertainment job done in less than three minutes.

#47 - "Giant" by Calvin Harris featuring Rag N' Bone Man
          from the single (2019)
          Highest rank: #3 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 20
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
          UK Singles Chart peak: #2 (five weeks)
          Songwriters: Calvin Harris, Rag N' Bone Man, Jamie Hartman, Troy Miller

Scottish DJ/producer genius Calvin Harris landed two singles in last year's countdown: "One Kiss" with Dua Lipa ended up at #19 while "Promises" with Sam Smith at #71. This year he brings on blue-rock singer Rory Graham, aka "Rag N' Bone Man", who had the top song of 2017 with his "Human", for this anthemic dancefloor filler. How this didn't become a hit on American pop radio is beyond me.

#46 - "Love Someone" by Lukas Graham
          from the album 3 (The Purple Album) (2018)
          Highest rank: #6 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 16 (was on for nine weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #70
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #9
          Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #6
          Songwriters: Lukas Forchhammer (Lukas Graham), Don Stefano, Rissi (Future Animals), Morten Pilegaard, Jaramye Daniels, LaBrel, James Alan

The Danish indie-pop band that gave us "7 Years", the #3 song of 2015, returns with this rumination on love and family. Mainstream pop gave it a pass, but "easy listening" radio fell in love, and so did I.

#45 - "Trip" by Ella Mai
          from the album Ella Mai (2018)
          Highest rank: #5 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 18 (was on for seven weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11
          Billboard Adult R&B peak: #1 (nine weeks)
          Billboard R&B/HipHop Airplay peak: #1 (four weeks)
          Songwriters: Ella Mai, DJ Mustard, Varren Wade, Quintin Q Gulledge

This British soul singer who rode the neo-soul wave across the Atlantic with fellow countrywoman H.E.R., follows up her breakthrough single "Boo'd Up", which was the #11 song from 2018, with this equally luxurious slice of soul that dominated urban contemporary radio.

#44 - "Almost (Sweet Music)" by Hozier
         from the album Wasteland, Baby! (2018)
         Highest rank: #11 (one week)
         Weeks on the chart: 19
         Billboard Hot 100 peak:  DNC
         Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #3
         Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #28
         Songwriters: Hozier, Marcus Dravs

The Irish singer-songwriter's second entry in this year's countdown (after "Movement" at #52) was his most jovial single to date, almost approaching Van Morrison in his whimsicalness in describing his love.

#43 - "How Do You Sleep?" by Sam Smith
         from the album TBA (2020)
         Highest rank: #5 (one week)
         Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 18 (still charting)
         Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24
         Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #12
         UK Singles Chart peak: #7
         Songwriters: Sam Smith, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Ilya

Smith, who placed at #71 last year with their collaboration with Calvin Harris, "Promises", is here with the third sublime dance-pop gem that anticipates a third album with more groove and less whinge. Possibly best dance moves in a group in a clip here as well.

#42 - "thank u, next" by Ariana Grande
          from the album thank u, next (2019)
          Highest rank: #5 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 19 (was on for three weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
          Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #3
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #7
          UK Singles Chart peak: #1
          Songwriters: Ariana Grande, Victoria Monet, Taylor Parx, Njomza Vitia, Kimberly Krysiuk, Tommy Brown, Social House (Michael Foster, Charles Anderson)

Ariana goes through her history of boyfriends and does a bit of self-reflection pretty rare in the pop siren crowd. Instead of bitterness, she uses every step of her journey as a stepping stone. The music video comically reproduces the movie Mean Girls, but could have done without fucking remora cretin Kris Jenner.

#41 - "A Million Dreams" by Pink
          from the album The Greatest Showman: Reimagined (2018)
          Highest rank: #2 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 21 (was on for one week in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #90
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #11
          Songwriters: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Pink, who had the top song of 2018 on my recap last year with "Beautiful Trauma", along with the #50 song "Whatever You Want" and the #98 song "What About Us", also has three entries this year, including "Can We Pretend" at #69, and this remake of the song from the musical movie The Greatest Showman that simply is stunning. (The movie's own "This Is Me" from Lea Settle was #90 last year as well.)

I'll be back tomorrow with today's new talk-show star, Christian pop's biggest moment, Ed Sheeran goes A-list, and some diversity in country music.