Twostepcub's "Best Hits" of 2019: Part Ten - #10 to #1 and the whole shebang...
#10 - "Truth Hurts" by Lizzo
from the album Cuz I Love You (Deluxe Edition) (2019)
Highest rank: #1 (seven weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 23 (still charting for 1 week more i 2020)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #9
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #1
Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #19
Billboard Hot R&B/HipHop Airplay: #8
Songwriters: Lizzo, Ricky Reed, Jesse St. John, Steven Cheung, Mina Lioness
Personally, I would've put money that "Juice" would've given this year's soul/hip-hop breakout artist her big hit, but I'm just as happy for "100% that bitch" (no matter where the origins of the phrase). Packed full of quotable lines as Lizzo both lifts herself up and wallows in her misfortunes depending on where you are in the song. May this be the first of many (as of this writing her "Good As Hell" is #1 on my chart).
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#9 - "Beautiful Crazy" by Luke Combs
from the album This One's For You, Too (2019)
Highest rank: #1 (four weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 31
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21
Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1 (seven weeks)
Songwriters: Luke Combs, Wyatt Durrette, Robert Williford
After three #1 country hits, Luke Combs re-released his debut album This One's For You with five more songs, two of them also topping the list including this, a heartfelt waltz that ended up his biggest hit to date.
#8 - "Dancing With A Stranger" by Sam Smith and Normani
from the album TBA (2020)
Highest rank: #1 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 32
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1 (one week)
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #6
UK Singles Chart peak: #3
Songwriters: Sam Smith, Normani, Jimmy Napes, Stargate (Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen)
Between last year's "Promises" with Calvin Harris (#71 for 2018) and his two entries this year ("How Do You Sleep?" is at #43), Smith has swerved nicely from the Adele-esque break-up pop of last year's "Too Good For Goodbyes" (the first #1 of 2018, ending up at #58 for the year-end) to being a club seducer with Normani a worthy counterpart to their vocal interplay about searching for solace from a love without mourning it. More of this, please.
#7 - "High Hopes" by Panic! At The Disco
from the album Pray For The Wicked (2018)
Highest rank (in 2019): #2 (six weeks) (was at #1 for four weeks in 2018)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 30 (was on for 12 weeks in 2018)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1 (eleven weeks in 2019)
Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1 (ten weeks in 2019)
Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1 (nine weeks in 2019)
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #1 (three weeks in 2019)
Songwriters: Brendon Urie (Panic At The Disco), Jake Sinclair, Jonas Jeberg. Jenny Owen Youngs, Lolo, S*A*M, Cook Classics, Tayla Parx, Ilsey Juber
The last of the three songs that made last year's countdown as well (#65 for 2018), this horn anthem from the alt-rock one-man show Urie has turned Panic At The Disco into, used the momentum of Pray For The Wicked's lead single, the eerie "Say Amen (Saturday Night)" (#33 for 2018) and literally conquered just about all the formats (I wouldn't have been surprised if this showed up on a country station). with its longevity on radio cementing its position on here, but it really is what got me all on board with them, with their next crowning my enthusiasm for them. Speaking of...
#6 - "Hey Look Ma, I Made It" by Panic! At The Disco
from the album Pray For The Wicked (2018)
Highest rank: #1 (four weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 31
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #16
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #3
Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #5
Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #6
Songwriters: Brendon Urie (Panic! At The Disco), Jake Sinclair, Dillon Francis, Michael Angelakos, S*A*M, White Sea
There been a ton of horrible criticism thrown at least four of my top ten songs this year, from respectable younger reviewers that I follow religiously, but I just don't understand the hate thrown on this song, which from the release of the album was my personal favorite. Between the witty lyrics about how the music industry throws its talent around and away, and the synth-string aided chorus that take a common phrase and keeps turning it on its head, I stand by my love for this song, Urie's personal best. Fight me.
#5 - "Trampoline" by SHAED
from the EP Melt (2018)
Highest rank: #8 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 41 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #5
Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1 (three weeks)
Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1 (two weeks)
Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
Songwriters: SHAED (Chelsea Lee, Max Ernst, Spencer Ernst)
Coming from the perspective of someone who watched less TV and in such wasn't exposed to the flood of Mac Powerbook ads featuring this song, but I really fell for the dream-pop nugget this "family" act (twin brothers and one's wife) delivered this year. It's been one of those slow-burner hits that has traveled through formats (from rock to adult pop to mainstream pop to adult pop again to currently topping the dance charts) being one of three songs to spend the most weeks in 2019 on my list (at 41). And even now, the song returns to the top-40 thanks to the popularity of the dance remix topping the club chart right this second. Who knows if the quirky act will follow the likes of Marian Hill (another couple act that used indie-pop quirkiness to advertise computer equipment) but their EP sounds promising.
#4 - "Sweet But Psycho" by Ava Max
from the album TBA (2020)
Highest rank: #1 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 36
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10
UK Singles Chart peak: #1
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #2
Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #4
Songwriters: Ava Max, Cirkut, TIX, Madison Love, Cook Classics
Yes, this Milwaukee native came to us via a reverse crossover from the British Charts where it reigned first to bring Lady Gaga pop circa somewhere between the "Paparazzi" and "Bad Romance" days. But you know what? At least someone is doing it. Gaga has moved on to acting "country", so Max picks up the slack and a handful of writers to have a pretty damn good pop slice of perfection.
#3 - "Without Me" by Halsey
from the album Manic (2020)
Highest rank: #1 (five weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 29 (was on for four weeks in 2018)
Billboard's Hot 100 peak: #1 (five weeks)
Billboard's Adult Top-40 peak: #1 (one week)
Billboard's Dance Airplay chart: #1
Songwriters: Halsey, Brittany Amaradio, Amy Allen, Nick Kobe, Timothy Mosley, Scott Storch
#2 - "Sucker" by the Jonas Brothers
from the album Happiness Begins (2019)
Highest rank: #1 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 39
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week)
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1 (nine weeks)
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #1 (eleven weeks +)
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #1 (five weeks)
Songwriters: Jonas Brothers (Nick Jonas, Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas), Ryan Tedder, Frank Dukes, Homer Steinweiss, Mustafa Ahmed
The pre-fab brother trio had their pre-fab comeback this year after ten years with a more than competent slice of electro-pop that sets them firmly in the present this year. Delivered all it promised, and dominated pop radio this year.
AAAAAAAND the #1 goes to....
#1 - "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi
from the album Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (2019)
Highest rank: #1 (eight weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 41 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (three weeks)
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1 (five weeks)
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #1
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #2
UK Singles Chart: #1
Man, did critics hate this song. This tops of bunch of "worst of 2019" lists. So why did this pudgy Scotsman top my chart? Because it damn well connected with me, as it did with millions of people from the time it appeared on the British chart. Yes, it's overblown, but someone going through the pain Capaldi has will sing these lyrics in this way. And so what if he turned a personal pain into something everyone can relate to - this is pop music and the reason for it - he's being freaking honest about it. The fact that this totally unassuming lad (with none of the flair of even Sheeran) took this song by word of mouth all over the world proves my instincts weren't wrong. Now go stick it in your pipe and smoke it.
So here's the whole top 100:
1. Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi
2. Sucker - Jonas Brothers
3. Without Me - Halsey
4. Sweet But Psycho - Ava Max
5. Trampoline - SHAED
6. Hey Look Ma, I Made It - Panic! At The Disco
7. High Hopes - Panic! At The Disco
8. Dancing With A Stranger - Sam Smith & Normani
9. Beautiful Crazy - Luke Combs
10. Truth Hurt - Lizzo
11. Bad Guy - Billie Eilish
12. Happier - Marshmello & Bastille
13. You Need To Calm Down - Taylor Swift
14. Walk Me Home - Pink
15. Speechless - Dan + Shay
16. Talk - Khalid
17. Eastside - Benny Blanco f/Halsey & Khalid
18. Close To Me - Ellie Goulding & Diplo f/Swae Lee
19. Shallow - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
20. Senorita - Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
21. Guiding Light - Mumford & Sons
22. If I Can't Have You - Shawn Mendes
23. Miss Me More - Kelsea Ballerini
24. Doin' Time - Lana Del Rey
25. The Bones - Maren Morris f/Hozier
26. Beer Never Broke My Heart - Luke COmbs
27. Missed Connection - The Head and the Heart
28. Never Really Over - Katy Perry
29. Alligator - Of Monsters and Men
30. Ready To Let Go - Cage The Elephant
31. Go - The Black Keys
32. Be Alright - Dean Lewis
33. 3 Nights - Dominic Fike
34. Best Shot - Jimmie Allen
35. Gloria - The Lumineers
36. You're Somebody Else - flora cash
37. Beautiful People - Ed Sheeran f/Khalid
38. Make It Sweet - Old Dominion
39. You Say - Lauren Daigle
40. Heat - Kelly Clarkson
41. A Million Dreams - Pink
42. thank u, next - Ariana Grande
43. How Do You Sleep? - Sam Smith
44. Almost (Sweet Music) - Hozier
45. Trip - Ella Mai
46. Love Someone - Lukas Graham
47. Giant - Calvin Harris f/Rag N' Bone Man
48. Lo/Hi - The Black Keys
49. Higher Love - Kygo & Whitney Houston
50. Millionaire - Chris Stapleton
51. One Less Day (Dying Young) - Rob Thomas
52. Movement - Hozier
53. Only Human - Jonas Brothers
54. All To Myself - Dan + Shay
55. Cringe - Matt Maeson
56. Nothing Breaks Like A Heart - Mark Ronson f/Miley Cyrus
57. Love Ain't - Eli Young Band
58. Social Cues - Cage The Elephant
59. She Got The Best Of Me - Luke Combs
60. ME! - Taylor Swift f/Brendon Urie
61. 7 Rings - Ariana Grande
62. Light On - Maggie Rogers
63. Whiskey Glasses - Morgan Wallen
64. This Is It - Scotty McCreery
65. Don't Give Up On Me - Andy Grammer
66. GIRL - Maren Morris
67. Bad Liar - Imagine Dragons
68. Power Over Me - Dermot Kennedy
69. Can We Pretend - Pink f/Cash Cash
70. Chances - Backstreet Boys
71. Take It From Me - Jordan Davis
72. Just You & I - Tom Walker
73. Some Of It - Eric Church
74. Eyes On You - Chase Rice
75. Girl Like You - Jason Aldean
76. Burn Out - Midland
77. Good As You - Kane Brown
78. Northern Lights - Death Cab For Cutie
79. I Don't Know About You - Chris Lane
80. Rescue Me - OneRepublic
81. Sixteen - Thomas Rhett
82. Natural - Imagine Dragons
83. Please Me - Cardi B & Bruno Mars
84. Here Tonight - Brett Young
85. Burning Man - Dierks Bentley f/Brothers Osborne
86. This Life - Vampire Weekend
87. Stay High - Brittany Howard
88. I Don't Care - Ed Sheeran f/Justin Bieber
89. Rumor - Lee Brice
90. Look What God Gave Her - Thomas Rhett
91. Breathin' - Ariana Grande
92. God's Country - Blake Shelton
93. What Happens In A Small Town - Brantley Gilbert & Lindsay Ell
94. Hold Me While You Wait - Lewis Capaldi
95. There Was This Girl - Riley Green
96. All Day and Night - Jax Jones & Martin Solveig f/Madison Beer
97. Hey Mama - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
98. Love You Too Late - Cole Swindell
99. Youngblood - 5 Seconds Of Summer
100. Harmony Hall - Vampire Weekend
By the way, the most ubiquitous single of 2019, "Old Town Road" from Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, ended at #160 for me. I didn't catch on as quick as the meme did, and while I am more in Nas' camp than not, I still have reservations on the record.
Well there you have it, my recap is complete. I'll return on Friday with a new weekly chart full of surprises. Thanks for tuning in.
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