Twostepcub's "Best Hits" of 2019: Part Seven - #40 to #31...
I'm heading into the Top-40 on my recap of the biggest hit songs on my weekly music chart for 2019. You can check out parts one, two, three, four, five, and six, or the whole series by clicking here.
#40 - "Heat" by Kelly Clarkson
from the album Meaning Of Life (2017)
Highest Rank: #3 (one week)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 19 (was on for three weeks in 2018)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #14
Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
Songwriters: The Monarch (Dre & Sean Davidson), Mick Schultz, Harlœ, Michael Pollack
The new talk-show contender was still promoting her two-year-old album The Meaning Of Life this year. First single "Love So Soft" ended up at #64 on the year-end for 2017, while "I Don't Think About You" was the 62nd biggest song on my recap last year. This time out the third try "Heat" out did them both, with its run on Adult Top-40 followed by another separately timed run on the dance chart. The track itself was quite understated and deserved of the praise it got.
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#39 - "You Say" by Lauren Daigle
from the album Look Up Child (2018)
Highest rank: #15 (five weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 19 (was on for five weeks in 2018)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #1
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: 5
Songwriters: Lauren Daigle, Jason Ingram, Paul Mabury
Christian music newcomer Daigle combined the chord structure and sparseness of what would be Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" with the female perspective of an Adele record on this contemplation of her self-worth. With the second verse insisting that only "God" can resurrect their self worth (which I glean from the lyrics) and have a passable hook on the chorus, the tone of the record goes from "inspirired" on the first verse where it self-empowered female responded to the reliance on her "relationshp" the commitments second beats, even though it's "her Lord". Still miles over the rest of the Christian Music community.
#38 - "Make It Sweet" by Old Dominion
from the album Old Dominion (2018)
Highest rank: #13 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 24
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #56
Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1
Songwriters: Old Dominion (Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung, Brad Tursi), Shane McAnally
After landing at #53 for the year-end of 2018, Old Dominion, one of the rare true country bands out there these days, released this in November of that year, but then waited almost a year to put out the self-titled album it would serve as the lead single from. Simple and sweet love song writing hearkening back to the 1990s sound that carried the genre, even though it was nothing groundbreaking.
#37 - "Beautiful People" by Ed Sheeran and Khalid
from the album No. 6 Collaborations Project (2019)
Highest Rank: #9 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 21 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13
UK Singles Chart peak: #1
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #7
Songwriters: Ed Sheeran, Khalid, Fred Gibson, Max Martin, Shellback
Sheeran's No. 6 album always seemed like an odds and sods release, even though five songs from it have made my weekly chart, with this song joining "I Don't Care" down at #88 on the year-end list (last year his "Perfect" was #3 for 2018). Bringing on neo-soul star Khalid (who was at #91 last year with "Location") for this look at their denial of the "famous life" is a little disingenuous on the surface, though with Sheeran quietly marrying his childhood friend is most likely truer than one thinks. The video is hilarious, as well.
#36 - "You're Somebody Else" by flora cash
from the album Nothing Lasts Forever (And It's Fine) (2017)
Highest rank: #10 (four weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 20 (was on for nine weeks in 2018)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #3 (two weeks)
Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #2 (two weeks)
Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #5 (three weeks)
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #22
Songwriters: flora cash (Cole Randall, Shpresa Lleshaj)
flora cash, the indie-pop duo of Swedish singer Lleshaj and American musician Cole Randall rode this quiet downbeat experiment from rock radio to pop radio, following the vein of SHAED's ad-friendly "Trampoline" but with a ton more lyrical weight, dealing with personal self-worth and presentation. Deserved a lot more attention than it got, but it wasn't clamoring for it.
#35 - "Gloria" by the Lumineers
from the album III (2019)
Highest rank: #3 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 20
Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1 (six weeks)
Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1 (five weeks)
Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #1 (five weeks)
Songwriters: The Lumineers (Wesley Schultz, Jeremiah Fraites)
The indie-folk act is down to a duo for their third album III, which is a stunning emotional and musical ride dealing with the addiction of a close friend (and Jeremiah's brother). The music video, part of a series built around the album, transposes the subject to a young mother with the same struggles, and this whole project seems like something everyone missed even though this track topped the rock radio charts for six weeks. The last time they were on my list was in 2016 when "Ophelia" made it all the way to #10 in the year-end recap.
#34 - "Best Shot" by Jimmie Allen
from the album Mercury Lane (2018)
Highest rank: #3 (one week)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 24 (was on for eight weeks in 2018)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37
Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #33
Songwriters: Jimmie Allen, Josh London, J.P. Williams
While women were scarce at the top of the country chart this year, diversity was shown with black voices in the genre like Kane Brown and newcomer Allen, who also co-wrote this tender ballad originally for his grandmother, but expanded the theme to talk about proving himself to anyone in his life. No gimmicks, no appropriation, just simple and real country themes and sound, but universal enough to even crossover to pop radio without losing his country identity.
#33 - "3 Nights" by Dominic Fike
from the EP Don't Forget About Me, Demos (2018)
Highest rank: #4 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 22 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: "bubbled under" at #121
Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #5
Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1 (one week)
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #19
UK Singles Chart peak: #3
Songwriter: Dominic Fike
This new artist from Florida took his indie release "3 Nights" all over the world, unassumedly ruling American rock radio as well as pop stations over in the UK. Carrying a semi-reggae style groove not too much unlike Dave Matthews, but with grittier lyrical content, as long as Fike can stay out of legal trouble he may not end up a one-hit wonder.
#32 - "Be Alright" by Dean Lewis
from the album A Place We Knew (2019)
Highest rank: #17 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 22 (was on for 12 weeks in 2018)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1 (one week)
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #4
Songwriters: Dean Lewis, Jon Hume
Lewis had already had a hit and won awards with this break-up ballad in his home country of Australia, but this year brought him stateside, with three charting singles including this heartbreaker of a song about letting go to a love so they can get on with someone else.
#31 - "Go" by the Black Keys
from the album Let's Rock (2019)
Highest rank: #5 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 21
Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
Billboard Rock Airplay chart: #5
Songwriters: Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney
Lo-Fi duo Black Keys came back in 1999-2000 with "Lo/Hi", which we saw at #48. This one placed in the top-40 for its more radio-friendly cut that's more on hooks than on lyrical content.
Well that does it for this round. I'll be back with a pop star that has lost her way, indie-folk heroes, and Scandinavian reptiles.
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