Twostepcub's "Best Hits" of 2019: Part Eight - #30 to #21...

Here we go with installment number eight of my countdown of the biggest "hit" songs on my weekly music chart for this year. You can catch up with parts one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven, or for the whole series to date you can click here.

#30 - "Ready To Let Go" by Cage The Elephant
          from the album Social Cues (2019)
          Highest rank: #1 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 19
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
          Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1 (six weeks)
          Billboard Mainstream Rock peak: #12
          Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1 (six weeks)
          Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #1 (one week)
          Songwriters: Cage The Elephant (Matt Schultz, Brad Schultz, Nick Bockrath, Jared Champion, Matthan Minster, Dan Tichenor)

The Kentucky-born indie-rock band returned with their Social Cues album, and besides the title track appearing at #58 on this year's list, the lead single shows up here. A much more spookier tone lends a sense of mystery to the song, which was a hit on every rock radio format this year.

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#29 - "Alligator" by Of Monsters And Men
          from the album Fever Dream (2019)
          Highest rank: #2 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 20
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
          Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1 (two weeks)
          Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #2 (three weeks)
          Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #1 (two weeks)
          Songwriters: Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir (Of Monsters and Men)

My favorite Icelandic rock band returned this year strong with this propulsive single about losing control of oneself. They've been absent since "Crystals" made #48 on my year-end for 2015.

#28 - "Never Really Over" by Katy Perry
          from the album TBA and the single (2019)
          Highest rank: #4 (four weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 20
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15
          Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #10
          Songwriters: Katy Perry, Zedd, Dreamlab (Daniel James, Leah Haywood), Dagny Sandvik, Michelle Buzz, Jason Gill, Gino Barletta, Hayley Warner

After Katy's last studio album Witness got modest returns critically and commercially, with only "Chained To The Rhythm" showing up on my 2017 list at #37, she's been only releasing single one-offs sporadically with no notice of an album coming. This self-reflective one, which relies more on personal trials and her voice rather than gimmicks, was a welcome return that should've been bigger than it was. By the end of the year, her "feud" with Taylor Swift was history, so you just never know.

#27 - "Missed Connection" by the Head and the Heart
          from the album Living Mirage (2019)
          Highest rank: #5 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 22
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC
          Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #3 (six weeks)
          Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1 (two weeks)
          Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #1 (one week)
          Songwriters: The Head and the Heart (Jonathan Russell, Charity Rose Thielen, Matt Gervais, Chris Zasche, Tyler Williams), John Hill, Scott Harris

The indie-rock band from Seattle led their fourth studio album Living Mirage, and in the process landed them their third #1 hit on the Adult Album Alternative rock radio format. Using an unusual chord structure help this quirky song about love.

#26 - "Beer Never Broke My Heart" by Luke Combs
          from the album What You See Is What You Get (2019)
          Highest rank: 6 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 25
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21
          Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1
          Songwriters: Luke Combs, Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton

The first single from Combs' sophomore effort proved that he wasn't just a flash in the pan. This comic take on love and alcohol satisfies the bro-country crowd without having to fall into the pit of that part of the genre's inanity.

#25 - "The Bones" by Maren Morris with Hozier
          from the album GIRL (2019)
          Highest rank: #4 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 24 (still charting)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #48
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #7
          Billboard Country Airplay peak: #9
          Songwriters: Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz

Morris, who was at #66 with her album's title track "GIRL", the sole female solo #1 country hit this year, may soon join it with this song which just now enters the top ten. A separate version with Irish singer/songwriter Hozier, who already has two songs of his own on the recap, gives a heavier pathos to this song. Also check out Morris' work with the female country "supergroup" the Highwomen.

#24 - "Doin' Time" by Lana Del Rey
          from the album Norman Fucking Rockwell (2019)
          Highest rank: #2 (four weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 23 (still charting)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #59
          Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1 
          Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1
          Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #2
          Songwriters: Bradley Nowell (Sublime), Ira & George Gershwin, Marshall Goodman, Maggie Plum, Dorothy & Dubose Heyward

It's still shocking that it took a breathy cover of reggae-rock band Sublime's reinterpretation of the classic "Summertime" as "Doin' Time" for her to return big to the charts, but this year was a year of surprises. Lana sure makes this song hers for these precious few minutes, and sort of brings California its own anthem for the year.

#23 - "Miss Me More" by Kelsea Ballerini
          from the album Unapologetically (2017)
          Highest rank: #6 (one week)
          Weeks on the chart: 32
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #47
          Billboard Country Airplay peak: #2
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #17
          Songwriters: Kelsea Ballerini, David Hodges, Brett McLaughlin

The other young female country star fighting her way onto the charts managed to get to #2 with this kiss-off with attitude, but instead of Maren Morris' chart-topping "Girl", this song went on to have wings on mainstream radio, spending months on the adult pop format chart as well. Last year she was on the "also-ran" list with "Legends" at #116.

#22 - "If I Can't Have You" by Shawn Mendes
          from the album Shawn Mendes (Deluxe Edition) (2019)
          Highest rank: #9 (four weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 26
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1 (one week)
          Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #7
          UK Singles Chart peak: #9
          Songwriters: Shawn Mendes, Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Nate Mercereau

Forget Justin; it's Shawn Mendes that has most successfully evolved from teen idol singer to adult pop star, and the two additions to his 2018 self-titled album that appear here that proved it quite nicely. A propelling chorus anchors this love ballad as the guitars flit around to give the harmonies some basic groove to ride on. Last year Mendes was up at #14 with "In My Blood", and this performance matches it.

#21 - "Guiding Light" by Mumford & Sons
          from the album Delta (2018)
          Highest rank: #1 (four weeks)
          Weeks on the chart (in 2019): 21 (was on for ten weeks in 2018)
          Billboard Hot 100 peak: "bubbled under" the Hot 100 at #106
          Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #17
          Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #2 (two weeks)
          Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1 (one week)
          Billboard Triple-A Rock peak: #1 (one week)
          Songwriters: Mumford & Sons (Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett, Ted Dwane)

The British indie-folk giants haven't appeared on a year-end chart of mine since 2015, when "Believe" placed at #27 and "The Wolf" roared in at #73. Their long-awaited fourth album was led by this sing-along populist anthem that united a disjointed Britain if only just for a fleeting moment.

I'll be back tomorrow with an Oscar-winning Lady, a pop star gives some advice, and a pre-teen daddy chaser rocks the chart.