Twostepcublog

It's finally come down to the last installment of my yearly recap countdown of the 100 biggest "hits" on my personal weekly music chart for 2018. You can catch up by clicking on Part One (which also has the "rules" for what was eligible on my chart), Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, my also-rans list, and the whole series. Thanks to everyone to keeps up with me day by day, I'm going to try to add more features in the new year. But for now, let's get rolling... #10 - "I Like Me Better" by Lauv           from the album I Met You When I Was 18 (2018)           Highest rank" #1 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 27 (still charting)           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #27           Song...

We're climbing higher and higher up my countdown of the biggest hits on my weekly personal music chart for 2018, and as we head into the top 20, you can catch up by clicking on Part One , Part Two , Part Three , Part Four , Part Five , Part Six , Part Seven , Part Eight , my list of also-rans , and the whole serie s ... #20 - " Sober Up " by AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo           from the album The Click (2017)           Highest rank: #18 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart: 33           Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart, "bubbled under the Hot 100" at #107           Songwriters: Adam Met (AJR), Jack Met (AJR), Ryan Met (AJR), Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) The state of pop music in 2018 was so abysmal that any inflection of angst in a male group...

I hope those who celebrated had a great Christmas. I'm ready to pick up where I left off, with the eighth installment of my countdown of the best and biggest hits of 2018 on my weekly personal music chart. You can catch up by clicking on part one , part two , part three , part four , part five , part six , part seven , my also-ran's and the whole series ... #30 - " Thunder " by Imagine Dragons           from the album Evolve (2017)           Highest rank (in 2018): #4 (one week) (peaked at #2 for two weeks in 2017)           Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 21 (was on for 23 weeks in 2017)           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4           Songwriters: Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons),Wayne Sermon (Imagine Dragons), Ben McKee (Imagine Dragons), Daniel Platzman (...

I'm about to enter the top 40 of my annual countdown of the biggest hit on my weekly music charts for 2018. You can catch up by clicking on Part One , Part Two , Part Three , Part Four , Part Five , Part Six , my Part 6 & 1/2 Also rans , and the whole series ... #40 - " Beyond " by Leon Bridges           from the album Good Thing (2018)           Highest rank: #7 (two weeks)          Weeks on the chart: 21           Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart          Songwriters: Leon Bridges, Nate Mercereau, Ricky Reed, Justin Tranter, Austin Jenkins, Joshua Block  Smooth blues-rock artist Leon Bridges, who landed at #59 on my year-end recap for 2016, returns with this gentle love song that was successful on the pop, rock, and soul charts. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey guys and gals and those inbetween, I've been running through my year-end countdown of the biggest hits on my weekly music chart, and before I creep in to the top forty, I'm going to take a break to give props to the "also-rans", the 25 songs that almost did the trick, which no flourishes, just to enjoy. You can catch up with the main list by clicking on part one , part two , part three , part four , part five , and part six , as well as the whole series ... #125 - " When We " by Tank             from the album Savage (2017)             Highest rank: #24 (four weeks)            Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 11            Billboard Hot 100 peak: #78            Songwriters: Tank, Cardiak, J. Valentine Neo-soul sin...

Hey folks, we've now passed the halfway mark on my recap of the biggest hits on my weekly music chart for 2018... You can catch up by clicking on Part One , Part Two , Part Three , Part Four , Part Five , or for the whole series . But let's get back to business... #50 - " Whatever You Want " by Pink           from the album Beautiful Trauma (2017)           Highest rank: #5 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart: 16           Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart           Songwriters: Pink, Max Martin, Shellback The second of Pink's three entries on this year's list, the third single from her Beautiful Trauma album was the most unassuming, but the chorus on this nugget is quite beautifully constructed. A look into her relationship with husband C...

We're closing in on the halfway mark in my year-end recap of the biggest "hit" songs on my weekly personal chart for 2018 (you can check out part one for what defines a "hit"). If you've missed anything, you can click to check out part one , part two , part three , or part four , or the whole series . And onwards we go... #60 - " Like I Loved You " by Brett Young           from the album Brett Young (2017)           Highest rank: #10 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 18           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46           Songwriters: Brett Young, Jesse Lee Young's first hit single, "Sleep Without You", reached #9 on my chart, but right in the time between "chart years", so missed the year-end recap in both 2016 and 2017. This year, Brett already has "Mercy" down at #94, and now the midtempo hea...

It's time for the fourth part of my yearly recap of the biggest hit songs from my weekly personal music chart for 2018. You can catch up with part one , part two , and part three or click for the whole series . And on we go... #70 - " Hangin' On " by Chris Young           from the album Losing Sleep (2017)           Highest rank: #6 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart (in 2018): 14 (still charting)           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #63           Songwriters: Chris Young, Corey Crowder, Josh Hoge This is what happens when you give Chris Young a Jason Aldean song... But for real, Young wrote this himself (with his producer and another hired hand), but sonically this strays as far from his usual romantic crooning as he's gotten lately. Nothing e...

I'm back with the third installment of my year-end countdown of the biggest hits on my weekly music countdown for 2018. You can catch up by clicking on part one or part two , but now let's head on... #80 - " Leave It Smokin' " by Tamia           from the album Passion Like Fire (2018)           Highest rank: #19 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart: 18           Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart           Songwriters: Tamia, Salaam Remi, Alicia Renee Yesterday's countdown post featured Toni Braxton, who had been absent from my year-end since 2014; now we have another neo-soul singer with a longer drought. Tamia, who was last on my chart with "Beautiful Surprise" in 2012 (it didn't make the year-end) and last on the final way back in 2003 with "Officially Missing You", returned with this smooth bit of soul that climbed to #2 on Billboar...

It's time for round two of my year-end countdown of the biggest "hits" of 2018 on my weekly music chart. You can check out the rules and the first 10 from yesterday by clicking here ... #90 - " This Is Me " from Keala Settle and the Greatest Showman Ensemble           from the album The Greatest Showman (Original Soundtrack) (2017)           Highest rank: #18 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart: 18           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #58           Songwriters: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul Yes, The Greatest Showman was the biggest thing at the start of the year, filling a hole in the artistic doldrums that Frozen filled a few years back. And the presumed "showstopper" of the musical-movie was "This Is Me", sung by Broadway vet and "bearded lad...

Last year I said that 2017 was the "hold my beer" year. This time out it's almost like a roller coaster derailing. Yes, 2018 definitely had its ups (the Democratic Party regaining the House Of Representatives) and downs (how in the hell is this orange testicle still in the White House?). And like last year, I had to keep asking myself, where is the music that would lift us up during these times of woe? Well, you generally wouldn't be finding it with what was big on the Billboard charts this year. Sure, there was some good, and dare I say great stuff that came out this year, but by and large that was done by niche artists that cultivated their audience. And that's what making a weekly list of best hits (let alone a yearly one) so difficult. When I started out to make a weekly chart waaaaay back before there was an internet we could access, I knew it was damn near impossible to keep track of all the music available to sift my own favorites out. So whil...