No doubt a major piece in the world of music. The definitive measure of what's popular, what's trending, what's "hot", as it were.
They're a vessel for good music and bad music alike, from songs that sadly drop from the public eye too quickly to songs that never go away. And no more do we see of the latter category then in the Top 10, the cream of the crop, the biggest of the big.
And if you're going to get overplayed to hell and back, you'd better have a damn good song to justify it. Sometimes this is the case, others... not so much.
Which is why today I'm marathonning the whole of the current Billboard Top 10 and reviewing and scoring every single song. Because why the fuck not.
I'm only going to be doing this each time the Top 10 becomes completely different from the previous time I did this, as to avoid having to repeat myself.
With that said, we got 10 songs to get through, so let's get it done.
#10: "Shut Up And Dance" by Walk The Moon
I'd say we're off to a pretty good start.
I can't even form a coherent paragraph on why Shut Up And Dance is so great, there's so much to absolutely adore here.
Reminiscent of The Killers' golden-age work? Check. Undeniably happy and cheerful? Check. Catchy and infectious as all fuck? Check. An actual rock song? Check.
The fast-paced guitar work, the colorful 80's-ish vibe, the stomp-clap percussion, the epic synth-guitar solo near the end, every waking moment and aspect of this song is glorious.
This is the feel-good dance hit of the year. Not Uptown Funk, Not Honey I'm Good, this. It's the ultimate party song in every sense of the word, and as a song itself, it's basically perfect.
9/10
#9: "Fight Song" by Rachel Platton
At first, I didn't care about this song.
But after a few listens, I still didn't care about this song.
And now that I've heard it many times and have given it plenty of time to sink in, I can now say that I actually, definitively, do not care about this song.
The reason I find nothing to care about in Fight Song is because Fight Song is a song that gives me nothing to care about. It's just another lame, bland empowerment anthem, but unlike other standard empowerment anthems like Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson or Brave by Sara Bareilles, it implies no struggle (like the former does) and isn't even directed towards the audience thus motivating them (like the latter).
No, Fight Song is a song about Rachel Platton telling you how great she is. The central concept of this song is "I am awesome." That's it. Nothing for the listener to think about, no conflict, not even good instrumentation to back it up and at least allow you to join in the "I am awesome"-ness (see: Uptown Funk), just a long, excruciatingly boring series of "I'm so great because I'm empowered or whatever" cliches. That's probably the best way I can describe this song: cliched.
I don't care for bland female empowerment anthems in general, but at least a lot of them have more substance than this. This is 3 and a half minutes of musical nothing. No thanks.
4/10
#8: "My Way" by Fetty Wap feat. Monty
Fetty Wap is... interesting to say the least.
I mean I'll give him this, he's certainly unique. I don't think I've ever heard a rapper have a voice, flow, or even style quite like his.
His first entrance into the world of pop music was the mega-hit Trap Queen, which we'll get to in a bit. However, his singles seemed to slowly decrease in quality with each passing one that got released.
And yeah, I'm about to break a lot of hearts by saying I don't like this. Like, at all.
I mean, it's not the most awful thing ever or anything it's just... a mess. A complete disaster.
The production is sloppy and confused, the vocal samples are obnoxious, and Fetty Wap's flow here is the worst it's ever been, and guest rapper Monty isn't much better. Lyrically, it's not really even worth mentioning, it's just standard rap flair, nothing special.
All in all, this song just gives me a headache. It's not Rae Shremmurd or Nicki Minaj bad, but it's pretty bad. Cluttered, confused, and something I never want to hear again.
3.5/10
#7: "Trap Queen" by Fetty Wap
Speaking of Fetty Wap, let's walk about the hit that broke him through.
I gotta say, this song is actually pretty good, at least compared to My Way.
The production is much cleaner and even really enjoyable, Fetty's flow is much better, and his unique style really shines through there.
Even the lyrics are pretty good, as they actually come off as a pretty romantic sentiment towards this girl. Speaking of the lyrics, this song is quotable as hell. Definitely working "hey what's up hellooo" and "sounded like a zillion bucks on the track" into as many everyday conversations as possible.
It's not great, not really anything I'd seek out, but it's enjoyable enough and certainly a step up from My Way.
6.5/10
Also, did you know that Fetty Wap's name literally translates to "Money Money"? It's true, look it up.
#6: "Lean On" by Major Lazer and DJ Snake feat. M0
Now, in terms of the EDM subgenres, trap is one of my least favorites (I'm more of a progressive house and trance person myself), which is why I wasn't exactly too thrilled when artists like DJ Snake started taking over the mainstream electronic scene.
But I gotta admit, his current big hit Lean On... it really isn't so bad.
The production is not loud or overbearing and is actually kind of pretty, the vocals are pretty good and fit the production well, and while the crescendo is pretty weak it's followed by a decent enough drop.
Not a lot to say, it's just a decent song. Not great, but I'll sure as fuck take it over DJ Snake's other song from this year Get Low (ugh) any day. Not too shabby.
6/10
#5: "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth
If you had told me a year ago that Wiz Khalifa would make a song that was not only good but absolutely beautiful, I would've laughed right in your face.
And yet, here we are. See You Again, the absolutely fantastic tribute to Paul Walker that turned into a surprise megahit, and thank the music gods for that because See You Again is amazing.
Charlie Puth is the singer on this track, and his emotive performance gives the song a real punch (specifically in the bridge... damn.), and combined with Wiz Khalifa's heartfelt songwriting in his verses make See You Again a truly fantastic song.
Easily Wiz Khalifa's best work to date, and the best rap hit of the year so far.
9/10
#4: "Bad Blood" [Remix] by Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar
OK, you know what's weird? The remix of this song with Kendrick is clearly the one that charted, yet at least where I live, the only one that ever gets any radio play is the original.
And that's pretty unfortunate because while the remix is only a slight improvement, constantly hearing the original got really grating really fast, probably because Bad Blood is one of the worst tracks on 1989. Not quite as bad as Shake It Off, but still.
Luckily, Kendrick helps make the song a bit more tolerable. His verses are pretty technically impressive, and helps make the chorus and bridge a lot more listenable because it breaks up the monotony. It's still far from a good song, and Kendrick can and has done much better, but the remix is somewhat of an improvement, I'll give it that.
The production is a disaster, it's overbearing yet still somehow incredibly weak. Taylor isn't at her most insufferable here per se, but her performance can definitely grate on the ears.
Not Taylor's worst song by a long shot, but an incredibly weak one made only slightly better by Kendrick's presence. Definitely one to skip.
4.5/10
#3: "Watch Me" by Silento
*ahem*
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.........
2/10
#2: "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd
I gotta say, mainstream R&B is in a pretty good place right now, at least compared to the absolutely awful year it had in 2014.
Jason DeRulo is making decent music again, great artists like Miguel are getting a lot of buzz, and to top it off, we have this guy, The Weeknd, probably one of the best mainstream artists currently working.
I wasn't a fan of Earned It at first, but it's really been growing on me recently, and of course I utterly adored The Hills from the beginning and still do (seriously, The Hills is fantastic.), and now we have his new track Can't Feel My Face, a slick, catchy retro tune. And I love it.
The production is tight and funky, and The Weeknd matches it perfectly with his great Michael Jackson-esque performance, making a great throwback tune capturing the best of 70's-80's disco and pop music perfectly.
Speaking of which, I've heard some criticism that this song is a "ripoff" of the likes of MJ, but I personally see it as more of a tribute, a song designed to pay homage to that style of music rather than steal from it.
It's just a damn good, incredibly solid pop song, and while I would've much preferred The Hills, Can't Feel My Face still proves to be a great track.
8/10
#1: "Cheerleader" [Remix] by OMI feat. Felix Jaehn
Every Summer should have at least one good charting Summer song, and this year we got a few. From Maroon 5's utter flailing failure at writing a Summer jam in "This Summer's Gonna Hurt (Like A Motherfucker)" to Demi Lovato's decent-to-enjoyable "Cool For The Summer" to the best of the three, this one right here.
Cheerleader is the perfect Summer pop hit. It has everything, breezy, light production, reggae influences, a beachy vibe, and a great R&B vocalist in OMI, and it proves to be a very enjoyable and highly catchy Summer track.
While it's probably not something I'd listen to year-round, for this time of year, it fits perfectly. It's one for the Summer playlists and definitely a great fit for the #1 spot.
7.5/10
And that's my thoughts in the current Billboard Top 10. Thanks for reading, and I will see you all next time.
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