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sound-bored · 2 months ago

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January Hit Round-Up

Defining a Hit

Here, a Hit is defined as a song which has:

entered the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100,

previously been in the top 20 and stayed on or returned to the Hot 100 in the relevant month, or

met or exceeded twelve weeks charting in the Hot 100 in the relevant month, regardless of if those weeks are consecutive.

For January, there is a bit of a skew, as the first week of the year contained a top 20 mostly filled with Christmas songs. I am not particularly interested in reviewing Christmas songs, so the top twenty non-Christmas songs on the chart were pulled.

Taste is subjective.

I may call your favorite song Skipworthy, or may miss it entirely, but that is not in an attempt to change your mind or denigrate the artist. The opinion will be expressed and explained, but it is only an opinion, and is intended to spark conversation and critical thinking.

Shrugworthy

Die With A Smile - Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

While this song has been at the top of the charts all month, it is frankly mediocre at best. The tambres of the vocalists do not mesh well — Bruno Mars’ performance is the silky, retro-inspired kind the public has grown used to from him, while Lady Gaga’s vocals are brash and wide as she tries to match Mars, leaning on none of her strengths. Their delivery is also wrong for the lyrical content — to Lady Gaga’s credit, she gives a more varied performance, but she is often trying to match Bruno Mars, who is usually singing full out. The orchestration is big, but lacks lushness, intimacy, or novelty. The song does a fair job at communicating the intensity of an apocalypse, but the audience strains to believe these two performers are singing to each other, and therefore fails to communicate its central theme — choosing to spend your last moments with someone you love. The song also overstays its welcome, feeling every one of its four-minute run time. Three Stars

I Had Some Help - Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen - F-1 Trillion

It feels like the pair forgot the famous phrase: “It takes two to tango” and then spent three hours trying to smash words together to get the same meaning. Also, Post Malone simply does not read as a credible country singer, although his vibrado is doing a lot of leg work to try to get him there. Three Stars

Dum, Dumb, and Dumber - Lil Baby, Young Thug, & Future

There are so many lines which anyone not tuned into rap culture would find inscrutable, and the rapid succession of their delivery would require an unfamiliar listener to pause to figure out what they could mean. The composition of the rest of the track amounts to merely wallpaper. Three Stars

Lose Control - Teddy Swims - I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy

This song is an embodiment of the idea of R&B without any of the interesting texture, with lyrics that are often baffling and contradictory, and a little off-meter. Three Stars

Million Dollar Baby - Tommy Richman

A song which feels like an accidental novelty song. The mix is too heavy, but the synth is nice (when you can hear it). The lyrics are practically nonsense. Three Stars

I Love You, I’m Sorry - Gracie Abrams - The Secret of Us

A melodramatic track about a relationship turned sour, though it is cogently written. Unfortunately, Abrams wears her influences on her sleeve a bit too much, obviously imitating Phoebe Bridgers on this track. The lyric layering at the end of the song doesn’t work to add more meaning to the song, and so just turns to noise. Two and a Half Stars

Beautiful Things - Benson Boone - Fireworks & Rollerblades

This song helpfully shows the audience what the Lumineers would be like if they were bad and also churchy, and trying to be punk, but only 20% of the time, and it was shrill and terrible. Ultimately, it’s rather unpleasant to listen to. Two and a Half Stars

Stargazing - Myles Smith

A Mumford & Sons and Coldplay conversion that is less than the sum of its parts. Myles Smith is obviously a very new songwriter, relying heavily on quarter notes and stepwise motion to create a song that immediately fades from memory. Two and a Half Stars

Wind Up Missin’ You - Tucker Wetmore

Something terrible is happening in country music where writers seem to think that choruses have to have a punchlines, even if they don’t know how to write punchlines that make sense. Also, “The kind of boys you're probably done with their dumb shit, yeah” is not a whole thought or sentence or anything. Remarkably, Wetmore’s delivery sounds like if Luke Bryan were a goose with a mouth full of bees. Two and a Half Stars

Skipworthy

Guy for That - Post Malone ft. Luke Combs - F-1 Trillion

An egregious failure to set the story, this song offers far more questions than answers. Are they trying to engage romantically with this woman they’re talking about, or set her up with someone else? Is she an ex? Why do they care so much? Couldn’t they have spoken about their own aptitudes for fixing things, instead of Ol’ Johnny at the liquor store? Just a very strange set of decisions that amount to a baffling product. One and a Half Stars

That’s So True - Gracie Abrams - The Secret of Us (Deluxe)

The point of this song is messy and muddled, bordering on inscrutable, with a few interesting, coherent, and fun lines that show this could have been a real gem with some more effort. Production-wise, it is also strange. The vocal doubling in the first verse is a confusing choice, and undermines the introduction of harmony that starts in the prechorus. As it stands, the lyrics are juvenile, the composition is weak, and the end product is a mess. One and a Half Stars

High Road - Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph

This is a song which has the main function of being “technically music”. Both Koe Wetzel and Jessie Murph have voices which are grating on their own, and get worse together, and the message of the song is just horrible and bitter. One and a Half Stars

Timeless - The Weeknd & Playboi Carti - Hurry Up Tomorrow

! Content Warning: Self-Harm !

This track gives me auditory fatigue by the end of its run time. Hookless, chorusless, meandering, and boring, with a painful mix where the highs are too hot on the snare, and the harmful and purposeless suggestion of self-harm, this song deserves to immediately drop off the charts. One Star

Lies Lies Lies - Morgan Wallen

This song is simply a failure of songwriting. “Hard heartbreaks are hard to break”? Are you twelve years old? There’s also a layer of new potential meaning that is added when you repeat words in a song or in poetry, and Wallen seems to not know that or not care. He should probably work with better a songwriting team. One Star

25 - Rod Wave - Last Lap

A weak piano beat with a chipmunk sample as the foundation for a meandering waste of time, with an “I’m not like other guys and you’re not like other girls” energy. It’s only three minutes long, but it feels twice its length. One Star

It’s ok I’m ok - Tate McRae

The beat is heavy, electric, and plastic. Tate McRae’s soprano on this track sounds like a synth used by the Black Eyed Peas in the mid to late aughts, and her delivery elsewhere is not well suited. Ultimately, there are plenty of better songs that tackle this same concept. One Star

No Pole - Don Toliver - Love Sick (Deluxe)

Don Toliver raps some of the grossest, most demeaning lyrics I’ve ever heard said about a woman over a beat that is the track’s only saving grace, but fails to be equal to the artists that clearly inspired it. One Star

Spinworthy

luther - Kendrick Lamar & SZA - GNX

Kendrick Lamar shows incredible versatility on this track. He and SZA have excellent chemistry and play off each other very well. It’s rare to hear Kendrick sing for a whole song, and his voice is warm and conversational and meshes easily with SZA’s low-key, smokey vocal stylings. The sampling is well used, well placed, and narratively and musically effective, and the beat is supportive but stays out of the way of the performers. The rest of the orchestration is lush and inviting, with a whole that honors the tradition and reaches beyond. Five Stars

BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

Billie’s vocal control has improved dramatically since her debut, and she shows it off here, as she oscillates between her breathy midrange, her sharp belt, and her smooth soprano. Her melodic choices are very true to her, while being catchy and unique, and stacking well with each other. The ad libs in particular stand out, usually a seeming afterthought or space filler for other artists, which Billie Eilish uses to their fullest and most impressive extent without going overboard. While the last line of the chorus rings a bit awkward, the lyrics of this song are generally very poetic, romantic, and mature. The composition is unique among her discography, with surprising instrumentation and an upbeat tempo lead by a tambourine which compliments Eilish’s vocals beautifully. Overall, it is a pleasant and exciting listen that I’m sure we’ll be hearing ’til the day we die. Five Stars

Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet

Sabrina Carpenter taps into an effortless, carefree songwriting style, where she writes lines that are, at face, quite silly, but work in the context of the song — especially since she seems not to take it too seriously — while still giving an electric vocal performance. The idea of attraction being like caffeination is also a unique twist on an old trope. It’s always enjoyable to hear her having fun with her music, and it feels like all the lyrics were chosen because they made someone laugh. Five Stars

Too Sweet - Hozier - Unheard

Hozier’s voice is obviously gorgeous — his vocal control and delivery are nothing to sneeze at, and his falsetto is as bright and full as the rest of his voice. More than that though, the lyrics of this song are consistent to the theme, witty and clever, and stick in your head, supported greatly by Hozier’s dynamic performance. It’s practically a quintessential great song. Five Stars

squabble up - Kendrick Lamar - GNX

Admittedly, this song did not immediately resonate for me the way that some of Kendrick Lamar’s other tracks did, despite recognizing it as good — great even. Luckily, there was plenty of time to sit with it over the course of the month. It is a fun, upbeat, funny song with a complex application of its sample, and takes much of the ideological groundwork of Not Like Us and euphoria and builds a monolith on that foundation. Five Stars

Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan puts her out-of-this-world vocal control and impeccable range on full display in this song, and manages to channel the pain of heartbreak, the joy of queerness, and the pettiness of an “I told you so” all at once into a truly mesmerizing track which sparkles and delights from start to finish. Five Stars

Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar

In euphoria, Kendrick Lamar told Drake he liked Back to Back, and then he Back to Back-ed Drake twice, delivering truly the final blow with a song that is unimpeachable. Every aspect is perfect — the beat, the flow, the lyrics, the memorable jabs at Drake, everything. It is truly no wonder that it earned Song of the Year. Five Stars

Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet

Sabrina Carpenter’s delivery in the verses is generally conversational, in contrast to the smooth, polished delivery on the chorus and bridge, mirroring the message of the song. The instrumentation on this track is a highlight — especially the synth line and the perfect use of the vibraslap. Not to mention that the song modulates like four times — a quite rare occurrence on a pop song. Five Stars

Think I’m In Love With You - Chris Stapleton - Higher

Country music sensibilities fit really nicely with that of retro blues rock, and I’m so glad Stapleton is using those stylings in this track. He displays his dynamic vocal control over a song with a gorgeous, stand-out guitar tone and a tasteful organ. Overall, this song is an instant classic that feels like it’s been here forever. Five Stars

Apple - Charli xcx - brat

Charli xcx uses electro-dance hyper pop for more than just shock or fun on this track. There’s so much complication and emotional nuance that is communicated more through the instrumentation than the lyrics. It could have been twice as long and I would have still been happy to listen. Five Stars

tv off - Kendrick Lamar ft. Lefty Gunplay - GNX

GNX is full to bursting with powerful, melodic, impactful songs about the culture of popular music in general and rap and hip hop specifically. Kendrick Lamar rolls through styles and deliveries in the way only he can, and seems concerned that while he may have won the battle, there is a greater war with the nature of entertainment. Four and a Half Stars

APT. - ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - rosie

A fun blend of 90’s and early aughts pop with k-pop sensibilities topped off with a surprisingly good guest star — although Mars’ verse is more than a little awkward as he doesn’t share ROSÉ’s strengths and versatility. Overall, it’s not breaking any new ground but it is an enjoyable listen. Four and a Half Stars

BMF - SZA - SOS Deluxe: LANA

A generally enjoyable and upbeat tune. The interpolation on “The Girl From Ipanema” is an odd choice, with lyrics that don’t quite fit the meter. The line about panties is also strangely juvenile for SZA, a decision that clearly could have been avoided, considering the very good secondary chorus at the end of the song. Four and a Half Stars

Sticky - Tyler, the Creator ft. GloRilla, Sexyy Red, & Lil Wayne - Chromakopia

With a beat that kicks you into the ground (once it kicks in), horns that seem to sound terrible on purpose, and a stable of collaborators who came to celebrate, this song seems like it was designed to soundtrack the moment of triumph for Chromakopia. While some of the creative decisions don’t quite sit for me, like leaving the beat out for so long, the briefness of the guest verses, and Sexyy Red’s verse in general, the overall result is an incredibly enjoyable song that is sure to stick in your mind. Four and a Half Stars

BAILE INoLVIDABLE - Bad Bunny - DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

Though much is lost in the language barrier, Bad Bunny still manages to communicate a celebration of culture, both the culture of Puerto Rico, and that of hip hop, through the universal language of music. It’s a very jazzy tune, with its call and response and general instrumentation — including a section of truly shitty (in a good way!) trumpets, and one excellent trumpet soloist. Four and a Half Stars

NUEVAYoL - Bad Bunny - DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

The newest album from Bad Bunny opens with a bang: a song which borrows bossa nova instrumentation and dembow traditions, and mixes it with the artist’s own sonic innovations — and plenty of beat changes — to create a song with boundless energy. The beat is infectious, the sample is perfectly used, and the delivery is impactful. The ending is a little weak though, and it feels like it wants to circle back to the chorus, which it definitely could have done, as the song is only around three minutes in length. Four and Half Stars

St. Chroma - Tyler, the Creator ft. Daniel Caesar - Chromakopia

A song written in movements, and acts as a thesis statement for the album. The almost gospel choir style of the chorus contrasts starkly with the stage-whispered delivery of the first verse and the bombastic stomp-beat nature of the second for a wildly varied experience in a very short period. Four and a Half Stars

Like Him - Tyler, the Creator ft. Lola Young - Chromakopia

While as a single, the topic is initially confusing — primarily due to the “big di—” comment in the intro — the overall track is excellent, thoughtful, creative, and heartbreaking, following Tyler, the Creator as he grapples with his absent father as part of his identity. It ends with an intimate, confessional moment from his mother that is truly gut-wrenching and tear-jerking. Four and a Half Stars

Juno - Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet

This song has an energetic beat and showcases Sabrina Carpenter’s fun, dynamic vocal delivery. There’s something that sounds like a mandolin in the mix, which is a nice touch. The bridge is probably the most uncomfortable part, but leads into an incredible guitar solo, with an incredibly cool guitar tone. The song simply has an infectious charm that leaves a smile on your face. Four and a Half Stars

I Never Lie - Zach Top - Cold Beer & Country Music

A genuinely good song, competently composed, with clever lyrics and interesting delivery, even if it is primarily a pastiche of 90s country classics. What I wonder for Zach Top is what he personally adds to the music he makes, and what makes it his, as his personal identity is lost in this track. Four and a Half Stars

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