#part of me - cian ducrot

[ask-sebastian]

Can’t remember if I’ve sent this one in before!

Such a wonderful song, and this version is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing.

[avillainstory]

Part of me / Cian ducrot

[mrsriddlenott]

hi i saw your post about blurbs based on songs and i thought about a mattheo riddle x reader blurb inspired by everyone who falls in love by cian ducrot! maybe reader is a non-slytherin in a relationship with another non-slytherin but is secretly in love with mattheo. just an idea but can’t wait to see what you come up with <33

“Everyone Who Falls In Love Has Someone Else They’re Thinking Of”

I’d never heard this song before but I love it. As soon as I heard the lyrics I wanted Mattheo to be an ex, it’s not exactly what you asked for but I hope you like it. <3<3

Ex!Mattheo Riddle x Fem!reader

masterlist

Warnings: Angst, Emotional Cheating

Description: Reader’s trying to start anew with Cedric but Mattheo keeps popping into her head.

It never would have worked out in the long run. You’re a Hufflepuff he’s the son of the Dark Lord. You were just too incompatible. Your entire relationship was behind closed doors. You couldn’t have your house learning you were a traitor. It couldn’t have ever worked.

He’s just wrong for you.

At least thats what you kept repeating over and over in your head, but when he walked out of your life it hurt all the same. In all honesty you weren’t a traitor at all, he was nothing like what people thought and you knew that. But for some reason you just couldn’t voice that to people.

When Cedric came along everything clicked, it was so easy, so safe. He was enough. You couldn’t pass it up. You knew it hurt Mattheo to watch him give you everything he couldn’t, just as it hurt you. Every time his eyes caught yours it felt like a silent agreement that you still loved each other, but it wasn’t right. So you resisted.

But you couldn’t resist thinking of him in every moment you shared with Cedric. You couldn’t resist that part of you telling you Cedric was wrong, not Mattheo. The same part of you that was still in love with him, the part that had you following him down empty corridors even still.

“Haven’t you done enough Mattheo?” You shouted to his back as he stopped in front of you. You had just come from Potions where he made a point of showing off his jealousy every five minutes.

“I love him Mattheo, you cant just pop up everywhere an-“

“Everyone one who falls in love has someone else they’re thinking of,” he whirled around with narrowed eyes, “You can’t try and hide it because I know the feeling. I can see it and feel it every time you look at me,” He was now slowly stepping closer to you, with every step he took forward you took one backward.

“Thats why you lie to him about everything we ever did together, not because you’re ashamed, because you don’t want to admit you’re still in love with me.” You swallowed as you tried to think of something to say, he was right you knew he was, you just couldn’t admit it.

“I haven’t done enough y/n, it’ll never be enough to make up for this. I should have manned up and protected you myself. I didn’t want Him to hurt you, I didn’t want to lose you, I thought pushing you away would be easier to handle. As long as I knew you were alive. But I was a coward y/n, I see that now.” His voice caught in his throat as you stopped moving away from him allowing him to take your cheek into his hand, “I miss you, there I admitted it. Now please….come back to me.”

~~~~

[visacardteamloverrr]

i'll be waiting - c.s.

warnings!!!!!!: my first ever work, pls do not come at me, english is very much not my native language and also this is not proofread. i had this idea for a looooong time and now im sleep deprived so enjoyyy

genre: angst, sort of

inspired by cian's ducrot song - i'll be waiting

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

leave your keys if you're not coming home

if carlos noticed your absence at home, he would already try to confront you about it, no? after all you hadn't been in your flat for something around five weeks.

that's enough time to realize that something or rather someone is missing, right? and yet, still no call.

maybe he didn't see the blank space in your wardrobe, or the lack of your cd's collection. well he would at least see your keys laying on the table.

you were moving in, now you're moving on

carlos should've known better as to let you go. he couldn't even recall when you stopped sleeping in your, no, his bed, and when your beloved cd's collection disappeared.

it came rather natural. without big fights, without screaming and crying.

somewhere in between his races and your work, you began to lose each other. and now there was nothing else left as to move on.

he aspired to do it like you moved out - slowly but steady.

wish you'd call so I could say goodbye

no matter what, you still missed him. yes, you were enjoying yourself since you broke things off and yes he broke your heart, but there was this compulsion and you couldn't quite put a name on it. you felt as vital part of you were missing and you wanted to call, to say that you should try again, that this time it will be better. but you knew better than lowering your standards for a boy. if he couldn't give you what you wanted then you wouldn't settle for less. charles and lando had let you know how miserable carlos is, but you have put yourself first. now it is time for you to be yours number one priority.

however, you wanted closure. you wanted to know that splitting up was the right choice. you wanted to ultimately close this, his chapter of your life.

you just wanted to say goodbye.

and let you know, i'll wait for you every night

there is a saying about appreciating something when it's gone, and that's how he felt. carlos let the love of his life slip through his fingers.

the best thing that's ever happened to him were you. whenever he was winning, whenever he was frustrated about his race, whenever he felt like the whole world was against him you were there for him.

you were the light of his life, his anchor. and he still couldn't appreciate you enough. somewhere on the way he'd taken you for granted.

[drchenquill]

OC Ship song tag~

This is such a fun tag game @thecomfywriter!

Rules: list the ships of your wip (canon or otherwise!) and the song that "describes" your ship, or that would be used for a fan edit of the ship

Okay, okay, let's go!

Him and Me - Bound by Fate

Kilian x Leon - Thank God You Stayed (Choir Version) by Cian Ducrot / Achilles Come Down by Gangs of Youths [It's basically Kilian talking to Leon. It fits so perfectly it hurts. That one part where the voice changes and he starts to belittle Achilles is the perfect interpretation of Leon and his inner voice and the other voice is Kilian trying to convince him that he is worthy. When they go back and forth…"You dense motherfucker, you’re worth more, Achilles" I'm not crying, you are.]

Margaret x Kiki - Bonnie & Clyde by Yuqi / Higher (Female Ver.) || Michael Buble Cover by Reinaeiry

Extra:

Kilian x Kiki [platonic] - Best Bad Friend by Michael Patrick Kelly x Rea Garvey

Adelaide

Duncan x Adelaide - Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene by Hozier

Daisy

Izrail x Daisy - Work Song by Hozier

~~~~

Tagging with no pressure @the-golden-comet , @theink-stainedfolk , @topazadine , @inseasofgreen , @satohqbanana and open tag~

[gadriezmannsgirl]

hii honey how are you? how would you feel about writing something for antoine? like where he wants to ask reader out because he’s in love with her but she comes from a difficult relationship (it could be her ex was violent or he cheated) and so she’s not ready to date again but antoine being the kind man he is he’s ready to wait for reader for all the time she needs? thank you so much :)))

I feel absolutely incredible writing for Antoine. I'm gonna take the cheating option because I don't write about violence, disorders and those kinds of stuffs, 'cus I don't feel comfortable doing those kind of scenarios. And dk if it was just me but the request has gotten me "When You're Ready" by Shawn Mendes and "I'll be Waiting" by Cian Ducrot feels. So OF COURSE I'LL DO IT.

Also, what a game Atlético had against Sevilla 6-1 and of course Anto scored😌🇨🇵 (Also, I know I'm a bit late but Uni wants to kick my ass; I don't let it tho)

I really hope you like this, please let me know what you think!

��°° °°° °°° °°°

When You're Ready, I'll be Waiting - Antoine Griezmann

Summary: He's willing to wait for you for all the time you need for as long as you need to.

°°° °°°

No. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not to you. Not again. You couldn't give him what he wanted. You wouldn't allow yourself to fall again.

But you were kinda halfway through there.

And you wanted to stop it before it becomes too late and end up like the last time.

Alone and heartbroken.

"Please, don't get me wrong" You hurried up to say "I really like you too. And a lot!" You exclaimed before sighing "I just...-" You cut yourself off shaking your head "I'm-"

"It's fine, Y/I, it really is" Antoine said with a light smile on his face while grabbing your hands "I know..." You sighed looking straight into his blue eyes "And now, knowing you feel the same way, I'll wait for you"

"Yeah... I can't let you do that" You said shaking your head in disbelief "You're too good for me and you don't need to be waiting for my ass to get on its feet for a certain amount of time, when you can be happy and free with anyone else"

"But I don't want anyone else, I want you" He said with a smile on his face "And I will wait for you. Always. Whenever you're ready, I'll be here. For now, we can be friends and I'll be okay with it"

This wasn't the first time you felt a tug on your heart while being around Antoine.

You worked as part of the medical team in Atlético de Madrid, that was how you guys met each other. How you guys ended up becoming friends? That you didn't quite know for sure.

It maybe could've started with the usual player's check up, after some visits Antoine started cracking some jokes here and there managing to make you laugh and eventually hyping you up to say some jokes back.

Soon, it turned to asking for your phone number and then the texting came, at first it was a random times at day and only once a every two days but soon it started to become more frequently until you came to the way you were today.

During a night out that the guys had invited you, they had asked you personal questions wanting to get to know you better, after all, you only had six months working for them and they felt you were like a mystery because they didn't knew anything but your full name.

During those questions, your love life appeared, asked by Bea, Koke's wife.

"Any boyfriend? Fiance? Husband?" You shook your head lightly

"All single" You replied with a soft smile on

"Why? You're truly beautiful!" Ángel Correa's wife, Sabrina Di Marzo exclaimed impressed as you only lifted your shoulders shrugging

"Maybe some men don't see me that way" You said softly remembering how your last relationship ended

"Oh, but they are just assholes, I'm pretty sure about it" Antoine had said from besides you as everyone around the table agreeded with him

"You'll see, the right man for you will appear in the least moment you're expecting him" Yannick said with a soft smile

"He will" Antoine nodded at his words

"Yes, sure" You said before taking a sip from your glass of wine.

Maybe it was the little alcohol, maybe it was just you but you swear you could see in Antoine's eyes something and that was the first time your heart felt something you hadn't felt in the past eight months.

You recognized that feeling and you wanted it away.

But the thing was, you couldn't push Antoine away.

You tried to set your mind in work, see the players as patients and nothing else, but Antoine had other plans in mind, asking you to his house for a BBQ with his family, see Disney movies with his kids and what you thought it was friendly, it wasn't.

That's how you came here, in his house doing some red velvet cake as he let his feelings out for you.

And you liked him. A lot. You could see yourself being with him, but you didn't allowed it yourself. You weren't ready for a relationship. You didn't wanted to be broken again. You didn't wanted to cry yourself at night to sleep, you didn't wanted to feel alone after having company. You didn't wanted to mess up your friendship with a wonderful man, like Antoine is. But most important of all, you didn't wanted to feel how your ex made you feel, ever again.

You were scared. And it seemed like Antoine knew it.

"Don't worry, I'll wait and I'll help you heal. So you can be yourself again and never have afraid and I'll be here listening to you for everything you need" He said with a soft smile on, you were left shocked watching him impressed.

He knew how to read you from top to bottom.

"How'd you know that?" You asked watching him shrug a bit

"You're easy for me to read?" He asked with a smile making you crack on by yourself. You opened your mouth to speak but no words came out "You don't need to explain yourself if you don't feel comfortable" He quickly said as you smiled lightly

A comfortable silence stepped in between the two of you as you smiled at each other

"Thank you" You said softly "Want some?" You offered him some dough that was stick to the bowl as he inserted his finger and ate some of it.

You truly were in a bit of trouble if he keep on being like this

Three months have passed since then and things between the two of you were normal, just like before but now Antoine doesn't hide the fact he is attracted to you.

He tells you how beautiful he thinks you look, notices if you changed your nails color, compliments your hair, brings you your morning drink, some snack or just simply shares a small smile and tells you an 'We can talk later, sounds good?' and when you get overwhelmed, he's the first one to calm you down.

You were starting to look forward those later, you wanted to see him arrive at Civitas Metropolitano, laugh and spend time with him. He made you feel incredibly good.

Like no one else has done.

And meanwhile you liked that feeling, you still had your big doubts about it. You knew Antoine wasn't that kind of man, but you couldn't help it.

Today, it was a check up day. You had already checked up half of the team, cracking jokes and listening to any dolence of theirs and giving them recomendations, solutions and filling in their records when it was Antoine's turn.

"Hello" You said smiling bright watching him smile right back at you

"Hola" He said closing the door after him and giving you a one arm hug

"What do you have on your back?" You asked laughing slightly after his attempts to hide something

"Why are you noisy?" He asked back in between laughs

"Oh, I'm sorry!" You laughed pulling your hands up "Sorry" You shook your head

"I'm just kidding" He said pulling out his arm and showing you a little bouquet of sunflowers "Hope you like them" You inmediately smiled and nodded accepting the flowers

"They are beautiful" You said nodding "And my favorites too"

"Straight on point" He said raising his fist up in victory, you laugh lightly "How's your day going?" He asked while pulling his shirt up his head.

You smiled telling him about your day, a few events, nothing too exciting as his day probably was, but you loved the fact Antoine really cared for everything you had to say and acted as if everything was the biggest thing ever.

"I'm truly glad your niece is getting better. Hopefully we can go out with Mía and Amaro some day" He said after finishing pulling his shirt up

You smiled "Antoine" You softly said grabbing his attention

"What's up, chérie?" You stayed in silence for a while, looking at him.

You were processing everything, the rights, the wrongs, the pros and cons.

You wanted to give him a chance, you were happier with him. You weren't going to let some asshole, ruin your whole love life.

"My ex... He cheated on me" You started and paused for a long while, mentally ranking all the words from your head down your mouth, hoping they make some sense

"Y/N, you don't need to-" You cut him off by shaking your head with a smile

"He cheated on me with my best friend, said that the only thing I cared about was my job and basically how he thought I was fucking around with guys from my past work and that, that was the reason he cheated on me" You shook your head "That was bullshit" You said grading his response "I was truly and deeply in love with him and he simply broke four years of relationship in three months. It hurt me a lot because I really thought: 'This will be the man I want to marry and have kids with'" You shrugged your shoulders with a light smile

"I was-am" You corrected yourself "so afraid of falling in love again because I don't wanna end up broken hearted once more" You looked straight into his eyes stopping yourself from a moment "But... When I see you" You smiled "I can see myself doing everything next to you"

Antoine smiled lightly grabbing your hand "I like you so much" You said laughing lightly "And meanwhile I know you're not like my ex or any other kind of guy... I'm still afraid because I don't wanna mess anything up between us" You said smiling a bit "But I wanna be happy, I'll allow that to myself. Because I need it, I want it and I'm worthy of it"

"So... If are still on that waiting... If you still want me to go out with you someday, I just wanted to let you know that I'll love to do so"

Antoine smiled widely, he let go of your hands to wrap his arms around you and left a kiss on your cheek

"I'll always be ready whenever you are. This is our story, needs to be done with both of our ways but together as one. I will always wait for you" You smiled hugging him back "And get ready for the best date of your life" You laughed lightly "And thank you for trusting me with your past"

"Thank you for making me realize I have to give myself some priority and many chances as I'd like"

Antoine, proudly showed you his palm as you giggled unwrapping one of your arms from him to high-five him "That's my girl"

[leezanetheofficial]

story thoughts

okay so i’ve been having some thoughts….. not sure about them so i’ll let the people decide. so i’ve got a bunch of songs in a playlist i made specifically for writing. there are way to many of them and me and my indecisive ass can’t choose. so i’m making a poll! TW!!! suicide mentions, suicide ideation, break downs, panic attacks

okay so those are the songs and i’ll explain a little bit about my plan for the fic.

for part of me i was thinking something along the lines of m!reader hears about his friend’s suicide a week prior to the concert skz has. but of course he never mentions it to anyone but it’s obvious something has happened. he still hasn’t really recovered from it but he did make a song to better express himself. he has a mini panic attack before the show but he still has to preform. this could change depending on feedback!

================================================

okay so this one is a bit happier! so my initial thought was that m!reader would see the hate he was getting and see that most comments say that he doesn’t really care for the guys and that he’s just there for the money. obviously that isn’t true and so as a surprise for the members and also a clap back to the haters he makes this song and sings for them and fans. this could change depending on feedback!

================================================

okay! final song idea.

so for this one it’s basically a small little fic (maybe) where m!reader and member (leave who you want in the comments) end up falling out of love. more so the member more than m!reader. they end up having a bad argument that leads to m!reader leaving and having a panic attack. of course we get some thoughts that aren’t the best. no actual suicide! may have little flashbacks of their time together. is subject to change depending on feedback given.

——————————————————————————————————

link to the playlist!

songs to write about

[wosofanstuff]

get to know you better game! answer the questions and tag people you want to get to know better

Tagged by @grapefruit-personified @simp4panos @onlyhereforthestories

Last song I listened to: currently listening to part of me by cian ducrot

Currently watching: nothing really besides football, but probs gonna start station 19 and greys with the new season coming

Currently obsessed with: anything women’s sport, especially football but also kinda basketball at the moment (it’s the Clark effect)

Tagging: @wordsbyrian @wosowrites @cee-jay-engwnt @nelove22

[avillainstory]

[hoperays-song]

Marcus Playlists PT.1

This playlist isn’t purely about Marcus, it’s actually about his and my version of Johnny’s mum’s relationship. So warning, there is a mix between happy love songs and pretty sad ones. 

Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0puK1brZRLnSkm01vul6Cl?si=ce5e8d53a0e64b43

The Songs I Most Closely Associate With These Two Are: 

Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips

Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi

Kids Again by Artist vs. Poet

Hold Me While You Wait by Lewis Capaldi

Slight Relationship Explanation For Those Confused: 

Jia and Marcus met when he was 23 and she was 21 and started dating soon afterwards. Marcus was permanently disowned from his family and moved in with Jia (who had recently lost her only living relative and was now living alone) within a year as he had nowhere else to go. They were pretty happy together despite everything and got married a few years later. 

However, Jia’s LGMD (limb-girdle muscular dystrophy) kept getting worse, eventually leading to her death when Johnny was just 6 years old and Jia herself was 34. Marcus never fully recovered emotionally or mentally from her death and it worsened his abandonment issues (which went on to cause issues with him and his son down the line).

Basically, they were both there for each other during really rough times in their lives and helped the other person grow stronger. They had a loving  relationship that was cut off far too early with Jia’s untimely death.

Song List:

Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips

Home by Phillip Phillips

Raging Fire by Phillip Phillips

Kaleidoscope by A Great Big World 

Don’t Give Up On Me by Andy Grammer

Pompeii by Bastille

Out of My League by Fitz and The Tantrums

Two Birds by Regina Spektor

See You Later (Ten Years) by Jenna Raine

1990something by Sub-Radio

Brave by Sara Bareilles

Line Without A Hook by Ricky Montgomery

Mr Loverman by Ricky Montgomery

Kids Again by Artist vs. Poet

Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi

Hold Me While You Wait by Lewis Capaldi

Like Real People Do by Hoizer

It’s Alright by Mother Mother

Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons

The Archer by Taylor Swift

Part of Me by Cian Ducrot

[san-wren]

thanks for the tag @yahargulian !!

Shuffle your on-repeat playlist, post the first 10 songs, and then tag 10 people.

i actually never use my on-repeat playlist by spotify, i make my own lmaoo

btw the songs here are mostly from my sleeping playlist, so they're nice background music~

tagging @acidmatze @blooisasleep @ur-lil-flo @emeraldeyes23 and anyone else who wants to do it!

[fucking-rain-lover]

Por completo había olvidado esas fotos que estaban en el libro... Se que tú me lo regalaste y me ha acompañado durante bastante tiempo, pero las vi y simplemente tuve que seguir leyendo... Acordándome todos los días de ti...

Gracias, gracias por todos esos momentos...

Pero es que te extraño tanto todos los días... Todas esas noches en las que hablar, ver algo, escuchar música o jugar algo... lo que sea, era relajarme de todo lo que había pasado.

Puede que esos días no hayan sido tan malos, puede que inclusive haya sido el mejor día de mi vida... Pero la mejor parte de ese día era escucharte, hablarte, verte... Te extraño un montón

Por favor llama... Te necesito...

[alwayscompletelyforever-blog]

Rebroken Playlist

Love You Anyway- Luke Combs

Broken Coastline- Down Like Silver

I’ll Be Waiting- Cian Ducrot

The Weakness- Ruston Kelly

Beautiful Lies- Tanner Usrey

This Time Tomorrow- Candlebox

heartLESS- You Me At Six

3:59 AM- John Moreland

Wannabe- Dalton Domino

You Don’t Care for Me Enough to Cry- John Moreland

Lies I Chose to Believe- John Moreland

Caroline (Acoustic)- Old Sea Brigade

Dawns (ft Maggie)- Zach Bryan

Scared to Love You- Tristan Bushman

Can’t Help Me Now- Rob Thomas

Never Love You Again- Cheat Codes

Running Up That Hill- TITUS

When was it over?- Sasha Alex Aloan

The Wire- Patrick Droney

On Your Way Home- Patrick Droney

Love Again- The Kid LAROI

Fade Away- Morgan Page

In A Heartbeat- Ryan McMullan

Hope It’s Something Good- The Chicks

BEST FOR ME- The Kid LAROI

What If I Never Get Over You- Ryan Hurd

Breakups- Seaforth

The One I Was Then- William Clark Green

Favorite Ex- Maisie Peters

What Brings Life Also Kills- Kolton Moore & The Clever Few

A Little Bit Yours- JP Saxe

Dancing On My Own- Calum Scott

Hurts like hell- Wrabel

Exile (ft Bon Iver)- Taylor Swift

I miss you, I’m sorry- Gracie Abrams

Say Something- Alex & Sierra

Someone You Loved- Lewis Capaldi

Over You (Acoustic)- Marc Scibilia

Can’t Miss You Anymore- Avery Anna

Falling- Harry Styles

Love Like Ghosts- Lord Huron

Wish You’d Miss Me- Chase Wright

Forget I Exist- Sam MacPherson

Missing Piece (Sofi Tukker Remix)- Vance Joy

Don’t Give Up on Me (with R3HAB)- Andy Grammar

Someone Else- Mason Lively

Love Ain’t Done a Damn Thing-  Mason Lively

Do That Again (demo)- Taylor Acorn

Ghost- Josiah and the Bonnevilles

Another Go- Logan Michael

Leaving- Zach Bryan

Leave Me Alone- Logan Michael

Pick Up Your Phone- Tanner Usrey

Alright- The Lowdown Drifters

Blue- Zach Bryan

Memory to Drown- Bryan Martin

I Loved You Then (And I Love You Still)- Woodlock

Losing You- Kolby Cooper

Wondering- Dylan Wheeler

Crying Over You- The Band CAMINO

better off without me- Matt Hansen

Watch Me Bleed- Scary Kids Scaring Kids

Thinking ‘Bout Love (acoustic)- Wild Rivers

I Found- Amber Run

Mending Song- Ruston Kelly

Pictures- Judah & the Lion, Kacey Musgraves

Wildflower- Ruston Kelly

you’d never know- BLU EYES

Half A Man- Dean Lewis

A Letter To Everyone Who’s Hurt Me- Chandler Leighton

enough for you- Olivia Rodrigo

never knew a heart could break itself- Zach Hood

Like That- JP Saxe

Over For You- Morgan Evans

July- Noah Cyrus

i tried- Camylio

Trying My Best- Anson Seabra

Trying Not To Fall- No Justice

Don’t Walk Away- No Justice

HALF HEARTED- We Three

When You Think of Me- JP Saxe

Let It Rain- David Nail, Sarah Buxton

What Are You Listening To?- Chris Stapleton

Crazyland- Eric Church

break my heart- Matt Hansen

Toxic Heart- Logan Michael

Before You Go- Lewis Capaldi

NIGHTMARES- Jordan Nix

Blue- laye

Self Sabotage- Abe Parker

Backseat (All I Got)- Sam MacPherson

Cold Black Mile- Ruston Kelly

Moving Target- Wild Rivers

Golden- Becca mancari

Part Of Me- Cian Ducrot

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 07/01/2023 (Cian Ducrot, Taylor Swift, Hotel Ugly)

Welp, RAYE’s at #1 for the first time ever with “Escapism.” featuring 070 Shake, who also takes her first #1. Welcome to 2023, and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

It’s that time of year again where I list a bunch of songs aimlessly. I cover the UK Top 75. All of the Christmas songs are gone except “Christmas Drillings” at #73 for some reason. That’s your notable dropouts for you.

Because essentially the entire chart – again, except “Christmas Drillings” as well as “Firebabe” by Stormzy at #45 – consists of songs that are either returns or gains thanks to the holiday purge and New Years streams, it seems appropriate to just list them. Let’s start with our re-entries: in terms of hip-hop and R&B, we have “Doja” by Central Cee at #74, “Last Last” by Burna Boy at #53, “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy at #51, “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” by Metro Boomin, Future and Chris Brown at #49, “Die for You” by The Weeknd at a new peak of #48, “Under the Influence” by Chris Brown at #42, “50s” by Headie One at a new peak of #40, “CUFF IT” by Beyoncé at #37, “Mockingbird” by Eminem at #33, “Rocket Science” by Clavish and D-Block Europe at #32, “Shirt” by SZA at #25, “golden hour” by JVKE at #24 and “Hide & Seek” by Stormzy at #17 – and expect it to gain thanks to the remix next week.

In terms of dance and electronic, we have “Delilah (pull me out of this)” by Fred again.. at #72, “Crazy What Love Can Do” by David Guetta, Becky Hill and Ella Henderson at #66, “Moving All Around (Jumpin’)” by Schak and Kim English at #60, “Just Wanna Rock” by Lil Uzi Vert at a new peak of #38, “Afraid to Feel” by LF SYSTEM at #34, “B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)” by Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal at #31, “Lionheart (Fearless)” by Joel Corry and Tom Grennan at #21, “10:35” by Tiesto and Tate McRae at #18 and “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha at #16.

And now our biggest, one-size-fits-all category: pop... as well as some Afrobeats, adult contemporary, disco and whatever counts as rock or “alternative” these days. This includes “About Damn Time” by Lizzo at #75, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston at #70 (which did top the charts in 1987), “Alone” by Burna Boy at #69, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals at #64, “go” by Cat Burns at #62, “Green Green Grass” by George Ezra at #61, “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” by Harry Styles at #59, “Celestial” by Ed Sheeran at #58, “KU LO SA” by Oxlade at #57 thanks in part to it actually getting an official recording, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” by Kate Bush at #55, “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers at #54, “Never Not Gonna Dance Again” by P!nk at a new peak of #46, Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” and “Shivers” at #44 and #43, “Ghost of You” by Mimi Webb at #36, “All for You” by Cian Ducrot at #35, “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic at #30, “Nobody Gets Me” by SZA at #29,  “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez at a new peak of #28 thanks in part to the version with Em Beihold (which is inferior), “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna at #27, “Forget Me” by Lewis Capaldi at #26, “How Do I Say Goodbye” by Dean Lewis at #23, “Kiss Me” by Dermot Kennedy at #20, “As it Was” by Harry Styles at #19 and finally, “PSYCHO” by Anne-Marie and Aitch at #11.

Then we see big gains for “Bloody Mary” by Lady Gaga at #22, “Pointless”  by Lewis Capaldi at #15, “Rich Flex” by Drake and 21 Savage at #14, “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras at #13 and “Creepin’” by Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage. If you want my opinion on any of these songs, I have reviewed 99% of them and Tumblr has a mediocre search function so just make a wild guess.

As for our top 10, we have “Another Love” by Tom Odell re-peaking with a return to #10 and the big gains for “Out of Nowhere” by Bugzy Malone and TeeDee at #9, becoming both acts’ first top 10 hit, “Calm Down” by Rema at #8, “Miss You” by Robin Schulz and Oliver Tree at #7, “LET GO” by Central Cee at #6 (Jesus Christ), “Made You Look” by Meghan Trainor at #5, “Kill Bill” by SZA at #4, “messy in heaven” by venbee and goddard. at #3, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift at #2, and of course, “Escapism.” at one. I’m pretty sure this chart breaks the record for “most unnecessary use of full stops in the top 3”. I’m sure the Guinness World Records would stoop that low. Anyway, now for eleven new arrivals. Pray for me.

NEW ARRIVALS

#71 – “snowfall” – Oneheart and reidenshi

Produced by Oneheart and reidenshi

You can’t blame me for trying to breeze through these, right? I should note that not all of this will last – in fact, the Christmas purge tends to make it easier for songs that were barely on the cusp of debuting and may not have on a stronger week end up in the top 75, so I’d hedge bets that only one or two of these songs get to five weeks. Oneheart and reidenshi are Russian producers, and this is an instrumental of theirs that found some virality on TikTok. It’s just an ambient piece. That’s what it is: there’s not a song structure and it’s just some pretty nice-sounding ambient. I’m not an expert in ambient but the contrast of the echoed, plastic synths on the deeper bass tones feels like a nice balance and despite the cover art, I get peace from this rather than mystery. It doesn’t move much through its runtime, but it’s very much not supposed to: it’s interlude-length, has a unique atmosphere and some nice wintry tones and can essentially act as a bumper for someone’s playlist. I’m surprised it’s charting at all but TikTok can do anything, I suppose, and honestly I prefer this to half the songs I just listed so I’ll take it.

#68 – “Players” – Coi Leray

Produced by Johnny Goldstein

Coi Leray is a Boston rapper who has kind of been polarising with her brand of music and I understand why, since it’s largely substance-less and kind of vapid, but in a way that tends to feel grating, which is especially annoying when she actually puts some effort into the content and it feels much more solid, so you question why she does all the sound effects and goofy pop-rap schtick in the first place. This is her highest-charting single in the UK and my God, the influence of “Big Energy” may just be ruining mainstream female rap... or at least those who secretly weren’t trying in the first place. So in 1982, pioneering rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released one of the first socially conscious rap singles, “The Message”, peaking at #8 in the UK, known for its iconic synth riff that has been sampled many a time before, but never as lazily. There is a robotic funk groove, with a bass tone sounding like it was flattened by a steam iron, and of course, that iconic riff from “The Message”... but that’s pretty much it. When your composition is that minimal, you’d need to be tight and exact with some memorable wordplay and charisma, but for someone devoid of it like Coi Leray, you get a loose array of flexes and seduction with her badly interpolating the melody from the riff – it’s almost like that’s the only part of the original song she heard – on a refrain that just sounds trickling and awkward. This is a desperate trend chase in a way that feels so cheap when I know and have heard Coi do better, even on that last album, which was not good at all. I guess this is the way to get hits now though, so do whatever you want with the best songs of all time, record labels, until people start realising – and I think they have already – that nothing beats the original and they end up streaming that instead. It’s not like you’re losing any money in that situation.

#67 – “Here with Me” – d4vd

Produced by Blueday and Dan Darmawan

We’re making the “Romantic Homicide” guy a hit maker? Oh, and even better – the “Romantic Homicide” guy wants to get sappy and emotional. At least he did write the song, and I suppose that the song’s not dead on arrival with its jangly, soft-rock guitars over the despondent-feeling drums that don’t really feel happy or “together” as much as they just pile up into a slodge. Okay, maybe the instrumental is dead on arrival, but that could be the point, right? No, the content doesn’t really fit this at all – it’s a love song that is honestly chirpy if anything, just wanting to grow old with his partner and being happy as long as they’re just there with him. It’s sweet, sure, but this is a dreadfully lethargic song, to the point where d4vd’s earnest wistfulness ends up sounding desperate and detached from those moments in love, which could be an interesting angle but there’s not enough catharsis in that chorus for it to fully work. The vocals themselves are also unfitting, as d4vd does his best to sound honest and endearing... but his youthful tone of voice just doesn’t sound right for a song about reminiscing and growing old. I don’t think this kid is “bad at music” or anything – he and his producers are clearly very talented – but so far, nothing has clicked with me. Maybe it’s the genre – slow, indie-adjacent ballads don’t click with me and I don’t even like Mac DeMarco, who d4vd clearly does like, so his whole career may end up lost on me. It could be an age thing and the better music comes as he gets more experienced, as the lyrics are not bad here, even if there’s not a clear melody outlined to drive much of it, but would be better serviced to an older, wiser singer in that same mould. As for now, I’m sorry but I can’t dig this... and I don’t know why I feel so bad about it.

#65 – “You’re on Your Own, Kid” – Taylor Swift

Produced by Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift

It’s January 2023 and we’re still getting new debuts from Taylor Swift’s Midnights. We have two new songs here, which to be fair, both would have hit the top 10 on release, and neither of them are even close to my favourites off of that album so I’m going to be frankly as quick as possible since these won’t get past this week. “You’re on Your Own, Kid” is just fine; it feels like a more subtle version of the classic Taylor pop mould from around 1985 era though the vocal inflections feel a bit on-the-nose when placed on the bare, minimal synth backing of that first verse, and if I’m honest, I mostly like Jack Antonoff’s synth production over the album but this one doesn’t click with me. For a song about feeling alone, the more abrasive beeps cut through the cloudy atmosphere in a way that feels too sharp and frenzied. If anything, this content should wind down with time as it isolates the protagonist, but I do understand the use of the same melody repeated with different artefacts of friendly memories until the character realises that they are on their own in the world, whilst everything around them starts to feel more driven and honestly scary. It even explains the abrupt end of the song, but it still doesn’t click with me, partly for the reasons I said before but also partly because it doesn’t really feel finished. A lot of the writing in Midnights felt riffed and this is possibly one of the worst offenders, especially when Swift relies so much on that initial lead melody. I wish I liked this better but alas I care very little about it. I care even less about...

#63 – “Bejeweled” – Taylor Swift

Produced by Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift

I’ll be blunt: I think this song sounds like ass. The lyrical content about feeling retaliation for being frustrated with a lover by going out on the town and knowing she can make her presence known with strangers is well done and has the self-centred framing that it should have, with a balance between the verses giving background to her emotions and the chorus being an attempted release. That is completely fine. The song sounds terrible. It starts with a SNES-esque sound effect before devolving into a bassy plunge wherein Taylor can barely stay on beat, even with how stiff and industrial the percussion feels as the snare just sits there without doing anything. The multi-tracking feels unwarranted and sloppy in the verses and is downright annoying in the chorus wherein the basic functions of the song seem to stagnate for the sake of dodgy Antonoff keys once again being splattered over the mix with no regard for how Taylor can react. So Taylor reacts randomly, as the keys filter out with her harmonies leading her in no real direction before we return to the verses with a bizarre restart of a synth effect. I know that this is far from the popular opinion, but this song sounds like a cacophony to me, and nothing feels like it’s in the right place, and the fact that it’s in a traditional verse-chorus-verse structure just makes it such a more awkward and ugly experience, especially with that jerky synth lead that basically ruins the whole song. Taylor sounds like she has no idea what to do on here and has just transposed perfectly fine lyrics onto a pile of leftover sounds collated from the entire album. This did not need to be on said album and it serves frankly no purpose, there are way better kiss-offs, and sadly, thanks to the three-song rule, I don’t think any of them will ever chart.

#56 – “SPIT IN MY FACE!” – ThxSoMch

Produced by grayskies

Thanks to TikTok, we have some genuine post-punk on the charts from singer-songwriter ThxSoMch... or maybe it’s a band, I don’t know. Either way, that hook is really infectious and their nasal, sometimes Playboi Carti-esque inflections are pretty venomous and fitting for a sexless, toxic relationship with the cold guitar tones and multi-tracked rapping which is purposefully pretty gross. There’s part of my brain that lights up when faced with disgusting and immoral post-punk, especially when the vocalist goes for these villainous rap flows, so that bias is probably showing here as honestly, this isn’t that great a song. It feels a bit too repetitious for my taste, especially since the lyrics themselves aren’t as biting as they should be and this really is just a “type beat” when it comes to punk: none of this sounds like a band recorded it. This kind of song I feel like should revolve around a sonic premise rather of an actual chorus, which may sound strange, but for a song about what is basically debauchery and a toxic, borderline abusive relationship, a chorus feels like it’s too much resolution when instead a routine, constant refrain – kind of like the monotone riff this song has – could work better. If anything, I’d point to “ohh yeaaa juiced up pop punk emo swag” by the Reptillian Club Boyz for doing this sound right with a lot of the same content, if a bit less focused on the relationship and more on flexing, but adds a richer guitar and piano tone with the cold wave sample, and more importantly, doesn’t have a chorus, instead focusing on that “ooh yeah” conceit that sticks through the song and makes it feel unique whilst also emphasising the constant of the partying, sex and drugs without going for an outright hook as “SPIT IN MY FACE!” does: if we’re basically relying on one riff, you might as well meander into different directions while keeping that and the refrain at the forefront. With that said, I’m still interested to see if this sticks around, even if I doubt it, because, well, it’s not exactly radio-friendly... but we’ll see.

#52 – “Ready to Fly” – Sub Focus and Dimension

Produced by Sub Focus and Dimension

Okay, this chart week has gone into weird places as of... just now, that seem to directly appeal to me especially. British producers Sub Focus and Dimension collaborate for a really intricately-detailed hardcore dance track, with Jo Hill’s vocals slipping all over a buzzing synth bed as her breaths are rendered robotic amidst the clipping keys that lead into a vintage-sounding piano hardcore beat that is just automatically going to get a thumb’s up from me. In fact, it’s rare that a song I hear on this series will make me smile as hard as this one. The escalation to the first drop is just perfect: we start with the wiry synths and the meandering vocal, with that spare hat barely keeping time in this ocean of reverb, before the uplifting vocals from Hill come in with just enough filtering to make it feel anthemic but also surprisingly intimate since it feels like you’re swimming in the same ocean due to the fragilities of her manipulated voice. Then we switch to those epic sounding staccato chords with a tiny bit of grit in the breakbeat but more focus on the transcendent vocals, the classic chord structure and a piercing background synth. There are hints to when it’ll get grimier and it’ll become a full dancefloor jam, but it creates an immediate emotional connection and leads you into it in a really subtle way, which is surprising for such an overdramatic song. You even hear those filthier bass hits right before the drop for you to pick at the changes in what you’re hearing and prepare; it’s a perfectly crafted build up and the drop absolutely does not disappoint. You have the pummelling breakbeat under a synth just buzzy enough to feel like a Prodigy track has come tunnelling through your anthemic pop song, and the glitched breaks acting as fills are so genius in the way they’re placed in the blank spaces that the synth naturally creates, especially when it’s used as a lead-in for the even wirier synths in that second, wistful ocean before the second drop, acting as a brief moment of rest before you get ready for the next run, the next flight... right? Nope, instead we have the same build-up but for a bassy, minimal plod alongside Hill pumping you up for what seems inevitable... but that synth lead never finishes, just echoing around the breakbeats and that same meandering bed we started with. I can’t express how much I love that decision: the song knows full well that the energy is better spent on a brief laser-focus before we return to what made you so comfortable in the first place, with your heartbeat still racing from the first drop... but now you’re on your sofa exhausted and kind of delusional. If there’s anything that good drum and bass always does, it’s take you on a journey and this absolutely does – it’s genuinely excellent and like I said, it’s very rare that a song on the charts appeals to me at this personal level and does so in a way that gets me this happy and excited on the first listen and beyond. I doubt it’ll be a hit but absolutely check it out. It deserves the attention.

#50 – “Boy’s a liar” – PinkPantheress

Produced by Mura Masa and PinkPantheress

Keeping with dance, or at least a fusion of it with alt-pop, we have PinkPantheress’ newest lead single from an EP that I now, through the combination of this and a suggestion in an earlier episode, have now covered all but one song from. Hey, the songs have two verses and a post-chorus, and for PinkPantheress, that’s character development. As with many of her songs, it’s about a humble romance, with this boy playing with her feelings and not seeing her for who she is. It’s also pretty confrontational, with the snark in the verses, which are represented pretty well in her sing-songy inflections, as well as the minimal kick that the song starts with. It’s a blunt song but has some deserved disappointment, even if some of that trickles down into self-loathing over a nice, vaguely lo-fi blend of guitars and keys that sounds like a DIY synthpop track programmed onto a Jersey club beat. That bass from the post-chorus onwards plays alongside the tampered, primitive synth in such an acutely despondent way, and there’s an attention to detail – probably thanks to Mura Masa – that is typically lost on some of her more basic tracks. It’s kind of a slow burner, but this is a great song. If I had any complaints, it’s that the verses are a tad too wordy but removing that would definitely take out some of the charm so I can make do with this especially when everything else is pretty great.

#47 – “Shut up My Moms Calling” – Hotel Ugly

Produced by Hotel Ugly

I guess this is the week for bubbling-under viral hits of niche genres from acts outside of the mainstream for the most part, as this is the breakout hit for Houston indie duo Hotel Ugly, with this song from 2020 gaining streaming traction late last year. It’s a shame that I don’t really like this one, though, and I actually kind of hate this in all honesty. The guys have this sneering smugness to how they react to a seemingly amicable breakup where the woman wants nothing to do with him, but his longing seems to reside mostly in a kind of reluctant comfort that does not come off as likeable or even desperate as much as it’s just a power play, with some really manipulative wording on the refrain, and that drop into the dated synths in the chorus feels like a pure slodge. There’s also not much to the song other than a yacht rock groove that seems like it’s supposed to be smooth but combined with the content seems kind of gruelling and once we get to the only verse, the delivery is so lazy and staccato that any sympathy is difficult to sap out of me. I can’t really stand this one, I’m sorry. Also, what does your mother have to do with this?

#41 – “The Color Violet” – Tory Lanez

Produced by Roark Bailey, Nik Dean and Foreign Teck

Ah, I see we actually rewarded Tory Lanez’s guilty verdict in shooting Megan Thee Stallion with giving him a solo streaming hit. I mean, why stop there? Where’s Harold Shipman on the Spotify charts? If this were a couple weeks ago or a couple weeks in the future, maybe I’d be kinder but I’m not dignifying this guy or his frankly terrible song with a full review. Next.

#39 – “I’ll be Waiting” – Cian Ducrot

Produced by Cian Ducrot and Joe Wander

Alas, we end the gauntlet with... Cian Ducrot. Okay, well, I figured his hit-making career would start and end with “All for You” but he’s back in the top 40 again and it’s a completely serviceable adult contemporary tune. Well, tune may be the wrong word because there’s very little tune to this as there is tension, with the basic piano and fluttering percussion adding a sense of reluctance to this breakup that is very much reflected in the content, which frankly reads like a denial of it ever happening, but not in a way that’s longing or manipulative as much as it is just genuinely desperate. The anthemic sense of the staccato climax in the chorus, as well as the slightly unbefitting trap-adjacent percussion that slides in, makes him seem a lot more detached from his partner than Hotel Ugly, so alongside the guitars and his really powerful performance, it sounds like a late night thought that intrudes and denies much of his own fault because of how clouded he is by the magic of what this relationship could have been. I’m surprised as you may be that I actually like this but Ducrot’s performance is fittingly intense and it really sounds like him putting the pieces together of a breakup yet not coming close – and that’s why in the end, he doesn’t get the girl. He still sits there waiting, because with a song as melodramatic as this, the natural result is humiliation. I hope this lasts.

Conclusion

Whilst this may not be the most consistent week, I think I appreciate the pure diversity on display here, and the good songs are really freaking good. Of course, Best of the Week goes to Sub Focus and Dimension for “Ready to Fly”, but I think I’ll allow Cian Ducrot and PinkPantheress share the Honourable Mention for “I’ll be Waiting” and “Boy’s a liar” respectively. Worst of the Week goes to Tory Lanez. No, you didn’t get an actual review, but listen to that song and be honest with yourself – do you want one? Plus, I can’t say with sound mind that Hotel Ugly, even for the dislikeable “Shut up My Moms Calling”, has less effort put into it than Tory Goddamn Lanez, yet they do tie the Dishonourable Mention with Ms. Taylor Swift for “Bejeweled”. I was going to let it off the hook but then I listened to it again. I don’t really know what to expect beyond this – hopefully those new Skrillex tracks show up – but for now, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!