Faded is really nice but much prefer all his other stuff myself!

 

Write On Me was pretty good, shame that was never pushed properly as I felt it stood a good chance with its tropical house-like elements.

Haley :D Actually just now giving 'Better' a first listen oops, but it's sounding good! She's from the same American Idol season as my BJSC artist Lauren Alaina *.*

 

Yay for Elle King too, my home state getting representation. Maybe it'll get even more if The Tide is in the countdown....I doubt they'd be in the top 220 though :nocheer: (:kink:)

 

I also like 'Write On Me', thought it would make a great single but I'm not really expecting it now at this point :(

Oooh I didn't realise that actually!! :o Learning new things *.* Better is definitely solid, not quite among the highs of some of her first album though!

 

The Tide :thinking: they might sneak a song or two in! :magic:

 

I'd be very shocked if 5H did a fourth single sadly, can see them cracking on with the third album before long!

 

Thanks Jordan :D

 

Faded :music: a great track to introduce us to Alan Walker!

 

Love Don't Worry as well, didn't hear it until ages after the show though. Really like the piano parts in that :wub:

I agree! Shame he's never reached the same heights for me :(

 

I love how quirky Don't Worry is, I feel like the chart is missing some pure pop like that these days!

 

Thanks Pete :D

 

Faded is really nice but much prefer all his other stuff myself!

 

Write On Me was pretty good, shame that was never pushed properly as I felt it stood a good chance with its tropical house-like elements.

Oh really? :o that's interesting, possibly the only person I've seen who thinks that!

 

Write On Me would show a different side to them to the public which could work well after the run of Work from Home, Flex and That's My Girl but I think they'll probably wrap up this era now :(

 

Thanks Dobbo!!

Artists

 

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Ryan%20Lawrie.png

 

10 Ryan Lawrie

 

Time for the first of my top 10 artists! I'll be revealing them one at a time every 30 songs (at first), and it will include the top 10 artists who have impacted my year in one way or another. Normally I'd like each artist to have released an EP or album within the past year, or at least numerous singles that charted high for me, but I've allowed an exception with #10 here. Ryan Lawrie is known to most as a finalist on The X Factor, and as an artist, he's not released much so far, in fact he's only put two songs out. The first was called You're Free and apparently went top 40 on iTunes in 2013 but must've been removed from iTunes a long time ago, it wasn't there earlier this year when I bought single #2 - If Only, which came out in February!

 

I stumbled across Ryan and If Only through a link Capital FM posted about a Vodafone Future Breakers poll in around May time. Two artists were involved, and the winner would get to open the Summertime Ball! I checked out If Only out of curiosity and thought it sounded OK so I chucked Ryan a vote. I downloaded it a week or so later, and slept on it for a while. One week it just hit me, entering my chart at long last at #6. More on its chart run when it appears in my song countdown but basically it didn't last long initially.

 

Fast-forward to the end of August and I'm watching the first episode of The X Factor series 13, and a guy introduces himself as Ryan Lawrie. I did a double take, totally confused as to whether I heard it right :lol: Ryan sang Oh Cecilia and progressed with three yeses through to boot camp. I checked his Twitter afterwards and guess what, it was indeed him! This re-ignited my love for If Only bigger and better than before, sending it to #1 in my chart. Ryan progressed through to the live shows despite being sent home TWICE beforehand :lol: Needless to say Ryan was my favourite throughout the contest, I've never known of a contestant in this way before the live shows and it was great to be able to support someone who I already knew had amazing potential to make great music.

 

The icing on the cake in this story was getting to meet Ryan and see him live in November. During the week before the sixth live show, Ryan announced a last minute gig at a pub in London. I was the first person to start queuing up, and about 10 minutes later, Ryan (and girlfriend Emily Middlemas) arrived, so I was able to talk to them both briefly before they went inside, and got these two photos (click links). Much later that evening, Nicole Scherzinger (Ryan's mentor) arrived and I met her on the way in, with her serving me at the bar! :lol: Ryan performed Stitches, Sorry and audition song Oh Cecilia, and he was excellent. I was able to talk to him afterwards also, he was such a nice guy and my chat with him is something I always relive. I also gave him my Twitter name and he followed me on the spot. Literally such a perfect day and that is why he's worthy of his placing in my artist top 10 - it would just be wrong to exclude him, right?

 

Recommendation

 

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Ryan%20Lawrie.png

 

10 Ryan Lawrie

http://popcrush.com/files/2015/05/dont-hear.gif

Ryan > Saara

 

not sorry

Happy to see Glory and Dangerous Woman in your Top 3 albums. Two masterclasses in pop, both sharing a few similarities in theme and sound, with single-material galore! Still gutted that very little came of Glory chart-wise and that even Dangerous Woman didn't perform as great as it could have done (no doubt it's been successful, but I'd have liked to have seen it spend more time further up the chart). I suppose it's the music that counts most but, as a chart fan, it's hard to not to get caught up in that!

 

Not heard many singles from your countdown so far but I've spotted 'Closer' and 'Faded' which are among my faves of 2016. I can remember everyone initially hating 'Closer' and not understanding how on earth it could ever be a hit (myself included) but it just had a huge habit of growing on you and now I find it strange to look back at how I originally viewed it.

Oh really? :o that's interesting, possibly the only person I've seen who thinks that!

 

Write On Me would show a different side to them to the public which could work well after the run of Work from Home, Flex and That's My Girl but I think they'll probably wrap up this era now :(

 

Thanks Dobbo!!

 

Yeah I think I am actually! :lol:

If Only is a good song :music:, didn't click with him on the X Factor though

 

Nice that you got to meet him though! (and get some screen time as well)

Edited December 7, 20168 yr by WiseManFromLeeds

Thank you for the comments guys!!

 

Happy to see Glory and Dangerous Woman in your Top 3 albums. Two masterclasses in pop, both sharing a few similarities in theme and sound, with single-material galore! Still gutted that very little came of Glory chart-wise and that even Dangerous Woman didn't perform as great as it could have done (no doubt it's been successful, but I'd have liked to have seen it spend more time further up the chart). I suppose it's the music that counts most but, as a chart fan, it's hard to not to get caught up in that!

 

Not heard many singles from your countdown so far but I've spotted 'Closer' and 'Faded' which are among my faves of 2016. I can remember everyone initially hating 'Closer' and not understanding how on earth it could ever be a hit (myself included) but it just had a huge habit of growing on you and now I find it strange to look back at how I originally viewed it.

I totally agree! Both of them really deserved more in the chart, they deliver everything you could wish for as a pop fan for me. Big choruses, plenty of hooks, but they also stand out from the crowd. Sadly it seems Ariana is mostly a singles artist, although that's better than Britney who is just a nostalgia act in the UK these days :drama:

 

If Only is a good song :music:, didn't click with him on the X Factor though

 

Nice that you got to meet him though! (and get some screen time as well)

Glad you like If Only! :D Seems a load of people didn't click with him on the show sadly, but then I don't think he really got a chance to show what he'd release as an artist while on the show. The songs he performed at the small gig were much more reflective I'd say!

 

Oh yes, my 5 seconds of fame on the show! :lol: My Facebook went crazy afterwards haha.

Songs

 

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/The%20Fooo%20Conspiracy%20-%20Who%20Doesnt%20Love%20Love.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Emeli%20Sandeacute%20-%20Breathing%20Underwater.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Reggie%20n%20Bollie%20-%20New%20Girl.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Isac%20Elliot%20-%20A%20Little%20More.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Madison%20Beer%20-%20All%20For%20Love.png

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/James%20Bay%20-%20Running.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Rebecca%20Ferguson%20-%20Bones.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Adele%20-%20When%20We%20Were%20Young.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Ariana%20Grande%20-%20Dangerous%20Woman.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/The%20Chainsmokers%20-%20All%20We%20Know.png

 

211 The Fooo Conspiracy - Who Doesn't Love Love - 36-20-27-36-… (4+ weeks)

212 Emeli Sandé - Breathing Underwater - 19-16-26-35-… (4+ weeks)

213 Reggie 'N' Bollie - New Girl - 18-26-33-X (3 weeks)

214 Isac Elliot - Alone - n/a

215 Madison Beer - All For Love (feat. Jack & Jack) - 17-32-X (2 weeks)

216 James Bay - Running - 29-8-15-18-33-X (5 weeks)

217 Rebecca Ferguson - Bones - 22-15-23-X (3 weeks)

218 Adele - When We Were Young - 25-32-X-29-28-23-20-23-34-X (8 non-consecutive weeks)

219 Ariana Grande - Knew Better / Forever Boy - n/a

220 The Chainsmokers - All We Know (feat. Phoebe Ryan) - 19-23-37-X (3 weeks)

 

Moving on with the songs again, and we meet The Chainsmokers for the second time of three at the start of this section. All We Know is just a promotional single for now, from their second EP Collage, and it places above UK #1 Closer, although they both had very similar chart runs for me. All We Know is helped by not suffering from overplay I'd say! Just above is an album track from Ariana's album, the stunning double track Knew Better / Forever Boy. Both halves of the song are excellent in their own right, and the segue in the middle just enhances how fantastic they work together. It didn't make my weekly chart but nonetheless, still features here. Isac Elliot's Alone is at #214 and also didn't make my chart at any point, but it's a fantastic pop track and a highlight of his EP.

 

Adele makes her first appearance of three at #218, with the second single from 25. When We Were Young is always a solid listen, her vocals are as amazing as ever and the lyrics are simple yet effective, which adds to the song. However, I didn't find myself revisiting it that often, hence its low chart position overall. Rebecca Ferguson is up next with Bones, the lead single from her fourth album Superwoman. Despite the track being a cover, Rebecca sings the song with meaning, and it makes for a stunning result.

 

The lowest top 10 hit of the year drops out in this section! James Bay's Running was never a massive highlight on his album for me, featuring only as a deluxe track. The re-recorded version, live at Abbey Road Studios, released for Sport Relief, felt a bit pointless really despite the charity element and whilst it managed a top 10 peak, I don't go back to it much at all. Nonetheless, it's a nice song! BJSC entry All For Love by Madison Beer is just abvoe, it's not as good as Melodies which got to #9 in my chart but it's noticeably more mature in sound.

 

Also in this section is Reggie 'n' Bollie's debut hit, New Girl. I enjoyed them a lot on X Factor last year, and whilst winner Louisa Johnson was my pick in the final (and throughout the entire series for that matter), I was intrigued by what they'd release still. New Girl proved to be a fun anthem, and I'm gutted it didn't do any better in the official chart! Quite the opposite in tone, Emeli Sandé's Breathing Underwater is at #212, with the potential to be higher next year if it impacts further. The Fooo Conspiracy close off the section with recent single Who Doesn't Love Love.

 

Recommendation

 

Write On Me: :wub: This was a number one on my chart. I wish they would have released this as a single.

Knew Better / Forever Boy: Love this obviously but it was probably my least favourite on the album.

All For Love: I liked this last year but that Jack & Jack are just annoying.

New Girl: I do quite like this. Hope their new single does well tomorrow but I can't see that happening.

Write On Me: :wub: This was a number one on my chart. I wish they would have released this as a single.

Knew Better / Forever Boy: Love this obviously but it was probably my least favourite on the album.

All For Love: I liked this last year but that Jack & Jack are just annoying.

New Girl: I do quite like this. Hope their new single does well tomorrow but I can't see that happening.

 

Thanks Lewis! :heart: Knew Better / Forever Boy is a huge highlight from the album for me! Wish it wasn't just a deluxe song :( I agree that Jack & Jack are annoying, the rap is the worst part of the song for sure!

Songs

 

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Melanie%20C%20-%20Anymore.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Foxes%20-%20Cruel.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/David%20Guetta%20-%20This%20Ones%20For%20You.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Kate%20Nash%20-%20Good%20Summer.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/James%20TW%20-%20When%20You%20Love%20Someone.png

http://i68.tinypic.com/2qlucg6.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Astrid%20S%20-%20Paper%20Thin.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Ariana%20Grande%20-%20Dangerous%20Woman.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Alyssa%20Reid%20-%20Rollercoaster.pnghttp://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx240/MarthaJonesFan/Cover%20Sleeves/Beyonceacute%20-%20Formation.png

 

201 Melanie C - Anymore - 19-25-X (2 weeks)

202 Foxes - Cruel - n/a

203 David Guetta - This One's for You (feat. Zara Larsson) - 32-40-X-24-31-X (4 non-consecutive weeks)

204 Kate Nash - Good Summer - 7-18-27-X (3 weeks)

205 James TW - When You Love Someone - 21-35-X (2 weeks)

206 Fleur East - More and More - 21-23-38-X (3 weeks)

207 Astrid S - Paper Thin - 23-15-19-25-40-X (5 weeks)

208 Ariana Grande - Greedy - n/a

209 Alyssa Reid - Rollercoaster - 31-6-16-24-33-X (5 weeks)

210 Beyoncé - Formation - 20-22-31-X (3 weeks)

 

I slay. I slay. Beyoncé certainly does slay the top 210 of this countdown, with the lead single from her Lemonade album giving her a decent showing. It's not as good as Drunk In Love managed in 2014, that ended up at #31 EOY, but nevertheless it was a top 20 hit and her second highest peaking song as a lead artist. It's only one place behind a top 10 hit from Alyssa Reid. Rollercoaster isn't one of her strongest moments at all, it's a bit of fun pop but ultimately quite throwaway, and her much better follow-up is still to come. Kate Nash, however, doesn't have any more songs left in the countdown, with #7 hit Good Summer out at #204.

 

A couple more album tracks feature here, one from Ariana Grande and one from Foxes. Ariana's Greedy is surely a potential single if she continues to promote her album (and she better do!!), it will provide yet more variety between the singles and hopefully encourage some more album sales. I don't know if Cruel is actually considered a single for Foxes or not, it seemed to get a video but not a lot else happened. It's a fantastic track anyway and it's her highest placing song this year. Also with a slightly confusing single status is Fleur East's More and More. It was certainly planned as a single, with a video filmed, promo booked and airplay starting to build. The promo however came too early, Capital dropped it long before its impact date and it ultimately got cancelled, oops. It's not as good as Sax, peaking 20 places lower officially but I have a soft spot for it.

 

Also in this section we see Astrid S make her only appearance. She previously featured in last year's countdown at #124 with 2AM, and now appears with Paper Thin, specifically the "Live From Studio" version (aka acoustic). It's a delicate piano ballad in this form, and I think it works very well considering the title! I saw Astrid supporting Troye Sivan earlier this year (with Jahq who sent 2AM to BJSC :magic:), which ties in nicely to James TW, who I saw supporting Shawn Mendes! When You Love Someone felt like a huge hit in the waiting to me, shame it never properly took off. Its chart run for me feels way too harsh I must admit, hence it placing above many top 20s and even a couple of top 10s!

 

Zara Larsson has without a doubt been one of the big breakout stars of 2016, and she has four songs in total in this countdown. The first of which is her David Guetta collaboration This One's For You, a good song but ultimately nothing new among dance in 2016. Lush Life, Ain't My Fault and Girls Like are all much higher up the countdown! Finally, Melanie C just misses the top 200 with Anymore, the lead single from recent album Version of Me. The song is very on-trend and sounds like it would be something Radio 1 would love if it were by a younger, newer artist :drama:

 

Recommendation

 

Gotta admit I don't know a whole lot of songs on your YE so far but these are the ones I do know without needing a reminder to remember what they sound like (such as the Reggie & Bollie song).

 

201 | Melanie C - "Anymore"

I like this but it only featured in Spotify Playlist for a few short weeks as I grew tired of it quickly.

 

203 | David Guetta f/ Zara Larsson - "This One's For You"

What a TUUUNE! One of my absolute favorites of 2016 which has definitely been Zara's year! Would have loved to see this feature higher up on your list.

 

215 | Madison Beer f/ Jack & Jack - "All For Love"

I liked this but it's a bit bland so I kicked it out of my Spotify playlist quickly to make room for other songs.

 

218 | Adele - "When We Were Young"

Oh god this is one of my absolute LEAST favorites of the year. Adele can do so much better and this borefest annoyed the hell out of me in the first months of 2016 as it was played excessively on radios here.

 

220 | The Chainsmokers f/ Phoebe Ryan - "All We Know"

Weak compared to its' predecessors (especially 'Roses' and 'Don't Let Me Down') and very forgettable. Kicked it out of my Spotify playlist after only like 3 weeks or so.

 

223 | Ace Wilder - "Don't Worry"

I love this! I would have been very satisfied with this as the Swedish rep in Eurovision 2016 and I got a bit pissed to see it fail over Frans and then Wiktoria in second. Frans eventually grew on me but I was not happy when the results first came.

 

227 | The Chainsmokers f/ Halsey - "Closer"

This took a while to grow on me and it still hasn't done so completely. It baffles me that this became as huge as it did because it just feels like such a nonevent to me.

 

229 | Alan Walker - "Faded

Massive. One of my favorite tracks of the year and it packs such an emotional punch as well since lyrically it revolves around losing someone close to you.

 

233 | Foxes - "Amazing"

I always have a soft spot for Foxes and I so want her to get more success than she's getting. This is a underrated gem for sure.

 

236 | Tungevaag & Raaban f/ Isac Elliot - "Beast"

I liked it but I quickly grew bored of it and kicked it out of my playlist to make room for other songs. I actually think it went out in the same purge as Mel C did lol.

 

240 | Elle King - "Ex's & Oh's"

This is such a feisty track. Elle King is a great singer and it's funny because this isn't the type of song I'd typically fall for but I loved this last fall.

 

247 | Zedd f/ Ke$ha - "True Colors"

Beautiful and heartbreaking. Ke$ha deserves to be free and this was a fitting comeback song. You can hear the hurt and emotion in her voice. #FreeKesha

 

248 | Ivan - "Help You Fly"

Lol this was one of my fav trainwreck Eurovision songs this year but mostly because of all the stories about him possibly going on stage naked with a real wolf lmfao. Mess!

Nice to see New Girl here :music: Hope their next single is as good

 

Love When You Love Someone :D Great song with a great message

 

Just heard Rollercoaster a few days ago, it's actually quite catchy!

 

Bones, This One's For You & Good Summer are great as well!

212 Emeli Sandé - Breathing Underwater - 19-16-26-35-… (4+ weeks)

I expected better of you x

I certainly like 'Breathing Underwater' a lot but there's just something about it that's stopping me from enjoying it as much as I feel I should. On paper, it feels like it should be right up my street, but it just doesn't quite live up to its full potential. At first I thought it was just the OTT choir at the end, but now I think the chorus is slightly weak, or at least I certainly enjoy the verses a lot more.

 

'When We Were Young' wasn't as big and bold as 'Hello' (I can definitely see why you'd not revisit it much and why people would call for it have remained an album track) but, for me, it surpassed it in terms of emotion in its lyrics and delivery. Those initial chords set the mood so well and Adele has such a solid control of the vocal that makes you just hang on to every word. The running theme of lost friendships/relationships in this album is utterly heartbreaking and its particularly effective in this song. I absolutely adore that vocal near the end where she goes higher - such a tricky technique to master but she slays it. :heart:

 

I've been obsessed with 'Greedy' ever since album release and it has been calling to be a single so hard. Hopefully the fact 'Side to Side' ended up being the biggest song from this era will encourage the team to push for another single, which quite simply has to be 'Greedy'.

Gotta admit I don't know a whole lot of songs on your YE so far but these are the ones I do know without needing a reminder to remember what they sound like (such as the Reggie & Bollie song).

 

201 | Melanie C - "Anymore"

I like this but it only featured in Spotify Playlist for a few short weeks as I grew tired of it quickly.

 

203 | David Guetta f/ Zara Larsson - "This One's For You"

What a TUUUNE! One of my absolute favorites of 2016 which has definitely been Zara's year! Would have loved to see this feature higher up on your list.

 

215 | Madison Beer f/ Jack & Jack - "All For Love"

I liked this but it's a bit bland so I kicked it out of my Spotify playlist quickly to make room for other songs.

 

218 | Adele - "When We Were Young"

Oh god this is one of my absolute LEAST favorites of the year. Adele can do so much better and this borefest annoyed the hell out of me in the first months of 2016 as it was played excessively on radios here.

 

220 | The Chainsmokers f/ Phoebe Ryan - "All We Know"

Weak compared to its' predecessors (especially 'Roses' and 'Don't Let Me Down') and very forgettable. Kicked it out of my Spotify playlist after only like 3 weeks or so.

 

223 | Ace Wilder - "Don't Worry"

I love this! I would have been very satisfied with this as the Swedish rep in Eurovision 2016 and I got a bit pissed to see it fail over Frans and then Wiktoria in second. Frans eventually grew on me but I was not happy when the results first came.

 

227 | The Chainsmokers f/ Halsey - "Closer"

This took a while to grow on me and it still hasn't done so completely. It baffles me that this became as huge as it did because it just feels like such a nonevent to me.

 

229 | Alan Walker - "Faded

Massive. One of my favorite tracks of the year and it packs such an emotional punch as well since lyrically it revolves around losing someone close to you.

 

233 | Foxes - "Amazing"

I always have a soft spot for Foxes and I so want her to get more success than she's getting. This is a underrated gem for sure.

 

236 | Tungevaag & Raaban f/ Isac Elliot - "Beast"

I liked it but I quickly grew bored of it and kicked it out of my playlist to make room for other songs. I actually think it went out in the same purge as Mel C did lol.

 

240 | Elle King - "Ex's & Oh's"

This is such a feisty track. Elle King is a great singer and it's funny because this isn't the type of song I'd typically fall for but I loved this last fall.

 

247 | Zedd f/ Ke$ha - "True Colors"

Beautiful and heartbreaking. Ke$ha deserves to be free and this was a fitting comeback song. You can hear the hurt and emotion in her voice. #FreeKesha

 

248 | Ivan - "Help You Fly"

Lol this was one of my fav trainwreck Eurovision songs this year but mostly because of all the stories about him possibly going on stage naked with a real wolf lmfao. Mess!

Thank you so much for all the comments! I promise there's plenty of stuff you will know still to come :D

 

I grew tired of Anymore fairly quickly I must admit, I think her new single Dear Life will probably hold up better long term for me!

Shame you don't like When We Were Young so much :( Thankfully I only listen to the radio for the chart show here so I can often avoid a lot of overplay!

I've got only two Melodifestivalen songs left in the countdown - Frans and Smilo! I was definitely backing Frans to win in the final :heehee:

 

Nice to see New Girl here :music: Hope their next single is as good

 

Love When You Love Someone :D Great song with a great message

 

Just heard Rollercoaster a few days ago, it's actually quite catchy!

 

Bones, This One's For You & Good Summer are great as well!

I'm very interested in what their next single will sound like! I hope it's as much of a bop *.*

 

Agreed, shame it didn't make the official top 40! :cry:

 

It's definitely catchy! Check out Badlands if you get a moment, I much prefer it :o

 

I expected better of you x

!!! :lol: Hurts is much higher don't worry!!!

 

I certainly like 'Breathing Underwater' a lot but there's just something about it that's stopping me from enjoying it as much as I feel I should. On paper, it feels like it should be right up my street, but it just doesn't quite live up to its full potential. At first I thought it was just the OTT choir at the end, but now I think the chorus is slightly weak, or at least I certainly enjoy the verses a lot more.

 

'When We Were Young' wasn't as big and bold as 'Hello' (I can definitely see why you'd not revisit it much and why people would call for it have remained an album track) but, for me, it surpassed it in terms of emotion in its lyrics and delivery. Those initial chords set the mood so well and Adele has such a solid control of the vocal that makes you just hang on to every word. The running theme of lost friendships/relationships in this album is utterly heartbreaking and its particularly effective in this song. I absolutely adore that vocal near the end where she goes higher - such a tricky technique to master but she slays it. :heart:

 

I've been obsessed with 'Greedy' ever since album release and it has been calling to be a single so hard. Hopefully the fact 'Side to Side' ended up being the biggest song from this era will encourage the team to push for another single, which quite simply has to be 'Greedy'.

I actually think I prefer the chorus to the verses! :o Not sure what's preventing me from totally loving it, she sounds great and I like the melody, but it's lacking a certain something. Sadly Emeli's album disappointed me, her debut was much better I thought :( Hurts is quite possibly my favourite thing she's done though so that's a saving grace!

 

Oh I forgot to mention that note at the end where she goes higher, that's one of her finest moments vocally speaking, I get goosebumps on that part! :wub: I'm so excited cause I have tickets to see Adele next year, really hyped to experience it live. I'm definitely glad it wasn't just left as an album track anyway, I find it a better ballad than most of the rest on the album!

 

Greedy screams big hit, I'd be quite surprised if they went with anything else I must admit!

Songs

201-250 Recap

 

201 Melanie C - Anymore

202 Foxes - Cruel

203 David Guetta - This One's for You (feat. Zara Larsson)

204 Kate Nash - Good Summer

205 James TW - When You Love Someone

206 Fleur East - More and More

207 Astrid S - Paper Thin

208 Ariana Grande - Greedy

209 Alyssa Reid - Rollercoaster

210 Beyoncé - Formation

 

211 The Fooo Conspiracy - Who Doesn't Love Love

212 Emeli Sandé - Breathing Underwater

213 Reggie 'N' Bollie - New Girl

214 Isac Elliot - Alone

215 Madison Beer - All For Love (feat. Jack & Jack)

216 James Bay - Running

217 Rebecca Ferguson - Bones

218 Adele - When We Were Young

219 Ariana Grande - Knew Better / Forever Boy

220 The Chainsmokers - All We Know (feat. Phoebe Ryan)

 

221 Jessarae - No Warning

222 Lucie Silvas - Villain

223 Ace Wilder - Don't Worry

224 Alec Benjamin - End of the Summer

225 Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Come with Us

226 Fifth Harmony - Write On Me

227 The Chainsmokers - Closer (feat. Halsey)

228 Jesper Jenset - Lies

229 Alan Walker - Faded

230 Haley Reinhart - Better

 

231 Isac Elliot - Not for Nothing

232 All Saints - Puppet On A String

233 Foxes - Amazing

234 Fifth Harmony - Gonna Get Better

235 Lauren Aquilina - Kicks

236 Tungevaag & Raaban - Beast (feat. Isac Elliot)

237 Benjamin Lasnier - Everythang

238 Fleur East - Tears Will Dry

239 Jakob Karlberg - 1990

240 Elle King - Ex's & Oh's

 

241 Kate Nash - My Little Alien

242 Jacob Whitesides - Lovesick

243 Trevor Moran - I Wanna Fly

244 Marcus & Martinus - Elektrisk (feat. Katastrofe)

245 Smilo - Young Again

246 Dakota - Long Hot Summer

247 Zedd & Kesha - True Colors

248 IVAN - Help You Fly

249 Hilary Duff - Little Lies

250 Conor Coughlan - Sun Don't Shine

Songs

 

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191 Ariana Grande - Thinking Bout You - n/a

192 Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover) - 13-14-18-26-34-X (5 weeks)

193 All Saints - Who Hurt Who - 34-X (1 week)

194 Charlie Puth - Left Right Left - 40-X-39-X (2 non-consecutive weeks)

195 Little Mix - You Gotta Not - 15-26-X (2 weeks)

196 Kungs vs. Cookin' On 3 Burners - This Girl - 38-20-19-23-32-X (5 weeks)

197 Dawin - Dessert (feat. Silentó) - 16-15-16-19-25-33-X (6 weeks)

198 will.i.am - Boys & Girls (feat. Pia Mia) - 30-12-27-34-29-32-30-X (7 weeks)

199 Lewis Watson - hello hello - 25-X-15-17-23-35-X (5 non-consecutive weeks)

200 Hozier - Jackie and Wilson - 35-X-12-19-23-37-X (5 non-consecutive weeks)

 

Hozier featured twice in last year's top 100, with Take Me To Church and Someone New. He falls short with Jackie and Wilson this year, but a decent showing considering it failed to match the top 10 peaks of those two! Lewis Watson's second era began earlier this year with maybe we're home (yes, lowercase), and that's still to come, but follow-up hello hello is at #199. Also stalling outside the top 10 in my weekly chart was Boys & Girls by will.i.am. It failed to become his fourth top 10 hit, and Pia Mia's third.

 

The top 20 hits continue with Dawin's Dessert, which spent a respectable 4 weeks in my top 20. It was Silentó's second hit after Volcano with The Vamps, which is still to come, alongside third hit Pull Over with After Romeo, both of which peaked in the top 10. Just above is UK smash hit This Girl by Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners. The track stood out to me in BJSC but I didn't give it many (if any? I forget :lol:) points in the contest, so it grew on me significantly when it started to do well in the chart! Another chart hit from this section is Adele's Send My Love (To Your New Lover), a welcome change of pace from her after two ballads released beforehand in the 25 campaign.

 

The rest of the section is album track central! Little Mix's instant grat You Gotta Not makes it to #195, marking their first appearance of six. All Saints have one more appearance, with seven in total, and the gorgeous Mel Blatt-penned Who Hurt Who is the second to appear. Charlie Puth makes his first appearance too with Left Right Left, a great uplifting track which is hugely catchy. Finally, the section closes with the gorgeous Thinking Bout You by Ariana, which almost wasn't in my top 250 but it felt wrong to exclude it, purely because it contains the best moment of her album - "but at leaaast I haaaaave the memoryyyy..." :heart: :cry:

 

Recommendation