Billboard Top 10 Songs of the Week Music Review
(Week of January 11th, 2021)
Ozzy Wagenseil, (‘22)
For this review, I will be using the source https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100. I will listen to the top 10 songs so far of the week and review them based on lyrics, singing/rapping, and beats. In the end, I will calculate the average ranking of that song based on those three categories. This list is in the order that the website lists the songs.
10. “Levitating” Dua Lipa Featuring DaBaby: The unexpected rapper/singer duo that blew all expectations. Right away, the beat is incredible. The echoey chorus is vibrant, along with the ecstatic electric guitar, plus the upbeat drums, is incredibly well-mixed. In addition, the chorus instrumental is enough to make dance with its heavy synth and simple strumming. In terms of singing/rapping, both Dua Lipa and uphold their own weight of the song. Dua Lipa has fast-paced singing while slowly descending her voice, producing a great voice for this song. As well as that, DaBaby has very great flow and makes every word match the beat. In addition, there is a vocoded voice that comes in the chorus and pre-chorus, radiating Daft Punk style, making this song that much better. And finally, the typical pop lyrics are not present here. Instead, the song’s lyrics describe a space-themed love. The lyrics that fit most with this theme are, “If you wanna run away with me, I know a galaxy, And I can take you for a ride” and “She told me she love me and she been waitin', Been fightin' hard for your love and I'm runnin' thin on my patience.” This song, although released in 2020, could pave the way for a musically entertaining 2021.
Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping: 9/10. Beat: 9/10. Average: ~8/10.
9. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey: The annual rise of this song haunts everyone's dreams as soon as October comes to an end. However, despite the repetitiveness on the radio, the song is well-known for a good reason. First things first, Mariah Carey is one of the best singers of all time. Her voice is astounding and hits the highest of vocal ranges, and this song displays that to all who listen. The lyrics are very recognizable and catchy, regarding the chorus or the intro. The lyrics tell a story of a lover during Christmas time, such as “Make my wish come true, All I want for Christmas is you” and “'Cause I just want you here tonight (Ooh), Holding on to me so tight (Ooh).” And finally, the beat is ,by very definition, the perfect Christmas type beat. The upbeat, rhythmic piano keys and boastful percussion makes this song as happy as can be. Of course, that happiness is well deserving and very well produced.
Lyrics: 8/10. Singing: 10/10. Beat: 9/10. Average: ~9/10.
8. “I Hope” Gabby Barret Featuring Charlie Puth: This song sounds very sweet, but instead it is a bit more savage than one would think. This is in part to the well-written lyrics. The lyric that stands out the most is none other than the chorus, when it says “And then I hope she cheats, Like you did on me.” Everything up until the chorus talks about love and the future hopes for the ex of the song’s main character, and then the unexpected line shows how the ex should feel the pain now. Overall, a good story for this song. The singing is fantastic not only due to the amazing vocal control from Puth and Barrett, but also the emotion they display of saddened vengeance towards their former lover. And finally, the beat is beautiful due to the calm guitar riff in the beginning, slowly turning more intense as the real message is displayed. In other words, this song knows how to use the beat to clearly explain the story of sweet revenge for a cheating spouse.
Lyrics: 8/10. Rapping/Singing: 8/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~8/10.
7. “Laugh Now Cry Later” Drake Featuring Lil Durk: A really decent new song from Drake has been released. First things first, the beat for this song is fantastic. The brass instruments emit a royal feeling of accomplishment. The trumpets themselves fill everyone with a feeling of bliss. The trap drums only add on to the triumphant feeling. The only shortcoming this song has is Lil Durk’s 26 second long verse. Lil Durk’s entrance to the song is already iconic, and his pacing while rapping lines up with the beat perfectly, but slowly falters as the verse progresses. Drake leans more towards a singing approach and only starts to rap decently in his third and final verse. As the lyrics goes, Drake raps lyrics that are stereotypically about wealth, such as, “Been wakin' up in the crib and sometimes I don't even know where I'm at.” On the other hand, Lil Durk has more meaning in his words, such as calling out New York Rapper 6ix9ine by saying “Can you not play that lil' boy in the club? 'Cause we do not listen to rats,'' as a reference to 6ix9ine testifying in court. All in all, it’s another Drake certified hit.
Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 9/10. Average: ~8/10.
6. “Go Crazy” Chris Brown and Young Thug: Another overly produced song that rose to fame because of Tik Tok. The beat is recognizable as it spreads around Tik Tok a lot. The beat itself is annoying to listen to because there’s an annoying clicking sound that is overlapped with the trap drums. The beat overall just made the song very hard to listen to. The vocals were also unbearable. There is not a single instance of melodic rapping that wasn’t overly produced or autotuned to the max. As well as this, Young Thug’s hit-or-miss voice clearly did not match well with the song as it feels out of place compared to Chris Brown’s attempts to sing. As for the lyrics, everything unoriginal about lyrics is put at full display in this song. Look no further than the lyrics, “I haven't heard from you in a minute, babe, Just tell me what to do when I hit it, babe, Gucci and Prada.” The lyrics elude to money and girls, as is the redundant formula for rap lyrics nowadays.
Lyrics: 5/10. Singing/Rapping: 4/10. Beat: 3/10. Average: ~4/10.
5. “Dynamite” BTS: Alas, BTS appears on the billboard again. This song, admittedly, is very energetic and as fun as is their rest of their songs. The positive beat, being accompanied by a funky bass beat, is very funky and makes your head bop on every beat. The guitar riff also adds some extra flavor, enticing the background beat even more. The singing, while obviously autotuned, is not that bad as well. They even manage to hit some high vocals, showing their dynamicness as a group. This is shown in the last chorus when there is a key change, ending the song with a positive note. The lyrics bring out positive vibes as well, showing the kind of energy BTS brings to their audience. Such light-hearted lyrics are “Life is sweet as honey, yeah, this beat cha-ching like money” and “Cup of milk, let's rock and roll, King Kong, kick the drum, Rolling on like a Rolling Stone.” Overall, a very fun song for everyone who is or is not into K-Pop.
Lyrics: 6/10. Singing/Rapping: 7/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~7/10.
4. “Holy” Justin Bieber Featuring Chance the Rapper: I didn’t expect that Justin Bieber would make a Christian pop song. The piano in the beginning of the song was very generic. It sounded like a simple, sad chord progression. The switchup that includes more bass and percussion makes the song a bit more positive, but strays to be something unique. Moreover, the lyrics carry along with the theme of being holy to the guy above the clouds, but the rhyme scheme really trips me up. For instance, from both Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper, such lyrics like “Cross, Tween, Tween, Hesi' hit the jet speed, When they get messy, go lefty, like Lionel Messi” plus “That the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy” just seem a bit strange and makes the writers of the song look a bit lazy when coming up with words to write. Finally, Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper’s voices are not very well suited in this song. Chance the Rapper has a very unique voice that is well-used in some of his work, but in this song he sounds a bit bratty and annoying. As for Justin Bieber, his voice is… mediocre to say the least. Nothing special really comes from his singing, not to mention it sounds edited, but it sounds like the tiniest effort was made to sing. Overall, the song is not a good start for Justin Bieber’s new christian-themed album.
Lyrics: 4/10. Singing/Rapping: 4/10. Beat: 5/10. Average: ~4/10.
3. “Blinding Lights” The Weeknd: Damn this was unexpected. The Weeknd just put out a retro theater intro song. But it is that good type of retro that makes this song very unique. The beat is clearly the best part of the song with the use of synth keyboards and drums. The beat makes one feel like they just traveled back to the ’80s and everything has become laid back and relaxed. The lyrics very sadly do not add any relevance to the song except for a few cool lines such as, “I look around and Sin City's cold and empty (oh)” plus “'Cause I can see the sun light up the sky, So I hit the road in overdrive, baby.” Finally, his singing is very polished when combined with the beat of this song. The “oohs” of the song show a clean smoothness to his singing, adding a slick tone to the song.
Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 9/10. Average: ~8/10.
2. “Positions” Ariana Grande: The production for this song is very top-notch. Right away, the beat is the main takeaway. In other words, the beat is very well produced with strumming guitar overlapping a simple pop melody, alongside well timed drumming. Moving along to the vocals, Ariana Grande does not disappoint considering that she is one of the most talented singers in the past decade. This claim is supported by the fact that there are a few whistle notes that Ariana sang in the background vocals, an extreme accomplishment for any singer. Finally, the lyrics are similar to Ariana’s new persona. Ariana describes herself in this song as searching for a new lover, while showing her self-confidence. This theme is supported by the lyrics, “Said, boy, I'm tryna meet your mama on a Sunday, Then make a lotta love on a Monday (ah-ah)” and “Heaven sent you to me, I'm just hopin' I don't repeat history.” This song serves as a great introduction to the new Ariana we shall soon see in the 2020’s.
Lyrics: 8/10. Singing/Rapping: 8/10. Beat: 9/10. Average: ~8/10.
1. “Mood” 24k Goldn Featuring Iann Dior: Now this is actually quite decent compared to Rockstar in terms of songs that blew up over TikTok. 24k Goldn has made consistent hit after hit recently, and this song may be one of his best new songs yet. The chorus is very catchy and memorable, and 24k Goldn’s voice is fitted well for a song like this. The same goes for Iann Dior, but 24k Goldn fills the role perfectly. The sort of melodic singing is very nice to listen to, but nothing too flashy or special. The beat is very nice, with a nice electric guitar riff to introduce the song along with trap beats to make for a fun vibe. As for the lyrics, another repeat of the same girl problems and lamenting that other rappers tend to write every now and then. However, 24k Goldn has a nice rhyme scheme in his verse when he says, “I'm talking slick back, kick back, gang sippin' forties, You keep playin, not another day with you shorty.” All in all, a very fun tune that is nothing flashy.
Lyrics: 7/10. Singing/Rapping: 7/10. Beat: 8/10. Average: ~7/10.