Official Singles Chart Top 40 on 29/9/2017

THROWBACK CHART REVIEW:

So, late 2017, the year I was starting my second year at University & when times were much simple than they are now... but what was the music like that year?

The first few months were completed dominated by Ed Sheeran, but my favourite hits of this year actually came in the later months!

As for this chart... honestly, I remember liking 'Too Good At Goodbyes' back when it was #1, but not precisely loving it! The sincerity was there for sure, but Sam Smith's falsetto honestly didn't sound that good in it. Over time, it's not really aged well as a break-up anthem unfortunately.

We also saw a huge success for Latin music around this time too! Following 'Despacito' being massive worldwide, 'Reggaeton Lento' & even 'Havana' (sung in English, but inspired by Latino music), were becoming really big hits!

I actually liked both of these, because the remix for the former definitely made it more fun thanks to there being some chemistry between the two (even if none of the singers outside of Jade really stood out to me!). The latter is because Camila really sounds like she's having a lot of fun when she sticks to her roots & 'Havana' is the kind of song that suits her vocal range best; I personally don't dislike her falsetto, but I know so many regulars don't! I don't think that Young Thug sounds very engaged here sadly.

It was a particularly quiet week for new music, but 'Finders Keepers' was the highest Top 40 "new entry"! Heck, the whole reason I'm doing this throwback review is because Coolocelot asked me to do it purely based on this song. As for the song itself... yeah, I still like a lot! I only really remember Mabel's infectious hook & I think she actually has more chemistry with Not3s on 'Fine Line' & 'My Lover', but this has a very chilled, summery vibe to it that I really like. Also, it's a lot of fun, so it's definitely worth revisiting!

Then we get to arguably one of my favourite memes of the past decade... 'Man's Not Hot'! It's kind of song where the lyrics are ridiculous, but that's what makes this all the more funnier. Big Shaq mocks the UK rap scene in a humorous way, rather than throwing any shade! Even then, for someone who really made this song as a joke, he comes across as a very competent MC here. Shame we didn't here more of him, because I still enjoy this a lot!

Then we have 'Perfect', which must've come off ACR this week as it was finally being pushed as a single from '÷' around now... but it's still sticking around to this day! Seriously, this chart was exactly three years ago & it was still in the Top 40 even a few weeks back. I mean, it's a sweet song, but it's just so tiring seeing it in every single chart at the moment! Maybe if it was 'Castle On The Hill', I wouldn't have minded?

Anyway, 'Crybaby' also picked up a lot this week & hmm... I don't know what to think of this one. I guess I appreciate the lyrics in how if you're feeling down, it's better to just let it out of your system rather than bottle it up, but at the same time, Paloma Faith just sounds terrible here, especially on the hook! I think I respect this song way more than I actually like it.

Hey, at least it's not 'Bodak Yellow'! I've been fairly vocal that I'm not a fan of Cardi B at all for a while now & I think this song is really where it stemmed from. The production just feels so hollow as it's being based on a spacey & sinuous "beat"! It carries no real weight or substance whatsoever. Then we get Cardi B herself, who really can't sell herself when bragging here, other than maybe when her flow does become a bit more intense for part of the second verse! Ultimately though, it's not worth the wait to get to that part of the song & while a lot of people are currently saying that she's challenging Nicki Minaj as "The Queen Of Rap"... yeah, this song didn't convince at all that Cardi B was anywhere close to that title & three years later, I feel exactly the same way about her!

Thanks for reading everyone. :)