Sleazy Song Reviews #1: Ariana Grande - "thank u, next"

Hey guys and welcome back for another post! This one will be the start of another type of post I will be doing occasionally where I do reviews of songs. And for the first post, I will be sharing my thoughts on the current #1 song in the country that I have not listened to at all prior to making this post. So I'm going to listen to it and share my thoughts on it on this post as I'm listening. So yeah, let's get into it!



INTRODUCTION

"thank u, next" is the lead single from Ariana Grande's upcoming (as of this post) fifth studio album. At the time of my typing this introduction, this song is holding the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and it holds the Spotify record for the most streams received by a song by a female artist in a single day. This surprise release apparently mentions lots of Ariana's past relationships such as Big Sean, Mac Miller, Pete Davidson, and Ricky Alvarez. Seems like a big deal, huh? Well, I'd like to listen to this song to see why, so let's do that.



REVIEW

Right away, the intro makes it sound like it will be a good song. And when I hear Ariana's vocals for the first time, I think they sound good. Those two things immediately signal a potentially good song for me, so that's good. The first verse is a little boring because it feels like the same thing for the whole time, but although not much is added from the transition from the verse to the chorus, it sounds sort of good to me. Although the chorus is a little repetitive, it feels like the good kind to me, as I sort of like the way she repeats, "thank you, next," in it. But how she says she's, "grateful for my ex," is slightly weird to me. I also don't know if I like the background vocals that come in during this time, either. But the chorus still sounds cool from the first listen.

Going into the second verse it also sounds really cool, and she sounds even better there in my opinion. It also is when I start to notice how much the production of the song is doing for me. It's not too empty, but it's not too over-the-top either, and I like that. And like a lot of songs out there, the second verse turned out to feel shorter than the first, as the chorus comes in when I didn't expect it to. But it is nice to hear that chorus again, because it is my favorite part so far. Then another thing catches my attention: when she starts saying, "thank you, next," in a different way. And while I like the first way, a change in how she does it was nice. Then it goes into the bridge, which I enjoy because it has a pretty nice vibe and flow to it. The production continues to shine, too, which does a lot to hold the song up. After that bridge, there's a quick second that puts it straight from the bridge to the chorus, which I like a lot. One thing I noticed after that was how it really sounds like the final chorus when it's going by, with the background vocals and slight increase in energy level and everything. Lots of my all-time favorite songs are like that, and I think it's cool that this song does the same. I still can't say I'm a fan of how she says the, "grateful for my ex," part, though. But the slight breakdown and fade-out at the end ends out the song and wraps everything up perfectly, and I enjoy that.

So now that I'm finished listening to the song, I am looking at the lyrics to see if there's anything interesting in there. And sure enough, there is. I like how she mentioned a lot of her exes in the first verse, which I guess proves that Wikipedia page right. But the fact that part of the first verse was actually a pretty cool pre-chorus is neat. Also, looking closer at the lyrics from the second verse, I think they're really cool. Basically, it's saying how Ariana's "increasingly positive mental state" is helping her not worry about anything, including her past relationships. I like that a lot. But that bridge though. It is lyrically very good in my opinion. I like how the first verse is about her exes, the second is about her being able to cope with everything, and the bridge is about her engagement with Pete Davidson being called off and how she can thank her parents for it or something like that. Very neat structure there. So I think I've covered everything about this song, as little as it seems there is. Let's discuss my overall thoughts before closing out the post.



OVERALL THOUGHTS

In sum, I think this song is really good! It's catchy and has some interesting lyrical themes that contribute to the great structure that is used in the song. It's definitely not Ariana's best song, but it was a really nice listen that I would go back to again. And now that I've heard it, I can definitely see why it's the #1 song in the country right now, considering how much of news Ariana's engagement and break-up were. Although I probably prefer the song that's #2 behind this, which is "SICKO MODE" by Travis Scott, this is a nice choice for #1 and I would be all for it staying there if "SICKO MODE" wasn't right behind it. But yeah, really cool song, and it makes me anxious to hear more of her album when it comes out. But we'll see shout that when the time comes. And if I had to give the song a rating out of 10, I'd give it a 9 to a 9.5.



FINAL WORDS

And that wraps up this post! I had a fun time listening to this song and sharing my thoughts on it. If you haven't heard this song yet and are curious to see what I'm talking about when sharing my thoughts, you can listen to the song on YouTube here or on Spotify here. Other than that, I have nothing else to say other than that if you want to suggest something, feel free to do so. It can be a song review, a chart review, or an album review of your choice. I will never turn anything down as I am very open to discovering new music! So yeah, you can do that if you're ever bored. But until I post again, that's it for today and I'll see you guys next time!

Awful Album Reviews #4: Wu-Tang Clan - The W

Hi guys, I'm back here to do another album review! Today we will be reviewing the Wu-Tang Clan's The W because it celebrates its 18th birthday today! This should be another easy review because I've listened to this album plenty of times already, so let's dive right in!



INTRODUCTION

The W is the third studio album by east coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 21, 2000. While this album was not as successful as its predecessors Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers and Wu-Tang Forever, it did produce the minor hit singles "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)", which is an interpolation of their debut single "Protect Ya Neck", and "Gravel Pit". The album received mostly positive reviews by critics, including a few who included it in their album of the year lists. Also, in this album you can find guest appearances from Isaac Hayes, Redman, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, and Junior Reid. Seems stacked right? Well, let's see if I think so.



REVIEW

I think this album is a perfect mix of the content from Wu-Tang's first two albums, Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers and Wu-Tang Forever. What do I mean by this? Well, I think the material on 36 Chambers had hardcore lyrics but not hardcore beats. On the other hand, I think that on Wu-Tang Forever, the lyrics are a little less hardcore, but the beats are in more of a boom-bap style, rather than the less heavy kind on 36 Chambers. And I think that The W is a combination of the two. It has some songs that would fit better on 36 Chambers such as "I Can't Go To Sleep" and "Hollow Bones", and others that would fit better on Wu-Tang Forever, like "Gravel Pit", "Do You Really (Thang, Thang)", and "One Blood Under W". But the other songs I think fall into a separate category of songs that sound like a mix of the two; they possess qualities of both of Wu-Tang's previous album, but wouldn't really fit onto either because they might stand out at least a little bit from the album as a whole.

And that's what I like about this album. It has a few songs that are like 36 Chambers, a few that are like Wu-Tang Forever, and the few in between that not only have qualities from both albums, but work to create a new style as well. And remember how I said I love music works that take a lot of IQ to make? Well, here you go. I don't think I've seen any other artist do anything like this yet, so that's just cool how they did that.

As for the lyrical themes throughout the album, they aren't much different from some of the themes on 36 Chambers in my opinion. So it's good to see a revival of that. I also like the flows and the rapping style that is present here. And RZA, the group's main producer, did a great job on producing the album, along with the help from Mathematics. Other than all that, I don't really know what else to mention. So let's do the track-by-track reviews!



TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEWS

1. "Intro (Shaolin Finger Jab) / Chamber Music"
Rating: 7/10
Comments: Cool intro, but when it comes to the whole album it's very forgettable.

2. "Careful (Click, Click)"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: This song has a very catchy hook, which I always love to hear in rap songs. And I like how a lot of the song's flow is based off of that.

3. "Hollow Bones"
Rating: 8.5/10
Comments: That gunshot right at the beginning though. But other than that, I feel like the song is somewhat empty and could have more to hold it up.

4. "Redbull" featuring Redman
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I like Redman's part and the instrumental. It isn't something that comes right to my mind when I think of great songs off of this album, but still pretty good.

5. "One Blood Under W" featuring Junior Reid
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Junior Reid's voice is a little weird here, but now that I've gotten used to it I think it's cool. Masta Killa also had a good effort on his verse and RZA also did a good job on the production.

6. "Conditioner" featuring Snoop Dogg
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Really chill track, and one of those that contributes to the new style that came out of this album. The hook is really sticky, too, which is good because that means it was written well.

7. "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)"
Rating: 8/10
Comments: It's obviously not better than the original "Protect Ya Neck", but still a nice alternate to it.

8. "Let My N***as Live" featuring Nas
Rating: 8.5/10
Comments: A really cool song about street life. I also think that intro skit is cool for some reason.

9. "I Can't Go To Sleep" featuring Isaac Hayes
Rating: 7/10
Comments: I know that the song is supposed to sound sad or negative, but I don't want to listen to depressing songs too much, so that kind of brings this down a bit. But I do like how that mood is used to help convey the message of the song.

10. "Do You Really (Thang, Thang)"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: The catchiness in this song definitely caught my attention from the beginning. I also like that skit-thing towards the end that repeats, "Got to check out The W" or something like that.

11. "The Monument" featuring Busta Rhymes
Rating: 7.5/10
Comments: Pretty forgettable, but also pretty good. I like what Busta Rhymes has to add here.

12. "Gravel Pit"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This might be one of the catchiest rap songs I've ever heard before, because everything about the production shines so much. Every verse adds to that. This song is so good I actually strongly considered putting it on my best songs of 2000 list, but didn't at the last minute. Still really good, though.

13. "Jah World" featuring Junior Reid
Rating: 5/10
Comments: Not a fan of this one to be honest. It's not bad, but nothing I see myself listening to anytime soon.



ALBUM RANKDOWN

1. "Gravel Pit"
2. "Do You Really (Thang, Thang)"
3. "One Blood Under W"
4. "Careful (Click, Click)"
5. "Let My N***as Live"
6. "Hollow Bones"
7. "Conditioner"
8. "Redbull"
9. "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)"
10. "The Monument"
11. "I Can't Go To Sleep"
12. "Intro (Shaolin Finger Jab) / Chamber Music"
13. "Jah World"



OVERALL SCORE

105/130 = 8.08/10 = 0.808 = 80.8%



FINAL WORDS

So, is this album better than 36 Chambers or Wu-Tang Forever? No. But is it still a good album? Definitely! It was an enjoyable listen that I would go to again if I had the chance. Just like a lot of albums I listen to and review, this is definitely not for everybody, but if you want to see what old school rap sounds like, you can check out this album on Spotify here or on YouTube here.  So yeah, I don't really have anything else to say here. Thanks for reading and be sure to leave me suggestions if you have them!

Crappy Chart Reviews #1: Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 2017

Hey there music fans, I'm back again for my first chart review on this blog! I feel like the 2017 year-end Hot 100 would be a good place to start with this, because I know most of the songs on it and so does my audience (I think). So this should be a good chart to test out this series with. I'm not sure how it will turn out in the end, and I'm interested in seeing that, so let's get started!



INTRODUCTION

2017 was a very interesting year for music. This includes the tying of the weeks at #1 record by a random Latin song, the surge of trap-style music on the charts, the further development of "album bombs", and much, much more. I think it would be interesting to go back and review this chart because I'm not sure whether or not I can call 2017 a good year for music, so I guess it's time to find out. Also, the style in which I do this might be a little different, but hopefully it doesn't make it harder to understand. So yeah, without further ado, let's get this review over with!



SONG REVIEWS

100. "The Fighter" by Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I love that beat in the background. Very unique for a song by two country artists. I also think Keith and Carrie sound very good together throughout the whole song.

99. "Look At Me!" by XXXTENTACION
Rating: 7/10
Comments: This song is...weird. The bass boosted production and the awkward lyrics about sex grab my attention in a negative way. But the song feels catchy in a couple ways, and I think the rapping (not the lyrics, the rapping) is pretty good, so I'd call it more good than bad.

98. "do re mi" by blackbear
Rating: 4/10
Comments: Not really feeling this one. It feels really bland to me, although I like his vocals.

97. "What Lovers Do" by Maroon 5 and SZA
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: It's not a truly amazing song, but it is a nice little tune that I wouldn't mind on my rotation. I think the chorus is very catchy and I enjoy SZA's contributions.

96. "Havana" by Camila Cabello and Young Thug
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I couldn't explain in a couple sentences how much I enjoy this song. Everything is just in the right place here. I love what's in the background and how good Camila Cabello sounds in this. Also, I don't know why but that trumpet solo towards the end feels really good to me. It might be my favorite part of the song.

95. "Everyday We Lit" by YFN Lucci and PnB Rock
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: It's just a banger. Pretty much any song that has to do with feeling good, or in this case, being "lit", is really good to me, and this is a perfect example of that. I also enjoy that piano in the background for some reason.

94. "Small Town Boy" by Dustin Lynch
Rating: 10/10
Comments: It's nothing more than average amazing country song to me. I don't spot very many flaws in it, which is good.

93. "I Get The Bag" by Gucci Mane and Migos
Rating: 6/10
Comments: It's not the best trap song out there, but it's not the worst, either. I feel like it could have more to it, but I do enjoy the contributions from the Migos, so it's fine, I guess.

92. "Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Shawn Mendes is a very talented music artist, and this song shows it. A very good vibe is going on here, which I always enjoy hearing.

91. "No Promises" by Cheat Codes and Demi Lovato
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: I like how one of the guys from Cheat Codes is singing along with Demi Lovato in here. He adds a lot to the song in my opinion. Demi sounds great as well.

90. "Down" by Marian Hill
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I enjoy the combination of the female vocals and the piano that comes at various points within the song. But when it breaks into the trap part, it's cool, but I think the drums there are a little too loud. But it's still a cool song.

89. "Malibu" by Miley Cyrus
Rating: 8.5/10
Comments: This is a pretty cool different sound from Miley Cyrus. I think the guitars in the background are nice. But I think it could have a little more to it.

88. "Water Under The Bridge" by Adele
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Adele strikes again! I think her vocal performance here is great, and so is what's in the background. Sounds really good overall.

87. "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Harry Styles sounds great over this amazingly-produced music. It's better than a few of the songs he did with One Direction, in my opinion.

86. "Slippery" by Migos and Gucci Mane
Rating: 7/10
Comments: I prefer this over "I Get The Bag", but it's still only at the "good" level for me. I like the production here, as that's probably my favorite part. Gucci Mane contributes nicely, too.

85. "Swalla" by Jason Derulo, Nicki Minaj, and Ty Dolla $ign
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Really catchy, just has a few empty spaces in it that could be filled.

84. "What About Us" by P!nk
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Great comeback song for P!nk. It doesn't remind me too much of her older stuff, which can be good because it means she's trying a new sound very well. And I like that.

83. "Both" by Gucci Make and Drake
Rating: 7/10
Comments: It's not a song I should be liking, but I do anyways. I like Drake's contributions, and they really help define the song in my opinion.

82. "Starving" by Hailee Steinfeld, Grey, and Zedd
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: I personally prefer her late 2017 hit "Let Me Go" to this, but "Starving" is still really good. The EDM-like production does a lot to make it that way, and I like how Hailee Steinfeld sounds here.

81. "Drowning" by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Kodak Black
Rating: 8/10
Comments: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is a good rapper, but although Kodak Black isn't bad I don't think he fits on this beat. His part does bring the song down slightly, but A Boogie's part and the cool piano help to bring it back up.

80. "Love Galore" by SZA and Travis Scott
Rating: 5/10
Comments: SZA is a good vocalist, but she often doesn't choose good beats to sing over. And this is the case with this song. Her vocals shine a lot, but the production doesn't. Travis Scott sounds good, though.

79. "Magnolia" by Playboi Carti
Rating: 9/10
Comments: This is a pretty big guilty pleasure for me. His rapping is pretty weird, but pretty good at the same time. I also like the faster beat.

78. "Young, Dumb, & Broke" by Khalid
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: This is probably my favorite song from Khalid as a lead artist. It's very sticky, which usually equates to something pretty good.

77. "Too Good At Goodbyes" by Sam Smith
Rating: 5/10
Comments: Sam Smith is a good vocalist, but this isn't really my style of music. It's not bad, but not something I'd voluntarily listen to again, either.

76. "Hurricane" by Luke Combs"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Probably the best country song on this list. Luke Combs has a great voice and he shows it perfectly here.

75. "All Time Low" by Jon Bellion
Rating: 8/10
Comments: low low low low low low low low low low low low low low low low low low low
(but seriously, it's a pretty cool song)

74. "Feels" by Calvin Harris, Big Sean, Katy Perry, and Pharrell Williams
Rating: 10/10
Comments: It's just a fun, feel-good song that I can always listen to if I'm looking for something like that. Everything about it shines so brightly here.

73. "Chained To The Rhythm" by Katy Perry and Skip Marley
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Very good comeback from Katy Perry. I could do without Skip Marley's part, but Katy's parts make up for that.

72. "What Ifs" by Kane Brown and Lauren Alaina
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Another really good country song from the list. Their voices work really well together.

71. "Slide" by Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean, and Migos
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: I personally prefer "Feels", but this one is still nice to listen to.

70. "Broccoli" by D.R.A.M. and Lil Yachty
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Another guilty pleasure. The piano in the background, which sounds similar to the one in the rap classic "Still D.R.E." by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, is probably the best part, as it makes the song feel really uplifting. But using the term "broccoli" to refer to marijuana? That's a little weird...

69. "Cold" by Maroon 5 and Future
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I prefer "What Lovers Do" slightly, because I think the featured artist in this song does more harm than good. But I still like it, as it's still catchy.

68. "goosebumps" by Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I used to not be a huge fan of Travis Scott, but after hearing his new hit song "SICKO MODE", that changed. I enjoy this song because he and Kendrick both rap well in it.

67. "Praying" by Kesha
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I never thought there could be so much power in one song. And even if it did happen, I wouldn't have thought it would be from someone like Kesha. Such a good job was done to make this song what it is.

66. "LOYALTY." by Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: The sample from Bruno Mars's "24K Magic" did a lot here. It took me a while to notice it, but when I did, I found it cool that they would sample a song as recent as that.

65. "Passionfruit" by Drake
Rating: 8/10
Comments: v i b e s

64. "Swang" by Rae Sremmurd
Rating: 2/10
Comments: No. Just...no.

63. "Juju On That Beat (TZ Anthem)" by Zay Hilfigerr and Zayion McCall
Rating: 7/10
Comments: The dude's voice is awful but that catchy beat makes up for it somewhat.

62. "DNA." by Kendrick Lamar
Rating: 8.5/10
Comments: The news sample thing that comes with the beat switch in the middle is really cool. It makes the song more interesting than it would be otherwise.

61. "Rolex" by Ayo & Teo
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Really cool dance song. I love the guy's voice as well.

60. "Caroline" by Amine
Rating: 6/10
Comments: One of those songs that's very weird but very catchy at the same time.

59. "Now or Never" by Halsey
Rating: 4/10
Comments: Is this that song that ripped off Rihanna's 2016 hit "Needed Me"? If so, Halsey did not do a good job at it.

58. "Heathens" by twenty one pilots
Rating: 8/10
Comments: It's pretty dark, which is interesting because only a small portion of songs I listen to are dark. But it's nice to have a change-up there.

57. "In Case You Didn't Know" by Brett Young
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Not one of the best country songs on here but still pretty cool.

56. "rockstar" by Post Malone and 21 Savage
Rating: 6/10
Comments: I have a lot of mixed thoughts on this one. It sounds cool, but there are a few things that make me question whether or not to like it. I guess it's good then?

55. "Tunnel Vision" by Kodak Black
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I know, I know, I should hate this song, because the guy's a rapist and drug dealer and all that. But in my opinion, those qualities inside a person should not affect someone's opinion on their music, and just like I say, if it sounds good it is good.

54. "Mercy" by Shawn Mendes
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Shawn Mendes and his talented vocals come to make a song great once again!

53. "Rake It Up" by Yo Gotti and Nicki Minaj"
Rating: 6/10
Comments: I would hate this song if it didn't feel so harmless to me. Yo Gotti is not a bad rapper that I certainly don't mind getting mainstream success.

52. "T-Shirt" by Migos
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Not in my top 3-5 songs off of Culture (which I might review soon), but it's still a cool listen.

51. "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I loved this song from the very first listen, and when I saw them in concert this past summer, it just made all their songs better for me, including this one. Still remains as one of my favorites of 2017 to this day.

50. "Mi Gente" by J. Balvin and Willy William
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Really cool Latin song. I like that beat in the background.

49. "CAN'T STOP THE FEELING!" by Justin Timberlake
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This song is gonna be a big dance classic for many years to come because of how good people think it is. And I agree with these people because of how fun this song is.

48. "Bank Account" by 21 Savage
Rating: 7/10
Comments: Whatever that is in the background is the coolest part. 21 Savage isn't a bad rapper so I enjoy his parts somewhat, too.

47. "Sorry Not Sorry" by Demi Lovato
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Very cool song, just think the chorus is a little too overboard than it should be.

46. "Let Me Love You" by DJ Snake and Justin Bieber
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Every part of this is amazing, except for the drop, which is pretty underwhelming in my opinion. But aside from that, Justin Bieber sounds really good, and DJ Snake did a good job with every part other than the drop. Glad it was a hit.

45. "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man
Rating: 9/10
Comments: This isn't something I would've expected to be big, but I can't complain, because I really enjoy it.

44. "Rockabye" by Clean Bandit, Anne-Marie, and Sean Paul
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I think the single mother awareness theme here is cool, but it's not what gets my attention. The actual music is what does that. The song is very fun and although I could do without Sean Paul, Anne-Marie sounds amazing and helps a lot to make the song amazing.

43. "Side To Side" by Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Really catchy guitar in the background, and really good vocals by Ariana Grande here. My second favorite song off of Dangerous Woman, only to the truly amazing "Into You".

42. "Paris" by The Chainsmokers
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Not their best song (maybe not even close), but it's still amazing. Andrew Taggart and the female (not sure what her name is) both sound great, especially together.

41. "Bad Things" by Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello
Rating: 8/10
Comments: MGK's rapping is really good as usual, but is the chorus really ripped off from Fastball's hit song "Out of My Head" like that? It sounds good, though.

40. "Castle On The Hill" by Ed Sheeran
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This is much, much better than "Shape of You" in my opinion. If only this song was the hugely successful song instead of that.

39. "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift
Rating: 5/10
Comments: The pre-chorus is pretty much the only good thing about this song. Other than that, this style doesn't really fit Taylor Swift in my opinion, and I'm pretty sure that this is a diss track aimed at Kanye West, which is never something I'd like to hear. I'm sort of glad this song kept "Despacito" from breaking the record for the most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, however.

38. "Don't Wanna Know" by Maroon 5 and Kendrick Lamar
Rating: 9/10
Comments: It's catchy, and I love Kendrick Lamar's verse a lot.

37. "Fake Love" by Drake
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I prefer "Portland" to this, but I still like it.

36. "Strip That Down" by Liam Payne and Quavo
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Good song for Liam Payne's first song since One Direction's hiatus. Shows how he's grown up now pretty well.

35. "Bounce Back" by Big Sean
Rating: 7/10
Comments: I Decided. was a pretty good album, and this was one of the highlights off of it.

34. "I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd and Daft Punk
Rating: 10/10
Comments: The Weeknd has a lot of good songs, but this one might be my favorite. Daft Punk did a good job on the production, and The Weeknd slayed his vocals as usual. I'm glad this song was very popular because it definitely deserves it because of how good it is.

33. "Love On The Brain" by Rihanna
Rating: 6/10
Comments: It feels extremely dated to me, but hey, at least it's not the trash that is "Work".

32. "Slow Hands" by Niall Horan
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I liked this a lot better than "This Town", and I'm glad this was the bigger hit. It has a lot more to it.

31. "1-800-273-8255" by Logic, Alessia Cara, and Khalid
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This isn't the best anti-suicide song out there, as "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind exists as well. But it's certainly a good song for that topic, especially considering it's somewhat of a rap song.

30. "Scars To Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Cool self-empowerment anthem, although it's definitely not the best out of those.

29. "Issues" by Julia Michaels
Rating: 4/10
Comments: Not a fan of this one. It's not bad, but Julia Michaels does not sound good over this bland production at all.

28. "iSpy" by KYLE and Lil Yachty
Rating: 10/10
Comments: That poppy little beat in the background says it all. It gives the song an uplifting vibe that can't be found in too many modern rap songs.

27. "It Ain't Me" by Kygo and Selena Gomez
Rating: 9/10
Comments: The chopped up vocal samples are interesting. Also, Selena Gomez sounds really good.

26. "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" by ZAYN and Taylor Swift
Rating: 7/10
Comments: Sounds weird in some parts, but overall it's good. Zayn's falsetto is annoying at first, but it gets better as the song goes on.

25. "Redbone" by Childish Gambino
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I can definitely see the hate for this, but it's a score for me. Not his best song, though.

24. "Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)" by Cardi B
Rating: 8/10
Comments: The beat in the background is really cool. Cardi B has a good flow and good rhymes as well.

23. "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" by Shawn Mendes
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This might be my favorite Shawn Mendes song on this list, or maybe period. He expresses his vocal abilities the best in this song, and that cool guitar in the background adds to it.

22. "Attention" by Charlie Puth
Rating: 8/10
Comments: That bassline makes the song really cool for me. Gives it a vibe that's hard to resist.

21. "Location" by Khalid
Rating: 5/10
Comments: Not bad, just really bland in my opinion. Khalid does sound good in this, however.

20. "Starboy" by The Weeknd and Daft Punk
Rating: 9/10
Comments: "I Feel It Coming" should've hit #1 instead of this in my opinion, but I still think this song is really good. This and "I Feel It Coming" are probably my two favorite songs off of Starboy.

19. "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane
Rating: 7/10
Comments: It has a pretty fun beat, which makes it pretty good. But nothing else can bring it up to the "great" tier for me.

18. "Wild Thoughts" by DJ Khaled, Rihanna, and Bryson Tiller
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I prefer "I'm The One" to this, but not by much. I still love the sample from Santana's hit single "Maria Maria" here, and how well Rihanna and Bryson Tiller fit over it. Glad it was a hit.

17. "Stay" by Zedd and Alessia Cara
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Really catchy beat, and Alessia Cara provides some pretty good vocals.

16. "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Another amazing comeback from 2016/2017!

15. "Unforgettable" by French Montana and Swae Lee
Rating: 10/10'
Comments: French Montana definitely knows how to make good rap music in the era of weird trap music. This might be his best song, although I also like "Bring Dem Things" and "No Stylist" a lot.

14. "Mask Off" by Future
Rating: 8/10
Comments: This is really chill, which I love to hear most of the time. That flute thing in the background sounds nice, too.

13. "XO TOUR Llif3" by Lil Uzi Vert
Rating: 9/10
Comments: The only bad thing about this is that mumbling that comes a little more than halfway through the song. Other than that, it's really good!

12. "I'm The One" by DJ Khaled, Chance The Rapper, Justin Bieber, and Quavo
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Anthem. Everyone contributes at least somewhat here. Great lead single for Khaled's album.

11. "Say You Won't Let Go" by James Arthur
Rating: 6/10
Comments: It's a bit cheesy, but somewhat cool.

10. "Congratulations" by Post Malone and Quavo
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Really fun song, I like the positivity that Post Malone has in the chorus. I also like his and Quavo's verses.

9. "Believer" by Imagine Dragons
Rating: 10/10
Comments: P̭̻̺A̤͡I̸̞̤̤̦̘N͎͉̭!̛̝̱

8. "Body Like A Back Road" by Sam Hunt
Rating: 7/10
Comments: This is a pretty big guilty pleasure. It's basically a rap song disguised as a country song, which can take some IQ to do even if it doesn't sound the best. But Sam Hunt is a really good country singer that has made much better songs than this, so it sort of sounds bad in comparison.

7. "Closer" by The Chainsmokers and Halsey
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Andrew Taggart and Halsey sound really good together. The drop is just as good.

6. "Bad and Boujee" by Migos and Lil Uzi Vert
Rating: 9/10
Comments: This song is fun! I like how that "rain drop, drop top" part was turned into a big meme.

5. "Something Just Like This" by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Chris Martin is an amazing vocalist, and no one could have done this song better than him. Didn't expect this to be in the top 5 of this chart, but I certainly won't complain.

4. "HUMBLE." by Kendrick Lamar
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Kendrick Lamar is a great rapper, as he delivers some very cool lyrics in his songs. This song is not an exception. It also has a pretty playful beat that makes it stand out from a lot of his other songs.

3. "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars
Rating: 9/10
Comments: It's not superior to "24K Magic", but it's still really good. It has a little bit of a different vibe in it, which is fun to hear.

2. "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I'm not to thrilled about this song tying the record for the most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which it shares with "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. And if you remember, I included that song on my top 25 songs of all-time list I posted earlier this month. But anyway, I think this song is really cool regardless of what records it almost broke. The Latin feel is not something I'm used to hearing in hit songs, so that was cool.

1. "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran
Rating: 8/10
Comments: It's a good song but it doesn't deserve to be the number one song of the year in my opinion, considering that it's my least favorite song in the top 5 and second-least favorite song in the top 10 of this list. But I still don't mind it, because there are worse options.



OVERALL SCORE

842/1000 = 0.842 = 84.2%



FINAL WORDS

So that wraps up this pretty long post! This chart was very fun to review, because there were a lot of really big songs on here that I had gone quite a long time without hearing them, so coming back to them was interesting. This review shows that in my opinion, 2017 was a pretty good year for music. It didn't have too high of highs, but there was only one song on this whole list that I just don't like at all, which is slightly less than I'd find on an average year-end list. I didn't expect it to be this good, but it was, and that is cool. Also, I was considering making a separate section where I'd list my 10 favorite and 10 least favorite songs on this list, but with how many 10/10s and how few low ratings I had on here, that would be difficult, so I decided not to.

But yeah, this was fun to do and I'm glad I did it. I'd like to thank anyone a lot who read it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much as I did making it. And don't forget, if you have suggestions, be sure to hit me up with them, because I would love to hear them! Thanks again and I'll be back tomorrow for another album review!

Awful Album Reviews #3: Three Days Grace - Three Days Grace

Hey guys, I have returned to the blog to review another album! Since I don't see any upcoming anniversaries or occasions to review certain albums, I'll just review a free choice album, which I might actually do pretty often on here. For the first one of these, I picked hard rock band Three Days Grace's self-titled debut album to review because it's a really cool album I think I'll really enjoy digging more into. So let's get started!



INTRODUCTION

Three Days Grace is the debut album of Canadian rockers Three Days Grace. It was released on July 22, 2003, and has been certified platinum in both Canada and the U.S. The three singles from this album are, in order, "I Hate Everything About You", "Just Like You", and "Home", with the former being their breakout hit. All three of these songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100, although none of them made the top 50 on that chart. They also peaked at numbers 2, 1, and 7, respectively, on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, and at numbers 1, 1, and 6, respectively, on Canada's rock songs chart. Pretty good for their debut album, right? Well, let's see why.



REVIEW

In my opinion, this album can be classified with three different sub-genres: Post-grunge, alternative metal, and emo rock. That's because all three of these music styles can be heard on the album pretty prominently. And that's the first thing I enjoy about this album. Because often times, albums are just classified with one genre. For example, when you think of Ariana Grande's album My Everything, the only genre that really comes to mind (at least for me) is pop, with no other subgenres. But that's not the case with Three Days Grace. It has a mix of rock sub-genres that makes it sound really good. I'm not saying that every song possesses elements of all of these genres, but the album as a whole definitely does.

As far as the singles go, I think that a mostly good job was done picking those. "I Hate Everything About You" works best as the lead single in my opinion, and if I had the option to change that I wouldn't. I'm glad that "Home" was a single as well, because I think it represents the album's emo side the best. "Just Like You" is a good single choice as well, although it's not the best of them. But I think that with an album as stacked as this one, three singles isn't enough. Personally, I would've released "I Hate Everything About You" as the lead single, then "Home", then something like "Burn", then "Just Like You". But I won't complain that it wasn't done that way, because at least "I Hate Everything About You" was still the lead single and "Home" was still a single, period.

As for the album as a whole, the alternative metal theme isn't something I'm used to hearing, so a switch-up in my listening habits for that was certainly nice. I can see why someone wouldn't like this album, though, because harder rock is certainly not for everyone. But then again, this album is also proof that not every song or album out there is lighter pop, rap, or country music, and that harder stuff does exist and people do enjoy it. I do not know why, but this album is just so satisfying to listen to, and it's perfect for any occasion in my life. The mixing of themes, the hard guitars, the hard vocals, the fact that there are no weird skits or 10-minute long songs with hidden tracks, you know, all of it is so good to me. Just one or two sentences can't really justify that, so let's look at each song and see that way.



TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEWS

1. "Burn"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I actually really enjoy this one! It's the perfect song to start off the album in my opinion.

2. "Just Like You"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Cool choice for a single in my opinion. I think the chorus can stick pretty easily, which is what got me into this song.

3. "I Hate Everything About You"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This was the song that got me into Three Days Grace, so I obviously enjoy it quite a bit. I like how it starts off with not too many instruments, builds up slightly, then goes right into that super hard chorus. Very satisfying to me.

4. "Home"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I don't know why but this just sounds so...good. I don't know if it's the heavy guitars or the fun yelling or what, it's just a really enjoyable listen for me all-around.

5. "Scared"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This sounds to me like the start of the bridge to the One-X era. The more uptempo vibe and the catchy riffs really grab my attention here.

6. "Let You Down"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: This is a pretty cool and catchy song, but I personally prefer "Let You Down" by NF.

7. "Now or Never"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Something feels missing here. I don't know what or why, but that's just the way it is. Still a good song, however.

8. "Born Like This"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: That guitar in the background tho.

9. "Drown"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: None

10. "Wake Up"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: The chorus seems all in place for some reason. Good job on that I guess.

11. "Take Me Under"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Really hooky chorus here. Draws me into the song like most great choruses do.

12. "Overrated"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: I remember this song getting into my head after I listened to the album a time or two, which is pretty cool. But I feel like it could have a little more to it.



ALBUM RANKDOWN

1. "I Hate Everything About You"
2. "Home"
3. "Burn"
4. "Scared"
5. "Take Me Under"
6. "Born Like This"
7. "Overrated"
8. "Just Like You"
9. "Let You Down"
10. "Wake Up"
11. "Drown"
12. "Now or Never"



OVERALL SCORE

116.5/120 = 9.7/10 = 0.97083333 = 97.083333%



FINAL WORDS

In short, this was a very enjoyable listen for me! The hard rock sound here clicks with me perfectly. But just a reminder: Just because I love the album doesn't mean you will, because hard rock certainly isn't for everyone. But if you think you want to see what real hard rock sounds like, then you can listen to the album on Spotify here or on YouTube here.

And that wraps up this review! Thank you for stopping by, because I really appreciate that. Also, before I sign off, I need suggestions! Suggestions for albums or charts to review will certainly do, and if you request and idea that gets featured in a post, I will shout you out in that post. If you have those, then don't be afraid to hit me up in the comments here or in my Discord DMs (@! Slayer69 !#8631), because it will do you way more good than harm! So yeah, thanks for reading and have an amazing rest of your day and week! :)

Awful Album Reviews #2: The Offspring - Americana

What's up guys, I'm back on here to do another album review! This time, I'll be digging into The Offspring's album Americana because it turns twenty years old today! This should be a quick and fun review because I know every song on it pretty well, so I don't have to form opinions as the album goes on. So yeah, hope you guys enjoy! And be sure to hit me up with your suggestions if you have any!


INTRODUCTION

Americana is the fifth studio album by The Offspring. Initially released on November 17, 1998, or twenty years from today, this album spawned three hit singles: "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)", "Why Don't You Get A Job?", and "The Kids Aren't Alright", with "She's Got Issues" being a minor alternative hit as well. It has sold more than ten million copies around the world with five million of them being in the U.S., therefore granting it a 5x platinum certification. This album, which is the band's last to contain a hidden track, was supported by a worldwide tour and a performance at Woodstock 1999. So why was this album so popular, you ask? Well, let's jump right into it and see.



REVIEW

Unlike albums like Conspiracy of One and Splinter (which I might review soon, by the way), I can remember the first time I listened to this album in full. It was around a month and a half ago, when I was curious as to what starting an album phase (where I'd pretty much only listen to albums) was like. This phase began when I decided to listen to this album after enjoying the first three singles from it. Around that time, I barely listened to albums because I often got extremely bored throughout them. But I really enjoyed this album on the first listen. I was captivated throughout the whole thing because pretty much every song was so upbeat and fun. I still listen to this album a lot today, not only because of that phase, but also because of how good it actually is.

The first, and most, noticeable thing about this album to me was the punk style in it. I noticed the theme that was going around in most of the songs, mainly the album tracks, and thought, "Hey, maybe this is that iconic punk sound that this band is so famous for." Turns out, I was right. Some true punk songs off the album such as "No Brakes" and "Staring At The Sun" didn't stick with me from the first listen, but stuck eventually because they are what define the album in my opinion. They didn't make their way into my rotation, but I still thought they were worth listening to at times. In fact, the only ones that did make their way into my rotation, or might have already been in my rotation, were the three big singles off of it. The other one is the reprise of "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)", which is a hidden track on every format except digital download. I don't know why, but I really enjoyed that reprise, although it was only a minute long. I did, and in fact still do, have it on regular rotation, and it remains as one of my most played Offspring songs to this day. Anyway, I think the overall punk sound on the album is pretty cool, although it's a little too hardcore for my daily rotation. I also find it interesting how the only songs that don't really sound like that, aside from the eight minute long "Pay the Man" and "Pretty Fly (Reprise)", are the four singles. Pretty much every other song on the album has that sound, and you can tell that when you listen to it. And I enjoy it quite a bit. It's what makes the album iconic in its own way.

Also, I think the single choices were great as well. The four songs that sound the least like this punk sound were the four singles, and I think that is good because the harder songs would not be very radio-friendly. And uncoincidentally, these four singles ended up being my top 4 favorite songs from the album. But why, exactly, are they up there? Let's dig into each track and see.



TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEWS

1. "Welcome"
Rating: N/A
Comments: Not a bad intro to start off the album. But I won't rate it since it's only 9 seconds long.

2. "Have You Ever"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: The beat switch in this one tho. Definitely the best part.

3. "Staring At The Sun"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: The true punk sound on this album is showcased on here perfectly. It's just a little too overboard for me to have on rotation.

4. "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I C O N I C

5. "The Kids Aren't Alright"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: If you want a full, detailed explanation as to why I love this song, then check out my top 25 songs of all-time post for that. But in short, the guitars are amazing, the vocals are amazing, and the lyrics are amazing here. If I had to pick a favorite song from them I would immediately turn to this.

6. "Feelings"
Rating: 8.5/10
Comments: It's a weird song for sure, but that doesn't mean it's bad. One part I do enjoy is the slight beat switch at the end.

7. "She's Got Issues"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This is exactly the type of song I wished would be a single off the album! It flows very well and that chorus is awesome.

8. "Walla Walla"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Like "Staring At The Sun", this song is one of those album tracks that really helps define the album in my opinion. It's not an amazing song, but it is something I can have fun listening to every once in a while.

9. "The End of the Line"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: This is a track that catches my attention. However, this is just me, but I think it would fit better on Conspiracy of One than this album. I still love it, though.

10. "No Brakes"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Everything I said about "Staring At The Sun" also applies to this. Nothing else to say.

11. "Why Don't You Get A Job?"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: I enjoy this song, but I'm not sure if it's really single material. But then again, I'm unsure if any of the harder punk songs on here would work as singles either. Either way, I think the song is just really catchy and fun.

12. "Americana"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Just like "Staring At The Sun" and "No Brakes", this is a perfect example of the punk sound on this album.

13. "Pay the Man"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I think this is really good for an 8-minute long song. My attention remains with the song for most of the time, surprisingly.

14 (or the end of 13 if it's not digital download). "Pretty Fly (Reprise)"
Rating: N/A
Comments: It's a very cool reprise that I didn't hesitate to start listening to regularly after I discovered it. However, since it's not really an actual song I won't include it in the ratings for the rest of the album.



ALBUM RANKDOWN

1. "The Kids Aren't Alright"
2. "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
3. "She's Got Issues"
4. "Why Don't You Get A Job?"
5. "The End of the Line"
6. "Have You Ever"
7. "Americana"
8. "No Brakes"
9. "Staring At The Sun"
10. "Pay the Man"
11. "Walla Walla"
12. "Feelings"

I love every song, though. I just had to rank them.



OVERALL SCORE

112/120 = 9.3333/10 = 0.9333333 = 93.3%



FINAL WORDS

This album is very good and it is a very fun listen, whether you like punk rock or not! If you were like I used to be and get very bored while listening to albums, then don't be afraid to give this one a shot, because it's anything but boring. You can check it out on Spotify here or on YouTube here.

Also, I know that my overall score for this album is slightly less than that of Conspiracy of One, but that's just a number, as I think Americana is overall the better album. The punk sound going on here is too iconic to turn down, and we see way more of that on Americana than we do on Conspiracy of One, so even if the score disagrees I think Americana is the more superior album. So yeah, really all I have to say about this one. Thanks for reading and see you wonderful music fans next time!

Terrible Top 10s #1: 2000

Hey guys, and I'm back again for another post! This is the start of a series I'll be doing on this blog called Terrible Top 10s, which is basically a top 10 list of anything based on my opinion. It can be of a year, an artist, an album, an era, or anything like that. I'll be doing a lot of these, so if you like this one then you're in good hands. Anyways, let's get into the first one!

INTRODUCTION

2000 was an amazing year for music. We saw the dominating comeback of Santana, the first time in a while where the #1 song of the year didn't actually hit #1, and the release of lots of great music by many great artists. And this post is going to acknowledge those songs by making a top 10 list out of them. However, there is one issue with this year I have that will affect this post: A lot of the time, if I'm doing a top 10 list for a year, like this, I will only use songs that were on the year-end list for that year for certain reasons. But I will not be doing that for this list, because a lot of the songs that make 2000 such a great year weren't huge hits and didn't make that list. So while most of the songs from this list did appear on the year-end list, there are a couple on here that weren't on there, and that's okay because they're great either way. Just putting that out there if you're confused by a couple of songs on the list. Enough said, let's get to it!

10. Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want

I was pretty close to not including this song considering all of the goodies that we got throughout the year 2000. But I remembered how much I enjoyed it and how much of a good job I thought these guys did on it, and that made me change my mind. If you listen to this song, 9 times out of 10 the first thing that catches your ears is that catchy guitar riff that starts at the very beginning and continues throughout the whole song. That is what hooked me in from the first listen and still plays a huge part in making the song what it is. I also liked the acoustic guitar that comes in after a couple bars of the main riff in the intro. It adds to the song some as well. It stays at a low energy level throughout the verses, when those great vocals come in. But when the chorus hits, that's when it gets truly amazing. I can't really explain why, it just feels like that to me. When that hits by the first chorus, that amazing vibe stays with me for the rest of the song, which is what makes it what it is for me. It also makes me miss how good music used to be, mainly because the guitars (which are very rarely used in music nowadays) are so good here. It's not quite in my top 100 songs ever, but it is good enough that I can say it's one of my favorite songs of this amazing year.

9. Everclear - Wonderful
I might get some hate for this choice, just because not everyone loves this band. But I do, and I thought this song was good enough to include here. It might not click with you from the first listen, as that was certainly the case with me. But when I did finally get into it, it wasn't just any other song to me. First of all, I think this might be Art Alexakis's best vocal performance, even with the existence of songs like "I Will Buy You A New Life" and "Everything To Everyone". The other thing is the story behind it. Wikipedia says that the song is about, "a divorce as perceived by a child. Each verse of the song corresponds to a different stage of the divorce. The first verse describes the child hearing their parents fight as they try to block it out, remembering what it was like before their parents began to fight. The second verse describes the child going to school and pretending to their friends that everything is all right at home, despite what is heard in the first verse. The bridge describes the child lashing out at their parents, not wanting to comprehend that their parents have begun to grow apart and date other people." It's not necessarily something that does anything for me, but I'm really impressed at how well it was put into song form here, especially with each verse being about a different stage of the situation. And like I'd say with a lot of songs, when everything here is fit together, the song sounds just like its title: Wonderful! Overall great song, I wish I could put it higher, but that shows how great of a year 2000 was I guess.

8. Eminem - The Real Slim Shady
It might be a little surprising that this is only #8 on this list, because it sees like I would love it way more. But to be honest, I was on the fence about whether or not to include this in the first place, and I did. So here we are. Anyway, I think just one word can describe this song: Iconic. It sounds that way when listened to, and it is that way. The verses aren't supposed to mean too much, as the song's Wikipedia page says that its genre is "comedy hip hop". So if you think that what he said about all of the celebrities he mentioned was bothering, it's just a joke, so it's fine. The chorus is what's iconic. It's very catchy and very easy to get stuck in your head. In fact, it's so iconic that it was parodied and covered so many times by many different TV shows, music artists, and even by political figures and sports teams. Very cool. I think the beat is fun as well, considering that it's been used for many different things, too. The song wouldn't really be the same without it. Other than that, there's the video, which won two VMAs because of how well it imitated the song. I like it and think it represents the song's lyrics very well. So in short, this song is iconic and sounds very good with everything put together, and while this isn't Em's best song, it's one worth listening to.

7. Santana/Rob Thomas - Smooth
It shouldn't be a surprise to see this, considering it spent a lot of weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and is ranked as the 2nd-best performing song of all-time by them. And just one listen can present all of the icony that lives in this song. There's that guitar riff that makes the song sound really catchy, and the fact that it's a pretty simple love song. But what I enjoy about it is rather than someone like George Michael that was hugely popular in the 80s, Santana chose a much better 90s rock vocalist to be in this song, and in my opinion Rob Thomas handled this song better than anyone else who could've been picked. And I'm not just saying that because it made his band more popular, he actually made this song a lot better than it would've been otherwise. And that says a lot. Aside from all this I'm unsure of what else to say. It's a very cool song that deserved every bit of its success it got. I would've put it higher, but 2000 was a stacked year.

6. Incubus - Drive
Yes, I know, this song technically shouldn't be on this list, because it peaked in 2001 and was pretty high on that year-end list. But it was released closer to 2000 than 2001, and I don't see myself doing a top 10 list of 2001 anytime soon, so I'll go ahead and put it on here. As for the actual song, I think the vocals provided by Brandon Boyd do a lot here. He is very talented and definitely puts that talent to good use in his band's songs. I think those vocals added with the cool acoustics play a huge part in making this song so good. And like a lot of songs, the chorus is the best part here. Really good song to sum up. It's between this and "Megalomaniac" for my favorite Incubus song, and I don't know which to pick because they're both so good, so let's leave it at that.

5. Kid Rock - Only God Knows Why
Kid Rock shows up on a top list of mine yet again. I could get some hate here because not too many people outside of myself are fans of him. But I don't care. I love this song. The first 2-3 minutes don't really do much for me, which is why it took me a while to get into this one. But when Kid Rock's tone of voice changes, it makes the song a LOT more exciting, so much that it made me love it a lot. I don't even know why, that's just the way it is. The best part is the "ONLY GOD KNOWS WHY" part for sure. I can sort of see why some people would hate it. Not just because it's Kid Rock, but he sings about some questionable stuff in it too. But the song sounds great to me and that's all that matters! I'm glad it was somewhat of a hit because there weren't too many Kid Rock songs that crossed over to the mainstream. But this song is great so I'm glad it's one of the ones that did.

4. Creed - Higher
Here's another song by an artist that is not too well-liked among music fans. But unlike with Kid Rock, I never really understood the hate for Creed. They sound just like any other awesome hard rock band to me. And while I do like their biggest hit "With Arms Wide Open" to some extent, I'm very glad that this song appeared higher on the 2000 year end list because it's much better in my opinion. Just like a lot of songs I like, it doesn't really do anything personal for me. It's just a fun little listen that's hard to get tired of. It's very upbeat and contains a lot of energy throughout, which makes a great song for me 99% of the time. Scott Stapp also sounds pretty good in here. So yeah, love this song, love the energy in it, and love the fact that it was a pretty big hit. It's probably my favorite Creed song because it's the one I'm most familiar with. But I'm not sure. Maybe I could do a top 10 for them someday and see.

3. 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite
If I'm being totally honest, there's really only one reason why I put this song this high on the list. But we'll get to that in a minute. The song itself sounds really amazing. The riff that goes on throughout sounds really nice (and it's easy to play on a guitar, too). I enjoy Brad Arnold's voice throughout the song as well. Additionally, the whole "superman" thing sounds nice in the chorus. But yeah, all that sounds cool, but that's not too much of why I put it this high. Let's flash back to summer 2017 and see. I was a dumb teenager, like a lot of people are at that age, so I was right in the peak of my trap-rap phase then. By that I mean I literally only listened to trap music and didn't really have anything from other genres I could call a favorite. My favorite artists were Migos, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert, Drake, you know, those kind of people. Despite these obsessions, however, I decided to do the rankdown for the 2000s decade-end chart which was hosted on Pulse Music Boards. Sometime in July of that year, the day came for me to start listening to the songs on it, and when I shuffled the playlist, I'm pretty sure this was the first song that came up on it. I didn't think I'd enjoy very many of the alternative rock songs on the list, but while listening to this song, all I was thinking was stuff like, "Holy hell, this is so good!" But little did I know that this discovery would be the earliest signs of my shift from loving only trap music to loving and listening to pretty much all kinds of music. Anyways, let's not get too much more into that, because there could be another time where that discussion would be useful. Let's talk about this song. But yeah, the song sort of means something to me because of what happened there, so much that I still try to listen to it often today. And that's why I have it in the top 3 of my list. In a normal year, this could've been #1, but 2000 was not a normal year, so there are two songs released around then that are slightly better. So let's talk about those two songs.

2. Savage Garden - Crash and Burn
I was so unbelievably close to putting this at #1 on here, just because it sounds so cool. But even though I didn't, it's still a pretty good song. And I don't really know what brought me to love it in the first place, if I'm honest. I just remember that I started to love it and a few other songs from them one day. Now onto the song. I think the production is really cool here, which is one thing I like about Savage Garden. They have some pretty catchy songs out there, some of which have what's in the background as the highlight in my opinion. This song is no exception. The actual music in this stands out a whole lot, just as much as extremely catchy songs such as "I Want You". Also, like I said in my introductory post, I think Darren Hayes is a very talented vocalist that brings light to songs that wouldn't be as good without him singing in it. That's why I love songs like "Truly Madly Deeply", and it's part of why I love songs like this. To add, the meaning behind this track isn't something that captivated me from the start, but it is worth taking a look at. This song's Wikipedia page has a whole section on the meaning of this song, which says that the song is about, "the difficult search for solace and meaningful relationships in a cold world, peaking in a chorus that argues it is fine to 'crash and burn' during tough times in order to get over heartache and pain." Now that's just cool. And remember in my introductory post when I said I love songs that were written by someone who seems to have a pretty high intelligence level? Well, this is an example of that. Another thing is that according to Wikipedia, Darren said once that the lyrics of the song are, "all the words I wished someone would have said to me during the period after the first Savage Garden album." Basically, he's writing a song with words he really wanted someone to tell him during that time period. Not everyone out there is capable of that, so that's pretty cool. So yeah, I think I've said enough. This is a pretty genius song for sure, and it is performed with great vocals over a very catchy and well-produced instrumental, which always makes for a great song for me. I know that "I Knew I Loved You" was the biggest hit off of Affirmation, but this song is much, much better than that in my opinion, so I'm glad it got some recognition.






...so nine songs and explanations later, we are moments away from the #1 spot on this list, which is what I would call the best song released in or just before the year 2000. As much as I love all of these nine songs I just talked about, this masterpiece of a song just barely overtakes all of them to gain the title of my favorite song of 2000. But what could it be? Could it be a random one-hit wonder song that blew up the charts when not many people expected it to? Could it be what Billboard called the number one song of 2000? Could it make an artist double up on this list, or even better, form an all-Savage Garden top 2? Well maybe...











...you're wrong.

1. Method Man & Redman - Da Rockwilder
Yep, you read that right. This seemingly random underground rap song is one that I would call my favorite song of an awesome year for music. But I don't care. THIS SONG IS SO GOOD! It might not sound good to you because rap isn't the most loved genre out there, but it is definitely a score for me. And the thing is, unlike the other two songs in the top 3, it doesn't have any special meaning or personal connection that I care about. It's just...fun! The beat is fun, the flow is fun, and the high energy level makes it even more fun! And I love fun songs, so this is a perfect fit for my playlists. In fact, the only slight problem I have with it is that it's really short, at only around 2 minutes and 15 seconds long. But I just turn that into a positive thing, as that makes it easier to listen to the song multiple times in a row. I always feel so good when listening to it because it's so upbeat and fun. The beat, which was produced by Rockwilder (hence the song's title) helps with that a lot. When it goes past that intro and breaks into the song, that's cool. It flows nicely throughout Method Man's verse, which I'd like to take a look at because I love his lyricism.

"Microphone checka, swingin' sword lecture
Closin' down the sector, supreme neck protector
Better warn 'em kid, Mr. Meth's a boiling pot
About to blow his lid from the pressure, too hot for TV
For sheesy, too many wanna be hard be easy
It's all N'together, going all out together
It don't take much to please me
Still homes I'm never satisfied like the Stones
We don't condone bitin' see them skull and crossbones"

This is just so cool. He uses all the right rhymes and puts them together perfectly in what is a perfect example of a rap verse. And oh yeah, this is just a sample of what he has to offer. The verse continues on with just as good of rhymes and just as good of a flow. But things really get lit when Redman comes in and starts delivering his verse. Here's a sample of that:

"Yo, I was going 2 buck we roam, cellular phones
Doc-Meth back in the flesh, blood and bones
Don't condone, spend bank loans on homegrown
Suckers break like Turbo and Ozone
When I, grab the broom
Moon-walk platoon hawk my goons bark
Leave you in a blue lagoon lost (true)
Three nines in the glove with Masu, D-Don and The Gov'
Right behind on a bus"

Pretty cool, huh? Well, the song is even better than these verses sound like, because it also has that fire beat and that amazing buildup throughout. Redman's vocals are also amazing in his verse. These things all flow with each other extremely well, and like I've said many times before, this all makes for a pretty awesome song. It's just the type of song that I can listen to on repeat for extended periods of time, and get hype to pretty much whenever. You might not love it, but I definitely do. Thank you, Red and Meth, for making this good of a song for me to listen to whenever. I really appreciate that.






And with that, we are now through with this post! If you made it this far, then thank you for reading it, because I love every fan I get here. If you are curious as to what I'm talking about when I discuss the good qualities of these songs, you can easily listen to them via the YouTube embeds I provided when introducing each song. You don't have to do that, but if you're searching for some awesome songs to listen to, then you've come to the right place. I'm not sure when I'll get another post out, so until then, thanks for reading and have a great rest of your day! :)

Awful Album Reviews #1: The Offspring - Conspiracy of One

Hey music fans, I am back here for another post! This is the start of a new series I am doing called Awful Album Reviews, which is basically where I review an album of my or your choice! I will be doing these quite often, so if there's an album you'd like to see me review then leave your suggestions in the comments or in my Discord DMs (username is @! Slayer69 !#8631) because I would love to hear them. So yeah, let's start with the first review!



INTRODUCTION

Conspiracy of One is the sixth album released by punk rockers The Offspring. This album, which was the band's last with longtime drummer Ron Welty, debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200, and despite it not being successful as its predecessor Americana, it was certified platinum by the RIAA in the US. Tomorrow, which is November 14, marks the 18th anniversary of this album, so that's why I am here to give it a review! This should be a good test album for these reviews, so let's get right into it!



REVIEW

I can't exactly remember when I first listened to the album, probably around a month or two ago or something. It was not my first Offspring album, but it wasn't my last either. I thought it would be pretty good, but not as good as albums like Americana or Smash. Turns out I was sort of right. More on that later. Anyways, the first thing about this album that caught my ears was the third track, which is the album's most successful single, "Original Prankster". At first I thought it would be cool because it featured rapper and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Redman, who has made some pretty good music in the past. But it wasn't just that. Everything about the song sounded so well to me, so much that Redman's contributions became a minority. And that right there is what captivated me and made me excited to hear more.

Aside from "Original Prankster", the album had a few other songs I kept on rotation for some time, including "Come Out Swinging", "Million Miles Away", "Dammit, I Changed Again", and "Special Delivery". And today, those five songs remain as my personal top five favorite songs from the album. Unfortunately, though, only two of those five were released as singles, which is one downside to the album in my opinion. I feel like the single choices were sort of weak, as the three main ones were "Original Prankster", "Want You Bad", and "Million Miles Away". There's also "Defy You", which charted on the Billboard Hot 100. I think "Want You Bad" is a great song, but not in the top five best off of the album, and I could say the same for "Defy You". Personally, if I had to pick the singles, I would have chosen "Original Prankster" as the lead, "Million Miles Away" as a promo singles, and then release "Dammit, I Changed Again" and "Special Delivery" after the album was out. That's just me, though.

As for the album as a whole, I think the punk theme going here is very interesting and fun to listen to. There are pretty much only upbeat songs on here, and while I certainly don't mind slower songs, most of the time I prefer more upbeat ones, like the ones on this album. That works out very well for me. Also, I think Dexter Holland has some great vocal performances on this album, which really helps to make it what it is. Noodles also strikes again by matching his riffs well with the songs and Dexter's vocals. I'm not sure about what the lyrics of all the songs could equal, but I have an idea of what the album title could have to do with those. And my only two real issues with some songs on the album are that they sound slightly too hardcore and that they could have slightly more to them. However, the key word here is "slightly", which comes to show how much I enjoy this album. But how and why did I enjoy this album exactly? Let's look into that with a short review of each track.



TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEWS:

1. "Intro"
Rating: N/A
Comments: It's a very cool introduction, although it's only six seconds long. What's funny is if you'd play it just before a very weird song, such as 6ix9ine's "GUMMO". That might seem weird, but you'll see what I'm talking about if you did that. Nothing else to say about this.

2. "Come Out Swinging"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Very catchy song for sure. My only problem is that it feels slightly too hardcore, which I'm not sure fits into this album. But everything else is on point.

3. "Original Prankster"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Everything about this is just so fun! The keyboards do a perfect job of making it sound uplifting and happy, plus the fact that Dexter sounds very excited throughout the song. I also enjoy Redman's contributions.

4. "Want You Bad"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: I think this is very good, it just feels slightly underwhelming for some reason. Not sure why. I'm fine with it as a single, I would just prefer something like "Dammit, I Changed Again".

5. "Million Miles Away"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Everything just clicks right together here and makes the song sound amazing. Also I'm not sure why but it sounds like a perfect promo single for this album.

6. "Dammit, I Changed Again"
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I love everything about this song! The riffs are very catchy and when Dexter booms out that chorus, it's amazing! This is what real punk music sounds like to me, and real punk music is always awesome.

7. "Living In Chaos"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: The guitar riff is the main thing that draws me into this one. It is somewhat forgettable in my opinion but I wish to get that feeling away because it's a great song.

8. "Special Delivery"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: A great punk vibe lies in this song, although I feel like it should have slightly more to it. One thing I love for some reason is that bridge, where Dexter repeatedly says, "You can't kill a man when he's got no hope". Does a great job of building up to that last chorus.

9. "One Fine Day"
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Really cool guitar riff here. But just like "Come Out Swinging", I feel like this is slightly too hardcore, although the song is good.

10. "All Along"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: For some reason I feel like this is a lite combination of "Dammit, I Changed Again" and "No Brakes" from Americana. It's not as good as either of those two songs, but it's an enjoyable listen.

11. "Denial, Revisited"
Rating: 8.5/10
Comments: Cool song, but my issue with it is that I don't think this is a type of song that The Offspring should've done. It feels like more of a mid-2000s emo-type thing. But they did do it, and they mostly did it well.

12. "Vultures"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Pretty chill song, which isn't something you hear from a punk band every day.

13. "Conspiracy of One"
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Really catchy and hooky, just slightly too hardcore for me.



ALBUM RANKDOWN

1. "Original Prankster"
2. "Dammit, I Changed Again"
3. "Million Miles Away"
4. "Special Delivery"
5. "Come Out Swinging"
6. "Conspiracy of One"
7. "Want You Bad"
8. "Vultures"
9. "Living In Chaos"
10. "All Along"
11. "One Fine Day"
12. "Denial, Revisited"



OVERALL SCORE

114/120 = 9.5/10 = 0.95 = 95%



FINAL WORDS

To sum up, I really enjoyed this album! There were lots of catchy tracks with great instrumentation and vocals on it for sure. It's definitely not my favorite Offspring album, but it was a very enjoyable listen that I would be excited to listen to again. If you want to hear the goodness for yourself, you can take a listen to the album on YouTube here or on Spotify here. But until then, that wraps up this post, and I'll see you guys next time!

Introduction post: The 25 best songs I have heard in my life!

Hey guys, and welcome to the first post on this new blog. On here, I won't be reviewing weekly charts or anything, I'll just be posting random reviews whenever I feel like it. So don't be expecting a post every week like you're used to on most blogs, because that most likely won't happen here.

Anyways, my first post is going to be a simple but interesting post: Talking about my 25 favorite songs of all-time. I thought about this for quite a long time, and eventually decided on 25 songs to use for this list. However, my music taste has change a lot since I last blogged, so don't expect to see all of your favorite 2010s trap and dance-pop jams on here. Most of these songs are from the 1990s and 2000s, and to be exact, there are 14 songs from the 1990s, 6 from the 2000s, 4 from the 2010s, and the last one is from the 1980s. If you're an average blogger from this community that's used to blogging about modern countdowns and charts, you will most likely not know a lot of these songs, so I will be posting YouTube embeds instead of album/single covers when announcing the song so you'll have an excuse to listen to them. I also have a Spotify playlist of these 25 songs for you to listen to if you prefer to use Spotify. It can be found on the sidebar right next to you if you're interested. But yeah, I highly recommend all of these songs for anyone who's looking for great music to listen to.

Before we dive in to the list, however, I would like to give a disclaimer. I love all 25 of these songs so much and they were extremely difficult to rank, so if there's a song or two or three you wanted to see higher or not sure why they're so high, just keep in mind that I have no real preferences and just ranked them because I had to. Also, three more things. One, I did have ten honorable mentions I was going to include, but I scrapped them at the last minute because I felt like the post would be too long with them. If you're interested in seeing them (and maybe more) in a future post, probably a part two to this list, let me know. Secondly, I apologize if my explanations for the songs are short and/or bad, I haven't done this in a while so I'm not used to doing it often. I'll try to improve on that in the future. And third, if you're a 2010s kid who knows nothing about 1990s or 2000s music, you don't have an excuse to say you haven't heard the songs because of the YouTube embeds and Spotify playlist. Just a quick listen to the songs you don't know and you'll be good. You'll love at least a handful of them, I promise. Enough said, now let's get to the list!

25. Lifehouse - Hanging By A Moment
There were many post-grunge songs from the early 2000s that were big hits and appeared on lots of charts, including Nickelback's How You Remind Me, 3 Doors Down's Kryptonite, Creed's With Arms Wide Open, Vertical Horizon's Everything You Want, Matchbox Twenty's Bent, and this. And while I do love all of those songs, this is without a doubt the best of all them. It has that weird amazing feel in it, unlike all of those other songs. And although I think Brad Arnold and Rob Thomas are better vocalists in general than Jason Wade, Wade shows his vocal abilities the best here. It also has a really energetic chorus that you won't find in those other 5 songs mentioned. And I think the other elements in the song fit really well together and contribute to how good it is. I won't go into detail about that, but I will say that it's sort of a standout from the rest of Lifehouse's discography. While I am disappointed that this never hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it deserves the honor of the most popular song of 2001 and it remains as the second-best year-end #1 of the new millennium in my opinion.

24. Katy Perry - Firework

The first of four songs popular in this decade to appear on this list, I think the lyrics say everything here. I don't usually care for lyrics in songs too much, but they're what draw me into this one. They have to do with self-empowerment, which is something I'm sure all of us will need at least once in our life. Aside from that, the song is just fun. It can be played at dances or parties or anything because it's something that you can get down to. And I like about 99.9% of songs that are like that. Combining that with amazing vocals and those lyrics makes something pretty good. This is my personal favorite song from Katy Perry, who is definitely in my top 10 artists ever, and it's probably my favorite song of 2011. Dance-pop can't get much better than this.

23. The Offspring - The Kids Aren't Alright

I doubted quite a bit about including this song, because I haven't been into the song or this band for that long. But given the HUGE phase I had with them recently, I feel as if it would be wrong to leave them out of here. I picked this song because even though it's not one of their "joke" songs that they're famous for (Pretty Fly (For a White Guy), Why Don't You Get A Job, Hit That, etc.), it showcases everything they're capable of the most. It has those extremely catchy guitar riffs, great vocals provided by the amazing Dexter Holland, and an interesting story behind it. Based on research I've done, it seems as if it's about Dexter taking a trip back to the neighborhood he grew up in, only to see lots of people he had known cross paths with misfortune or tragedy. Also, Americana, the album that this song can be found on, deals with more positive aspects of life in America, which makes this song an anomaly off of that album. Pretty genius, right? Well, I love songs written by someone that seems like they have a high IQ, which makes this song a perfect fit for this list. Catchy. Euphonious. Genius. Exactly what I need in my life.

22. Semisonic - Closing Time

Ah yes, the first of five truly amazing alternative songs from 1998 to appear on this list. It's not the best of them, but still worth including on here. Also, remember me talking about the cool meanings behind the previous two songs I mentioned? Well, if you thought that was cool, then enter the smart head of Dan Wilson, who wrote this song well enough for it to have not one, but TWO interesting meanings behind it. They are, as Songfacts says, "This song has a very literal meaning - being asked to leave a bar - but it goes much deeper than that. Semisonic lead singer Dan Wilson wrote the song when his wife was pregnant with their first child, which turned out to be a daughter named Coco. Halfway through writing the song, he realized it had a double meaning. 'It's all about being born and coming into the world, seeing the bright lights, cutting the cord, opening up into something deeper and more universal,' Wilson told Mojo." So basically, it is about the "closing time" at a bar, as the title implies, or spending your first moments in the world. It's really interesting how those two subjects can come together in this one song, and I'm impressed at how well Dan Wilson wrote it. And if you think he sounds cool, he became a very famous songwriter after Semisonic broke up, writing many hit songs such as Not Ready To Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks and Someone Like You by Adele. Very cool indeed. So yeah, this is a very great song that is a great way to start off the category of great late 90s alternative songs that will appear on this list.

21. Third Eye Blind - Jumper

"I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend..." I think this lyric is what changed my perspective on this band and turned them from a random 90s four-hit wonder to an all-time favorite for me, enough that one of these hits found a spot on this list. In fact, I would go as far as to call this my favorite song from them, as it's definitely a 90s pop-rock gem that I always think of when that category comes to mind. (And pay attention because we will be seeing quite a few more of those on here) I love the guitars in the song, and they fit very nicely with Stephan Jenkins's vocals, which are also great. And when it all has built up and comes down to the final chorus, I LOVE IT! This is the third of many flawless 90s songs that appear on this list, and while the ones to come might be slightly better than this, I still love this song a lot and the album this appears on is definitely an all-time favorite.

20. Chamillionaire/Krayzie Bone - Ridin'

The second of ten hip hop/rap songs to appear on this list is definitely one worth talking about, because the story behind it is part of what makes up my love for it. But aside from that, the song is just an anthem. I have no idea why but I love the beat a lot and think it makes the song sound like such an anthem. The chorus is also amazing and you can tell that Chamillionaire is excited to rap it. Both of his verses and Krayzie Bone's part are great as well. But that's not what I came to talk about. From how people interpret rap songs, I know that at first it sounds like he's trying to drive away from the police and not get caught with drugs in the car. If you thought the song was about him being a criminal like this, well, you're wrong. The topic of the song is the constant stereotyping of black people driving down the streets, especially in rough cities like Houston (which is where this guy is from). Whenever police see an African American driving down the streets somewhere like this, they always think that they're up to something, given how a lot of those situations ended up, and that's what Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone decided to rap about here. And they did such an amazing job at it. And honestly, from the way they wrote and composed this song, I don't think it could've been any better. Chamillionaire chose exactly the right words for a catchy chorus, and they did a great job making the song to be about this stereotype. This is a truly iconic and amazing song, and it definitely deserved to hit #1. Good job, guys.

19. Boyz II Men - End of the Road

I can't really say I'm a fan of R&B music from the 1990s. I don't dislike the R&B genre as a whole, but I find its songs to be boring often times, and a lot of 90s R&B songs are nothing but snoozefests to me. The songs made by Boyz II Men, however, are an exception. I do not know why, but their music appeals to me way more than average 90s R&B music does. And if I had to pick a favorite song from them, it's definitely this amazing ballad. And not to mention its 13 weeks at #1, which was a record at the time. Pretty impressive. As for the song itself, the production in this song is amazing. I don't know why, but it sounds very good to me and I think it fits very well with the song. And not to mention the vocals. They are exactly the kind of vocals I want to hear in an R&B song like this. Good thing they didn't just use their amazing vocals in this song and that they used them in other great hits like I'll Make Love To You and another certain song you will see someplace on this list. This song is a big reason as to why I think Boyz II Men's slow jams are way better than their upbeat songs like Motownphilly and Thank You (although those are good songs), and I recommend it even if you hate R&B music, because it's one of the best things we've ever gotten out of that genre.

18. Mariah Carey/Boyz II Men - One Sweet Day

I had my doubts about including this song on this list because I haven't been really into it for very long, but I don't think that matters considering how amazing this is. And I'm not sure if there's much explaining to do because the song kind of speaks for itself. The topic of the song is losing a loved one, and I think this is the best song I've heard with that as the topic. And this song is by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, who are probably two of my favorite R&B artists from the 90s, so I'm not surprised at now good they sound together. The song was also well-written and contributed some to how good I think it is. I'm not really sure what else to say because you can tell what's good about it just from listening to it, but I just wanted to mention that Despacito did not deserve to match this song's record of 16 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, because it is extremely inferior and only fueled by memes. This song's record should remain forever because it was highly deserved.

17. The Notorious B.I.G./Puff Daddy/Mase - Mo Money Mo Problems

If you know my taste really well, you might be surprised at how low this song is on this list, because I've said before that this is in my top 5 songs ever and top 2 90s songs ever. But times change, and it's here now. Either way, the song is very catchy and the fast-paced verses by all three of these rappers are fire and really show their talent. I also like the inspiration behind this song's title and chorus, which is the Biblical proverb "the love of money is the root of all evil". This song is interesting, to say the least, and deserved to hit #1 because of that. Sad that Biggie died so young because he had a great life and career ahead of him.

16. Run-D.M.C. - It's Tricky

The one and only 80s song to appear on this list is a rap classic that I never forget about when thinking of my all-time favorite rap songs. In fact, this is probably one of those songs that you know and have heard a lot in public places, but don't know the name of. It's a classic anthem that's played at sports games and other places like that, and I think it's perfect of those occasions. The beat, which was sampled from The Knack's hit My Sharona, is catchy and fits well with the rest of the song. And while I think the verses are good, the chorus is my favorite part. It's so infectious and gets stuck in your head really easily. I couldn't believe it only peaked in the 50s on the Hot 100, because it deserved to be way higher than that. #LongLiveJamMasterJay

15. Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply

I am a huge fan of Savage Garden, but I'm not sure why. I don't know whether it's the amazing vocals from Darren Hayes or the catchy instrumentals provided by Daniel Jones, but I have never disliked a song from them, because they're that good. If I had to pick a favorite song from them, it would definitely be this, even over some amazing songs like Affirmation, To The Moon and Back, I Want You, Crash and Burn, Chained To You, Carry On Dancing, etc. And the weird part is, I can do long explanations as to why most of those six songs I just mentioned are amazing, but I can't come up with much for this. I love the production in it for some reason, and Darren sounds great as usual. I don't care for the lyrics, but I think the chorus is awesome for some reason. I'm not really sure what else to say other than that this is probably my second favorite song on the Billboard Decade-End Chart for the 1990s, behind another certain song I'll get to in a minute, and my third favorite song on the all-time chart behind that song I just mentioned and another popular 2000s song. But yeah.

14. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis/Ray Dalton - Can't Hold Us

There was a time when I would get really excited when I'd hear Macklemore's name, and it was largely because of his work with Ryan Lewis that included this song. Sure, they have other jams like Thrift Shop, White Walls, and Downtown, and Macklemore had Glorious as a solo artist, but those songs don't compare to this. In fact, Macklemore's verses in this song might be the best I've heard from a white rapper other than Eminem. But the fun doesn't really start until the chorus, which gives the song its reputation in my opinion. It's so uplifting and the vocals used to sing it are also great. The beat also contributes to that. I'm so glad this song and this rapper/duo were as successful as they were, because it was well-deserved.

13. Matchbox Twenty - Real World

This criminally underrated single from this band's debut album was one I made sure to include, regardless of where I thought it would be on the list. And if you want an idea of how robbed it was, it only peaked at #38 on the Hot 100. That's pretty weak considering that Back 2 Good hit the top 25 and Push and 3AM technically were top 5 hits, and this is better than two of those songs (little spoiler for later maybe?). Anyway, like most songs on this list and in general, I like the chorus the most, mainly because of the amazing vocals and the "yeeeeah" part at the beginning of it. The verses aren't nothing, though, because as Wikipedia says, "The song was written by lead singer Rob Thomas, and details him wondering about what it would be like if he lived in various settings other than the current one, including a superhero, a rainmaker, and being a boss at a job, and if they would worsen or improve his life." I love this theme for some reason, and Rob Thomas is a genius for writing a song about it, and recording it in such an amazing way. I'm quite confused as to why I think the Yourself or Someone Like You era was my favorite from Matchbox Twenty, because it was their debut and they weren't too experienced, along with some other things I won't mention. But a little spoiler I'll give is that one other song from that album will appear on here somewhere soon. So get excited for that, I guess. Moving on for now.

12. Kid Rock - Born Free

I might get some hate for this one, just because it's Kid Rock and every music fan should know about his bad reputation and all that. But I don't care, because I absolutely love this song. Actually, it might be the only song I remember hearing a lot in my childhood (my dad would play his album of the same name a lot when I was around) that's on this list. I loved it when I was younger, and I love it now. If you love Kid Rock and/or rock/country music in general, I recommend this. If you hate Kid Rock and/or rock/country music, I recommend this. It's the best that country rock can get, by a long shot. I love his voice and the guitars in the song, and I haven't heard much better of the latter in a song like this before. But the lyrics are what draws my attention. He just describes how he's born free, and the figurative language in the verses really shows it. Connecting freedom to nature was a great idea for a song like this. And when it gets to the last minute or so, it's the best. When he yells out that he's born free for the last couple times, it's great. I love a lot of songs from Kid Rock, but if I had to pick a favorite I would not hesitate to say this one. It deserved way more popularity because it's so good in every way.

11. Eminem - Sing For The Moment

Eminem has two songs on this list, and this is the first of them. So in other words, both of his songs on here are in the top half. Impressive. I wouldn't quite say he's the rap god, but he's certainly up there. As for this song, the Aerosmith sample does a lot. It gives the song a structure and a mood. But that's not the best part. The best part is the amazing rapping that Eminem provides here, and it's the second-best he's ever done in a song. They describe a few different things at once, which isn't something every rapper can do. And those few things were able to connect to a sampled chorus that Eminem didn't even write. That is also impressive. At this point, I've covered pretty much everything, so I'm not sure what else to say. Let's get to the top 10!

10. Wiz Khalifa/Charlie Puth - See You Again

I didn't want to include any 2010s songs in the top 10 for certain reasons, but I had to make an exception for this beautiful song. In fact, just listen to it (if you haven't already) and you should tell why it's loved and popular. It has a fantastic chorus delivered by Charlie Puth, who really isn't the best vocalist out there. But you can tell he wanted to make this song a good one because of the theme and all, so that's probably why it's that good. And not to mention Wiz Khalifa's rapping. Wiz is one of those rappers that isn't too loved and I really shouldn't love him, but I do anyway. He was the perfect choice for the rapper in this song, and he absolutely killed his verses. As for the lyrics/theme, it was a great tribute to Paul Walker and can be used for a tribute to pretty much everyone. They chose all the right words and used them at the right times, and that's part of why this is that good. Another thing is that when I was first getting into hit music back in 2015 or so, this is one of the songs I'd hear on the radio a lot then, so it kind of marked something there. Overall, this song has great vocals, great lyrics, and was just always a song I loved, so this definitely deserves a spot on this list and in the top 10. It deserved every bit of success it got as well.

9. Mobb Deep - Shook Ones, Pt. II

To be quite honest, I'm not totally sure how to explain my love for this song. It's kinda one of those songs that you have to listen to to see the deal. But I'll try my best and see what I can do. First of all, the beat is exactly what I look for in a rap song. It sounds so good with the rapping and the rest of the song. And I really love that sample (whatever that instrument is) for some reason. Not sure why. Both Prodigy and Havoc slayed their verses and flowed nicely when rapping a message to all wannabe thugs out there. The part that leaves me shook, though, is that hook. I have no idea why I love it, but I just do. It could be the way he says "shook" or his vocals in it, I don't know. But I do really enjoy it. Not really sure what else I can say other than that as critics say, this song is the proof you need that sequels aren't always inferior to the original song. But yeah, this is very iconic and has everything I need in a rap song. Absolute perfection.

8. Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M.

The Clan are some of the gods of rap, and one of the best groups to ever set foot in the music industry, so I made it a priority to represent them on this list. I chose this song because it's referred to as their signature song, and it can be well-known from other places. (Apparently there's a new Iggy Azalea song that sampled this song and copied the chorus from this, and while that might be good, this is still the OG) But I mainly picked it because it's so amazing in many different ways. First of all, the rapping is just on point. Raekwon's verse flows very well and describes the scene where he grew up very nicely. The other verse, which comes from Inspectah Deck, and in this verse he, as Genius says, "takes you through the whole cycle of street life: from scrambling on the street, to hustling, to trying to teach the youth a better way and them not hearing you – and showing how there’s no answer." He actually might've done it better than Raekwon did since it's that good. But that's not the fun part. The fun part, and the best part of the song by far, is the chorus, which is rapped by Method Man (my personal favorite member of the Clan). It is rapped with pride, great vocals, and best of all, the right words. It gets stuck in your head sometimes because of how well-written and well-performed it was. Props to Method Man for that. And not to mention that beat. RZA did a superior job on it, and it gives the song so much of a classic and old school feel. I love that a lot for some reason. So yeah, I love this song so much, and it's without a doubt one of my favorite old school rap songs ever. When I listened to this song for the first time, it totally changed the way I viewed the subgenre of old school hip hop/rap, because it left me so shook at how good it was. So when the critics say that Wu Tang are one of the best rap groups of all-time and that Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers is one of the best rap albums of all-time, they aren't lying.

7. The Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

If you're a 90s kid or anyone who knows a lot about big chart hits, you probably have heard or heard of this song quite a few times. And when I heard it for the first time (not sure when that was), I knew right away that this is definitely my type of song and something I would always love. The guitars in it sound great, and while this isn't John Rzeznik's best vocal performance in my opinion, it still fits with the song really well and sounds good. I'm not sure what I can say about the lyrical content other than that it's not just nothing that we saw a lot of in the 90s. The chorus of this song fantastic, but I'm not sure why. It just has a great feel to it. But yeah, I don't think there's much else I can say. This is definitely my favorite Goo Goo Dolls song, and out of all the great pop-rock songs we saw in the late 90s, this is among the best of them.

6. Usher/Lil Jon/Ludacris - Yeah!

Here's a song that you have to have heard many times before if you're a music fan. But as much as I love it and Usher, there wasn't quite enough room for it in the top 5. But that's okay, because there's still a lot of fire in the top 5. Anyway, the main thing I like about this song is that insanely catchy hook. It is classic in every way possible and is very memorable because of how fun it's made to be. The other thing is Usher's vocals. They are wonderful throughout the entire song. He's without a doubt in my top 3-5 singers ever, if not my favorite. If someone other than him sang it, it wouldn't be as good. I also love the production in this song, as it really gives it quite a fun and amazing feel. I like Lil Jon's contribution fine, and as little as it sounds I can't picture the song without it. But there's also that amazing verse from Ludacris, one of my favorite 2000s rappers, that makes me love the song even more. Even the outro is iconic in its own way. This song is a big reason why Usher's Confessions is probably my favorite R&B album of all-time. It is an overall flawless song that really deserved to be the 2nd biggest song of the 2000s. Usher and Ludacris can't get any better than this.

5. Coolio/L.V. - Gangsta's Paradise

We're kicking off the top 5 with a song that people call the most iconic gangsta rap song of all-time for a reason. I'm pretty sure most people who know 90s music charts really well recognize it as the #1 song of 1995 that also appeared in the top third of the 1996 chart. And out of the many gangsta rap songs we got in the late 80s and 90s, this is easily and objectively the best one. Even N.W.A. couldn't top this masterpiece with some of their amazing songs from the late 80s. Also, even if you disagree and think songs by someone like N.W.A. are better, this one was still more successful than all of those songs. And if Ridin' by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone, which was the #20 song on this list, was discussing troubles of ghetto life and ended up being one of the most successful rap songs of the 2000s, this song was the Ridin' of the 1990s. The first thing that immediately stands out about the song is the beat. It's not the usual sound you'd hear from the 90s rap scene, but I think it fits well with the song. Then it gets to the verses, which basically describe the "Gangsta's paradise", as the song calls it. Every verse has a different story to tell, and while I'm not sure if it necessarily gets better after each one, it's still good. And after each amazing verse comes the chorus. Out of all the amazing parts in this song, the chorus is definitely my favorite. It's one of those choruses where the vocals and lyrics are so good that it gives you chills pretty much every time. That's how good it is. I do not know who this LV guy is, and I've heard of Coolio but I don't know much about him. The only thing I do know about them is that based off of this song, they have some amazing musical abilities, because they were able to put together this amazing song. I'm glad this song was really popular and successful, because it deserves it. Most gangsta rap songs released in the late 80s and early 90s weren't very popular, but I'm very glad this one is an exception.

4. The Wallflowers - One Headlight

Yes, as crazy as it sounds, I love this song enough to call it the fourth best song I've ever heard. There might be a lot I'd have to explain, but we'll get to the fun parts in a minute. As for the basics, I think that bass/guitar/whatever that is in the background sounds really good, and it was fitting for this song for some reason. Jakob Dylan (who is Bob Dylan's son, by the way) did an amazing job on the vocals, and because they're that good I can't really picture anyone else singing it. But the thing that really makes this song stand out from the others is the lyrics and theme. I don't usually pay attention to lyrics in songs and judge songs off of them, but this is one of the most well-written songs I've heard in my life. And as much as I don't want to be that guy, all I can really tell you is that you have to listen to the song to see the deal. It's like Radiohead's album Kid A: You probably won't get it within the first few listens, but there's a point when it finally clicks with you and you really enjoy it because of that. (OK, I haven't listened to Kid A enough times and "gotten it" yet, but still, not my point) It took me around 10-20 listens to get it and understand everything behind the words of the song, and while I'm not trying to force you to do that, this song has a lot of potential in it that is waiting for you. The least I can really say about the theme is that it can be inspiring in many different ways, as this and other songs like it sort of helped me get through my last weeks of middle school, which were kind of hard for me. You'll see why if you give it a chance. It's overall a musical masterpiece that is so good that there are only three songs out there that are better than it in my opinion. And now is the time to introduce those three songs, so let's get to it.

3. Matchbox Twenty - 3AM

Well this is that one song of theirs that I foreshadowed would be coming while I was talking about Real World. And as much as I'd hate to say it again, this is another one of those songs like Kid A that you have to listen to lots of the times in order to understand. Alright, now here's a flashback to last winter. I was in the car with my dad one day and I think I heard a song of theirs (it was most likely Bent) on the radio. I told my dad I sort of liked the band, and that's when he recommended this song to me. And next thing you know, I was at home listening to it. I enjoyed it, although I didn't quite like it as much as the other two songs I knew from them (Bent and Unwell). I listened to it more over the next couple of months, and then there was a point, probably in around February or March, when it finally clicked with me and I was able to understand it and really love it. It took over two months, but it happened and that's what matters. Anyways, aside from my personal experiences, this song is from the point of view of lead singer Rob Thomas as a teenager, when his mom had cancer and was given six months to live. It's a very touching topic and one that seems hard to write about sometimes, but it was written very nicely and doesn't have much room for improvement. And just like pretty much all of the other songs on this list, these words are put into song form in a very great way that really catches my ears. I'm not quite sure if this is Rob's best vocal performance in my opinion, but it's up there. And the guitars add to the song for sure as I think they flow with it very well. All of these things end up being put together, and for me it results in something totally amazing and worth putting this high on the list. It's definitely not a song for everybody, but it's definitely one for me. 

2. Linkin Park - In The End

Linkin Park are awesome. They have so many jams that it's hard for me to remember them all. In fact, they might even be my favorite rock band ever considering how easy it is for them to make a great song. Their big break on this list is right here at the #2 spot with a song that is hands-down the best hard rock song ever made. And honestly, most of the explaining for this can be done when listening to the song, because even if you don't like it, it's not too hard to see why it's so loved. It has lots of things I usually hear in an awesome song: Great vocals, great rapping, great instrumentation, great lyrics, and a very high energy level. It also contains a combination of genres, which I love to hear as well, especially when Linkin Park does it. Mike Shinoda's rapping really couldn't have been much better, and the same goes for Chester Bennington's vocals. They are totally on point. And you might be able to tell by now that I love high energy songs, and this is no exception. This is a truly incredible song that in every way deserves to be this high on this list, as much of an honor as it is. And I don't want to be that guy, but just one listen and you can tell why everyone loves it. Best hard rock song ever.

So we have reached that all-important moment where I reveal what you guys have been waiting for: My favorite song of all-time. As amazing as all of these 24 songs are, it wasn't a very hard choice to put this song above all of these, because it's such a flawless masterpiece that sounds amazing in every single aspect. But what could it be? A cool pop song from the 2000s? Nah. An awesome rock song from the 90s? I wish, but no. A very aggressive rap jam that has some of the best lyrics every written with a theme that is very inspiring in it? Well...

1. Eminem - Lose Yourself

If I had to be honest, who doesn't love this song? It has lots of cool things in it that at least one of them has to be for you. And as for me, it has pretty much everything I need in it, and all of these things combine nicely enough to make something awesome. As for these things, there's lots of them. First, the song definitely has meaning in it. The lyrics are some of the most memorable ones written by Eminem because of the theme and how well they fit together. Also, I can't say this about too many songs, but the intro in this song is perfect. It sets the stage for the song in the right way, especially with the spoken words in it. The building up instrumentals do a lot for me, too. The first verse describes Jimmy Smith Jr., also known by his stage name B-Rabbit, who is the protagonist in 8 Mile, the movie that this song was written for, and the movie's opening scene where B-Rabbit gets the chance to be in a rap battle but "choked" and couldn't come up with a single rhyme. Basically, he was so nervous that he wasn't even able to recite the lines he wrote down in advance. The time eventually runs out and he loses the battle. As bad as that sounds, the next lines describe him after this loss: Going back to the real world and realizing that he's just a broke man working a dead end job and there's not a big chance of him leaving Detroit. But he knows that he's not gonna give up, and that although his back is on the ropes (think boxing), he can still seize the moment and achieve his dream of becoming a famous rapper. The entire first verse is extremely well-written and there is not a better way that he could have described the story through there. But that's not all.The chorus of this song is so iconic that I can't even put in words how much I love it. It sums up what was mentioned in the intro and seals the song's lyrical quality. It goes back to the topic about if you get one shot to do something you've dreamed of doing, you should take the opportunity, because there's not always another chance. What I also love is how it connects to Eminem's rise as a rapper, and that this is the situation he faced. His demo tape made it to famous rapper and producer Dr. Dre, even after Em came in second in the Rap Olympics competition shortly before. He got his one shot when he met Dre for the first time, and at that meeting they recorded three songs, including My Name Is, in under six hours. After My Name Is was a big hit, Em's career had taken off. That's why I think the chorus is so significant, as he made it about what to do if you face that situation, and he connected it with his story and rise to fame. Amazing. The second and third verses are amazing as well. The second verse described how B-Rabbit can become successful and his state of mind after losing the battle, and after hearing that iconic chorus once again, we hear the third verse, where it is confirmed that the song is from the perspective of Marshall Mathers and not B-Rabbit. The verse is about him about to take his next shot at battling, knowing it may be the only opportunity he'll get. And then the chorus goes in again to top it all off. So yeah, there's basically everything I need here: A great beat that combines rock and rap perfectly, great vocals, a great theme, and a very energetic chorus. It's practically impossible to make a song as good as this one, which is why it's without a doubt my favorite song ever. Good job, Eminem, You really pleased me this time around.

And that wraps up this post! If you stuck around long enough to get here, thanks, I really appreciate it. As for future plans for this blog, I just plan on posting more lists of my favorite songs and maybe some chart or album reviews. If you have any comments about this post or want to suggest a future post idea, then be sure to comment and let me know about those. But until then, have a great day and I hope to post again soon!

Also, the Spotify playlist with these songs is on the sidebar if you're interested in listening to the songs that way. Trust me, you'll like a lot of them. Now I'm done. See you next time!