Cheapthrills' Cheap 20 - April 20, 2024

[crystalphoenix]

Country pops up in my chart every now and then. It kind of goes through up and down periods. Last year, Kacey Musgraves was the only one to really chart. Though a song by a woman named Maggie Rose just nicked the top ten as well.

Since Taylor's been full-pop for a while now, Kacey seems to be the country female with the most crossover appeal lately (especially here on UKMIX). I've only heard Golden Hour in full, but she first really grabbed my ear with "Follow Your Arrow."

As for Dua, I think it's because she took five million years to actually release the album. I do like Dua quite a bit. I'm just not as uhm, vocal as certain people on here about it - haha. She basically combined two eras into one as far as I'm concerned.

Fair points! It's pretty impressive (and I imagine pretty rare?) that her Top 5's from that album span three different years. I was curious about what blocked global-mega-smash "New Rules" here - turns out it was a song (and band) I've never heard of before...

• It's quite fitting to have Mariah on top just as UKMIX pulls a butterfly of its own by emerging from its chrysalis and completing its metamorphosis into something far more beautiful! That track really has been on a journey, sticking/bouncing around throughout the Christmas crush and everything that's happened in the past month.
• Great to see Grimes crack the Top 5!
• Aw, I was hoping for a bit better for "I'm So Tired," since you seem pretty fond of Troye...but at least it made the cut!
• "Swan Song," on the other hand, has been a "miss" for me, so I won't shed any tears if it does a swan dive right off your chart...
• Damn, "Tonight (I'm F**kin' You)" hasn't crossed my mind in AGES! I'd forgotten about Enrique's brief-but-big (Pitbull-assisted) pop revival in the early 2010's with "I Like It" and that one. "Heartbeat" was a real gem (so of course it mega-flopped in the US).


Yet another chart that makes me want to throw caution to the wind, cheap!

[cheapthrills]

Since Taylor's been full-pop for a while now, Kacey seems to be the country female with the most crossover appeal lately (especially here on UKMIX). I've only heard Golden Hour in full, but she first really grabbed my ear with "Follow Your Arrow."

Yes, she's really accessible - I think Follow Your Arrow was such a gay-friendly song that she showed country music could be inclusive, and so she has been embraced. She actually won me over with a song called Biscuits.

Fair points! It's pretty impressive (and I imagine pretty rare?) that her Top 5's from that album span three different years. I was curious about what blocked global-mega-smash "New Rules" here - turns out it was a song (and band) I've never heard of before...

This was such an interesting question I had to see who else qualifies. It has happened with five albums, including Dua Lipa, and another three if you don't go just by peak date.


Here are albums in which songs peaked in three different years

1. Jet - Are You Going to Be My Girl in 2003, Cold Hard Bitch and Rollover DJ in 2004, and Look What You've Done in 2005.
2. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway in 2004, three songs in 2005, and Walk Away in 2006.
3. Bonnie Raitt - The Fundamental Things - I Can't Help You Now in 2005, three songs in 2006, and Two Lights in the Nighttime peaked the first week of 2007.
4. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream - 2 songs in 2010, three in 2011, and The One That Got Away in 2012
5. Dua Lipa - Three #1s (!) in 2016, New Rules in 2017, and Homesick in 2018

Here are albums in which songs charted in three different years, but peaked in two:

1. Lauryn Hill - Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop debut in 1998/peak in 1999, three songs in 1999, To Zion in 2000
2. Adele - 25 - Hello in 2015, two songs in 2016, Water Under the Bridge peaked in 2016, stayed in top ten to 2017.
3. Sia - Everyday is Christmas - Two songs peaked in 2017, stayed in top ten to 2018, and Puppies Are Forever in 2019.

• It's quite fitting to have Mariah on top just as UKMIX pulls a butterfly of its own by emerging from its chrysalis and completing its metamorphosis into something far more beautiful! That track really has been on a journey, sticking/bouncing around throughout the Christmas crush and everything that's happened in the past month.
• Great to see Grimes crack the Top 5!
• Aw, I was hoping for a bit better for "I'm So Tired," since you seem pretty fond of Troye...but at least it made the cut!
• "Swan Song," on the other hand, has been a "miss" for me, so I won't shed any tears if it does a swan dive right off your chart...
• Damn, "Tonight (I'm F**kin' You)" hasn't crossed my mind in AGES! I'd forgotten about Enrique's brief-but-big (Pitbull-assisted) pop revival in the early 2010's with "I Like It" and that one. "Heartbeat" was a real gem (so of course it mega-flopped in the US).


Yet another chart that makes me want to throw caution to the wind, cheap!

That's so true - I didn't think about Mimi hitting #1 at the perfect time. Love the Butterfly analogy. <3 And you might like where Grimes is in the next chart. I'm So Tired is just getting started, and will move up. Swan Song is a bit of miss for me too, but perhaps it will grow on me. Thanks again for your comments

[cheapthrills]

Chart Notes:

For the week ending 2/9:

• In May of 2017, I got my degree and the numbe rone song that week was Venus Fly by Grimes ft. Janelle Monae. This week, they faced off for the top two, and it is Grimes that emerges victorious as both songs leapfrog the competition.
• Puppies Are Forever ties for the longest past Christmas a song has stayed in the top 10. Missile Tow by The Mosquitos is the only other change to see the top ten in February.
• I believe Billie Eilish is the first person born in this century to hit my chart. I'll have to check!

2012's top five was a very competitive list. Four of the songs hit #1 and in any other year might have spent more weeks at the top. Gotye ended up having 2012's #1 song of the year - and then we never heard from him or Kimbra ever again. Adele was about to become the first person to ever have five #1s from an album (she ended up getting 6) And Coldplay extended an amazing streak in which they had a number one song each year from 2008-2013.

[crystalphoenix]

Yes, she's really accessible - I think Follow Your Arrow was such a gay-friendly song that she showed country music could be inclusive, and so she has been embraced. She actually won me over with a song called Biscuits.

Ah, "Biscuits" is pretty brilliant too! That, "Follow Your Arrow," and "High Horse" are her three Paulboard chart-toppers thus far.

"pissin' in my yard ain't gonna make yours any greener..."

This was such an interesting question I had to see who else qualifies. It has happened with five albums, including Dua Lipa, and another three if you don't go just by peak date.

Thanks for doing all that research! Although I never really delved into Jet's material, I loved "Look What You've Done" back in the day. Breakaway and Teenage Dream feel like two of the absolute biggest pop eras since 2000, so it's fitting to see both on that list! Looks like Katy didn't even need the additional Complete Confection singles to manage that impressive chart feat here. Not to make you do even MORE digging, but would you mind sharing the exact peaks for all the hits from those two albums?

• Woah! I did NOT see this coming - but I'm not complaining! It sounded like the success of "Venus Fly" was largely owed to Janelle, and Grimes hadn't otherwise made much of a dent here before, so this level of success for "We Appreciate Power" is a fabulous surprise!
• Lovin' that climb for "I'm So Tired" into your Top 15!
• Billie hasn't really been on my radar (I gave "Lovely" a listen or two when it appeared on people's charts, but it wasn't something I'd put into high rotation myself). "Bury A Friend" is pretty intriguing, though, and Billie certainly seems to have a lot of creativity/artistry.
• I often forget that "Princess Of China" happened, even though it went to No. 1 on my chart too I guess that's partially because Rihanna's done SO many collabo's over the years (in addition to her own lengthy singles discography).

Yet another powerful chart, cheap!

[cheapthrills]

Thanks, [MENTION=17613]phoenix98[/MENTION]

For Breakaway:
Breakaway - #4
Since U Been Gone - #4
Behind These Hazel Eyes - #3
Because of You - #1
Walk Away - #2

For Teenage Dream:
California Gurls - #2
Teenage Dream - #9
Firework - #1
E.T - #4
Last Friday Night (TGIF) - #8
The One That Got Away - #6

Part of Me and Wide Awake did not chart. I was feeling burned out on Katy by that point.

Grimes now has hit #1 with both songs that have made the chart! But yes, the first #1 was aided in large part by Janelle - I was so thirsty for Janelle music at that point I was playing anything I heard with her on it to death.

Here's another interesting note about Princess of China. They managed to have one top ten hit every year from 2008-2017. 2018 snapped the streak. Coldplay and Lady Gaga both had a streak going. A Star is Born helped Gaga continue into 2018 AND 2019 as I'll Never Love Again peaked the first week of the year at #2.

[cheapthrills]

Chart Notes:

For the week ending 2/16:

• I talked about the Janelle/Grimes face-off last week and just realized another parallel - in Screwed (at #13 this week) Janelle has a spoken word part in which she says "Everything is sex. Except Sex. Which is power. You Know power is just sex." And then we have Grimes saying well, We Appreciate Power... Anyhow, Happy Valentine's Day!
• Oh I misspelled Janelle's last name in the High Tide or Low Tide entry. In any case, if you've followed this chart over the last year, you'll know that Janelle has been a constant presence since Make Me Feel debuted. Next week marks 52 weeks since that debut and Janelle has only been missing fm the top 20 in one chart since then - the week ending December 1.
• It's first time a Canadian artist has been at #1 since 2017 when Serena Ryder topped the list with Electric Love.

I love this top five from 2013, particularly the former #1s. I still listen to the Noisettes and Grace Potter's songs and Thrift Shop remains a bop, even if we've sadly gotten back to consumerism in music again. Thrift Shop spent eight weeks in the top two - only two of which were weeks at #1. It spent five of them biding it's time underneath the Noisettes.

[crystalphoenix]

Thanks, @phoenix98

Thank U for looking those up and typing those out for me! A little surprising that "Since U Been Gone" was one of the "lesser" hits from Breakaway (ditto for "Teenage Dream"), but "Because of You" is a pretty massive fan favorite. Ouch @ "Part Of Me" and "Wide Awake" failing to chart at all but I can understand the burnout after six consecutive Top 10 smashes.

Here's another interesting note about Princess of China. They managed to have one top ten hit every year from 2008-2017. 2018 snapped the streak. Coldplay and Lady Gaga both had a streak going. A Star is Born helped Gaga continue into 2018 AND 2019 as I'll Never Love Again peaked the first week of the year at #2.

Damn, mighty impressive! What was Gaga's Top 10 in 2012? "Marry The Night"? You might've mentioned these at some point before, but "G.U.Y." must've been her 2014 and "Til It Happens To You" her 2015?

• Ha, damn, that's a VERY clever observation about the lyrical connection between "Screwed" and "We Appreciate Power." It didn't occur to me last week, and I'm not sure if this technically counts as "irony," but it's interesting that Janelle was responsible for Grimes getting her first No. 1 here...and now Grimes is responsible for denying Janelle another No. 1 It's like that stairwell-pushing thing from Showgirls...
• Well, I guess a Kylie collaborator is worth at least one listen Wikipedia informs me that Jack's actually been releasing albums for over 10 years already! "Candlelight" is pretty nice.
• Glad to see The 1975 enter the Top 5!
• "SADLY gotten back to consumerism in music again," yet is currently charting "7 Rings" at No. 3 Sending some slightly mixed messages there...

Happy Valentine's Day, cheap!

[cheapthrills]

I was trying to think if there was a similar situation to the Grimes/Janelle thing and then I saw the retro chart for this week, so you'll have to wait to see

Me: Consumerism in music is basic and sad
Also me: YASSSSSSS 7 RINGS!!!! You go get what you want, GIRL!

[stevyy]

Caution's downfall. ariana ftw now.

[cheapthrills]

Caution's downfall. ariana ftw now.

Well I'm about to post the next chart and Ari is hanging in there... but Mimi is falling now. She's been on the chart since November though! Thanks for checking in

[stevyy]

Well I'm about to post the next chart and Ari is hanging in there... but Mimi is falling now. She's been on the chart since November though! Thanks for checking in

I know you are a supportive lamb! <3

[cheapthrills]

Chart Notes:

For the week ending 2/23:

• Candlelight moves to #1, meaning Jack Savoretti has topped the list with his first song to make the list.
• Rainbow's high debut is owed to its video and performance on the Grammies. This is Kacey's third single from her Album of the Year to chart, following Space Cowboy and High Horse.
• The Grammies beget a second debut at the bottom of the chart - the St. Vincent/Dua mash-up is the second such Grammy mash-up to chart. In 2016, Annie Lennox and Hozier mashed up their singles I Got a Spell On You and Take Me to Church.

[MENTION=17613]phoenix98[/MENTION], earlier you mentioned Janelle being shut out by Grimes a couple weeks ago. In 2014, that happened to Avicii. After featuring Aloe Blacc on Wake Me Up, Aloe Blacc blocked him the following year with The Man, relegating Hey Brother to #2. With Dark Horse now five years ago, Katy has only revisited the top ten once since - with last year's Feels. None of her Witness singles made my list. Drunk In Love was Beyonce's 7th #1.

[crystalphoenix]

• I didn't watch the actual Grammy ceremony, but it was certainly exciting to read about Kacey's success! She pushes the boundaries/expectations of modern country in some very endearing and entertaining ways, so I'm all for her contributions being recognized and honored. Golden Hour wasn't quite what I expected overall, having been drawn the most to her snarky-yet-insightful uptempos like "Follow Your Arrow," "Biscuits," and "High Horse," but "Rainbow" is really lovely nevertheless.
• Glad to see "I'm So Tired" still slowly-but-surely inching its way up!
• I'm not totally sold on "Break Up With Your Gf...," but I LOVE Ari's decision to sample "It Makes Me Ill" I did NOT expect to hear a random No Strings Attached album track sampled on TUN, so that was a hilarious, nostalgic surprise. Granted, Halsey did just interpolate "Cry Me A River," so maybe digging into JT's back catalog is just trendier than I realize.
• Ah, thanks for filling me in on that other similar Janelle-VS-Grimes situation. It's hard not to get a little sad seeing Avicii's name now...but then I'm immediately distracted by the fact that none of the Witness singles charted at all I guess that must've been another Complete Confection-esque Katy burnout phase for you...

Yet another chart that lights up my life, cheap!

[JSparksFan]

Wow, your #1 is fantastic!

[cheapthrills]

[COLOR=#333333]• I didn't watch the actual Grammy ceremony, but it was certainly exciting to read about Kacey's success! She pushes the boundaries/expectations of modern country in some very endearing and entertaining ways, so I'm all for her contributions being recognized and honored. Golden Hour wasn't quite what I expected overall, having been drawn the most to her snarky-yet-insightful uptempos like "Follow Your Arrow," "Biscuits," and "High Horse," but "Rainbow" is really lovely nevertheless.
• Ah, thanks for filling me in on that other similar Janelle-VS-Grimes situation. It's hard not to get a little sad seeing Avicii's name now...but then I'm immediately distracted by the fact that none of the Witness singles charted at all I guess that must've been another Complete Confection-esque Katy burnout phase for you...

Yet another chart that lights up my life, cheap!

On these two points, I think that's what got Kacey the Grammy - that she not only has taken country in some interesting directions with this song, but that she has openly embraced the LGBTQ community. I read in an interview Rainbow, while not specifically for the gay communit, was something she bore in mind when she sang the song - I think she even has a gay character in her latest video. I just love how hopeful and kind the lyrics are.

I am still sad about Avicii and I think I might still be tired of Katy

Wow, your #1 is fantastic!

Yay, I'm so glad you like it! I'm absolutely in love with this song!

[cheapthrills]

Chart Notes:

For the week ending 3/2:

• Some people have already been tagged, but I finally got my top 40 of 2018 off the ground, and plan to update it frequently this week. I am hopeful it will be done by the end of the week!
• A year ago after Janelle debuted at #1, she still has one song from her Dirty Computer album charting - Screwed, which holds its position for the anniversary. Her other song exits the top ten with a huge bounce. It could be awhile after this week before we see Janelle again.
• Rainbow has the biggest jump almost flying to #2. This is one of the strongest top 2 in awhile. I am so grateful Kacey re-introduced this song - it's absolutely beautiful, and probably would get more plays if it didn't make me cry so much. It is the highest ranking out of three songs from Golden Hour.

While Dua Lipa and St. Vincent have a mash-up move up this week, it is far below the only other Grammy mash-up to chart by Annie and Hozier - the song spent four weeks in the top ten, and two of them behind one of the biggest songs of the year, the raunchy and delightful Truffle Butter. This was the first #1 for Drake and Nicki on the chart!

[cheapthrills]

Chart Notes:

For the week ending 3/9:

• My top 40 of 2018 is wrapping up, as we have now moved into the top 5. There's a good chance that my #6 will hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 today!
• You all know how there are artists I get thirsty for, and one of them has been Shingai Shoniwa, the lead singer of the Noisettes, who hadn't released anything since 2012. This week her latest debuts at #4.
• The top ten is quite global as I have representatives from the US, Canada, South Africa the UK, New Zealand, and Sweden this week.

So the beginning of 2016 was full of a coincidence involving the number 7. Formation had knocked off Adventure of a Lifetime by Coldplay, which was Coldplay's 7th #1. A battle then brew between two of the biggest acts on the Cheap 20, with Bey the winner. Formation was Bey's 7th (and so far, most recent) #1, which blocked Adele from getting her 7th #1. (Don't cry for Adele though; she'd get her 7th #1 with her next single and is currently tied with Bey). For extra fun, Bonnie Raitt knocked off Bey with HER 7th #1.

EDIT: Just realized I am about to hit my 7777th post as I write this.

In case you're wondering, the record for most #1s is currently a tie between Eminem (his 9th #1 was in 2013 with The Monster, and he's had three #2 songs since.) and Lady Gaga, whose Shallow became her 9th #1 in October of last year.

[JSparksFan]

Eminem/Gaga is an eclectic top 2 to have on your #1s leaderboard.

"Hello Happiness" has grown on me!

[cheapthrills]

Eminem/Gaga is an eclectic top 2 to have on your #1s leaderboard.

"Hello Happiness" has grown on me!

They couldn't be more different. Eminem was on his way to his 10th last year when Make Me Feel was released and debuted at #1 ahead of him.

I think Hello Happiness is great! I ddn't even know Chaka was still recording, but she sounds completely current on it.

[crystalphoenix]

• I actually did not know that you get thirsty for women If you don't mind me asking, how do you identify? (Or do you prefer to avoid labels entirely when it comes to your sexuality?) "Coming Home" is my first exposure to Shingai's work, and it's pretty intriguing. The song really comes together after reading how it was inspired by a trip to Zimbabwe (and that she's of Zimbabwean descent).
• THRILLED by that Top 5 leap for "I'm So Tired..." It seems like that song's been a "pass" for many UKMIXers, so this new peak feels like a real triumph!
• Ha, I love your summary about all those 7's, but I'm a little surprised that "Formation" was Bey's only chart-topper from Lemonade. Did anything else from that project come close? "Sorry" was my fave by a pretty massive margin.

Yet another illuminating chart, cheap!