The BR250 May 2020
The month comes to a close with another domination by Dua Lipa. Since last November she has topped the chart for 5 of the past 7 months (The Weeknd ruled January and February with “Blinding Light” which is still in the top 10).
The oh so 80’s sounding “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” is 1 of 2 new top 10 entries, moving 13-7. The beginning is reminiscent of “Life In a Northern Town”. The just released album “Notes On A Conditional Form” debuts at #1 in the UK and #4 on the Billboard 200 this week.
2 spots behind, the Rolling Stones move 17-9 with their COVID-19 themed song, their first new material in 8 years. The song currently is in the top 10 at AAA radio.
Megan Thee Stallion benefits from the Beyonce remix on both the Hot 100, where it is #1, and here, moving “Savages” into the top 25 at #16. It also enters the Pop top 20 this week.
Saint Jhn moves into the top 20 for the first time after topping the chart in the UK earlier this year. It is currently just outside the Pop top 10 in the U.S. The original version was released in 2016 and the current remix, which sounds nothing at all like the original was released last September.
At #21, “I Dare You” by Kelly Clarkson has been recorded in 6 different languages, which at least helped it in Israel, where it reached #1. In the U.S. it is top 20 at AC and Hot AC.
Marshmello and Halsey make a nice jump from 65-22 with their top 20 Pop hit “Be Kind”. 2 other star collaborations, both featuring Ariana Grande, leap into the top 100. “Stuck With U”, her duet with Justin Bieber jumps 212-33. It is a charity single with a refreshing retro 50’s vibe and last week debuted at #1 on the Hot 100. An out of the box debut at #61, Grande teams with Lady Gaga on “Rain On Me”, from the finally released album “Chromatica”. The song has elements of a number of dance styles from the 90’s and 2000’s. it wasted no time hitting #1 in the UK and is making a radio splash on Pop and Hot AC in the U.S.
Other key top 100 entries include Katy Perry’s “Daisies” at #64, Weezer’s latest, “Hero” at #67, and the return of Harry Styles “Watermelon Sugar” at #91. That tune peaked at #22 in December without a radio release (though it did peak in the UK at #17 without that assistance). It has now been released as the radio follow-up to “Adore You”. Sounds like a summer song to me.
All the songs that have made the top 250 in 2020.
Beyond Radio Presents – Castlist 005 – Ep 5 – The 70 Connection Part 2
The latest podcast is a continuation of the our discussion from earlier this month linking current music to 50 years ago. We throw some love at Sly and The Family Stone and Jeff recalls a connection to kids television that proves to be accurate.
We took a break between recording the first and second halves of this episode and in the meantime Covid-19 reared its ugly head. That put a different spin on a song by Canadian’s Elephant Stone. This discussion brought in a sitar sub-thread (bringing Harry Styles back for a cameo) and leads to sound-a-likes, plagarism and the Who’s Tommy.
Other featured artists include Labrinth, Imagine Dragons, Sudan Archives, The Beatles, Vampire Weekend, The Stone Roses, George Harrison, The Chiffons, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Dirty Honey, Jackyl, Greta Van Fleet, Led Zeppelin, Muddy Waters, The Shocking Blue, Bananarama and Mama Cass. And how does the song “Venus” connect to “Oh Susanna”?
The Spotify playlist features all the songs we’ve discussed in the Castlist 005 episodes. That is 146 songs in total.
Here are the other podcasts in this series.