I liked the last Juice Wrld track (Lucid Dreams) from the off, but this one’s more of a grower – I needed a couple of listens.
The video is a bizarre story about a drunk Juice Wrld setting fire to a goth wedding and nobody seeming to notice.
Wiley, Stefflon Don, Sean Paul and Idris Elba – Boasty
Apparently this first came out last year, but didn’t chart. It’s got a good rhythm, and Sean Paul’s reggae vocals are always good value.
I really like the video, which has lots of fab things like arcade games, retro mobile phones and Stefflon Don’s blue hair.
Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay
Acoustic-y opening, leading into a really interesting instrumental, and Billie Eilish’s vocals are always great.
There’s no video yet.
Dave and Burna Boy – Location
I like the atmosphere on the backing track, but it gets a bit repetitive after a while.
Again, we’re still waiting on a video for this one.
Dave – Streatham
Another good atmospheric backing track, and I like the lyrical content – it’s an ode to Dave’s home suburb. Also, is that a callback to Ramz’ Barking, one of my favourite songs of 2017? I do hope so.
There are a lot of cars in the (obviously) London-set video, but at least they’re mostly being driven around rather than randomly stood next to!
Dave and J Hus – Disaster
Yet another epic backing track, which is a bit of a theme with this new Dave album!
Day 98 takes us to Now! #98, which came out on 17th November 2017.
This is the way the world looked in November 2017. It may have been 2017 but it’ll always be the ’80s in my world. Especially in London goth clubs, where the style’s not changed in over thirty years and I can dance away happily to my favourite Tears For Fears and Soft Cell tracks.
The following are not likely to be played at goth clubs, but let’s see what the party season songs were for this most recent Christmas period.
Track 1: Camila Cabello and Young Thug – Havana
Good solid pop tune – love the Latin feel. Really nice song.
Track 2: Post Malone and 21 Savage – Rockstar
There are some interesting instrumentals going on, but it’s got quite a depressing feel.
Track 3: Sam Smith – Too Good At Goodbyes
Too slow and ballad-y for me.
Track 4: Pink – What About Us
It’s an okay song with an important theme, but I find it a bit depressing.
Track 5: Dua Lipa – New Rules
Absolutely wonderful track, gorgeous instrumentals, great tune, clever lyrics and vocals. The video is immense too.
Track 6: Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
Inspired by the Irish folk classic of the same name, but nowhere near as good. Still a nice upbeat song though.
Track 7: Charlie Puth – How Long
I really like this one – great atmosphere, awesome tune, retro feel.
Track 8: CNCO and Little Mix – Reggaetón Lento
Very danceable Latin-tinged pop – good stuff.
Track 9: J Balvin and Willy William – Mi Gente
More great Latin pop (Despacito really kicked off a trend in 2017). I remember dancing to all of these in Zumba class. This one’s got an awesome atmosphere and a really interesting rhythm.
Track 10: Justin Bieber and BloodPop – Friends
I really like the bassline, but the tune’s pretty uninspired.
Track 11: Zayn and Sia – Dusk Till Dawn
Nice epic chorus, but on the whole the tune’s a bit generic.
Track 12: Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj – Swish Swish
Great beat, but agin the tune’s not very exciting.
Track 13: Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
This tune really irritates me.
Track 14: Stefflon Don and French Montana – Hurtin’ Me
Another one where I just don’t like the tune. I also find the theme irritating.
Track 15: Louis Tomlinson, Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals – Back To You
Yet another annoying tune!
Track 16: Khalid – Young Dumb And Broke
I quite like this one – it’s got an interesting rhythm and an endearing theme.
Track 17: Maroon 5 and Sza – What Lovers Do
Nice feelgood song – the vocals are a little irritating, but I quite like the tune.
Track 18: Jason Derulo – If I’m Lucky
Good atmosphere, but the tune’s very generic.
Track 19: Clean Bandit and Julia Michaels – I Miss You
Again, I just don’t find this tune very interesting.
Track 20: Alma – Chasing Highs
Uninspired and depressing.
Track 21: Zedd and Liam Payne – Get Low
Another very bland tune.
Track 22: Charli XCX – Boys
Great track! Fun theme, interesting instrumentals. The celebrity-filled video is great too.
Track 23: Rita Ora – Anywhere
It’s got a good beat, but it’s another bland tune.
Track 24: Marshmello and Khalid – Silence
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Khalid on track 16.
This is a lovely tune though.
Track 25: Avicii and Rita Ora – Lonely Together
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Rita Ora on track 23.
I find the tune on this really irritating, but the backing track is great.
Track 26: James Hype and Kelli-Leigh – More Than Friends
Generic-sounding dance cover of En Vogue’s ’90s classic Don’t Let Go. The original song is beautiful. This track is anything but.
Track 27: Yungen and Yxng Bane – Bestie
That chorus is incredibly annoying.
Track 28: Mabel and Kojo Funds – Finders Keepers
So is the chorus on this one.
Track 29: Chris Brown – Questions
This is the second hit in the space of eighteen months that interpolates Kevin Lyttle’s 2003 classic Turn Me On, after Cheat Codes and Dante Klein’s Let Me Hold You (Turn Me On) in 2016. I think it’s fairly poorly done, and I love the original so I find all these poor imitations pretty irritating.
Track 30: Craig David – Heartline
Dull and generic.
Track 31: Selena Gomez and Marshmello – Wolves
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Marshmello on track 24.
I quite like the tune on this one, though.
Track 32: MK – 17
Another really irritating tune.
Track 33: Axwell & Ingrosso – More Than You Know
I like the guitar at the start, and the tune’s okay if a bit generic.
Track 34: Liam Payne – Bedroom Floor
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Liam Payne on track 21.
It’s another fairly generic tune, but I remember I had the chart on in the background last year, and this was playing and got to the lyric ‘but your clothes say different on my bedroom floor‘. Geth interjected crossly, ‘Stop stealing her clothes then!’ It really cracked me up and is all I can think about when I hear this song now.
Track 35: Duke Dumont, Gorgon City and Naations – Real Life
Another boring tune that sounds like every other dance track this decade.
Track 36: CamelPhat and Elderbrook – Cola
Really squicky theme – to put it bluntly, it’s blatantly a song about spiking someone’s drink. It’s a shame, ’cause it would be a good track if it weren’t for that.
Track 37: Lil’ Uzi Vert – XO Tour Llif3
Some interesting instrumentals going on, but the tune’s very bland.
Track 38: Big Shaq – Man’s Not Hot
Very funny hip-hop parody, and it’s got a good rhythm to boot. Really like this.
Track 39: Chris & Kem – Little Bit Leave It
Apparently these dudes were on Love Island or something. I’m not sure why someone allowed them to release a song – it’s extremely grating.
Track 40: Cardi B – Bodak Yellow
I find this one extremely depressing.
Track 41: Logic, Alessia Cara and Khalid – 1-800-273-8255
Repeated artist mega alert! We’ve already had Khalid on both track 16 and track 24. Give someone else a chance!
This one’s got a nice tune, but it’s too slow for me.
Track 42: Paloma Faith – Crybaby
I like the rhythm, but the tune’s very dull.
Track 43: The Script – Rain
The tune’s okay except for that annoying chorus.
Track 44: Rag ‘N’ Bone Man – Grace (We All Try)
The tune’s quite interesting, but again it’s too slow for me.
Track 45: Liam Gallagher – Wall Of Glass
Very refreshing to hear some actual rock music – it’s something different, finally.
Track 46: The Killers – The Man
Love the retro disco sound on this one. Great stuff.
Day 97 equals Now! #97, which was released on 21st July 2017.
This is how the world looked in July 2017, the morning of the day Jodie Whittaker was announced as the new Doctor and hence the last day I was able to wear that T-shirt without it being out of date. I was planning to get some iron-on stickers for it, but then it got far too big for me anyway!
Last year’s summer hits were pretty good from what I remember. Let’s have a listen.
Track 1: Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber – Despacito
Gorgeous Latin summer tune, deservedly one of the biggest hits of the year.
Track 2: DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper and Lil’ Wayne – I’m The One
Repeated artist alert! We’ve only just had Justin Bieber on track 1.
This is an extremely irritating track with too many rappers on it, none of whom contribute anything good.
Track 3: Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean – Feels
Great funk rhythm, great tune. Really like this one.
Track 4: Jonas Blue and William Singe – Mama
This tune really irritates me.
Track 5: Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson – Symphony
Gorgeous instrumentals – quite like this track.
Track 6: Little Mix and Stormzy – Power
This is one that was used in Zumba class last year – I love the vocals.
Track 7: Liam Payne and Quavo – Strip That Down
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Quavo on track 2.
I really like the rhythm on this one – it’s very danceable.
Track 8: The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – Something Just Like This
I find this tune insanely irritating, and the theme’s horribly twee.
Track 9: David Guetta and Justin Bieber – 2U
Repeated artist mega alert! We’ve already had Justin Bieber on both track 1 and track 2. Nobody needs that much Bieber on a Now! compilation!
This one’s a dull, forgettable tune.
Track 10: Harry Styles – Sign Of The Times
I really like the classic feel to this – there’s something about it that reminds me of the slower dramatic examples of glam rock.
Track 11: Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back
Cheesy and annoying.
Track 12: Rita Ora – Your Song
I really like this one – great tune, great electro lines.
Track 13: Olly Murs and Louisa Johnson – Unpredictable
Excruciatingly boring tune.
Track 14: Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like
Great rhythm, great lyrics. Good stuff.
Track 15: Jason Derulo, Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign – Swalla
I love this one! It’s really danceable, and the vocals are awesome.
Track 16: Katy Perry and Migos – Bon Appétit
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Katy Perry on track 3.
This tune is highly dull and generic. I’m starting to wonder how all these half-arsed attempts at tunes are becoming hits.
Track 17: Nick Jonas, Anne-Marie and Mike Posner – Remember I Told You
Another track that’s so boring I can’t concentrate on it.
Track 18: Lady Gaga – The Cure
A slower track from Lady Gaga, but I like the dramatic feel. Would have been even better if the lyrics had been about the Cure as in the band though!
Track 19: Camila Cabello – Crying In The Club
Love the atmosphere of this one, and the interpolation of the melody from Christina Aguilera’s Genie In A Bottle is done really well.
Track 20: Niall Horan – Slow Hands
The theme irritates me, and I can’t get on with the rhythm.
Track 21: Miley Cyrus – Malibu
Pretty tune – I find some of the lyrics a bit grating, but it’s got a nice summery feel.
Track 22: Ariana Grande – One Last Time
Originally released in 2014, back in the charts to raise money after the Manchester Arena attack. It’s a gorgeous tune, but I find the theme uncomfortable.
Track 23: French Montana and Swae Lee – Unforgettable
Good beat, but I’m not keen on the tune.
Track 24: Sigala and Ella Eyre – Came Here For Love
Nice feelgood tune, but the vocals are really irritating.
Track 40: Raye – The Line
Nothing exciting about this one.
Track 41: Fifth Harmony and Gucci Mane – Down
Repetitive and dull.
Track 42: Haim – Want You Back
Again, I just can’t get excited about this tune. I do like the retro tinge on the instrumentals though.
Track 43: JP Cooper – Passport Home
Too slow for me, and the theme’s very cheesy.
Track 44: Take That – Giants
Another boring tune.
Track 45: Artists For Grenfell – Bridge Over Troubled Water
Charity cover of the Simon & Garfunkel classic to raise money for the victims of the Grenfell fire. There’s some interesting stuff in this version, especially the added rap by Stormzy at the start.
