Here we are with a new season for our Top 10! I’m Emma, and I hope to live up to your expectations. Here are my reviews of the top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of October 19, 2024. I don’t know anything about music. Join me as I try to think critically about popular songs for the first time in my life.
1) A Bar Song (Tipsy) (Shaboozey) – This is a pretty standard pop-country song, but it’s still a lot better than the other country songs currently on the Top 10. It’s fun and upbeat, simple but not boring. It’s the kind of song you’d hear while you’re out somewhere and might find yourself tapping your foot along to.
2) Birds Of A Feather (Billie Eilish) – Don’t be fooled by the whimsical, pretty instrumentals; this song is actually a bit spooky, which is on brand for Eilish. She takes a spin on the “I’ll-die- without-you” cliché that’s found everywhere in popular music, with her haunting lyrical imagery of graves, caskets, and a body turning blue. “Birds Of A Feather” is a catchy but unique pop song that’s perfect for the impending dark winter months.
3) I Had Some Help (Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen) – I feel like there’s another entire universe I’m not aware of. Unlike all the other songs on here, I was not aware of this one’s existence, despite being somewhat caught up with Post Malone’s career and Morgan Wallen’s various controversies. I believe these two have the vocal talent to be something interesting, but this song is just painfully generic, with its production that resembles a royalty-free country-esque beat.
4) Espresso (Sabrina Carpenter) – Even though it’s autumn now, 2024’s song of the summer remains high on the chart. Like a shot of espresso, this song is refreshing and energizing. I really enjoy the subtle disco elements and Carpenter’s sense of humor. Her laid-back self confidence is infectious. That said, I’ve heard this song so many times at this point, I think I have caffeine fatigue.
5) Die With A Smile (Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars) – Lady Gaga’s first new original song in two years is, unfortunately, not a dance track, but yet another song for the Lady Gaga Ballad Musical canon! I would be more annoyed, though, if this was a bad song. While it’s definitely one of those songs curated specifically to be a hit, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars sound so good together you won’t notice its mundane lyricism.
6) Good Luck, Babe! (Chappell Roan) – Chappell Roan’s sleeper-hit is one of the most exciting pop songs of the year. Roan’s voice is powerful, which makes her stand out among other current pop stars who don’t have her impressive vocal range. Her songwriting is full of short lyrics that really pack a punch, and are sure to get stuck in your head. And the song’s bridge is impossible to get tired of.
7) Taste (Sabrina Carpenter) – This song, sadly, does not feature any of Carpenter’s signature funny, unserious lyrics that make her interesting as an artist. While it’s still catchy, she’s not doing anything special. Her easy-breezy persona established in “Espresso” falls flat here. It’s way too easy to get distracted and not hear anything she says while listening to this song.
8) Lose Control (Teddy Swims) – I’ve noticed that a lot of upcoming country stars have amazing voices but don’t have the “grit” needed to make a truly remarkable contribution to the genre. I fear that’s the case with this song as well. Swims has the technical talent, but apart from that, this song is just kind of boring.
9) Please Please Please (Sabrina Carpenter) – The second single off of Carpenter’s breakout album, “Short ‘N Sweet” is a bit lackluster in comparison to its predecessor, “Espresso.” In “Please Please Please,” her voice is effortless yet indifferent as she pleads for her partner to not embarrass her, as if her heart’s not fully in it. While Carpenter’s nonchalance works in her favor in “Espresso,” here it just drains the excitement from its humorous lyrics.
10) Beautiful Things (Benson Boone) – After Charlie Puth got destroyed by Taylor Swift in her song, “The Tortured Poets Department,” Benson Boone appeared out of nowhere to take his place as our new Painfully Uninteresting Pop Guy. There is so little happening in this song I don’t even know what I should comment on. It’s definitely a song, and I’ll leave it at that!