Kendrick Lamar "Squabbles" (and Scours) Out the Hot 100; Spotify Unwraps My 2024 Year (SNS week of 12/1/2024)

WELL, SINCE WE LAST SPOKE, I had been wondering what this week's Billboard Hot 100 #1 would be.   I figured it would have gone to Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)", holding off both Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' "Die With a Smile", and Mariah Carey's annual Christmas anthem, "All I Want For Chriistmas Is You".    So, who got it?

None of the above.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar's new album GNX spawns seven songs debuting in the top 10, including the top five, as well as the new #1 song "Squabble Up"

That's because, unbeknownst to me at the time, rapper Kendrick Lamar released a new album, GNX with short notice, with seven tracks hitting the top 10, including all of the top 5, topped by "Squabble Up", which interrupts Shaboozey's quest to break the record for the longest run at #1 (it's currently tied with "Old Town Road" at 19 weeks apiece).    It's not the first time Lamar has cut into Shaboozey's run; "Not Like Us", a "diss track" aimed at fellow rapper Drake, debuted at #1 on July 20, forcing "A Bar Song" out after just one week at the time.

Thus, Lamar matches the record having the entire top five.    It was first done by The Beatles in 1964, back when there was no streaming, and no album cuts allowed on the chart, just 45 rpm vinyl singles.  Recently it was done by nemesis Drake, and by Taylor Swift who had the entire top ten.

It definitely robbed Shaboozey of a record 20th week at the top. , If you take Lamar's songs out of the chart, it would have indeed set the record; as it's the highest non-Lamar track at #6.   Gaga and Mars', at #7 would have been #2.    As for Mariah, she is at #10 and would have been #3.   As I had originally projected this week (ending December 7) to be the first week that a holiday song would hit the top, all she can do is hit 18 weeks at #1, assuming "All I Want...." hits #1 next week and stays there the next four.    As for Brenda Lee, she moves #23 to #16 (second among holiday entries) with "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"; it was this week last year that she beat out Mariah for #1. It's apparent that Mariah will once again rule the season; the question is will it be a sweep, and also assuming that we don't have another superstar surprise album or song drop in the next few weeks.     As for next week, will Lamar hold on to the top?    Usually most of the tracks that debut in the top 10 during an album bomb drop out the next few weeks, but "Squabble Up" could hang on.    However, my guess is that Mariah will take over the top, and Shaboozey will have to wait until next month.    

ON THE SNS 100, "Die With a Smile" has a second week at #1, and now holds a decent lead over "A Bar Song", which is still #2.   Doyle Wood and Terri Gore's "Feels Like Love To Me", moves 7-4, becoming the highest-ranking beach music song since The Holiday Band's "I Got It Bad For You" was #3 the week of August 25.   The only newcomer to the top 10 is Arc de Soliel's instrumental "Trying to Escape" (14-10).

In the second ten, the first Christmas song in that region appears, that being Deb Browning's "Christmas in the South" (23-16) which grabs Impact honors.  Off Guard also enters with "North Star", while beach outfit Calypso Joe and the Coconuts score with "Beacha' Didn't Know".   Mover of the Week is last week's Top Debut, "Somethin' 'About a Woman" by Thomas Rhett featuring Teddy Swims (60-36).

DEBUTS: Ten new songs this week, six of them holiday entries, but the two highest entries are non-holiday related.   Don West makes his blog debut with "Small Change".  I don't know too much about if this artist is considered beach music, but the song is definitely in that genre.    This is a feel-good retro, 60's style song; listening to it, it sounds like it was released back then.   Hints of bands like Archie Bell and the Drells and Chairmen of the Board permeate this song.    It's songs like these that got me into that genre in the first place. It debuts at #53.

Speaking of retro soul, a genre which has taken charge of my blog in 2024, Leon Bridges, who debuted on my blog with the #1 "Coming Home" back in 2015, but whose subsequent recording were a bit more "contemporary", debuts with "Laredo".   While not really in the same vein as the debut hit, this one is retro enough, yet contemporary, at least with the confines of today's music, to make it back to the top.   Should top "Peaceful Place"; the new song debuts at #60, just above the prior song.

Other non-holiday entries include the latest from The Wombats' "Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come", sort of a "smooth-alternative sound there; and The Struts' "Can't Stop Talking", sort of a vintage new-wave slant on this.

Of the holiday entries, they are led by "Maybe This Christmas", by Michael Bublé and Carly Pearce. Bublé is no stranger to the season as many of his songs are played during the holidays; he has extra exposure as a coach on The Voice; Ms. Pearce's vocals are a plus to this sentimental and rather somber ballad.    Harper Grace's "Santa Baby" takes both Eartha Kitt's sultry original and Madonna's cutesy-pop version into consideration and comes up with a cool concoction of the song.   Beach artist Steve Cheek, coming off a top 10 with "Last Summer", covers the Kenny Chesney holiday entry, "All I Want for Christmas Is a Really Good Tan", originally released by Chesney as the title track to his holiday album, released in 2003.    Cheek adds a new dimension to the song, his rather unique voice makes it his own.     Sylvia Johns Ritchie teams up with Rivermist for "Down Home Old Fashioned Christmas".   

 Finally, we have two entries for Tim Izzard's fictional Sir Prize and the Twomorrow Knightz, both which enter the SNS 100.   "Classic Cartoon Christmas" looks back at all the cartoons and stop-action holiday specials from the 1960's and 70's, with the video referencing everything from Mr. Magoo, Rudolph, Frosty, Santa, to the Snow Miser.     "Santa's Sweet Ride", in contrast, tells a more modern story, but with Tim's usual name-drops to glam-era artists.   Either or both could click.

WRAPPING UP:   2024 marks my second year since I switched my playlist from iTunes to Spotify, and as such, the beginning of December is one to look back at the music that I listened to during the past year.   Seems like I played 593 songs this year, and my top song was "If You Don't Want My Love" by Jalen Ngonda which I streamed 51 times.  The song spent three weeks at #1 here last spring.

Jalen Ngonda's "If You Don't Want My Love" was named top song of 2024 according to my 2024 Spotify "Wrapped" list.

My Top Five Songs of 2024, according to Spotify:

1. "If You Don't Want My Love", Jalen Ngonda

2. "Got to Be Good", Gotts Street Park featuring Pip Millett

3. "Good Love Don't Come Easy", Sylvia Johns Ritchie

4. "I've Fallen For A Dragon", Charlotte Sessions

5. "Floating Parade", Michael Kiwanuka

I listened to 425 artists in 2024, with the top artist being Orbis Max.   That's quite understandable as that Internet collective released many songs throughout the year, culminating in their Tilt-A-Whirl set recently released.  

Orbis Max, the Internet collective band, garnered Top Artist according to Spotify's "2024 Unwrapped" recap.

My Top Five Artists of 2024, according to Spotify

1. Orbis Max

2. The Black Keys

3. Starbuck

4. Jalen Ngonda

5. Teddy Swims

Of course, my real, "official" Top 100 of 2024 won't come out until the end of this month.    I'm not yet sure what my last week will be, either December 15 or 22, thus there will be three or four more weeks to determine what my top song will actually be.

Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist

December 1, 2024

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	1	NUMBER ONE: LADY GAGA and BRUNO MARS "Die With A Smile" (Single Release) (2 Weeks at #1)	14
2	2	Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy)●	18
3	4	Pip Millett - Hard Life	13
4	7	Doyle Wood and Terri Gore - Feels Like Love To Me	11
5	3	The Beaches - Takes One to Know One●	15
6	6	Teddy Swims - Bad Dreams	10
7	5	Starbuck - Jones About You	15
8	10	Orbis Max - We Shall Rise Again	10
9	8	Dani Zanoni - I Know	13
10	14	Arc De Soleil - Trying to Escape	7
11	13	Gary Lowder and Smokin' Hot - Driving Me Out of Her Mind	9
12	9	Jitwam - Opendoors	15
13	16	Mighty Saints of Soul - You Don't Know What Love Is	7
14	11	Thee Sacred Souls - Live For You	14
15	19	The Heavy Heavy - Feel	5
16	23	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK: DEB BROWNING "Christmas In the South" (Single Release)	4
17	18	Rivermist - Jukebox Jenny	6
18	22	Øff Guard - North Star	8
19	21	Calypso Joe and the Coconuts - Beacha' Didn't Know	12
20	12	Nikki Briar - Free Fallin'	13
21	24	Sylvia Johns Ritchie -I Don't Care Who Knows ( I Love My Baby)	10
22	25	Billie Eilish - Birds of a Feather	12
23	31	Christina Taylor - Pretty Like You	4
24	34	Moto Bandit - Private Pile	3
25	20	Gotts Street Park ft Pip Millett - Got To Be Good▲	16
26	15	The Pozers - Missing You (Missing Me)	13
27	33	Rainy Day Outlaws - I Know	7
28	28	Randy Clay Band - It's The Simple Things	10
29	17	Jalen Ngonda - Here To Stay	17
30	32	Bon Jovi - Living Proof	8
31	37	Morgan Wallen - Love Somebody	5
32	36	Karen O and Danger Mouse - Super Breath	6
33	42	Pepper Creek - We Cruis'n	5
34	35	Franz Ferdinand - Audacious	8
35	26	The Black Keys - Don't Let Me Go	14
36	60	MOVER OF THE WEEK: THOMAS RHETT featuring TEDDY SWIMS " Somethin' 'Bout a Woman" Album: About A Woman	2
37	39	Phantogram - Happy Again	10
38	44	Sports Team - I'm In Love  (Subaru)	7
39	27	The Dust-Ups - What Getting Over You Looks Like	12
40	30	The Black Keys - I Forgot To Be Your Lover	14
41	29	Beabadoobee - Beaches	12
42	49	Whiskey-Chitto Ramblers - Breakdown	4
43	48	The Veils - The Ladder	6
44	51	The Beaches - Jocelyn	3
45	68	Melinda Lindner - Come on A Sleighride	2
46	46	The Cactus Blossoms - Statues	6
47	59	David F. Porfirio - Ballad of the Outlaw	3
48	47	The Last Dinner Party - Nothing Matters	7
49	61	Kelly Clarkson - You For Christmas	3
50	53	Sabrina Carpenter - Taste	5
51	56	The Cynz - Woman Child	4
52	58	Monophonics - Sage Motel	3
53	---	TOP DEBUT: DON WEST "Small Change" Album: Don West	1
54	38	Dustin Ahkuoi and Sharon Woodruff - Back By Popular Demand	17
55	72	The Palms - Ghost	2
56	64	Kate Hudson - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas	4
57	40	Michael Kiwanuka - Floating Parade●	18
58	55	Orbis Max - Candy On the Hill	6
59	73	Hajej - High No More	3
60	---	Leon Bridges  - Laredo	1
61	41	Leon Bridges- Peaceful Place	14
62	45	Mavis Staples - Worthy	9
63	74	Sarah Reeves - Holly Jolly Christmas	3
64	43	Linkin Park - The Emptiness Machine	9
65	79	The Pozers - And You Love	2
66	66	Einsteins Dad - It's Just America	8
67	81	Lady Gaga - Disease	2
68	76	Blake Shelton - Texas	2
69	63	Dollys - Cornerstones	7
70	50	Vacations - Midwest	14
71	71	Gotts Street Park ft ENNY - Mountains	4
72	78	Gracie Abrams - That's So True	3
73	52	Foster The People - See You In the Afterlife	10
74	54	Post Malone ft Blake Shelton - Pour Me A Drink	18
75	75	Isabella Pombrio - Avoiding Highways	7
76	83	Sarah Kinsley - Subliime	3
77	86	Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - Call Me (Whatever You Like)	2
78	80	White Denim - Light On	4
79	93	Jimmy Fallon and Jonas Brothers - Holiday	2
80	67	Royel Otis - Foam●	23
81	96	Meghan Trainor - Jingle Bells	2
82	---	Michael Buble and Carly Pearce - Maybe This Christmas	1
83	90	Sir Prize and  the Twomorrow Knightz - Temptress	2
84	---	Harper Grace - Santa Baby	1
85	57	Mike Taylor -  I Don't Wanna Cry	15
86	---	The Wombats - Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want To Come	1
87	92	Dexter and the Moonrocks - Sad in Carolina	2
88	---	Steve Cheek - All I Want For Christmas Is a Real Good Tan	1
89	62	Cage the Elephant - Rainbow	18
90	65	Jelly Roll - I Am Not Okay	5
91	---	Sir Prize and the Twomorrow Knightz - Classic Cartoon Christmas	1
92	69	The Shang Hi Los - Morganatic Panic	8
93	---	The Struts - Can't Stop Talking	1
94	---	Sylvia Johns Ritchie and Rivermist - Down Home Old Fashioned Christmas	1
95	77	Tamar Berk - Good Impression	7
96	70	Sir Prize and the Twomorrow Knightz - Glitter Balls	16
97	---	Sir Prize and the Twomorrow Knightz - Santa Sweet Ride	1
98	82	Blondshell - What's Fair	5
99	97	Orbis Max and Jim Richey - Learning to Love	19
100	95	Deb Browning and Marlisa Kay Small -Sunshine and Summertime●	32

Murmurs:

Menehan Street Band - Queens Highway

Hermanos Cutierrez - Circa De Ti

Vacations - Over You

Moon Soul - I Really Do

The Cure - A Fragile Thing

Billy Strings - Gild the Lilly

Sharon Van Etten - Afterlife

Jelly Roll - Liar

Fitz - Wind in My Sails

Seth Storer    - Hungover You

Michael Kiwanuka - The Rest of Me

Murmurs: Songs which are in the queue for future adds onto the Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist.

 

Songs with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week

Holiday Songs

 

▲Song garnered most plays on Spotify, for the  month, with a superscript following the symbol if most played for multiple months; or if a song was among the top 5 most plays for two months. ● Song among top 5 most plays on Spotify.  Awards given during the last blog of each month.  To qualify, the song must be currently or have peaked in the top 40. (Until September 2024)

●Songs garnering 25 plays on Spotify (“Scrobbles”) according to Last.Fm (effective October 2024)

 

 

Songs on the SNS 100 are included on the following public Spotify playlists

 

Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves Top 40:  Contains songs in positions 1-40 on the SNS 100

Scenes Up and Coming:  Songs From 41-100 that are moving up the chart that have not reached the top 40

Scenes Down and Going:  Song formerly in the top 40 that are descending but still on the SNS 100.

Scenes Recurrents: Songs which had been in the top 20 and/or songs on the chart 25 weeks or more, that have dropped off the SNS 100.