Many of the songs radio people have been complaining about playing endlessly since last summer are also still in the Spotify Top 50. You can view them either as “burned out” recurrents or future power golds with minimal burn and massive favorability. Just to name a few: “Die With A Smile” #6, “Birds of a Feather” #10, “I Had Some Help” #24, “Beautiful Things” #25, “Good Luck, Babe!” #28, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” #29, “Lose Control” #33, “Espresso” #35 and even the 27-year-old “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls at #43! Clearly, these mass-appeal, ultra familiar superhits all have everlasting appeal.
One song with surprisingly resurgent streaming appeal has been The Marias – “No One Noticed” which has had three weeks of tremendous growth. It made a surprise jump to #6 Spotify streaming in America, after being moved to recurrent on Mediabase’s airplay chart. At this writing, it has 2553 spins and would be in the low 20s if it was still charted. Since our write-up in January, we’ve only received four requests for it total, however.
Other stories from Spotify this week:
Lorde – “What Was That”: Released six days ago, debuted at #1 on Spotify. Currently #7 on the weekly chart. It’s too early to tell if these are strictly initial excitement streams or if the song is an instant smash. Lorde’s only real hit was “Royals” in 2013, one of the decade’s biggest songs. In 2017, “Green Light” showed potential but only got to #20 on Top 40 and #19 on Billboard. But, if Charli XCX can return and dominate the summer of 2024, who says Lorde can’t own this one? It’s a great song lyrically and totally unique, much like Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish. Clearly it caught everyone by surprise, as it’s only #99 on Top 40 with 45 spins: mostly from Sirius XM Hits and WDJQ/Canton Ohio.
Sombr – “back to friends”: This 19-year-old NYC native has 22 million monthly listeners on Spotify and this is already his most-streamed with 127 million since its release on December 27. It’s been making a slow climb up the charts, now #8 in America and #11 Global. #67 on Top 40 this week. Main stations behind it: 40 spins on WXLK/Roanoke VA where PD Chris Ryan said he’s been on it for a few weeks after watching it emerge on Spotify and TikTok, 25 spins on WXXL/Orlando. Alternative is big again and this song fits perfectly with other smashes like “Sailor Song”, “Messy” and his other Top 50 song “undressed” and “Feel It” which just came out last Friday on his new album “WITHERED.”
And from the Liveline phones:
Drake – “NOKIA” jumps from #7 to #1 in Liveline listener requests this week, ahead of the also phenomenal “Ordinary.” At radio, it gets a nice jump from #27 to #19 at Top 40 and is #2 Rhythmic and at Hip-Hop/R&B radio. It continues high atop Spotify and Shazam where it is also #1. Is this an early possible contender for Song of the Summer 2025? Some stations are still not playing it.
Lil Tecca “Dark Thoughts”, BigXthaPlug & Bailey Zimmerman “All The Way” and The Weeknd “Timeless” (still Top 10 Spotify and requests) are all showing consistent signs of hit material without proportionate radio airplay. Top 40 has really become very narrow, often lacking its historic strength of genre balance. Seeing well-tested, big response alternative, country and hip hop being passed up on is sad considering actual great “pop” music has been limited in recent years. Pop radio excels when it fairly represents balance from the best of every genre.
Lorde’s only hit? Excuse me? The “Team” (the better song and big hit as well) erasure will not be tolerated…
I was hoping you mentioned Jessie Murph’s “Blue Strips” currently blowing up on streaming (especially on Apple Music where it’s currently at #2), it screams hit to me and here for it, very talented young singer. I hope the label sends it to Pop adds next week.
Plenty of people still get excited over new music from Lorde regardless of its inherent commercial potential because they are interested in her as an artist and what she creates. Even from a purely commercial standpoint she’s doing fine for herself without “hits” in recent years. I’m not especially fond of her music myself (I rarely spin her albums) but, like, “Green Light” was a great song even if it didn’t have the type of commercial legs that radio wants to ratify. Commercial artists are not necessarily obligated to deliver “great songs” for radio. I’m not sure what fate will befall “What Was That,” but I didn’t get the sense that radio is confident in it from the way feedback was solicited immediately after it was played on my city’s Alternative station. Either way, I like it. It may be a little less unimaginative and referential than our thrilling zeitgeist demands right now.
“Nokia” is growing on me. I only just realized that the song the beginning section kept reminding me of is “So What” (the Field Mob/Ciara one, not the Pink one). Good times! I don’t think I’ve heard it on the CHR station yet, but I expect it’ll appear soon, though others in the format will certainly wait around another couple months pretending they’re not sure which section has the callout hook. (It’s like “Take Me Out”!) Song of the Summer? Nope, sorry, seems that’ll be the ever-relevant “Die With a Smile,” along with the “angry 3” “Luther” and closely followed by former SotS “A Bar Song”! (I kid, kind of. It’s actually going to be “Ordinary,” isn’t it?)
The new Billie Eilish song has to be the biggest format killer in recent memory. Slow, ethereal, it stops the show (at least when I heard it on LiveLine Monday just before 11pm). Should be restricted to the Spa channel on Sirius.
Keep up the good work, Mason!
It’s definitely a snoozer but absolutely huge on Spotify and requests coming in. People love the song, especially women. I agree that Top 40 needs more tempo but it definitely has room for Ballads and slow songs. They invoke the most emotion and will be remembered for years to come… Much better than “happier than ever” which radio played a fair amount.
Yeah, the Top 40 charts seriously needs some new crossover from other formats to be fresh, and I think they could put some crossover emphasis more on Alternative hits to finally get rock back on the pop charts.
Funny….I was just thinking the very same thing about CHR songs that have seemingly stayed on the playlist forever! I looked at “Espresso” for example. That song was released a year ago this week if memory serves correct! “Birds of a Feather”, “Die With A Smile”, and “Good Luck Babe”….same thing, all released last summer, and were all contenders for Song of the Summer…in 2024!
Speaking of Chappell Roan and country crossovers, I’m wondering why “The Giver” is such a slow mover on CHR and Hot AC? I’m playing it in hot rotation right now just because of who she is, but I’m not seeing much movement nationwide on that one.
Hey, Tony. “The Giver” tapered off in streaming almost immediately. As of last week, it was hanging in there on some of the stations where country/pop hybrids do well (e.g., WIXX, so your mileage might vary) but I think it was mostly a short-lived novelty for people. I’m hoping that she has another Song of Summer candidate for this year.
On a separate note, Mix sounds great this morning. Thanks for engaging here, it’s definitely led me to check out the station.
Thanks Sean. Glad you had a chance to check us out!