Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown: Billie Eilish takes top spot with Bad Guy
Triple J’s top song in its Hottest 100 has dealt a major blow to an Aussie star as Tones and I, Hilltop Hoods, Lizzo, the late Juice WRLD, Denzel Curry, Khalid, Thelma Plum and G Flip made the list.
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Triple J’s Hottest 100 has shocked fans with its top song beating long time Australian favourite Tones and I’s global hit Dance Monkey.
American signer songwriter Billie Eilish has taken out the top spot with her song Bad Guy.
This win marks the first time a solo female has ever topped the annual poll.
At age 18, she is the youngest act to ever top the annual countdown, making history.
Eilish praised fans on-air, saying: “Thank you, guys, you did this! That’s insane. Thank you so much, it’s an honour. It’s so crazy to me. I love Australia, I miss you guys. I haven’t been there in a minute and I’m so excited to go back.”
She also scored the most songs in the countdown with five hits, followed by G Flip and Lime Cordiale with four, and Tones And I, Flume, Thelma Plum, Tame Impala, BENEE and Ruel with three each.
Eilish made her first appearance in the 2019 poll at No.91 with All The Girls Go to Hell, from her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
The Hottest 100 broke a voting record with 3,211,596 votes, up 16.4 per cent from last year.
The top 10 was ruled by Aussie acts until Elilish came in, and US rapper Denzel Curry took the fifth spot with his song Bulls On Parade.
The remake of Rage Against the Machine’s Bulls on Parade was featured on Triple J’s own segment Like a Version in February last year and has been viewed over 7 million times on You Tube.
It was clear Tones and I wasn’t going to take the top spot after her song Dance Monkey came in at No.4.
Queensland star Mallrat took the No.3 spot with her song Charlie.
Sydneysider Flume took the No.2 spot with his song Rushing Back.
Melbourne’s G Flip continued her dominant streak in the Hottest 100 with yet another song at No. 6 Drink Too Much.
Sydney’s pop rock duo Lime Cordiale also had another song at No.7 with Robbery.
Thelma Plum, an Australian singer-songwriter-guitarist from Delungra in NSW, won fans over with her song Better in Blak which hit No. 9 spot.
Plum is the highest-ranking Indigenous artist in Hottest 100 history, with the song overtaking A.B. Original’s ‘January 26’ from back in 2016 when it was No.16.
Brisbane’s four-piece band The Jungle Giants’ song Heavy Hearted came in at No.8.
The Hilltop Hoods from South Australia came into the countdown taking tenth spot with their hit Exit Sign (feat. Illy, Ecca Vandal).
They have 20 songs in 10 annual countdowns, closing in on the 22-song record held by Foo Fighters and Powderfinger.
Post Malone’s song Circles was at the No. 11 spot.
Tones and I finally made her debut into the Hottest 100 with her song Johnny Run Away in the 26th spot. She also had her song Never Seen The Rain at No.15.
Eilish continued to blitz the list with her song Everything I Wanted at No. 16, which was praised by listeners.
Lime Cordiale had their second showing with I Touch Myself (triple J Like A Version) at No. 17 while Tame Impala continued to rocket up the Hottest 100 with Borderline at No.18.
BENEE’s Glitter was in 19th spot, followed by DMA’s song Silver.
The Chats’ song Pub Feed was a crowd favourite with many praising its listing at No.21. Some social media users even said it should be Australia’s national anthem.
Ruel’s song Painkiller was in 22nd spot, marking his prominence and popularity among those who voted. At the ARIA Music Awards in 2918, he won the award for Breakthrough Artist for his single Dazed & Confused.
In 23rd spot came Tyler, The Creator’s EARFQUAKE. Ocean Alley had a second run at the countdown with the song Infinity as did BENEE with Find An Island at No.25.
Stormzy’s song Vossi Bop also scored a spot at No.27.
American singer Lizzo has entered the list with her song Juice in 28th spot, and MEDUZA’s Piece of Your Heart (feat. Goodboys) in 30th spot.
Australian artist Flume took the 30th spot with Friends (feat. Reo Cragun).
Skegss, an Australian surf music and garage rock trio originally from Byron Bay, have scored the 31st spot with their song Save It For The Weekend.
They were followed by Lime Cordiale, a pop rock duo from Sydney, who took out No. 32 with their song Money.
Dom Dolla was at No.33 with his hit San Frandisco, and Glass Animals’ song Tokyo Drifitng featuring Denzel Curry at No.34.
Eilish did it again, getting another Hottest 100 spot with her song Bury a Friend at No. 35 and Pnau had Solid Gold in at No. 36.
Red Light Green Light from Duke Dumont came in at No. 37, after Ruel had his second Hottest 100 song Face To Face at No. 38.
Catfish and the Bottlemen, a British indie rock band, took 39th spot with Longshot. Halsey had her second song Graveyard listed at No.40, while Travis Scott made his Hottest 100 debut this year with Highest In The Room at No. 41.
The late rapper Juice Wrld was remembered with his song Robbery in spot No. 42 after Tame Impala’s second hit to be in the list It Might Be Time at No. 42.
Australia’s Baker Boy was back in at No.44 with Cool As Hell.
Baker Boy showcased Indigenous Language in the Hottest 100 for the third consecutive year with both of his entries.
US rapper Denzel Curry had his first Hottest 100 entry this year with Ricky at No. 45, before Dean Lewis had a second hit with 7 Minutes in at No. 46.
Brok Hamption’s song Sugar was at No. 47 and Australian Ziggy Alberts scored No. 48 with Intentions (22).
Ruel an English born Australian singer-songwriter from Sydney, popped into the list with Free Time at No.49.
The 50th song — which was the halfway mark — in the list was from Australian indie rock band Holy Holy formed by songwriters Timothy Carroll and Oscar Dawson and it was their second song Teach Me About Dying.
In 51st spot was Benee with Evil Spider, followed by Tame Impala’s Patience at No.52.
No.53 was Fisher’s You Little Beauty, Ocean Alley’s Stained Glass was No. 54, and US singer-songwirter Khalid entered the Hottest 100 with Talk at No.55.
Before him, another US artist, J. Cole came in at No. 56 with Middle Child, Australian pop punk and indie rock band Slowly Slowly originally from Melbourne had their song Jellyfish at No. 57.
Again G Flip delivered with Lover at No.58, before No.59 from Mallrat and Basenji - Nobody’s Home.
In 60th place, Hockey Dad had I Missed Out
Holy Holy had their first song in the Hottest 100 today Maybe You Know in 61st place.
Australian rapper Illy lobbed at No.68 with his Shania Twain-referencing single Then What, which becomes his tenth Hottest 100 placing.
Illy’s biggest Hottest 100 placing so far was No.67 with his Vera Blue collaboration Paper Cuts in 2016.
Speaking of acts with multiple songs in the countdown Melbourne’s G-Flip also lands her second song in this year’s Hottest 100 with Stupid at No.66. Drink Too Much and Lover are both also expected to chart later on. G-Flip also drums on Alex Lahey’s cover of Welcome to the Black Parade.
And more double happiness - local musician Thelma Plum scored a second song this year with Homecoming Queen at No.65. Expect her to appear later on (hopefully much later on) with Better in Blak, the title track of her debut album which was released last year.
Homecoming Queen includes lyrics that touch on her indigenous heritage.
Another act making their Hottest 100 debut is Adelaide musician George Alice - she was discovered via triple j’s Unearthed High competition, which she won (Kian was a previous winner).
US hitmaker Halsey - another who enjoys the priviledged position of being played on both commercial radio and triple j - lands at No.63 with Nightmare. The song reached No.13 on the ARIA chart last year and samples Tatu’s All the Things She Said. Halsey’s Graveyard is likely to appear later in the Hottest 100. She has been in the Hottest 100 four times before today.
British musician Bakar is No.62 with Hell N Back - yet another Hottest 100 debutante.
Brisbane group Cub Sport are at No.73 with Party Pill. The band released a duet with Darren Hayes of Savage Garden last year - I Never Cried So Much in My Whole Life. If that charts in the Hottest 100 it will be the first time Hayes has appeared in the countdown.
Cub Sport have now had four Hottest 100 placings, most recently reaching No.30 last year with Sometimes.
At No.72 is Melbourne singer songwriter Angie McMahon and Pasta, a track taken from her acclaimed debut album Salt, which reached No.5 on the ARIA charts.
More commercial radio crossover at No.71 with Canadian artist The Weeknd and his recent single Blinding Lights, which was only released on November 29 last year.
Blinding Lights only just scraped in by a single day - any song initially released between December 1 2018 and November 30 2019 were eligible for 2019’s Hottest 100.
This is the fifth song by the Weeknd to land in a Hottest 100 - he has scored two Top 10 placings before, Can’t Feel My Face in 2015 and Starboy in 2016.
More Australian female music at No.70 with E^ST’s Talk Deep, who scores her second Hottest 100 placing, after making No.63 in 2017 with Life Goes On.
Brisbane rock band Violent Soho take out the No.69 slot with Vacation Forever - this is their eighth song to register in a Hottest 100 but their first since 2016.
Australian singer songwriter Thelma Plum makes her third Hottest 100 appearance at No.78 with Not Angry Anymore, beating the No.79 placement of Clumsy Love last year.
Plum’s Better in Blak (the title track of her album released last year) is a favourite to make this year’s Top 10.
Melbourne’s G-Flip got her first song in this year’s countdown with I Am Not Afraid at No.77, taken from her debut album About Us. She is also expected to chart higher later, with the song Drink Too Much, while another song, Lover, could also surface.
G-Flip made her Hottest 100 debut last year with two songs, About You and Killing My Time, also her first two singles.
Yet another local female musician, Meg Mac, landed at No.76 with Something Tells Me. This is her eighth Hottest 100 placing since 2014.
At No.75 is a killer collaboration between two great Australian acts - the underrated Golden Features (making their third Hottest 100 appearance) and the Presets, who score their 12th appearance on the poll since 2007 with this track Paradise.
There’s another dance collaboration at No.74, Hayden James with US duo Naations on club hit Nowhere to Go. This is James’ fifth Hottest 100 placement, reaching No.15 last year with Just Friends.
Another cover version from triple j’s Like a Version has surfaced - Melbourne musician Alex Lahey and her remake of My Chemical Romance’s Welcome to the Black Parade.
The cover was released before the emo kings announced their reformation - leading to comments like “this version was so good it brought MCR out of retirement.”
My Chemical Romance will headline the Download Festival in Sydney and Melbourne in March.
Lahey is no stranger to the Hottest 100 - this is her fourth placing, the highest being No.36 in 2017 with I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself.
Australian duo Peking Duk’s collaboration with indie singer Jack River - Sugar - is at No.82. This is Peking Duk’s ninth Hottest 100 appearance, nearly topping the poll in 2014 when High (with Nicole Millar) made No.2, behind Chet Faker’s Talk is Cheap.
It is the third appearance for Jack River.
At No.81 is another Hottest 100 staple, Flume, and his collaboration with UK act London Grammar Let You Know. This is his 11th Hottest 100 placing - his song Never Be Like You was No.1 in 2016.
Perth band Spacey Jane, discovered via triple j Unearthed, are at No.80 with the catchy Good For You. The band are heading to the UK in May for live shows.
Dean Lewis, who gets played on commercial radio as well as triple j, is No.79 with Stay Awake, taken from his debut album A Place We Knew, which won the ARIA Album of the Year in 2019.
Italian dance producers Meduza are at No.88 with Lose Control.
The song, also rinsed on commercial radio, is likely to be one of two on this year’s Hottest 100. Their biggest song in 2019 was Piece of My Heart, also featuring British producers Goodboys.
That track is nominated for a Grammy at next week’s awards for Best Dance Recording.
Born-again rapper Kanye West is at No.87 with Follow God from his Christian album Jesus is King.
It is the 16th time he has appeared in a Hottest 100 since 2013, which was also his highest ranking, No.13 for G old Digger.
He has made the Top 20 with Stronger, Runaway and Black Skinhead in the past.
More screamo rock at No.86 with Slipknot’s Unsainted - the US band’s first time in a Hottest 100 since 2000.
That is a new record for the longest time between songs appearing in a Hottest 100, previously held by Paul Kelly.
The band were due to tour Australia last year with Metallica, until the tour was cancelled, disappointing their fanbase who are known as ‘maggots’.
Another triple j favourite, Lana Del Rey, is back in the Hottest 100 at No.85 with Doin’ Time from her album Norman F-----g Rockwell. This is her eighth placing in a Hottest 100.
At No.84 is Hey You by Dope Lemon, the side-project for Angus Stone, who previously topped the poll with sister Julia and Big Jet Plane.
Dope Lemon polled twice in 2016 from their previous album.
American rapper Post Malone has become the first ‘commercial’ act to appear in this year’s Hottest 100 with Wow, which reached No.2 on the ARIA chart and now No.93 on the H100.
It’s Post’s fifth Hottest 100 placement, since debuting (and peaking) at No.24 with Rockstar in 2017.
Last year he made No.33 with Better Now and No.27 with Sunflower.
Melbourne duo Client Liaison’s single The Real Thing scrapes in at No.92, their first Hottest 100 appearance since 2016’s World of Our Love.
Byron Bay rockers Skegss landed their Like a Version cover of Pixies’ Here Comes Your Man at No.90, their fourth Hottest 100 placement. They made No.11 last year with Up in the Clouds.
Zambian-Australian singer-songwriter and rapper Sampa the Great is at No.89 with Final Form, from her acclaimed album The Return. She is another Hottest 100 debutante this year.
Coming in at No.97 on the 2019 triple j Hottest 100 is Skin by Fremantle indie pop band San Cisco.
They are no strangers to the countdown, this is their ninth appearance.
Their highest ranking so far was in 2011 when Awkward made No.7. Skin was the only single they released last year.
The first dose of heavy rock has arrived at No.96 with UK band Bring Me the Horizon and their industrial-tinged Ludens, their eighth song to appear in a Hottest 100 since 2013.
The song comes not from their Amo album released last year, but from the soundtrack to video game Death Stranding: Timefall.
The band are massively popular with triple j listeners, so expect more songs from Amo to come.
Adelaide’s Adrian Eagle is at No.95 with A.O.K, his first Hottest 100 placing by himself, however he has featured last year with Hilltop Hoods.
Eagle will performing with Tones And I in Melbourne next week at a sold out bushfire benefit concert.
“I want to thank anyone who voted for any of my songs in the Hottest 100 this year,” Eagle told the station.
“People say it brightens up their day a little bit. That hits me in the heart, gets me in the feels,” he said of the reaction to A.O.K.”
At No.94 is another South Australian, rapper Allday with Protection - his fifth Hottest 100 placing since 2012.
Scraping into the No.100 position are Brisbane rock band Dunerats with No Plans. It is the fifth time they have had a song in the Hottest 100, starting with their 2016 breakthrough Scott Green which made No.34, the same year Bulls---- made No.33.
In 2017 they reached No.55 with 6 Pack and No.75 with Braindead.
At No.99 is another Australian act, Sydney dance act Cosmo’s Midnight with C.U.D.I (Can U Dig It), their first appearance in a Hottest 100.
Reaching No.98 is Darwin rapper Baker Boy with Meditjin - making his fourth appearance in the countdown. His highest so far was No.17 in 2017 with Marryuna, and he made No.51 last year with the hit Mr La Di Da.
In this year’s top 100 songs 65 songs appear from Aussie artists, equalling the tally for both 2018 and 2017, and just behind 2016’s Hottest 100 record of 66 Aussie songs.
The hottest month was May 2019, with the most amount of entries released that month
Seventeen artists are making their Hottest 100 debut and you’ll hear 31 F-bombs in the countdown.
Nine artists celebrate a Hottest 100 hat-trick, appearing three years in a row.
See the list of songs below:
1:Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
2: Flume: Rushing Back
3: Mallrat: Charlie
4: Tones and I - Dance Monkey
5: Denzel Curry - Bulls On Parade
6: G Flip – Drink Too Much
7: Lime Cordiale – Robbery
8: The Jungle Giants – Heavy Hearted
9: Thelma Plum – Better In Blak
10: Hilltop Hoods – Exit Sign (feat. Illy, Ecca Vandal)
11: Post Malone – Circles
12: FIDLAR – By Myself
13: Lime Cordiale – Inappropriate Behaviour
14: Purple Hat – Sofi Tukker
15: Tones and I – Never Seen The Rain
16: Billie Eilish – Everything I Wanted
17: Lime Cordiale – I Touch Myself (triple J Like A Version)
18: Tame Impala – Borderline
19: BENEE – Glitter
20: DMA’s – Silver
21: The Chats – Pub Feed
22: Ruel – Painkiller
23: Tyler, The Creator – EARFQUAKE
24: Ocean Alley – Infinity
25: BENEE – Find An Island
26: Tones and I – Johnny Run Away
27: Stormzy – Vossi Bop
28: Lizzo – Juice
29: MEDUZA – Piece of Your Heart (feat. Goodboys)
30: Flume – Friends (feat. Reo Cragun)
31: Skegss – Save It For The Weekend
32: Lime Cordiale – Money
33: Dom Dolla – San Frandisco
34: Glass Animals – Tokyo Drifting (feat. Denzel Curry)
35: Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
36: PNAU – Solid Gold (feat. Kira Divine, Marques Toliver)
37: Duke Dumont – Red Light Green Light
38: Ruel – Face To Face
39: Catfish And The Bottlemen – Longshot
40: Halsey – Graveyard
41: Travis Scott – HIGHEST IN THE ROOM
42: Juice WLRD – Robbery
43: Tame Impala – It Might Be Time
44: Baker Boy – Cool As Hell
45: Denzel Curry – RICKY
46: Dean Lewis – 7 Minutes
47: BROCKHAMPTON – SUGAR
48. Ziggy Alberts - Intentions (22)
49. Ruel - Free Time
50. Holy Holy - Teach Me About Dying
51. BENEE - Evil Spider
52. Tame Impala - Patience
53. Fisher - You Little Beauty
54. Ocean Alley - Stained Glass
55. Khalid - Talk
56. J. Cole - Middle Child
57. Slowly Slowly - Jellyfish
58. G Flip - Lover
59. Mallrat and Basenji - Nobody’s Home
60. Hockey Dad - I Missed Out
61. Holy Holy - Maybe You Know
62. Bakar - Hell N Back
63. Nightmare - Halsey
64. George Alice - Circles
65. Homecoming Queen - Thelma Plum
66. G-Flip - Stupid
67. Billie Eilish - Wish You Were Gay
68. Illy - Then What
69. Vacation Forever - Violent Soho
70. Talk Deep - E^ST
71. Blinding Lights - The Weeknd
72. Angie McMahon - Pasta
73. Cub Sport - Party Pill
74. Nowhere to Go by Hayden James & Naations
75. Paradise by Golden Features x the Presets
76. Something Tells Me by Meg Mac
77. I Am Not Afraid by G-Flip
78. Not Angry Anymore by Thelma Plum
79. Stay Awake by Dean Lewis
80. Good For You by Spacey Jane
81. Let You Know - Flume ft. London Grammar
82. Sugar by Peking Duk & Jack River
83. Welcome to the Black Parade (Like a Version) by Alex Lahey
84. Hey You by Dope Lemon
85. Doin’ Time by Lana Del Rey
86. Unsainted by Slipknot
87. Follow God by Kanye West
88. Lose Control by Meduza x Becky Hill x Goodboys
89. Final Form by Sampa the Great
90. Here Comes Your Man (Like a Version) by Skegss
91. All The Good Girls Go To Hell by Billie Eilish
92. The Real Thing by Client Liaison
93. Wow by Post Malone
94: Protection by Allday
95: A.O.K by Adrian Eagle
96: Ludens by Bring me the Horizon
97: Skin by SanCisco
98: Meditjin by Baker Boy
99: C.U.D.I by Cosmos Midnight
100: No Plans by Dune Rats
Originally published as Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown: Billie Eilish takes top spot with Bad Guy