With eight #1 debuts and a massive 16 tracks hitting the Hot 100 summit in 2020 so far, the songs at the top of the charts this year are proving to have little staying power amid popular new promotion strategies and an overwhelming amount of summer competition.
Historically, it’s not uncommon to see songs reign at #1 on the Hot 100 for upwards of five, six, seven or eight weeks. One of this year’s biggest hits, Roddy Ricch‘s “The Box,” stayed at the top for 10 weeks straight, while other hits from 2019 like Lizzo‘s “Truth Hurts” (7 weeks) Ariana Grande‘s “7 rings” (8 weeks) and Lil Nas X‘s “Old Town Road” (19 weeks) all commanded the #1 spot with relative ease. The summer of 2020, however, has been a different story so far more artists chase huge, chart-breaking first-week debuts with little longevity to follow.
“Watermelon Sugar” becomes Harry Styles’ first #1 single on the Hot 100.
Congratulations, @Harry_Styles! 🍾 pic.twitter.com/g3fIwRwPlj
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 10, 2020
The Hot 100 has seen an incredible turnover rate this year beginning the week of Saturday, April 18th, when Drake‘s “Toosie Slide” dethroned The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” with a #1 debut. An incredible 10 songs went on to claim the top spot in the four months that have passed, including “Blinding Lights” for a second time, “THE SCOTTS,” “Say So,” “Stuck With U,” “Savage,” “Rain On Me,” “Rockstar,” “TROLLZ,” “cardigan” and “Watermelon Sugar.” Notably, six of these songs were #1 debuts that dropped in their second week, with some exiting the Top 10 and even Top 20 entirely.
The past 18 weeks have seen 11 songs reach the top spot, meaning a new track went #1 roughly every other week this summer. While it’s unclear as to why exactly this is the case, fans have blamed the high-turnover on new promotional strategies involving merchandise bundles as well a lack of real-world promotion during the COVID-19 pandemic. With zero songs staying at #1 this year after their initial debut, Pop Crave looks back at 18 legendary tracks that pulled off this impressive feat on the Hot 100:
“Fantasy” by Mariah Carey
Weeks at #1: 8
RIAA Certification: 3x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #7
“One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey feat. Boyz II Men
Weeks at #1: 16
RIAA Certification: 3x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #2
“I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans & 112
Weeks at #1: 11
RIAA Certification: 3x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #3
“Honey” by Mariah Carey
RIAA Certification: PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #32
Weeks at #1: 3
“Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About You” by Elton John
Weeks at #1: 14
RIAA Certification: 11x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #1
“My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion
Weeks at #1: 2
RIAA Certification: GOLD
Year-end Billboard ranking: #3
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith
RIAA Certification: PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #23
Weeks at #1: 4
“Doo Wop (That Thing)” by Lauryn Hill
Weeks at #1: Two
RIAA Certification: GOLD
Year-end Billboard ranking: #41
“This Is The Night” by Clay Aiken
Weeks at #1: 2
RIAA Certification: N/A
Year-end Billboard ranking: #47
“Born This Way” by Lady Gaga
Weeks at #1: 6
RIAA Certification: 6x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #18
“Harlem Shake” by Baauer
Weeks at #1: 5
RIAA Certification: 2x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #4
“Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift
Weeks at #1: 4
RIAA Certification: DIAMOND
Year-end Billboard ranking: #13
“Hello” by Adele
Weeks at #1: 10
RIAA Certification: 7x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #7
“God’s Plan” by Drake
Weeks at #1: 10
RIAA Certification: 11x PLATINUM
Year-end Hot 100: #1
“Nice For What” by Drake
RIAA Certification: 5x PLATINUM
Year-end Hot 100: #12
Weeks at #1: 7
“This Is America” by Childish Gambino
Weeks at #1: 2
RIAA Certification: 3x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #51
“thank u, next” by Ariana Grande
Weeks at #1: 7
RIAA Certification: 5x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #12
‘7 rings” by Ariana Grande
Weeks at #1: 8
RIAA Certification: 5x PLATINUM
Year-end Billboard ranking: #7
“Wap” by Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion
Weeks at #1: 2
RIAA Certification: GOLD
Year-end Billboard ranking: Pending
“Dynamite” by BTS
Weeks at #1: 2
RIAA Certification: Pending
Year-end Billboard ranking: Pending
What’s your favorite #1 debut of all time? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter at @PopCrave!
