Ask Billboard: Ella Langley Stops the Revolving Door at No. 1 on the Hot 100 ...Middle East

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‘Choosin” Different No. 1s

Hi Gary,

Until Ella Langley’s current run of two consecutive weeks topping the Billboard Hot 100 with “Choosin’ Texas” (of its four total weeks at No. 1), for six chart weeks in a row, from Feb. 7 through March 14, No. 1 songs failed to repeat in back-to-back weeks:

Feb. 7: “Aperture,” Harry Styles Feb. 14: “Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley Feb. 21: “DtMF,” Bad Bunny Feb. 28: “Opalite,” Taylor Swift March 7: “Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley March 14: “I Just Might,” Bruno Mars

(That stretch followed the first two weeks at No. 1, consecutively from its debut, for “I Just Might.”)

I was curious how often this kind of change has occurred. So, I looked through the chart’s archives and, while rare, it seems to be happening more often in the past few years. I would imagine that it’s likely tied to the increasing phenomenon of songs debuting at No. 1? Not only would that help explain the turnover, but those songs often tend to spend only their debut weeks in the top spot.

Thanks,

Jesse RifkinWashington, D.C.

Thanks, Jesse.

Tate McRae called it.

(Revolving doors are fun, aren’t they? Almost no work, no germs. Swinging doors, too, very old-timey. How about a time doorway? Much less common.)

You’re correct that such switchover atop the Hot 100 isn’t particularly frequent historically, although on the rise this decade. Prior to the six-week streak of non-repeating No. 1s until the past two weeks, the chart hosted five-week runs in March-April 2021, December 2020-January 2021 and May-June 2020, making for four periods of five weeks or more just more than halfway through the decade.

That’s twice the total occurrences in the 2010s, when five-week runs were linked in 2010 and 2018.

The latest stretch in February-March matched the longest for Hot 100 hits not holding at No. 1 in more than 16 years:

Oct. 17, 2009: “Down,” Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne Oct. 24: “3,” Britney Spears Oct. 31: “Down,” Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayne Nov. 7: “Fireflies,” Owl City Nov. 14: “Whatcha Say,” Jason Derulo Nov. 21: “Fireflies,” Owl City

(As with “Choosin’ Texas” this year, the weeks above also sport songs yo-yoing at No. 1 in Jay Sean and Owl City’s hits.)

Prior to fall 2009, no such six-week makeovers atop the Hot 100 had occurred since September-November 1990. The last to go even longer? A seven-week run that brought notable variety to No. 1 the year before:

June 3, 1989: “Rock On,” Michael Damian June 10: “Wind Beneath My Wings,” Bette Midler June 17: “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” New Kids on the Block June 24: “Satisfied,” Richard Marx July 1: “Baby Don’t Forget My Number,” Milli Vanilli July 8: “Good Thing,” Fine Young Cannibals July 15: “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” Simply Red

Going back further, likewise no No. 1s repeated for seven straight weeks in June-July 1977, following a six-week run that April-May and a seven-week streak in December 1975-January 1976.

The longest example of Hot 100 No. 1s not staying at the summit? For 12 weeks more than half a century ago, chart watchers (and Casey Kasem and writers) celebrated these enduring single-week leaders:

Jan. 18, 1975: “Mandy,” Barry Manilow Jan. 25: “Please Mr. Postman,” Carpenters Feb. 1: “Laughter in the Rain,” Neil Sedaka Feb. 8: “Fire,” Ohio Players Feb. 15: “You’re No Good,” Linda Ronstadt Feb. 22: “Pick Up the Pieces,” AWB March 1: “Best of My Love,” Eagles March 8: “Have You Never Been Mellow,” Olivia Newton-John March 15: “Black Water,” The Doobie Brothers March 22: “My Eyes Adored You,” Frankie Valli March 29: “Lady Marmalade,” Labelle April 5: “Lovin’ You,” Minnie Riperton

The only other streaks of songs not retaining No. 1 for five weeks were in 1974 (twice) and 1961.

All of which is to say that Hot 100 No. 1s historically tend to stay in charge for more than a week: perhaps surprisingly, at a 64% majority among all 1,189 leaders dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, start.

Still, as you observed, Jesse, more turnover atop the chart is on the upswing. To recap, here’s a breakdown by decade of runs of five-plus consecutive frames with songs not repeating at No. 1 week to week:

2020s: four ‘10s: two ‘00s: one 1990s: one ‘80s: one ‘70s: six ‘60s: one

1974-77 was an especially lively time atop the Hot 100, with this decade the closest comp. Modern No. 1 debuts, as noted above, by their nature draw first-week streaming totals that can be difficult to maintain until radio reach catches up. In the recent six-week window, that was the case for Styles’ “Aperture.” Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” then led around spikes for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl-boosted “DtMF,” a physical sales surge for Swift’s “Opalite” and the release of Mars’ album, The Romantic, which helped send “I Just Might” back to No. 1 (with halftime shows and the sudden release of new product not viable or largely practiced strategies in prior eras).

Timing simply plays a factor, too, as with many chart achievements. In 2009, for instance, prior to the six-week streak cited above, the Black Eyed Peas dominated the Hot 100 for a record 26 consecutive weeks, thanks to “I Gotta Feeling” (14 weeks) and “Boom Boom Pow” (12).

Meanwhile, six of the seven longest leading Hot 100 No. 1s have run up their reigns in the past decade, despite the increase of hits not staying at the top in back-to-back weeks.

A Hot 100

Hi, Gary,

Fun with adjacent Hot 100 song titles this week:

No. 79, “Secondhand”No. 80, “Plastic Cigarettes”

Eek, all that smoke.

Pablo NelsonOakland, Calif.

Thanks, Pablo.

And on Pop Airplay:

No. 34, “Go!,” CortisNo. 35, “Go,” BLACKPINK

(But no Wham! classic or a certain Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band.)

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