Roundup of some of the most noteworthy chart moves on the latest Hot 100 chart issue. Lil Nas X races to #1, Billie Eilish shatters records and Victoria Monét and DaBaby pull off first Hot 100 hits.
Co-written by Alexander (Twitter).
No. 1
Aided by a 60% surge in streams to 46.6 million, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” gallops 15-1 on this week’s Hot 100. Replacing Ariana Grande’s “7 rings” at #1, “Road” becomes the first major label debut single to reach #1 on the Hot 100 since Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” in 2017. At 1:53, “Road” is also the shortest running #1 since Herman’s Hermits’ “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” in 1965 (which has a runtime of 1 minute and 49 seconds).
“Road” is all but certain to remain in the top slot next week, when the mammoth sales and streams stemming from the recently issued Billy Ray Cyrus remix will be counted towards the song’s placement. As “Road” enters the Hot Country Airplay chart for the first time (debut at #53) with assistance from country vet Cyrus, all eyes are on Billboard regarding its future on the overall Hot Country Songs chart.
Lil Nas X was born on April 9th, 1999; he becomes the most recently born artist to score a #1 hit. Previously, that title belonged to the 1998-born XXXTENTACION (“SAD!”).
No. 5
As previously reported:
And Halsey’s reaction:
What’s next for Halsey? Her new single with BTS (“Boy With Luv”) will debut this Friday.
No. 7
Billie Eilish’s “bad guy,” off of her newly released #1 album “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” debuts at #7, marking her maiden top 10 hit. According to HitsDailyDouble, “guy” tallied the most on-demand streams of any song this past week, pulling in 29.6 million.
As the new single from ASLEEP, its video premiered on 3/29; it debuts at #5 on U.S. YouTube with 10.5 million weekly views. Potentially complicating matters on radio is the fact that previously released standalone track “when the party’s over” (re-entry at #29 on this week’s Hot 100) is climbing on pop, where it’s currently #25 with a bullet of +775.
With a further ten tracks from the new album either entering or climbing, non-album track “lovely” with Khalid bouncing back to #85 and debut single “ocean eyes” re-entering at a new peak of #94 over three years after its release, Billie Eilish surpasses Cardi B as the female artist with the most simultaneous Hot 100 entries in Hot 100 history (14 total).
Cardi B previously broke the record held by Beyoncé when she charted 12 tracks from debut album ‘Invasion of Privacy’ and “Finesse” (13 tracks) less than a year ago.
No. 8
Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker” rebounds a spot to #8 this week. It’s surging on pop radio, where it’s now #4 and boasts a +2570 bullet–nearly double that of the next fastest gainer. But a sizeable decline in streaming –14% week-over-week, per HitsDailyDouble– is offsetting those gains despite favorable playlist placement; it’s listed fifth on Today’s Top Hits, Spotify’s most-followed playlist. Such a pattern is not abnormal for songs that make big splashes out of the gate by acts lacking major streaming power. The track’s run is reminiscent to that of ZAYN’s “PILLOWTALK,” which launched in at #1 off the back of streaming and never climbed back into the top 3 after that due to its frontloaded nature there.
No. 15
Sam Smith and Normani’s “Dancing With a Stranger” continues to chug its way up the Hot 100, advancing two spots to a new peak of #15. Despite suffering slight declines on On-Demand Streaming services (down 7% this week according to HitsDailyDouble), “Stranger” is fueled by gains at Pop radio and remains a contender for the Hot 100’s top 10 in the next several weeks.
No. 23
Maroon 5 and Cardi B’s “Girls Like You” holds at #23 in its 45th week as it approaches vies to become the band’s longest charting song. Last week, it passed “This Love” (43 weeks, 2004) to move into the runner-up spot. 2011’s “Moves Like Jagger” remains their longest running track with 49 weeks.
No. 33
The off-cycle Migos, who have drawn more attention to their solo projects of late, maintain a presence inside the top 40 with “Pure Water,” which slips two positions this week to #33. It’s approaching the top 10 on rhythmic radio, and currently sits at #25 Spotify and #32 on Apple Music. It’s the first time Mustard, formerly known as DJ Mustard, has received artist credit on a top 40 hit. Despite eventually going 4x platinum, “Or Nah” only reached #48 at its pre-streaming era peak.
No. 44
Following his tragic passing on Sunday, March 31st, fan interest and media buzz sent Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle’s entire catalog back up the charts. “Racks in the Middle,” the last single released in his lifetime, debuts at #44. It’s the highest charting single of his career and leads three other entries (“Double Up,” “Last Time That I Checc’d” and “Dedication”). Prior to this week, Hussle had never charted on the Hot 100 as a lead artist. As a featured artist, he made one appearance in 2012 at #100 as a feature on YG’s “Snitches Ain’t.” “FDT” narrowly missed the Hot 100, peaking at #10 on the Bubbling Under chart.
No. 45
Bad Bunny and Drake’s “MIA” remains the highest ranking Spanish song on the Hot 100. Thanks to the wave of Billie tracks entering, it slides out of the top 40 for the first time in its entire chart run; it’s the first track to rank at #1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart without placing in the overall top 40 since Casper Mágico, Nio García, Darell, Nicky Jam, Ozuna and Bad Bunny’s “Te Boté” on October 6, 2018.
No. 59
Blake Shelton scores his 36th Hot 100 entry with “God’s Country”. His highest charting entry in over a year, the track simultaneously debuts at #1 on the Digital Song Sales chart; it surpasses “Honey Bee” as his highest charting track ever on the sales chart.
No. 70
Arriving halfway through the tracking week, Ariana Grande and Victoria Monét’s one-off non-album single “Monopoly” enters at #70. It’s Monét’s first ever Hot 100 entry as a credited performer; she previously co-wrote the Hot 100 #1 hits “thank u, next” and “7 rings”.
Meanwhile, Ariana Grande earns her 15th Hot 100 entry in 2019. As Billie Eilish adds twelve new entries this week and Ariana adds “Monopoly” to her tally, the two stars move into a tie for the most Hot 100 entries in 2019.
No. 87
DaBaby earns his first ever Hot 100 entry with “Suge”, which crosses over from the Bubbling Under chart. The track is bolstered by a top 10 placement on the United States Apple Music chart as it continues to build at Spotify (#136).
No. 94
Billie Eilish’s debut single “Ocean Eyes” re-enters at a new peak of #94, over three years after its initial release. Stay tuned for more on this track’s resurgence.
Check back next week for another edition.
CHART DATA 