Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, launches at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Post Malone achieves his sixth leader with the bitter breakup song and Wallen adds his second.
Notably, the track premieres with 76.4 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate, the top total for a song in a single week since YouTube song user-generated content was removed from chart calculations in 2020. It surpasses Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” – featuring Post Malone – which drew 76.2 million only three weeks earlier. Prior to the two songs, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” held the mark with 76.1 million in its first frame, as reflected on charts dated Jan. 23, 2021.
“I Had Some Help” arrives as the 1,172nd No. 1 in the Hot 100’s history, and the 80th to debut in the top spot. It concurrently blasts to No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, where it’s established pop star Post Malone’s first leader and Wallen’s eighth.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated May 25, 2024) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, May 21. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Below is a rundown of the latest Hot 100’s top 10.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
“I Had Some Help,” on Mercury/Republic/Big Loud, enters the Hot 100 with 76.4 million official streams, 31.1 million radio airplay audience impressions and 69,000 sold in the U.S. in the week ending May 16, following its wide release May 10. First sent to radio May 9, it drew 15.9 in airplay audience that day.
Helping build anticipation for the song, Post Malone teased it on social media on March 20, and he and Wallen debuted it in concert during Wallen’s April 28 headlining spot at the Stagecoach festival in Indio, Calif. Following its release, the pair performed it last Thursday (May 16) at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco, Texas.
Post Malone’s Sixth Hot 100 No. 1, Wallen’s Second
With “I Had Some Help,” Post Malone earns his sixth Hot 100 No. 1 – and second No. 1 debut, following “Fortnight,” and his first No. 1 debut as a lead artist. Here’s a rundown of his leaders (as he ties Ariana Grande and Kendrick Lamar as the only acts with two No. 1s each this year):
“I Had Some Help,” feat. Morgan Wallen, one week at No. 1 to date, May 25, 2024
“Fortnight,” Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone, two weeks, beginning May 4, 2024
“Circles,” three weeks, beginning Nov. 30, 2019
“Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse),” with Swae Lee, one week, Jan. 19, 2019
“Psycho,” feat. Ty Dolla $ign, one week, June 16, 2018
Wallen claims his second Hot 100 No. 1, and first chart-topping debut, after “Last Night” dominated for 16 weeks, nonconsecutively, in March-August 2023 – the most atop the Hot 100 ever for a song by one credited act. It went on to rule the year-end Hot 100 Songs recap.
No. 1 in Streams & Sales
“I Had Some Help” likewise begins at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts. Post Malone tops the respective charts for a fourth and six time. Wallen ups his totals to two and six leaders, respectively.
“I Had Some Help” also charges 36-15 on the Radio Songs chart. As previously reported, it hikes 18-9 on Country Airplay, becoming the first song to reach the top 10 in two or fewer weeks since Garth Brooks’ “More Than a Memory” in September 2007. It additionally ranks at No. 20 on both Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay.
Hot 100 & Hot Country Songs No. 1s
“I Had Some Help” is the 27th hit to have topped both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs, dating to 1958, when the Hot 100 originated and Hot Country Songs became the country genre’s singular Billboard chart. It’s the second of 2024, after four such songs topped the Hot 100 in 2023, the most in a year since 1975. It’s also the first such song by two billed male artists.
Meanwhile, Wallen ties Glen Campbell, John Denver, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers and Taylor Swift each with a record two such double-ups.
Songs to Have Hit No. 1 on Both the Hot 100 & Hot Country Songs Charts:
“I Had Some Help,” Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen, 2024
“Rich Men North of Richmond,” Anthony Oliver Music, 2023
“Try That in a Small Town,” Jason Aldean, 2023
“Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, 2023
“All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift, 2021
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift, 2012
“Amazed,” Lonestar, 1999-2000
“Islands in the Stream,” Kenny Rogers duet with Dolly Parton, 1983
“I Love a Rainy Night,” Eddie Rabbitt, 1981
“9 to 5,” Dolly Parton, 1981
“Lady,” Kenny Rogers, 1980
“Southern Nights,” Glen Campbell, 1977
“Convoy,” C.W. McCall, 1975-76
“I’m Sorry,” John Denver, 1975
“Rhinestone Cowboy,” Glen Campbell, 1975
“Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” John Denver, 1975
“Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” Freddy Fender, 1975
“(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” B.J. Thomas, 1975
“I Can Help,” Billy Swan, 1974
“The Most Beautiful Girl,” Charlie Rich, 1973
“Honey,” Bobby Goldsboro, 1968
“Harper Valley P.T.A.,” Jeannie C. Riley, 1968
“Big Bad John,” Jimmy Dean, 1961
“El Paso,” Marty Robbins, 1959-60
“The Battle of New Orleans,” Johnny Horton, 1959
‘Help’-ful Information
“I Had Some Help” is the sixth Hot 100 No. 1 with the word “help” in its title, and the first in over 30 years. Three such leaders reigned in 1965, capped by The Beatles, who had a little help from their friends the Four Tops and The Beach Boys in the category that year.
“I Had Some Help,” Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen, one week at No. 1 to date, May 25, 2024
“Can’t Help Falling in Love,” UB40, seven weeks, beginning July 24, 1993
“I Can Help,” Billy Swan, two weeks, beginning Nov. 23, 1974
“Help!,” The Beatles, three weeks, beginning Sept. 4, 1965
“I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” Four Tops, two weeks, beginning June 19, 1965
“Help Me, Rhonda,” The Beach Boys, two weeks, beginning May 29, 1965
‘Not Like Us’ Down, But Up
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” dips to No. 2 a week after bounding in at No. 1 on the Hot 100, although with a 2% gain from 70.9 million streams to 72 million. Notably, the song boasts the two highest streaming weeks among R&B/hip-hop titles (defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart) since YouTube song user-generated content was removed from chart methodology in 2020.
The track is also up by 146% to 12.4 million in radio audience, good for the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award.
“Not Like Us” concurrently logs a second week atop the multimetric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.
Richman Leads Rest of Top 10
Tommy Richman’s first Hot 100 hit, “Million Dollar Baby,” backtracks to No. 3 from its No. 2 Hot 100 high, but takes top Streaming and Sales Gainer honors (66.3 million streams, up 14%; 7,000 sold, up 17%). It leads the multimetric Hot R&B Songs chart for a third week.
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” rises 5-4 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3; Benson Boone’s No. 2-peaking “Beautiful Things” rebounds 9-5; and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which led for a week in March, pushes 10-6, as it tops Radio Songs for a sixth week (73.8 million in audience, up 1%).
Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar’s “Like That,” which spent its first three weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1 in April, drops 6-7 and Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, falls 4-8, after spending its first two weeks on the chart at No. 1 beginning three weeks ago. (With “I Had Some Help” and “Fortnight,” Post Malone has multiple songs in the top 10 simultaneously for the first time since the chart dated Oct. 12, 2019.)
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” slides 8-9 after hitting No. 4 and Hozier’s “Too Sweet” ascends 11-10, four weeks after it hit No. 1, as it adds an eighth week each atop the multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts.
