Chart Beat
Page: 179
Cher returns to Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart for the first time since 2002, as “DJ Play a Christmas Song” debuts at No. 40 on the survey dated Dec. 23.
The single gained by 10% in plays in the Dec. 8-14 tracking week, according to Luminate. Among top major-market supporters of the song are iHeartMedia’s WHTZ New York, KIIS Los Angeles and KYLD San Francisco.
The legendary singer last appeared on the chart, which began in 1992 and ranks weekly plays on over 150 mainstream top 40 radio stations, in March 2002 with “Song for the Lonely,” which reached No. 38. She tallied two prior entries, both in 1999: “Strong Enough” (No. 31) and her pop-culture juggernaut “Believe” (No. 2).
Cher ends a break of 21 years, nine months and three weeks between Pop Airplay hits. Two years ago, Elton John returned after an even longer wait between charted titles at the format: 23 years, seven months and one week, between “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” in 1998 and the debut of “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” with Dua Lipa.
[embedded content]
Meanwhile, “DJ Play a Christmas Song” spends a third week at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It became Cher’s first leader on the list since “If I Could Turn Back Time,” which led for a week in September 1989, as she ended the longest gap between No. 1s in the chart’s 62-year history: 34 years, two months and one week (surpassing John’s absence of 23 years, 11 months between “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” and his own modern holiday hit, “Merry Christmas,” with Ed Sheeran, two Yuletide seasons ago).
“DJ Play a Christmas Song” has also topped the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales and Holiday Digital Song Sales charts, as Cher has now claimed visits to No. 1 on Billboard song surveys in every decade since the 1960s, including her run as half of Sonny & Cher.
The carol is from Cher’s first holiday LP, Christmas, which jingled in at No. 1 on the Nov. 4-dated Top Holiday Albums chart.
All charts dated Dec. 23 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Dec. 19.
Billie Eilish and Khalid’s 2018 collaboration “Lovely” launches at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind (a Songtradr company), for November 2023 after its inclusion in Disney+ and Hulu’s Goosebumps.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Rankings for the Top TV Songs chart are based on song and show data provided by Tunefind and ranked using a formula blending that data with sales and streaming information tracked by Luminate during the corresponding period of November 2023.
“Lovely” appears in the Nov. 3 episode of Goosebumps, the first-year series that is an adaptation of RL Stine’s long-running children’s book series of the same name. After premiering Oct. 13 with its first five episodes, the series premiered one episode a week through its season finale on Nov. 17.
The song earned 17.5 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads in November 2023, according to Luminate. The song peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2019, Eilish’s first song to chart there.
It’s the second time “Lovely” has led Top TV Songs, following the May 2018 tally, when the track reigned after a synch in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.
“Lovely” and Goosebumps reign over a pair of songs from Netflix’s Virgin River, the second part of the fifth season of which premiered Nov. 30. Both are holiday-themed songs; Michael Bublé‘s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” leads the group at No. 2 (30.5 million streams, 3,000 downloads), while Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means to Me” (No. 5; 9.5 million streams, 2,000 downloads) also appears.
Both Fargo and A Murder at the End of the World also boast a pair of entries each.
See the full top 10, also featuring music from The Kardashians, Fargo and Invincible, below.
Rank, Song, Artist, Show (Network)1. “Lovely,” Billie Eilish & Khalid, Goosebumps (Apple TV+/Hulu)2. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” Michael Buble, Virgin River (Netflix)3. “All the Small Things,” blink-182, The Kardashians (Hulu)4. “Hey Joe,” Charlotte Gainsbourg, Fargo (FX)5. “What Christmas Means to Me,” Stevie Wonder, Virgin River (Netflix)6. “Karma Police,” Radiohead, Invincible (Amazon Prime Video)7. “Clint Eastwood,” Gorillaz, For All Mankind (Apple TV+)8. “No More ‘I Love You’s,” Annie Lennox, A Murder at the End of the World (FX)9. “Working Man,” Rush, Fargo (FX)10. “Moon River,” Frank Ocean, A Murder at the End of the World (FX)
It’s seven straight years for Grey’s Anatomy as the top TV show for music synchs, according to Tunefind.
Tunefind, a Songtradr company, has again announced its top shows, movies, songs and artists for onscreen music synchs for the year, with ABC’s 19-season behemoth snagging both top show and top song honors.
The music discovery website Tunefind’s year-end rankings are based only on traffic and interaction on its website, which helps fans identify what song they heard in a TV show or film. Tunefind’s year-end charts are separate from the monthly Top TV Songs chart, presented with Billboard. The monthly Top TV Songs chart ranks the top songs that appear in TV shows each month, using a combination of metrics from Tunefind and Luminate.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Throughout 2023, Grey’s Anatomy appeared on the monthly Top TV Songs list multiple times via its 2023 run of episodes as part of the 19th season, which concluded May 18. The No. 1 song of the year, Lxandra’s “Let It Be Hope,” appeared in the first episode of 2023 (the seventh episode of the season), which aired Feb. 23.
“Let It Be Hope” saw its overall premiere via the show’s episode, with an ensuing wide release in May.
A second song, Lindsey Ray and TAIINA’s “I Am Here,” ranks at No. 9 on the year-end songs tally via its synch in the 10th episode of the season (March 16).
The series will have a chance to defend its title yet again in 2024, as the show has been renewed for a 20th season.
The top song on the year-end chart whose origins are pre-2023 is the No. 2: Sofi Tukker’s “Best Friend,” featuring NERVO, The Knocks and Alisa Ueno. A popular synch since its 2017 release (it was prominently featured in an ad that year for the iPhone X), the song was heard in the season (and eventually series) finale of The Rookie: Feds, ABC’s spinoff of The Rookie¸ on May 2 (the show was later canceled in November).
Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso ranks at No. 2 on the shows list, bettering its appearance at No. 5 in 2021. The Jason Sudeikis-led comedy-drama ended its three-season run in May, with synchs throughout the season including songs from Bob Marley & the Wailers (“Three Little Birds” ranked at No. 1 on the April 2023 chart), Beyonce, Cat Stevens and more.
The top new show, meanwhile, is Apple TV+’s Shrinking, which premiered in January and concluded its first season in March. Fred again..’s “Dermot (see yourself in my eyes)” concurrently represents the series on the top songs ranking, appearing at No. 6. Shrinking has been renewed for a second season.
The top movies chart finds Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with top honors, buoyed by a popular soundtrack full of original music helmed by producer Metro Boomin. The Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse: Metro Boomin Presents soundtrack peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in June and yielded multiple appearances on the Billboard Hot 100, paced by “Calling” with Swae Lee and Nav and featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, which peaked at No. 41 that month.
Lil Nas X ranks as the year’s top artist, while Max Richter takes home the distinction of top composer. Lil Nas X boasted a variety of synchs in 2023 from series like The Summer That I Turned Pretty, Red, White & Royal Blue, RuPaul’s Drag Race and School Spirits. Richter, meanwhile, is the composer on Apple TV+’s Invasion (which premiered its second season in August) and his composition “On the Nature of Daylight” was also used in HBO’s The Last of Us this year.
See each of the year-end rankings below.
Top Songs
“Let There Be Hope,” Lxandra, Grey’s Anatomy
“Best Friend,” Sofi Tukker feat. NERVO, The Knocks & Alisa Ueno, The Rookie: Feds
“Never Let Me Down Again,” Jessica Mazin, The Last of Us
“Numb,” Tramont, Ginny & Georgia
“Until I Found You,” Stephen Sanchez & Em Beihold, Ginny & Georgia
“Dermot (see yourself in my eyes),” Fred again.., Shrinking
“Nothing Else Matters,” Phoebe Bridgers, Will Trent
“Feeling Our Way Through the Dark,” Katie Garfield, The Good Doctor
“I Am Here,” Lindsey Ray & TAIINA, Grey’s Anatomy
“Fuel to Fire,” Agnes Obel, The Last of Us
Top TV Shows
Grey’s Anatomy (supervisor: Justin Kamps)
Ted Lasso (Tony Von Pervieux & Christa Miller)
The Blacklist (John Bissell)
Yellowjackets (Nora Felder)
Love Island
All American (Madonna Wade-Reed)
Sex Education (Matt Biffa)
The Bear (Josh Senior & Christopher Storer)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Robin Urdang)
Billions (Jim Black)
Top New TV Shows
Shrinking (supervisors: Tony Von Pervieux & Christa Miller)
Sullivan’s Crossing (Lindsay Wolfington)
Beef
The Last of Us (Evyen Klean & Ian Broucek)
Poker Face (Thomas Golubic)
Top Movies
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (supervisor: Kier Lehman)
John Wick: Chapter 4 (Jen Malone)
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (Dave Jordan)
Creed III
M3GAN (Andrea von Foerster)
Barbie
Fast X
Talk to Me
Scream VI
Magic Mike’s Last Dance (Season Kent)
Top Artists
Lil Nas X
SZA
Usher
AC/DC
The Smashing Pumpkins
Phoebe Bridgers
Tones and I
Cake
James Brown
Ramones
Top Composers
Max Richter
Daniel Pemberton
Nathan Barr
The Newton Brothers
Theodore Shapiro
Brittany Howard reaches No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart as a solo artist for the second time with “What Now,” which rises to the top of the Dec. 23-dated tally. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The song rules in its ninth week on the […]
Nate Smith earns his second consecutive career-opening No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Dec. 23) with “World on Fire.” The song increased by 9% to 29.8 million audience impressions Dec. 8-14, according to Luminate.
Smith co-authored the track with Ashley Gorley, Taylor Phillips and Lindsay Rimes, the lattermost of whom solely produced it.
“If you would’ve told me in 2018 that right now I’d be celebrating not my first but my second No. 1 at country radio, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Smith tells Billboard. “In December 2018, I was absolutely devastated from the fact that my hometown of Paradise, Calif., had just been destroyed by a fire. I had nothing left to my name, but friends and family came around and helped push me forward.”
Adds Smith, “I wanna say thank you to my passionate fans – it’s all about you.”
[embedded content]
Smith scored early success on social media prior to signing to Sony Music Nashville’s Arista roster in November 2021. He presently boasts 1.6 million TikTok followers.
“World on Fire” is from the deluxe edition of Smith’s debut self-titled LP. The set arrived at its No. 6 high on Top Country Albums in May and has earned 653,000 equivalent album units to date. Smith first led Country Airplay with the set’s “Whiskey on You” for two frames in February.
Meanwhile, “World on Fire” is the 19th song to notch its first week at No. 1 on Country Airplay during 2023. Smith is the seventh artist to score multiple leaders this year, joining Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Morgan Wallen, with three apiece, and Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman, each with two.
Doing ‘All’ Right
Chris Janson nets his sixth Country Airplay top 10 as “All I Need Is You” rises to No. 9, up 6% to 17.2 million in audience. He last visited the tier with “Done,” which reigned for two weeks in August 2020, marking his second chart-topper. He first ruled with “Good Vibes” for a week in October. His breakthrough hit, “Buy Me a Boat,” cruised to No. 3 in September 2015.
That’s Pretty ‘Wild’
Luke Combs earns his 20th straight career-opening Country Airplay top 10 (counting only singles promoted to country radio), as “Where the Wild Things Are” pushes to No. 10 (16.6 million, up 16%). It joins Riley Green’s Combs-featuring “Different ‘Round Here,” which ranks at No. 8 (18.6 million, up 6%).
Carrie Underwood boasts the longest career-starting streak of Country Airplay top 10s, with 27 in 2005-18; after Combs’ 20, Tracy Lawrence now ranks third with 19 consecutive career-launching top 10s in 1992-97. Overall, Keith Urban has linked the longest such run: 38 straight top 10s in 2000-17.
From phone reporting to point-of-sale tracking to Luminate’s current data system, Billboard has published year-end music roundups for 80 years. Since 1943, a hit parade of swinging jazz tracks, scorching rockers and hip-hop bangers have ranked as the year’s top song. As 2023 wraps, here’s a look at the genre jubilee in our back pages.
A Jazzy Start
Based on a points system that “gives an approximation of comparative disk sales,” the Jan. 2, 1943, issue crowned Glenn Miller’s “Kalamazoo” as the “top recording” of 1942. Of the 20 entries on the list, 18 were from big bands — the exceptions being Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Spike Jones’ propaganda polka “Der Fuehrer’s Face.” In the Jan. 4, 1947, issue, Billboard unveiled its “First Annual Chart Count,” based on 106,000 reports from “sheet music jobbers… record dealers, disk jockeys and juke box operators [and] radio stations” — and declared Perry Como’s orchestral pop single “Prisoner of Love” to be 1946’s top tune.
Mambo, No. 1
Latin music spiced up 1955, and the Jan. 7, 1956, Billboard reported that Pérez Prado’s mambo hit “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” was the “top popular record” per “retail sales [and] juke box plays.” That year, rock was crowned king thanks to Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel.” “As could be no surprise to anyone, [Presley] has had a larger number of records on the national pop retail chart this year than any other recording artist,” the Dec. 22, 1956, issue reported. “Rhythm and blues and rock and roll together represent a big chunk of the singles market.”
First Timer
The Dec. 30, 1972, Billboard declared Roberta Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to be the year’s top Hot 100 song. The Dec. 29, 1973, issue said soul music was becoming “more sophisticated, with ‘productions’ rather than the raucous music traditionally associated with soul.” Plus, the genre was receiving “a great deal more attention on television” thanks to Soul Train and variety shows, which fueled sales.
Hollywood Hits
The silver screen’s power to promote hits peaked in the 1990s. Dangerous Minds helped make Coolio featuring L.V.’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” the biggest Hot 100 song of 1995 — the first hip-hop track to achieve the feat. “It’s the fourth time in the ’90s that the top single of the year has come from a motion picture,” the Dec. 23, 1995, issue noted. “Singles from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves [by Bryan Adams], Boomerang [by Boyz II Men] and The Bodyguard [by Whitney Houston] headed the year-end charts in 1991, 1992 and 1993, respectively.”
Pop Life
When Kesha’s “Tik Tok” was crowned the Hot 100’s top song of 2010, Billboard reported that “pop reigned supreme.” By 2018, hip-hop was dominating the charts, with rappers credited on seven of the 10 biggest songs. Drake’s “God’s Plan” was the top track, and the Dec. 15, 2018, issue reported that he “rewrote the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 by any artist in a single year.” For 2023, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” ruled — the first Hot Country Songs chart-topper to do so since Faith Hill’s “Breathe” in 2000.
This story will appear in the Dec. 16, 2023, issue of Billboard.
There’s a new No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 in JID’s “Surround Sound,” featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate, which vaults from No. 5 to the top of the Dec. 16-dated tally.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Dec. 4-10. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
“Surround Sound” reigns in its fourth week on the chart, completing a climb that began with its No. 13 debut on the Nov. 25 survey, followed by a pair of weeks at No. 5.
The song, first released in 2022, has largely been carried by a dance trend in which users mount or tape a phone to the ceiling and record a choreographed dance or other scene below, as previously reported.
Concurrently, “Surround Sound” continues its march up the Billboard Hot 100, reaching a new peak of No. 64. It earned 8.8 million official U.S. streams on services that report to the Hot 100 Dec. 1-7, up 31%, according to Luminate.
“Surround Sound” reigns over Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which spends a second week at No. 2 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50. It remains the leader of the pack when it comes to holiday tunes, with The Ronettes’ “Sleigh Ride” (specifically the PhatCap! trap remix) following at No. 6, its first time in the top 10, and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” rounding out the group top 10-wise at Nos. 7 and 9, respectively.
In all, seven holiday-themed songs reach the Dec. 16 ranking. Michael Buble’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” rises to No. 22, while Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (No. 27) and Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” (No. 40) debut.
The week’s top debut is courtesy of Flo Milli, whose “Never Lose Me” bows at No. 12. That’s after its Nov. 30 premiere and occurs concurrent with the track’s No. 22 debut on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart.
“Never Lose Me” marks the rapper’s first TikTok Billboard Top 50 appearance. Some of its top uploads so far follow trends captioned “we’ve made it to the too comfortable stage,” showing couples hanging out in their downtime, or people pretending to tell their grandkids a bedtime story using the song’s lyrics, while others simply celebrate the song being out at all after it was teased earlier in the fall.
It’s followed by a currently unreleased song in Alex G’s “I Wait for You,” which begins at No. 15. Though never officially released, the track has nonetheless become popular in the singer-songwriter’s canon, slowly rising over the past few months on TikTok both via its original version and a sped-up edition.
One spot above “I Wait for You,” mikeeysmind and Sanikwave’s “VVV (HE’S BACK)” vaults from its No. 48 debut Dec. 9 to No. 14, the sound again used in a variety of ways rather than one overarching trend – though many include footage of gameplay from a variety of video games, chiefly Fortnite. “VVV” incorporates vocals from Playboi Carti, though uncredited; it racked up 1.2 million streams in the latest Billboard tracking week, up 28%.
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here, also featuring debuts from WILLOW, Flo Rida, Madonna and more. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
Just two months after Feid’s Mor, No Le Temas a La Oscuridad debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, the Colombian returns to the top tier with Ferxxocalipsis arriving at No. 9 on the Dec. 16-dated list. The 10-track set was a surprise release announced Nov. 29 on his Instagram account, a […]
Last week, Billboard revealed its year-end Boxscore charts, ranking the top tours, venues, and promoters of 2023. That coverage included analysis of the new wave of genre diverse artists crashing stadium stages, and in turn, our charts. Here, we are breaking down the year’s biggest tours, genre by genre. Today, we continue with rap. Hip-hop […]
It’s a big day for Billboard Arabia, a partnership between media giant SRMG and Billboard, with the launch of both a new website and the platform’s first two global charts tracking popular music from the Middle East/North Africa (MENA).
Billboard Arabia made its official debut in June, eyeing to be the premiere global destination for artists with Arab roots. Since then, the platform has built up a sizable audience across social media, and with its website (check it out here), now has a home for evergreen content and timely news on latest releases, plus video, reviews and interviews with top artists, as well as exclusive coverage of regional and global events.
The website will notably spotlight the region’s musical legends and emerging stars with digital cover stories, celebrating the diversity of the Arab music landscape.
Central to the Billboard Arabia site — and any other platform bearing the Billboard name — are the authoritative charts that will live there. Launching this week are two global flagship charts: the Billboard Arabia Hot 100 and the Billboard Arabia Artist 100. The Hot 100, showcasing the most streamed Arabic songs, kicks off with a brace from Sherine Abdel Wahab (“Kalam Eneih” at No. 1 and “El Watar Al Hassas” at No. 2). The chart’s inaugural top five is filled out by tracks from Al Shami, Ayed and ElGrandeToto. The Artist 100 highlights the most popular Arab artists, with Sherine Abdel Wahab at No. 1, followed by ElGrandeToto, Marwan Pablo, Amr Diab and Ahmed Saad rounding out the top five.
Billboard Arabia
Utilizing data from top digital streaming platforms such as Spotify, Anghami, Apple Music, YouTube and others, covering 200-plus territories, the charts are designed to reflect Arab music listening globally and not just in the MENA region. Starting in early 2024, Billboard Arabia will introduce eight genre-specific charts to showcase the diversity of Arab music, including Khaleeji, Egyptian, Magharabi, Levant, Arabic HipHop, Arabic Indie, Shelat, and Mahraganat.
These weekly charts will be released on the Billboard Arabia website and social media platforms every Thursday.
Billboard Arabia will also introduce other Billboard franchises to the MENA market, the fastest-growing region according to IFPI, including a Billboard Arabia Music Awards and Arabic Music Week, among others.
“This marks an exciting new chapter in the region’s music infrastructure, establishing a centralized platform to spotlight the thriving Arab music scene,” said Rami M. Zeidan, managing director of Billboard Arabia. “By continuing to elevate fan engagement and commemorate the evolution of Arab music, Billboard Arabia is committed to providing both established and new Arab artists and genres access to the global music market. Already, we’ve seen an increasing number of collaborations between Arab stars like Mishaal Tamer, Nancy Arjam, and Myriam Fares with global icons like Marshmello, Nicki Minaj, and Maluma. Billboard Arabia aims to further enhance this with the launch of our website and charts.”
Billboard president Mike Van added: “Billboard Arabia symbolizes the beginning of a new era—one where Arab artists are heard around the world. Our commitment to ensuring artists have a platform to resonate and engage with music fans has always defined Billboard, and we look forward to bringing this same passion to Billboard Arabia.”
Billboard Arabia is now live on its website and across X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube — all at the @billboardarabia handle.