Chart Beat
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Nicki Minaj has a big week on Billboard’s charts thanks to the arrival of her new LP, Pink Friday 2.
The set, released Dec. 8 via Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated Dec. 23) with 228,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week, according to Luminate. It’s the rapper’s third leader, after 2011’s Pink Friday and 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.
As the new album opens at No. 1, Minaj also debuts 14 songs from the set on the Billboard Hot 100. Here’s a recap:
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Hot 100 Rank, Title:
No. 26, “Everybody,” feat. Lil Uzi Vert
No. 34, “Needle,” feat. Drake
No. 42, “FTCU”
No. 58, “Barbie Dangerous”
No. 60, “Are You Gone Already”
No. 63, “Let Me Calm Down,” feat. J. Cole
No. 64, “Beep Beep”
No. 73, “Big Difference”
No. 74, “Fallin 4 U”
No. 80, “RNB,” feat. Lil Wayne & Tate Kobang
No. 82, “Pink Friday Girls”
No. 87, “Cowgirl,” feat. Lourdiz
No. 89, “Pink Birthday”
No. 95, “Bahm Bahm”
(Three other tracks on Pink Friday 2 previously charted on the Hot 100: “Super Freaky Girl,” which debuted atop the chart in August 2022, becoming Minaj’s third No. 1, and first in a lead role; “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” which was No. 13, this March; and “Last Time I Saw You” at No. 23 in September.)
The 14 debuts bring Minaj’s total to 147 career Hot 100 entries — the most ever among female rappers. She passes Lil Baby and Kanye West for the sixth-most overall in the chart’s 65-year history, after Drake (up to 328, thanks to his feature on “Needle”), Taylor Swift (232), the Glee cast (207), Lil Wayne (186) and Future (168).
Minaj also lifts her career count to 73 top 40 Hot 100 hits, the fifth-most after Drake (202), Taylor Swift (138), Lil Wayne (88) and Elvis Presley (81).
Thanks to their featured appearances on the album, Tate Kobang and Lourdiz also score their first Hot 100 hits.
As Pink Friday 2 includes prominent samples on nine of its 22 tracks, several former Hot 100 hits are reintroduced to the chart in a new form, including Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over,” a No. 29 hit in 2019, via “Are You Gone Already,” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (No. 2, 1984; “Pink Friday Girls”). Other samples include Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “Notorious Thugs” (on “Barbie Dangerous”), Junior Senior’s “Move Your Feet” (on “Everybody”) and Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” (on “My Life”).
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” adds a record-breaking 16th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart (dated Dec. 16).
The modern holiday classic also tops the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for an 11th frame.
Plus, Sia’s “Snowman” reaches the Global Excl. U.S. top five for the first time, rising to No. 5.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
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Carey’s ‘Christmas’ Rewrites Global 200 No. 1 Record
Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” leads the Global 200 for a third consecutive week with 102.5 million streams (up 1%) and 12,000 sold (up 32%) worldwide Dec. 8-14. The song, originally released in 1994, has now spent a record-breaking 16 weeks at No. 1, following four weeks in both the 2020 and 2021 holiday seasons and five frames over last year’s holidays. It surpasses the 15-week command of Harry Styles’ “As It Was” in 2022.
Wham!’s “Last Christmas” holds at its No. 2 high on the Global 200; Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” keeps at No. 3, after reaching No. 2 last holiday season; Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” again rings in at No. 4, its best rank; and Tate McRae’s “Greedy” rebounds 9-5, following two weeks at No. 1 beginning in November.
Carey’s ‘Christmas’ Tops Global Excl. U.S., Sia’s ‘Snowman’ Hits Top 5
Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” concurrently tops the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a third week in a row, with 64.8 million streams (down 4%) and 5,000 sold (down 2%) outside the U.S. Dec. 8-14. The song tallies an 11th total week at No. 1, following one in the 2020 holiday season, three weeks the next year and four last season.
Wham!’s “Last Christmas” repeats at its No. 2 Global Excl. U.S. high; Tate McRae’s “Greedy” rebounds 4-3, three weeks after it hit No. 1; and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” dips to No. 4 from its No. 3 best.
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Rounding out the Global Excl. U.S. top five, Sia’s “Snowman” makes a festive 8-5 flight, marking its, and Sia’s, first week in the region. The song, from 2017, with its profile boosted by TikTok, drew 34 million streams (up 2%) and sold 2,000 (up 18%) outside the U.S. Dec. 8-14.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Dec. 23, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 19). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. 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.
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as it adds a 13th total week at the chart’s highest bough.
The carol reigns in a record-extending fifth holiday season. It was originally released on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in November 1994 and, as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017 and the top five for the first time in the 2018 holiday season. It led at last, prior to this week, over the holidays in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two), 2021 (three) and 2022 (four).
“When I wrote [it], I had absolutely no idea the impact the song would eventually have worldwide,” Carey marveled of “Christmas” in 2021. “I’m so full of gratitude that so many people enjoy it with me every year.”
The song tops the Hot 100 after Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” spent the last two weeks at No. 1, having led for the first time 65 years after its release.
Plus, two fellow holiday classics return to the Hot 100’s top 10: The Ronettes’ “Sleigh Ride” (14-8) and Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!” (12-10).
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 Dec. 23, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 19). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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Streams, airplay & sales: Carey’s “Christmas,” on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings, rises 2-1 on the Hot 100. It drew 42.2 million streams (up 10%, boosted by the Dec. 8 premiere of its “Festive Lambs Edition” video, which features the song’s original audio) and 26.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 8%) and sold 8,000 downloads (up 68%, aided by the iTunes Store’s 69-cent sale-pricing, for multiple holiday titles) in the U.S. Dec. 8-14, according to Luminate.
Also during the tracking week, Carey continued her Merry Christmas One and All! tour, including her Dec. 9 show at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The single holds at No. 2 on the Streaming Songs chart, following 18 weeks at No. 1; jumps 7-3 on Digital Song Sales, following four frames at the summit; and pushes 29-22 on Radio Songs, where it hit a No. 11 best last season.
Holiday hits atop the Hot 100: Now up to 13 weeks, Carey’s “Christmas” extends its mark as the holiday song with the most time tallied atop the Hot 100, among three such No. 1s. “The Chipmunk Song,” by The Chipmunks with David Seville, spent four weeks on top beginning in December 1958, followed by Lee’s two weeks on top with “Rockin’.”
Thanks to Carey’s and Lee’s No. 1s, two holiday songs have led the Hot 100 in the same holiday season for the first time.
No. 1 in a fifth season: Carey’s “Christmas” is the first song to top the Hot 100 in five distinct runs on the chart, its latest coronation following its commands in the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 holiday seasons. (Just one other song has led in each of even two stays: Chubby Checker’s “The Twist,” in in 1960 and 1962.)
Plus, “Christmas” makes its record-breaking sixth nonconsecutive ascent to No. 1 on the Hot 100, having previously led for three straight weeks in the 2019 holiday season; two nonconsecutive weeks over the 2020 holidays; three weeks in a row during the 2021 holidays; and four straight weeks last season. With its sixth distinct rise to No. 1, it surpasses Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” both of which made five separate climbs to the top, this year and in 2022, respectively.
No. 1 in 63rd week: Carey’s “Christmas” rules the Hot 100 in its 63rd week on the chart. It ties Glass Animals’ seasonally-opposite “Heat Waves” for the latest, by total chart weeks, that a song has led the list. The latter completed a record 59-week trip to No. 1 in March 2022 and reigned for five consecutive weeks, through its 63rd frame; it went on to log a record 91 weeks on the chart.
Carey’s third No. 1 of 13 weeks or more: Carey ties Boyz II Men as the only artists with three songs that have topped the Hot 100 for 13 or more weeks each. Notably, Carey and the group teamed for one smash that contributes to the feat: “One Sweet Day.”
Mariah Carey:
16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men, 1995-96
14 weeks, “We Belong Together,” 2005
13 weeks (to-date), “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” 2019-23
Boyz II Men:
16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” with Carey, 1995-96
14 weeks, “I’ll Make Love to You,” 1994
13 weeks, “End of the Road,” 1992
Carey’s record 92nd week atop Hot 100: With “Christmas,” Carey adds her record-extending 92nd week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception.
Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot 100:
92, Mariah Carey
60, Rihanna
59, The Beatles
56, Drake
50, Boyz II Men
47, Usher
43, Beyoncé
37, Michael Jackson
34, Adele
34, Elton John
34, Bruno Mars
34, Taylor Swift
“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, the most among soloists and one away from The Beatles’ overall record 20. It also made Carey the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the chart in four distinct decades, dating to her first week on top in August 1990 with her debut hit, “Vision of Love.”
No. 1 on Holiday 100: Carey’s “Christmas” concurrently rebounds to No. 1 on the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart, which uses the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a 59th week at the apex, of the chart’s 66 total weeks since the it originated in 2011. It also rules as the top title on the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.
At No. 2 on the Hot 100, Lee’s “Rockin’ ” adds a fourth week atop Streaming Songs (42.4 million streams, up 3%).
Rounding out a fully festive top five on the Hot 100, Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” released in 1957, holds at its No. 3 high; Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” from 1984, keeps at its No. 4 best; and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from 1964, climbs 7-5, having hit No. 4.
Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” dips 5-6 on the Hot 100, three weeks after it became his third No. 1. The chart’s top nonholiday title becomes Harlow’s fourth leader on Digital Song Sales (2-1; 8,000 sold) and notches a fifth week each atop the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.
Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” from 1963, lifts 8-7 on the Hot 100, having reached No. 5. The late singer now sports a record span of 64 years, two months and two weeks from his first week in the top 10 with “Lonely Street” in October 1959 through his latest week in the region.
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The Ronettes’ “Sleigh Ride” dashes 14-8 on the Hot 100, hitting a new high, led by 23.7 million streams (up 16%). Originally released in 1963, the same year that the act posted its lone other top 10 – the iconic No. 2-peaking “Be My Baby” – “Sleigh Ride” previously ranked in the top 10, at No. 10, for a week over the 2021 holidays (shortly before the passing of group co-founder Ronnie Spector). The Ronettes now boast a span of 60 years and three months in the Hot 100’s top 10 – the longest among groups. (Excluding holiday fare, The Beatles broke the record for the longest top 10 span among all acts last month: 59 years, nine months and three weeks, from “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in 1964 to the debut of their newly-released single “Now and Then.”)
Tate McRae’s “Greedy” rebounds 16-9 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 7, as her new album Think Later debuts at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, marking her first top 10 set.
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Wrapping the Hot 100’s top 10, Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!,” from 1959, rises 12-10 (22.3 million streams, up 5%). The song hit a No. 8 best in the 2020 holiday season, having become the fourth top 10 for the late legendary singer. He posted his first three top 10s in 1964-65: “Everybody Loves Somebody” (No. 1, one week), “The Door Is Still Open to My Heart” (No. 6) and “I Will” (No. 10).
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on Billboard’s social accounts, and all charts (dated Dec. 23), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 19).
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.
Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 debuts atop the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Dec. 23), marking her third leader — and the most No. 1s among female rappers. She previously led the tally with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in 2012 and her debut studio set Pink Friday in 2011.
Pink Friday 2 launches with 228,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 14, according to Luminate. That sum marks the largest week for a rap album by a woman in the 2020s decade, and the biggest for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman this year.
The set also sold 25,000 copies sold on vinyl — the largest week for a rap album by a woman since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991.
Pink Friday 2 was preceded by a trio of charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100: “Super Freaky Girl” (No. 1 in 2022), “Red Ruby Da Sleeze” (No. 13, 2023) and “Last Time I Saw You” (No. 23, 2023).
In total, Pink Friday 2 marks Minaj’s seventh top 10 album, the entirety of her charting efforts, on the Billboard 200. She has also hit the region with The Pinkprint (No. 2, 2015), Queen (No. 2, 2018), Beam Me Up Scotty (No. 2, 2021) and the best-of compilation Queen Radio: Volume 1 (No. 10, 2022).
Also in the new top 10 of the Billboard 200, Tate McRae lands her first top 10-charting set with the No. 4 arrival of Think Later.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Dec. 23, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Dec. 19. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
With a third No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Minaj breaks out of a tie with Foxy Brown for the most leaders among female rap artists. Minaj is also the first female rapper with No. 1 albums in two different decades, as she logged her first two leaders in the 2010s, and her third came in the 2020s.
Of Pink Friday 2’s 228,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Dec. 14, SEA units comprise 129,000 (equaling 169.87 million on-demand official streams of the 22 songs on the streaming edition of the album), album sales comprise 92,000 and TEA units comprise 7,000.
With 169.87 million on-demand official streams generated by Pink Friday 2’s songs, the set garners Minaj’s largest streaming week ever, the 2020s decade’s biggest streaming week for a rap album by a woman, and 2023’s largest streaming week for any R&B/hip-hop album by a woman.
As Pink Friday 2 sold 92,000 copies, the album registers the biggest sales week for any rap album by a woman in the 2020s decade and the largest sales week for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman in 2023.
Pink Friday 2‘s sales were bolstered by the album’s availability across a range of variants, in both digital download and physical configurations on its street date (Dec. 8). It was issued as a 10-track album in two CD editions (a standard version and a signed version sold through Minaj’s webstore) and four vinyl editions (including three retailer-exclusive versions, all with different covers and color vinyl).
Concurrently, an expanded 22-song version of Pink Friday 2 was issued via digital retailers, in both a clean and explicit edition. Four later iterations of the digital album were released through the tracking week through Minaj’s webstore, in both clean and explicit versions, all with alternative cover art, and sold for $5 each. On Monday (Dec. 11), a 23-track version added a remix of the album’s “Beep Beep” with 50 Cent. Tuesday brought a 23-track edition with the bonus track “Love Me Enough,” featuring Monica and Keyshia Cole. Wednesday saw the 22-track edition drop with a new alternate cover. Finally, on Thursday, a 24-track version dropped containing both the “Beep Beep” remix and “Love Me Enough.”
Pink Friday 2 sold 25,000 copies on vinyl in its first week, scoring the largest sales week for a rap album by a woman since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991.
At No. 2 on the Billboard, Taylor Swift’s chart-topping 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is a non-mover with 109,000 equivalent album units earned (up 7%). It’s the first time in nine months that the top two albums are by female artists. It last happened on the March 11-dated list, when Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito was No. 1 and SZA’s SOS was No. 2.
Interestingly, this week marks the fifth time Minaj and Swift have occupied the top two positions on the chart together. They first did so on the Jan. 22, 2011-dated chart, when Swift’s Speak Now was No. 1 and Minaj’s Pink Friday was No. 2. Then, for three weeks in a row in January of 2015 (Jan. 3-17), Swift’s 1989 was No. 1 while Minaj’s The Pinkprint was No. 2.
Minaj’s frequent collaborator Drake is No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with his former leader For All the Dogs, which is steady with 68,000 equivalent album units (down 10%). Drake is also a featured artist on Pink Friday 2, along with fellow Billboard 200 chart-toppers 50 Cent, J. Cole, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne and Monica.
Tate McRae lands her first top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 as Think Later bows at No. 4. The set starts with 66,000 equivalent album units — her biggest week yet. Of its starting sum, SEA units comprise 58,000 (equaling 75.99 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 8,000 and TEA units comprise less than 1,000.
Think Later was preceded by McRae’s first top 10-charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “Greedy,” which reached the top 10 in November and has so far climbed to No. 7 (as of the most recently published chart). The album also houses her latest Hot 100 entry, “Exes,” which has thus far peaked at No. 34.
The rest of the top 10 on the new Billboard 200 is comprised of former No. 1s, including three more Swift titles. Michael Bublé’s Christmas is a non-mover at No. 5 (64,000 equivalent album units; up 7%); Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time falls 4-6 (63,000; down 3%); Swift’s Midnights dips 6-7 (57,000; up 4%), SZA’s SOS descends 7-8 (53,000; up 2%); Swift’s Lover climbs 11-9 (49,000; up 13%) and Swift’s Folklore falls 9-10 (49,000; up 5%).
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.”
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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.