Chart Beat
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With just one week of summer left — at least by Billboard calculations, with our official Songs of the Summer chart closing after next week’s Sept. 9-dated listing — it seems like a good time to look back at what has been an extremely unusual summer of pop music on the Billboard Hot 100.
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For one thing, unlike any other summer in recent memory — in some ways, unlike any in Hot 100 history — the chart has been absolutely dominated by country this year. Between Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean and now Oliver Anthony Music, country has been holding down one or more of the top spots on the chart for the whole season. But we’ve still gotten plenty of more traditional pop, in the form of hits by Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and the Barbie soundtrack cast, as well as hip-hop smashes from Gunna and Toosii, and global sounds from Rema & Selena Gomez, Fifty Fifty and Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma.
How do we evaluate this summer on the whole? And do we anticipate the country takeover to last for the rest of the 2023 calendar? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” has been No. 1 on our Songs of the Summer chart for all 13 weeks of its existence so far — do you feel that’s an accurate reflection of how the song has (or hasn’t) dominated the summer?
Katie Atkinson: It’s hard to argue with its chart run given the data reflects the song’s unstoppable shelf life, but I can (and will) argue that it didn’t soundtrack my personal summer. That banner belongs to Taylor Swift’s surprisingly resurgent (or, I guess, just surgent) 2019 song “Cruel Summer.” I love how Swift had three concurrent hits (“Summer,” “Karma” and “I Can See You” were all top five on the Hot 100 this summer) as her Eras Tour positively dominated the pop culture conversation. It was fitting for the summer of 2023, and I especially love that her concert-opening “Cruel Summer” finally had its moment in the sun.
Stephen Daw: Yep. Love it or hate it, “Last Night” was the song of the summer in 2023. If there were a checklist for what makes a song the summer song, Wallen’s runaway hit checks all of the boxes; huge crossover appeal, chart domination and a level of inescapable ubiquity that almost begins to feel Lovecraftian in its scope. As much as some (myself included) may want us to collectively move on from this song, it doesn’t change the fact that “Last Night” monopolized summer listening this year.
Jason Lipshutz: Definitely. On the Hot 100 this summer, “Last Night” has functioned a lot like Harry Styles’ “As It Was” did last summer, piling up week after week at No. 1 and never too far from the top spot when something else momentarily knocked it out. Maybe Wallen’s smash wasn’t as culturally omnipresent as summer songs of the past, but that speaks more to the fragmentation of popular culture more than anything to do with “Last Night.” As it stands, Wallen clearly had the biggest hit of this summer, and when 2023 wraps up, maybe of the year, too.
Joe Lynch: I suppose it’s hard to say no, because them’s the numbers. Unlike some No. 1s from this summer, “Last Night” is huge at radio and streaming and doing well in downloads, so you can’t chalk its success up to a coordinated base of supporters influencing the charts. But as huge as country is right now (it occupies the top three slots of the Hot 100), there are plenty of music fans who still haven’t hitched their wagon to that genre’s horse. We find ourselves in an unusual spot where this summer’s biggest hit isn’t resonating across all demographics.
Andrew Unterberger: Eh. As an adult living in New York, it felt imminently ignorable in a way summer-conquering No. 1s rarely have. (Most of the conversations I had about the song were of the “Can you believe it’s still No. 1?” variety.) But if I were a teenager living in Tennessee? I’d probably feel pretty differently.
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2. Country music has dominated this summer in many different forms — do you see that lasting for the rest of the year, or will it prove mostly a warm-weather-month phenomenon?
Katie Atkinson: With the genre finally catching up in streaming, I think country’s command of the Hot 100 is just getting started. We’ve seen in the past couple of months how right-wing virality can boost a song (see: “Try That in Small Town” and “Rich Men North of Richmond”), but “Last Night” and “Fast Car” are just traditional, sustained hit songs with undeniable reach. I expect more of both varieties of hits from the country world – and I also expect hip-hop to find its way back to the top after an unfathomable yearlong absence.
Stephen Daw: To me, it’s pretty hard to look at the last few years’ worth of chart metrics and try to justify calling the country music explosion we’ve been experiencing a summer-specific phenomenon. Country music is taking streaming more seriously than it ever has (as detailed in this excellent piece by Billboard‘s Steve Knopper), it has a coterie of young stars that are connecting with a multi-generational audience, and it’s gained enough attention and momentum over 2023 to make this inarguably the biggest year in recent memory for country music. That trend isn’t just going to disappear once the weather cools down a bit — if anything, I see the country boom continuing well into the fall — especially with a massive (and very good) album from Zach Bryan fresh on the mind.
Jason Lipshutz: It’s hard to say, because it will likely depend on the upcoming music. Zach Bryan’s newly released self-titled album has flooded streaming charts this week, but will those songs impact the Hot 100 for weeks on end? Will upcoming projects by Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj dominate the fall? What else can Taylor Swift and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) contribute to an already gargantuan year? And are there more out-of-nowhere country success stories like Oliver Anthony lurking in the autumn? With so many high-profile question marks, whether or not country music’s blockbuster summer continues beyond the season is anyone’s guess.
Joe Lynch: I don’t think country’s chart surge – fueled in part by the genre’s core fans finally catching up the streaming era – can be waived away as a summer phenomenon. There are few signs of Wallen waning, and if anything, I expect that we’re increasingly likely to see established names such as Jason Aldean or new voices topping the Hot 100 in the next 12-18 months.
Andrew Unterberger: Have you seen the early streaming numbers for the new Zach Bryan album? We’ve only just begun, my friends.
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3. Looking at the chart this week — are there any older songs you’re in mild disbelief were still big enough the past few months to be Songs of the Summer?
Katie Atkinson: It has to be “Anti-Hero.” The Midnights lead single came out way back in October (10 full months ago!) and spent eight nonconsecutive weeks atop the Hot 100, surpassing “Blank Space” as her longest-running No. 1 song — so it’s not like it toiled away in obscurity before climbing up the charts. The fact that “Anti-Hero” still has the legs to be one of the 20 biggest songs of the summer — after definitively being one of the biggest songs of the fall, winter and spring that preceded it – can only be credited to the power of Taylor Swift.
Stephen Daw: Part of me wants to be in shock that “Cruel Summer” is staying strong at No. 4 this week, but I know better than to doubt the power of Swifties. But getting to watch SZA’s “Snooze” keep creeping up the Hot 100 after coming out in December has been a continuously delightful surprise for me. “Snooze” has all of the elements of a crossover summer hit to me, and I’m glad to see SZA still getting her flowers for putting out one of the best albums of the last five years.
Jason Lipshutz: Six months after its February release, FIFTY FIFTY’s “Cupid” has not only become the rare K-pop single to cross over to U.S. streaming and pop radio without a household-name artist behind it, but after 23 weeks on the Hot 100 and a climb into the top 20 of the chart, the song has turned into one of the most successful hit singles by an Asian act of the entire decade. “Cupid” rules, but I wouldn’t have seen that coming! And I’m still surprised that it’s endured on the chart long enough to crack the Songs of the Summer tally.
Joe Lynch: Obviously “Cruel Summer” is four years old, so it being a huge summer hit in 2023 is wacky, but it comes with an explanation (endless fan requests that led to a full-on label/artist push). For me, the fact that Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” and Miley’s “Flowers” are still summer staples is the most eyebrow raising, simply because it feels like they came out a lifetime ago in terms of pop releases. But it tracks: turn on the radio and just try to avoid ‘em.
Andrew Unterberger: No offense to The Weeknd, 21 Savage or Metro Boomin, who have collectively been responsible for a fairly high percentage of my favorite hit singles of the past decade — but what the hell is “Creepin’” still doing on this list. And I liked “Creepin’!” But really already.
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4. What’s one song you had hoped would be bigger this summer whose chart success (or lack thereof) hasn’t quite panned out the way you’d wanted?
Katie Atkinson: Jason picked Coi Leray’s “Players” as a front-runner back in March, and I was thrilled by the idea of one my personal favorites climbing higher than its No. 9 peak and gaining steam over the summer – but it just never did. Maybe it needed a buzzy remix beyond the Busta Rhymes and David Guetta versions, like a guest verse (or verses) from Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande and/or other high-profile players.
Stephen Daw: I really thought “Rush” was going to be Troye Sivan’s ticket back to the upper echelons of the Hot 100 this summer. He hasn’t had a Top 40 hit since “Youth” all the way back in 2016, and “Rush” felt like the perfect opportunity for him to climb back up the charts. It’s got that up-tempo, ecstatic groove that you want from a sweaty summer banger, and it was certainly having a semi-viral moment on TikTok that seemed like it could blow up. Now, a No. 77 debut on the chart is nothing to shake a stick at; it’s Sivan’s highest-ever debut on the listing. But to see it quickly fall back off of the charts was a disappointment — especially because it’s been the staple song of every queer club I’ve attended throughout the summer.
Jason Lipshutz: In retrospect, my way-too-early song of the summer predictions from March were pretty solid this year – “Last Night” and the “Calm Down” remix were both listed as front-runners, and they’re currently in the top three of the Songs of the Summer chart. Also listed as a front-runner: Ed Sheeran’s “Eyes Closed,” a single I still really like from a pop radio mainstay, but simply didn’t connect the way Sheeran’s past smashes did. Maybe it was too contemplative for summertime, or maybe Sheeran should have gotten Luke Combs for this remix instead of for “Life Goes On.” Either way, Ed’s already on to the next project – perhaps Autumn Variations will fare better in the cooler months.
Joe Lynch: For all the organic ubiquity of Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam” in the queer community – it was certainly the most inescapable viral hit on LGBTQ social media this summer – I was hoping it would at least enter the Billboard Hot 100. But unless you’re Dua Lipa, pushing dance-pop to U.S. radio is tough these days. And when you consider the industry’s entrenched ageism toward women in particular, it’s hardly shocking that “Padam” failed to get a real crossover foothold.
Andrew Unterberger: I remember the mid-July thrill of discovering Troye Sivan’s “Rush” and Myke Towers’ “LaLa” in quick succession and thinking that maybe this Hot 100 summer still had some surprise thrills left in store. Then they stalled in the 70s and 40s on the chart, respectively, while Oliver Anthony Music zoomed well overhead of both. As Sandy Olsson would say, it turned colder, that’s where it ends.
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5. As a pure fan of pop music, grade the collective hits of this summer on a scale from 1 to 10.
Katie Atkinson: I’m going to go 3, mostly because of the Barbie soundtrack infusing some much-needed variety into the chart mid-summer. Otherwise, things have been pretty stagnant. Is it too much to wish for a more literal Song of the Summer again, like Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” in 2010 or Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” in 2002?
Stephen Daw: It’s a 4 for me personally. This summer felt like a mixed bag when it came to straight-up pop hits — though shoutout to Olivia Rodrigo, Jung Kook and the entirety of the Barbie soundtrack for doing their best to deliver some bonafide pop winners during the sweaty season.
Jason Lipshutz: A 6. This wasn’t my personal favorite summer-song collection, but I danced along to “Calm Down” in my car when catching it on pop radio, bobbed my head to Gunna’s “Fukumean” while walking my dog, and sang karaoke to Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” just as the song was re-ascending the Hot 100. The delights may have been unexpected, but they were still there.
Joe Lynch: That’s a tough one. Looking at the tunes on our Songs of the Summer chart, I like the majority of them – and I even love a handful. But when you think back to summer songs that resonated across damn near every part of the population (“Old Town Road,” “Despacito,” “Call Me Maybe”), it’s an underwhelming crop. Let’s say it’s a 3.
Andrew Unterberger: I’ll say a 5. Can’t say I particularly enjoyed Morgan Wallen’s endless run on top, or having to repeatedly re-enter the culture war fray for Jason Aldean’s and Oliver Anthony Music’s reigns, or the way Taylor Swift’s massiveness occasionally blocked out the sun for the rest of the top 40 world. But there were still a decent number of quality pop, rap, R&B and country jams to be had, and with Zach Bryan’s new album out this week and Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore LP on the way, it’s (hopefully) better times ahead. No pop summer is ever really below a 5 anyway.
Future’s “I’m Dat N—-” leads Billboard’s Sept. 2-dated Hot Trending Songs chart, powered by X, over a year after its initial release thanks to a viral video featuring the song.
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Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by X (formerly known as Twitter), track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across X, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running Aug. 18-24.
“I’m Dat N—-,” from Future’s 2022 album I Never Liked You, rules thanks to a viral video widely shared on X featuring a groom walking out to the song at his wedding.
It becomes Future’s first No. 1 on Hot Trending Songs; the tune previously appeared at No. 2 on the list in February.
The video spurred streaming gains for the song – a 15% gain from 836,000 official on-demand U.S. streams to 958,000 in the Aug. 18-24 tracking week, according to Luminate.
Future leads a slew of songs from Burna Boy’s new album I Told Them…, which occupy Nos. 2-9. They’re led by “Cheat on Me” featuring Dave, which preceded the album with an Aug. 22 release.
I Told Them… was eventually released Aug. 24, with further chart positions for both the album and its songs possible on the Sept. 9-dated Billboard charts encompassing the week of Aug. 25-31.
Victoria Monet’s “Alright” rounds out the top 10 from her new album Jaguar II, released Aug. 25.
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.
Taylor Swift spends a record-extending 78th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Sept. 2), thanks to 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and four songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Leading her Billboard 200 saturation is Midnights at No. 5 with 53,000 equivalent album units earned in the Aug. 18-24 tracking week, according to Luminate. Her latest set, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), follows at No. 7.
Here’s a recap of Swift’s current Billboard 200-charting titles.
Rank, Title:
No. 5, Midnights
No. 7, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
No. 8, Lover
No. 13, Folklore
No. 17, 1989
No. 19, Reputation
No. 26, Red (Taylor’s Version)
No. 31, Evermore
No. 35, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
No. 182, Taylor Swift
On the Hot 100, Swift charts four songs: “Cruel Summer” (at No. 4 after reaching No. 3), “Karma” featuring Ice Spice (14-15), “Anti-Hero” (20-18) and “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” (71-74).
Elsewhere on the Artist 100, BTS member J-Hope re-enters at No. 6, a new high (surpassing his prior No. 9 peak), thanks to the CD release of his album Jack in the Box. The set, released in July 2022, debuted at No. 17 last year and re-enters at a new No. 6 best (50,000 units).
Hozier re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 7, his highest rank since 2019, thanks to his new LP Unreal Unearth. The album debuts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (62,000 units), marking his third top 10, following Hozier (No. 2, 2014) and Wasteland, Baby! (No. 1, 2019).
Plus, TWICE member JIHYO debuts at No. 10, powered by her new solo EP Zone. The release enters the Billboard 200 at No. 14 (41,000 units), becoming her first solo entry on the chart. (TWICE has tallied four top 10 albums.)
The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.
Doja Cat has one paw on the U.K. chart title.
The U.S. rapper, singer and songwriter leads the chart blast with “Paint The Town Red” (via RCA), which, if it holds its position, would mark her first U.K. chart crown.
Currently, according to the Official Charts Company, Doja Cat leads by a whisker. Less than 1,000 chart units separate “Paint The Town Red” from her all-female top 5 rivals, which include Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” (No. 2 via Interscope), Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (No. 3 via EMI), Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” (No. 4 via Interscope/Atlantic) and Peggy Gou’s “It Goes Like (Nanana)” (No. 5 via XL Recordings).
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In her career to date, Doja Cat has a U.K. chart best of No. 2 for 2020’s “Say So” and a No. 3 for 2021’s “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA.
“Paint The Town Red,” the current leader in Australia, contains a sample of the Dionne Warwick classic from 1963 “Walk On By.” When the Official U.K. Singles Chart was published last Friday, Aug. 25, “Paint The Town Red” lifted 15-4 for a new peak, betting the best of Warwick’s original. Based on early sales and streaming activity reported by the OCC, Dua Lipa’s stint at the chart summit is likely to end at one week, as her Barbie cut “Dance The Night” (Warner Records) looks set to tumble out the top 10.
There are, however, other dance tunes looking to rise in the top tier. Calvin Harris and Sam Smith’s “Desire” (Columbia) could hit a new peak of No. 6, while Chase & Status, Bou and Flowdan’s “Baddadan” (EMI) is predicted to enter the top 10 for the first time at No. 8.
Miley Cyrus’ new single “Used To Be Young” (Columbia) could bag the week’s highest debut at No. 9, for what would give the U.S. pop singer her ninth U.K. top 10 and 24th top 40 appearance.Finally, Selena Gomez is eyeing a 20th U.K. top 40 with “Single Soon” (Interscope), which, based on the chart blast, could enter at No. 17. Afrobeats star Burna Boy’s collaboration with London rapper Dave, “Cheat On Me” (Atlantic), could land at No. 20.All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday, Sept. 1.
Thanks to Dolly Parton, The Beatles’ legendary chart history has added a first.
Parton’s version of The Beatles’ classic “Let It Be” – featuring Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – arrives at No. 2 on Rock Digital Song Sales, No. 15 on Country Digital Song Sales and No. 22 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart (all dated Sept. 2), with 3,000 downloads sold Aug. 18-24, according to Luminate. A week earlier, it debuted at No. 3 on the Hot Trending Songs chart, powered by X.
The Fab Three’s song is set to be on Parton’s 30-song album Rockstar, due Nov. 17. The Beatles’ original led the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in 1970.
Notably, the remake is the first song on which McCartney and Starr – or any of the four Beatles, including the late George Harrison and John Lennon – have shared credited billing with one another on an entry on a Billboard songs chart outside the group.
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The closest such occurrence previously: McCartney and Starr both received credit on Give My Regards to Broad Street, which hit No. 17 on Top Videocassettes Sales and No. 30 on Top Videocassettes Rentals in 1985. (Both charts were shuttered in 2010.) The film stars McCartney and Starr, among others, depicting a fictional day in McCartney’s life. The soundtrack, credited solely to McCartney, and on which Starr plays drums on multiple songs, hit No. 21 on the Billboard 200.
While “Let It Be” is the first hit crediting two Beatles by name on a Billboard songs chart, the members have collaborated on prior projects outside the group, which disbanded in 1970 (with Harrison, McCartney and Starr having updated archived tracks by the late Lennon for The Beatles’ Anthology series in 1995-96, with its three editions all hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200).
Starr played drums on several tracks on Harrison’s solo album All Things Must Pass, which ruled the Billboard 200 for seven weeks in 1971. Musicians in that era often contributed their skills without seeking official credit (and both subsequently stated in interviews that they didn’t recall who played on which tracks on the set).
Starr also worked with Harrison on the latter’s album Cloud Nine, including on “Got My Mind Set on You,” which led the Hot 100 in 1988, marking the most recent No. 1 by a solo Beatle.
Starr and McCartney have also appeared on each other’s LPs through the years, beyond Broad Street. Starr played drums on McCartney’s “Take It Away,” which reached No. 10 on the Hot 100 in 1982, while McCartney joined Starr as recently as 2021, on Starr’s song “Here’s to the Nights,” from his EP Zoom In.
Both McCartney, 81, and Starr, 83, have busy schedules. Starr resumes touring with his All Starr Band Sept. 15 in Lake Tahoe, Nev., and will release the four-song EP Rewind Forward on Oct. 13. McCartney’s Got Back Tour heads to Australia on Oct. 18.
Plus, McCartney has revealed a forthcoming Beatles track. “Can’t say too much at this stage but to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created,” he teased in June. “It’s all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings – a process which has gone on for years.”
Making for even more star power on the new “Let It Be” cover, Mick Fleetwood, of Fleetwood Mac, provides percussion and Peter Frampton plays guitar.
Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, adds a sixth week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Sept. 2), encompassing its entire run on each survey. Upon its debut, the song became the first leader on the lists for a member of BTS as a soloist.
Plus, Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” vaults 17-3 on the Global 200 and 27-7 on Global Excl. U.S.
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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‘Seven’ Scores 6th Week Atop Global 200
Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, logs a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 94.1 million streams (down 10%) and 2,000 sold (down 45%) worldwide Aug. 18-24.
The song is just the second of 2023 to debut atop the Global 200 and spend its first six weeks at No. 1, after Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” logged its first six weeks on the chart on top beginning in January.
Oliver Anthony Music’s breakout hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” holds at No. 2 on the Global 200, where it launched a week earlier. The song by the Farmville, Va.-based singer-songwriter drew 28.5 million streams (up 41%) and sold 127,000 (down 19%) worldwide in the tracking week.
“Richmond,” which has drawn the attention of both the right and left politically in the U.S. for its lyrical focus on issues including taxes, welfare and more, also enters Global Excl. U.S. at No. 117, with 5.8 million streams (up 110%) and 10,000 sold (up 9%) outside the U.S. Of the song’s total consumption in its second week, 80% of its streams and 92% of its sales were from the U.S. (In its first frame, those figures were 88% and 95%, respectively.)
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Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” roars 17-3 on the Global 200, with 49.6 million streams (up 53%) and 6,000 sold (up 71%). In its third week on the chart (it debuted at No. 20), the song, which has gone viral on TikTok, becomes the rapper/singer’s fourth top 10 and ties “Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA, in May 2021, for her best career rank on the chart.
Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” dips to No. 4 from its No. 3 Global 200 high and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” holds at No. 5, also after reaching No. 3.
Jung Kook No. 1, Swift Top Five on Global Excl. U.S.
Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, concurrently commands the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a sixth week, with 85.8 million streams (down 10%) and 2,000 sold (down 26%) outside the U.S. Aug. 18-24.
As on the Global 200, the song is the second this year to begin atop Global Excl. U.S. and spend its first six weeks at No. 1, following Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” starting in January.
Myke Towers’ “LaLa” is steady at No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S., after it led the list for a week in July; Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” holds at its No. 3 high; and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” is likewise stationary, at its No. 4 best.
Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” pushes 7-5 for a new Global Excl. U.S. top rank, marking her seventh top five hit (among 11 top 10s), and her first week in the region in 2023. She had last placed in the tier in December with her former No. 1 “Anti-Hero.”
Plus, Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” flies 27-7 on Global Excl. U.S., with 29.3 million streams (up 55%) and 1,000 sold (up 44%). The song is her third top 10 on the chart and first since she scored her first three in 2021.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Sept. 2, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 29). 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.
Oliver Anthony Music’s viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. A week earlier, the song rocketed in on top, making the singer-songwriter the first artist ever to launch atop the survey with no prior chart history in any form. It now takes over as the most-streamed song of the week, continues as the top-selling track and is gaining in radio airplay.
Plus, Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” jumps from No. 15 to No. 5 on the Hot 100, marking her seventh career top 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 Sept. 2, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 29). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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“Rich Men North of Richmond” drew 22.9 million streams (up 31%) and sold 117,000 downloads (down 20%) in the Aug. 18-24 tracking week, according to Luminate. Not being promoted to radio, the song also tallied 2.3 million airplay audience impressions (up 310%).
The single logs a second week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart and surges 4-1 on Streaming Songs. Notably, it makes a rare second-week gain in streams for a No. 1-debuting Hot 100 hit: Of the 34 songs to premiere atop the Hot 100 this decade, it’s just the second to increase in streams (17.5 million to 22.9 million) in its second week, following Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” (43.2 million to 62.7 million) on the charts dated May 29-June 5, 2021 – and Rodrigo’s hit was boosted by the No. 1 Billboard 200 arrival of her debut album, Sour.
As previously reported, “Richmond” also debuts on Country Airplay at No. 45, with 90% of its overall airplay (2 million of 2.3 million in reach) from the chart’s panel of reporting stations.
“Richmond” has become a lightning rod for both the right and left politically since its official release Aug. 11, even spurring the opening talking point in the first Republican presidential primary debate last Wednesday, Aug. 23. (“The one thing that has bothered me is seeing people wrap politics up into this,” Anthony responded in a YouTube clip.)
The track by the Farmville, Va.-based singer-songwriter and former factory worker, born Christopher Anthony Lunsford (whose stage name honors his grandfather, Oliver Anthony), first drew buzz online, including on TikTok, where he boasts 2.1 million followers (up from 1.5 million a week ago), prior to its Aug. 11 posting on the radiowv YouTube account, which spotlights unsigned Americana and country acts in the Virginia/West Virginia region.
“Richmond” concurrently tops Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which uses the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a second week.
The song has also, unsurprisingly, sparked the curiosity of chart fans. Jesper Tan, of Subang Jaya, Malaysia, wrote in noting that Oliver Anthony Music is just the second act with “music” in its name to top the Hot 100, following C+C Music Factory with “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” in 1991. Tan also shouts out the two No. 1s with “music” in their titles: “Play That Funky Music,” by Wild Cherry, in 1976 and “Music,” by Madonna, in 2000.
Plus, Jeff Lerner points out that “Richmond” is only the eighth Hot 100 No. 1 to name-check a U.S. city in its title (two are odes to Philadelphia), and the first since 1985:
“Rich Men North of Richmond,” Oliver Anthony Music (2023)
“Miami Vice Theme,” Jan Hammer (1985)
“Philadelphia Freedom,” Elton John (1975)
“The Night Chicago Died,” Paper Lace (1974)
“T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia),” MFSB (1974)
“El Paso,” Marty Robbins (1960)
“The Battle of New Orleans,” Johnny Horton (1959)
“Kansas City,” Wilbert Harrison (1959)
(Lerner adds that The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville,” from 1966, “is not on this list as lyricist Bobby Hart has insisted that he wrote the song about a fictional town, not the real city of Clarksville, Tenn.” Meanwhile, Baauer’s 2013 No. 1 “Harlem Shake” also doesn’t count, as Harlem is a neighborhood in New York City. The last city at all named in the title of a Hot 100 No. 1 prior to “Richmond”? Cuba’s capital, as Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, led in 2018.)
Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” posts a seventh week at its No. 2 Hot 100 high, where it’s steady in rank, and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” holds at No. 3, following 16 weeks at No. 1 – the most ever for a non-collaboration. Thanks to “Richmond,” “Fast Car” and “Last Night,” country hits (as defined by those that have hit Hot Country Songs) claim the Hot 100’s top three spots in a single week for only the third time, following the same songs a week earlier and Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town,” “Last Night” and “Fast Car,” at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on the Hot 100 dated Aug. 5.
“Last Night,” meanwhile, tops Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart for a 13th week, having led each week since the list returned.
Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” keeps at No. 4 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3.
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Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” roars 15-5 on the Hot 100, with 22.6 million in airplay audience (up 37%), 21.1 million streams (up 49%) and 5,000 sold (up 81%), as it takes top Streaming and Sales Gainer honors.
The song, which debuted at No. 15 on the Hot 100 two weeks earlier and has since ridden a wave of virality on TikTok, becomes Doja Cat’s seventh top 10, following “Vegas” (No. 10 peak, October 2022); Post Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Song),” on which she’s featured (No. 3, October 2022); “Woman” (No. 7, May 2022); “Need To Know” (No. 8, November 2021); “Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA (No. 3, July 2021); and “Say So,” featuring Nicki Minaj (No. 1, one week, May 2020).
Meanwhile, “Paint the Town Red” samples Dionne Warwick’s standard “Walk on By,” which hit No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 1964. Thanks to its inclusion, legendary late songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David appear in the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time since Twista’s “Slow Jamz,” featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, reigned for a week in 2004; that song samples Luther Vandross’ cover of Warwick’s fellow 1964 release “A House Is Not a Home.”
Bacharach, who passed away Feb. 8, wrote seven Hot 100 No. 1s, which reigned in four distinct decades (the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s and 2000s). David died in 2012. Notably, the Songwriters Hall of Fame annually presents (this year to Post Malone) the Hal David Starlight Award, which, according to the organization, is given to “gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs.”
“Paint the Town Red” concurrently bounds to the top of the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (5-1) and Hot Rap Songs (4-1) charts. Doja Cat earns her second No. 1 on the former, following “Say So,” and her first on the latter list.
Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” descends 5-6, after reaching No. 3, on the Hot 100, as it claims a 10th week atop the Radio Songs chart (83.5 million, down 3%). It tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 52nd week, extending the longest command since the ranking began over a year ago.
Gunna’s “Fukumean” repeats at No. 7 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 4, and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” falls 6-8, after it debuted as her third No. 1 in July.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10 are two hits from the soundtrack Barbie: The Album: Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” dips 8-9, after reaching No. 7, although it wins the chart’s top Airplay Gainer award (57.7 million, up 16%), and Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World,” with Aqua, descends 9-10, also after climbing to No. 7.
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Sept. 2), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 29).
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.
Hozier enjoys an unreal start on the U.K. albums chart as his third studio album blasts to No. 1. Unreal Unearth (via Island) debuts atop the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Aug. 25, for the Irish singer and songwriter’s first leader. The leader at the midweek stage and best-seller on vinyl across the latest full-week […]
Thirteen is the lucky number for Dua Lipa as “Dance The Night” (via Warner Records) completes its coronation on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Lifted from the Barbie soundtrack, “Dance The Night” rises 2-1 for its first stint at the summit, doing so in its 13th week on the national tally, published Friday, Aug. 25.
With that effort, Lipa becomes just the sixth British female solo artist to bag four leaders, drawing level with Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell. Only Jess Glynne (seven) and Girls Aloud’s Cheryl (five) have more No. 1s, the Official Charts Company reports.
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Lipa previously led with 2017’s “New Rules,” 2018’s “One Kiss” with Calvin Harris, and 2021’s “Cold Heart” with Elton John and Australian electronic production outfit Pnau.
The last British female artist to reign over the U.K. singles chart was Kate Bush, with her 1985 classic “Running Up That Hill,” which exploded off the back of Stranger Things season four.
“Dance The Night” replaces another hit from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made” (Interscope/Atlantic) which dips 1-2. The podium is completed by Olivia Rodrigo‘s “Vampire” (Interscope), unchanged at No. 3.
Meanwhile, Doja Cat makes an impressive leap on the chart with “Paint The Town Red” (RCA), up 15-4 for a new high. “Paint The Town Red” is the new No. 1 in Australia.
Continuing the Girl Powered look of the U.K. singles chart in recent weeks, female artists lead the top seven tracks, and eight of the top ten.
There’s a notable entry for Oliver Anthony Music‘s divisive Billboard Hot 100 leader “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which cracks the U.K. top 40 for the first time. The independently-released country music hit single is up 64-23 on the Official Chart.Finally, the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on the Disney+ streaming platform has a measurable impact on the Official U.K. Singles Chart as Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days” (Island), which appears on the Marvel franchise’s soundtrack, re-enters the top 40. “Dog Days” drops in at No. 27, not far from its peak position of No. 21.
Travis Scott’s Utopia makes it a month at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Sept. 2), as the set spends a fourth total and consecutive week in the lead. The effort earned 161,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 24 (down 13%), according to Luminate. Utopia surpasses Astroworld as Scott’s album with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
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Utopia is also the first rap album to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in five years, since Drake’s Scorpion logged all five of its weeks at No. 1, from its debut frame (July 14-Aug. 11, 2018). The last rap set with four weeks at No. 1, in total, was Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, which tallied five nonconsecutive frames at No. 1 between Sept. 18 and Nov. 6, 2021.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Hozier scores his third top 10-charting album as Unreal Unearth launches at No. 3, while J-Hope’s year-old Jack in the Box album reaches the top 10 for the first time, as it re-enters the list at No. 6 following its expanded reissue and debut on CD in multiple collectible iterations.
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 Sept. 2, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Aug. 29. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Utopia’s 161,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 24, album sales comprise 92,000 (down 7%), SEA units comprise 69,000 (down 20%, equaling 92.07 million on-demand official streams of the streaming set’s 19 songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 19%). For a second week in a row, the album’s sales profit from a promotional offer in Scott’s official webstore, which deep-discounted the Utopia vinyl LP (available in multiple variants) from $50 to only $5 for a limited time. Of Utopia’s 92,000 sales for the week, vinyl accounted for 89,000.
Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 91,000 equivalent album units earned (down 4%).
Hozier captures his third top 10-charting set — all of which have reached the top five — as Unreal Unearth debuts at No. 3. The album bows with 62,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 39,000, SEA units comprise 23,000 (equaling 29.58 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 16 songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album was preceded by the hit single “Eat Your Young,” which marked Hozier’s third No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart (May 20-dated list).
Unreal Unearth’s first-week album sales were bolstered by vinyl sales, which accounted for 60% of its opening-week sales figure (23,000 of 39,000). The album was released in five different vinyl iterations, including exclusive color variants for Amazon, independent record stores and Hozier’s official webstore.
The Barbie soundtrack is steady at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 55,000 equivalent album units (down 15%), while Taylor Swift’s former leader Midnights climbs one spot to No. 5 with 53,000 units (down 8%).
J-Hope’s year-old Jack in the Box album bounces back onto the list for its first week in the top 10 (and second week on the chart), as it re-enters at No. 6 with 50,000 equivalent album units earned (up 5,107%). The album was originally released on July 15, 2022, and debuted and first peaked at No. 17 on the July 30, 2022, chart. It was reissued with additional bonus tracks on — and on CD for the first time — on Aug. 19, 2023. The set initially was released only as a digital download album and through streaming services.
Of the set’s 50,000 units earned in the week ending Aug. 24, album sales comprise 47,000 (up 13,238%), SEA units comprise 2,000 (up 250%, equaling 2.99 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (up 44,125%). The CD edition of the album was available in four collectible editions, including exclusive versions for Target and Walmart, all containing assorted branded merchandise (some of which was randomized).
J-Hope is the third member of BTS to score a top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200, following his bandmates RM and Jimin. RM reached the top 10 in 2022 with Indigo (peaking at No. 3) and Jimin reached No. 2 with Face earlier this year. BTS itself has logged seven top 10s, with six reaching No. 1.
Two more chart-topping Swift sets follow J-Hope, as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) falls 5-7 (48,000 equivalent album units earned; down 21%) and Lover dips 7-8 (46,000; down 14%). Peso Pluma’s Génesis descends 8-9 (nearly 45,000; down 4%) and Wallen’s former No. 1 Dangerous: The Double Album is steady at No. 10 (43,000; down 3%).
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.