Music

The benchmarks just keep falling: A week after tying Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” for the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 of the 2020s, Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” moves into sole possession of the mark this frame with its 17th week atop the chart.
What’s more, the song now stands along as the second-longest-running No. 1 in Hot 100 history — just two weeks behind the all-time mark set in 2019 by Lil Nas X’s Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring “Old Town Road.” And Shaboozey may have gotten another boost in momentum with Friday’s (Nov. 8) announcement of the 2025 Grammy nominations, with the country hybrid artist picking up four nods, including best new artist and song of the year for “Bar.”

How surprised are we that “A Bar Song” has gotten this far? And do we see it going all the way at this point? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

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1. “A Bar Song” spends its 17th week atop the Hot 100 this week, moving it into sole possession of the second-longest run atop the chart in its history. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you that it’s lasted on top now for this long? 

Rania Aniftos: 4, maybe? There haven’t been many chart-dominating releases that would dethrone “A Bar Song” since the summer. In quieter eras of music releases, it makes sense for the track to make its way back to the summit. It also plays at every bar, restaurant and on every radio station, so its popularity is clear.

Kyle Denis: 10, for sure. I was always extremely confident in this song’s ability to stay at No. 1, but I anticipated that it would begin to fall around the eight-week mark. I did not expect such a historic run at No. 1.

Jason Lipshutz: An 8. Sure, “A Bar Song” is a wildly catchy anthem from a charismatic new artist, with a sound that can cross over to different streaming playlists and radio formats… but chart circumstances are rarely conducive to a 17-week No. 1, and especially during a year that’s featured big hits from proven superstars (Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Morgan Wallen) and new A-listers (Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan). “A Bar Song” could have been a huge, multi-platform hit but been knocked off by one of those big names after a month or two on top; instead, Shaboozey can fending off all challengers, and stunningly, now owns the longest-leading solo hit in Hot 100 history. 

Andrew Unterberger: It’s a 10. I remember being thrilled that the song grabbed a single week at No. 1, because even that didn’t seem like a sure thing until well into its chart run. The fact that it’s held on for over four months in total since then would’ve been totally unforeseeable — even when we started having the “could it…?” conversations at around the 12-week mark, I thought it was absurd. Not anymore though!

Christine Werthman: 10, although I probably shouldn’t be that surprised. Country is the genre of 2024, with everyone and their mother (aka Beyoncé, our matriarch) getting in touch with their twangier roots. And as someone who remembers quite well the power of J-Kwon’s “Tipsy,” which Shaboozey interpolates, at parties in 2004, it’s no wonder that “A Bar Song” has appealed to the masses and held onto that top spot.  

2. Both of the songs to spend 16 weeks atop the Hot 100 this week have been country songs — why do you think a genre that rarely spun off Hot 100 No. 1s this century until a few years ago is now regularly spinning off such long-lasting chart-toppers? 

Rania Aniftos: I think it’s a mix of things. For the first time in what feels like a while, there are exciting young stars in the genre like Morgan Wallen and Kelsea Ballerini, plus some long overdue diversity with people like Shaboozey and Beyoncé. On top of that, you have established pop stars like Bey and Post Malone dipping their toes into country, introducing the genre to an audience who might not have given it a shot previously. It’s a recipe for success. 

Kyle Denis: With “A Bar Song,” Shaboozey was able to supplement his (and the song’s) crossover appeal with legitimate support on country radio, breaking Carrie Underwood’s record for longest-running No. 1 debut single on Country Airplay (seven weeks). Of course, it also helps that 1) country music is the sound of one of the year’s most dominant cultural aesthetics, and 2) the song mines early ‘00s nostalgia with its interpolation of J-Kwon’s “Tipsy.” 

Wallen’s “Last Night” also draws on contemporary hip-hop motifs with its use of 808s, smartly positioning it for crossover appeal (it reached the top five on both Pop and Adult Pop Airplay) and placing it conversation with where hip-hop’s mid-to-late ‘10s dominance pushed the mainstream’s overall sound.

While these are certainly country records, both songs make a concerted effort to bridge the gaps between country’s sound and hip-hop’s influence on top 40 in a way that the genre’s previous Hot 100 chart-toppers didn’t necessarily do. 

Jason Lipshutz: The shift we’ve seen in popular music over the past 10 years is the mega-hit that is able to combine country listeners and pop listeners, in order to form like Voltron and plop itself atop the Hot 100 for months on end. It’s happened with non-country artists making songs that appeal to Nashville listeners (like Lil Was X with “Old Town Road”) and country artists crossing over to pop fans (like Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night”). Both audiences have been sizable for decades on end, and while they’ve overlapped before to produce huge artists and albums, until recently, they did not combine at the top of the Hot 100. It’s a type of alchemy that has helped “A Bar Song” turn into a juggernaut, and one that we’ll surely be seeing more of in the near future.

Andrew Unterberger: Radio, radio, radio. Country has now fully made the crossover leap to pop radio — at least at the highest level of hits — and once you get both of those formats working for you, you can stay in the mix for the Hot 100’s top spot practically indefinitely. Consistent streaming and sales also have been part of the Shaboozey formula, of course, but without that continued radio support it would’ve been lucky to crack double-digit weeks on top, rather than pushing for the all-time Hot 100 record.

Christine Werthman: If I had a dollar for every time someone told me, “I love all kinds of music but not country,” or, “I like old-school country, like Johnny Cash, but not any of the new stuff,” I would be able to retire. But those responses have changed a lot over the past few years, and I think a lot of credit is due to Taylor Swift being a gateway to country (although she walked away from the genre), as well as Lil Nas X and “Old Town Road.” That song pushed country to a new audience and showed that “the new stuff” didn’t have to mean corny pop-country smashes. Other artists took note and are now reaping the benefits.  

3. There was such turnover on the Hot 100’s top spot this spring — why do you think “A Bar Song” has seen such a lower level of competition in its late-year run? 

Rania Aniftos: As I mentioned before, there weren’t really any summer releases that really dominated the charts the way we’ve seen in other years, besides Sabrina Carpenter’s new songs. I feel like the past few months on the Hot 100 have been a revolving door of the same few songs, because there haven’t been many album drops from big, established stars. So, unless a big release comes through this fall and shakes things up, the chart’s going to look the same for a while. 

Kyle Denis: Few songs can compete with the crossover appeal of “A Bar Song.” The song has hit seven different Billboard radio charts and it’s still in the top five of several of those rankings. “A Bar Song” even reached a new peak on Adult Contemporary Airplay this week (No. 12, chart dated Nov. 16). While other songs have been juggernauts within their home genres, “A Bar Song” was able to outlast them by having a wider audience to pull support from.

There’s also something to be said about some of the year’s biggest pop songs facing competition from other songs on the same album. Sabrina Carpenter is juggling four different hits, “Good Luck, Babe!” is fighting for attention against Chappell Roan’s entire debut LP, and Billie Eilish’s “Birds of A Feather” is soaring alongside the steady growth of “Wildflower.” Though he’s pushed other songs post-”A Bar Song” — namely “Highway” and his BigXThaPlug-assisted “Drink Don’t Need No Mix” — none of them have emerged as a viable follow-up smash. 

Jason Lipshutz: Coincidental timing, more than anything. In my opinion, a lot of the No. 1 singles from the first half of the year — “Like That,” “Fortnight,” “Lose Control,” “I Had Some Help,” “Not Like Us” — would have also hit No. 1 in the second half of the year, and cut into “A Bar Song’s” monster run, had their release dates and/or commercial rises been slightly shifted by a few months. The first six months of 2024 were stuffed with blockbuster singles, and a lot of them nestled in for extended runs in the top 10 of the Hot 100 throughout the summer and early fall, while “A Bar Song” kept outpacing them thanks to its own growth across formats.

Andrew Unterberger: I had hoped that the massive activity of this spring would be the new rule rather than just an exception to the overall early-year chart stasis we’ve seen in prior years this decade — but we just might not have enough songs and artists offering the excitement level to really shake up the top of the Hot 100 to spread out over a full year at this point, sadly. So we traded a boring spring for a boring autumn this year, and it’ll ultimately balance out for the full calendar. So it is.

Christine Werthman: The average time spent on the Hot 100 for songs currently in the top 10 is 25 weeks. Morgan Wallen and Tyler the Creator have newer songs at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively, but the top five average is even older at 32 weeks. Things are just moving slowly, and listeners like what they like and keep coming back to what they know. Play the hits, as they say! 

4. Shaboozey was nominated for best new artist, and “A Bar Song” song of the year, at this year’s upcoming Grammys. Which Big Four category do you think he has the better chance of winning? 

Rania Aniftos: The competition is tight in both categories, but I’m going to say best new artist. He’s up against some longtime Recording Academy favorites in the SOTY category, like Billie Eilish, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, so he might get luckier in the BNA category, highlighting his breakout year. Who knows though? The Grammys are always surprising. 

Kyle Denis: A country song hasn’t won song of the year since Lady A’s “Need You Now” (2011), and that’s one of two nominations for country songs in this category in the past 10 years. Conversely, eight country artists have earned best new artist nods in the past decade, with Zac Brown Band being the most recent winner (2010). 

Even though “A Bar Song” is easily the biggest chart hit nominated for song of the year, it’ll likely split votes with Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” (the other country song in this category) and lose some pop voters to Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, and Billie Eilish. What could work in Shaboozey’s favor, however, is his lack of a nomination in record of the year. Song of the year is the only place in the general field where the Academy can specifically honor the longest-running solo Hot 100 No. 1 single of all time.

On the other hand, as the sole country nominee in a best new artist field brimming with straightforward pop stars, Shaboozey could end up taking home that trophy. It’s still early in the race, but I think he’s got a better shot at winning best new artist. 

Jason Lipshutz: Song of the year. While there are some huge names in both categories, my early guess is that best new artist will go to either Chappell Roan or Sabrina Carpenter, considering that both artists have rattled off multiple major hits instead of one enormous smash. Because “A Bar Song” has become so year-defining, though, I think Shaboozey has a great shot in the song of the year race.

Andrew Unterberger: He’s not necessarily the favorite in either category, but I think best new artist is at least a possibility if the poppier nominees cancel each other out a little. That’s where I’d be exercising the most campaigning muscle if I was on his team, anyway.

Christine Werthman: I never guess these correctly, so let’s say, song of the year, knowing that it’ll probably be best new artist. Grammys: so mysterious! 

5. Will “A Bar Song” beat the “Old Town Road” all-time record of 19 weeks atop the Hot 100?

Rania Aniftos: Very likely, especially as the Grammys approach and, if the song gets some wins, it might get yet another boost on the charts.

Kyle Denis: Barring any surprise drops or an earlier-than-expected surge in holiday tunes, yes. 

Jason Lipshutz: I’ve been saying no for a while, and I will still say no. We’re two weeks away from a tie and three weeks from a new record, and with holiday music about to take over, it will be a photo finish either way. But 20 weeks (or more!) at No. 1 still boggles my mind to such a degree that I can’t count on multiple more weeks atop the chart. I’m rooting for Shaboozey at this point, but I were a betting man, I’d wager that “Old Town Road” remains on top.

Andrew Unterberger: I think it will? I never like betting against the unknown — which is why I’ve been betting on Shaboozey continuing on at No. 1 to this point — but we’re running out of time for surprises, and Christmas season probably isn’t going to get here quite quickly enough to block him. I can’t maintain my skepticism at this point; I think “A Bar Song” is gonna get to 20.

Christine Werthman: Holiday parties are coming up, and those playlists need to pop. I think “A Bar Song” will be a fixture and end up breaking that record. Everybody in the club gettin’ Shaboozey! [Whispers: Everybody in the club gettin’ Shaboozey].