Ariana Grande's '7 Rings' Returns to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Post Malone's 'Wow.' Hits Top Five
3/18/2019 by Gary TrustAfter rap's reign in much of 2018, pop songs have dominated over the past six months.
Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" logs a sixth total week atop the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, as it rebounds from No. 2 to No. 1 on the list dated March 23.
Meanwhile, Post Malone reaches the top five with "Wow." and boasts two songs in the top five for the first time, as the track joins "Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)," with Swae Lee, at No. 2.
Let's run down the top 10 of the newest Hot 100, which blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and digital sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (March 19).
"Rings," released on Republic Records, returns to the top of the Hot 100 with a 3-1 lift on the Streaming Songs chart, having drawn 36.9 million U.S. streams, down 7 percent, in the week ending March 14, according to Nielsen Music. The song leads the list for a seventh total week.
The track pushes 4-3 on Radio Songs, with 88.4 million audience impressions, up 3 percent, in the week ending March 17, and holds at No. 5 (after three weeks on top) on Digital Song Sales, with 20,000 downloads sold, down 7 percent, in the week ending March 14.
Notably, with "Rings" the leader on the Hot 100 again, pop songs continue their resurgence on the chart. In 2018, rap hits led for a record 34 consecutive weeks (29 by Drake) between Feb. 3 and Sept. 22. Since then, a full six months have passed with pop back on top: pop songs have now led the Hot 100 for 24 of the past 26 months, with Grande at No. 1 for exactly half that span (13 of those 26 weeks).
Here's a look at the Hot 100 No. 1s since the chart dated Sept. 29, 2018. Pop songs have led the list exclusively except for two toppers, for a week each, by Travis Scott and, together, Post Malone and Swae Lee:
7 weeks, "Girls Like You," Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, beginning Sept. 29, 2018
7 weeks, "Thank U, Next," Ariana Grande, beginning Nov. 17
1 week, "Sicko Mode," Travis Scott, Dec. 8
2 weeks, "Without Me, Halsey, beginning Jan. 12, 2019
1 week, "Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)," Post Malone & Swae Lee, Jan. 19
6 weeks, "7 Rings," Ariana Grande, beginning Feb. 2
1 week, "Shallow," Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, March 9
1 week, "Sucker," Jonas Brothers, March 16
While pop songs have scored atop the Hot 100 in the past six months, hip-hop has been represented; in addition to "Sicko Mode" and "Sunflower," Cardi B spent seven weeks at No. 1 as featured on Maroon 5's "Girls Like You," while "Rings" has drawn attention for its perceived hip-hop influences.
"Sunflower" rebounds 4-2 on the Hot 100 and tallies a 10th week atop both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.
Halsey's "Without Me" rises 5-3 on the Hot 100, as it leads Radio Songs for a third week (100.6 million, down 1 percent), and Cardi B and Bruno Mars' "Please Me" dips to No. 4 from its No. 3 peak.
Rounding out the Hot 100's top five, Post Malone ascends to the region with "Wow." (7-5). The track surges 8-3 on Digital Song Sales (23,000, up 22 percent), winning top Sales Gainer honors on the Hot 100. Aiding the jump: a Florida man's dance routine to the song went viral, with Post Malone offering his approval on Instagram March 7 (just ahead of the March 8-14 sales and streaming tracking week feeding the latest charts, dated March 23). "Wow." concurrently climbs 8-6 on Radio Songs (65.9 million, up 5 percent) and returns to the Streaming Songs top 10 (12-10; 26.1 million, up 5 percent). Going forward, the song could benefit from the March 15 release of a new remix, featuring Roddy Ricch and Tyga.
Post Malone adds his fifth top five Hot 100 hit, following "Rockstar," featuring 21 Savage (No. 1 for eight weeks in 2017); "Psycho," featuring Ty Dolla $ign (No. 1, one week, 2018); "Better Now" (No. 3, 2018); and "Sunflower."
After launching atop the March 16-dated Hot 100, Jonas Brothers' "Sucker" slides to No. 6 (marking the steepest fall from No. 1 since Zayn's "Pillowtalk" tumbled to No. 7 from the top spot in its second week in February 2016; still, the song spent its first 16 weeks on the chart in the top 10). "Sucker" drops from No. 1 to No. 2 on Digital Song Sales (30,000, down 66 percent) and 1-9 on Streaming Songs (25.2 million, down 42 percent). Conversely, "Sucker" scores the Hot 100's top Airplay Gainer award, bounding 46-27 on Radio Songs (35.6 million, up 59 percent).
Notably, songwriter Louis Bell boasts four songs in the Hot 100's top 10 for a second week: "Sunflower," "Without Me," "Wow." and "Sucker." That's the most at once since Lil Wayne sported writing credits on five songs in the top 10 on the Oct. 13, 2018-dated chart (after Drake drew seven in the top 10 on July 14, also including four in the top six, like Bell this week). Among writers with no credited Hot 100 hits as an artist, Bell's haul in the top 10 is the most in a week since Max Martin also tallied four in the tier eight years ago, on the chart dated March 26, 2011 (Katy Perry's "E.T.," featuring Kanye West; P!nk's "F**kin' Perfect"; Britney Spears' "Till the World Ends," featuring Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha; and Ke$ha's "Blow.")
Marshmello and Bastille's No. 2 Hot 100 hit "Happier" rises 8-7, while ruling Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for a 26th week, and J. Cole's No. 4-peaking Hot 100 hit "Middle Child" lifts 9-8.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" falls 6-9 after leading the March 9-dated Hot 100. "Shallow" returns for an eighth week atop Digital Song Sales (34,000, down 39 percent), marking the longest reign since Drake's "God's Plan" also led for eight weeks last year. "Shallow" reaches another new high on Radio Songs, where it blasts 22-14 (52.3 million, up 23 percent). The ballad from A Star Is Born spent its first 17 weeks on Radio Songs between Nos. 50 and 36 before entering the top 30 for the first time on the March 9-dated chart, concurrent with its Hot 100 coronation following its Oscars win for best original song.
Capping the Hot 100's top 10, Travis Scott's former No. 1 "Sicko Mode" holds at No. 10 as it spends its 32nd week (encompassing its entire run on the chart) in the top 10. The song is now a week from tying the overall top 10 longevity record, held by two titles:
Most weeks in Hot 100's top 10
33, "Girls Like You," Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, 2018-19
33, "Shape of You," Ed Sheeran, 2017
32, "Sicko Mode," Travis Scott, 2018-19
32, "Closer," The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey, 2016-17
32, "How Do I Live," LeAnn Rimes, 1997-98
31, "Uptown Funk!," Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, 2014-15
30, "Smooth," Santana feat, Rob Thomas, 1999-2000
Find out more Hot 100 news on Billboard.com this week, and, for all chart news, you can listen (and subscribe) to Billboard's Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast and follow
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billboardcharts . And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (March 19), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboard magazine is on sale Friday (March 22).
