Most weeks in the top 1,2,3,5,10,20,40,100

[Gary]

Also updated the other lists on page 1

[Gary]

Recent addition to this list

'I Hope'

62 chart weeks
14 weeks top 10
40 weeks top 20
51 weeks top 40

[phieaglesfan712]

If anyone else is wondering about other increments, this person did a Top 3 for each region #1, Top 2, Top 3, Top 4, Top 5, and each increment of 5:

Blinding Lights is tied for the Top 3 record, and solely holds the record for Top 4, Top 5, each increment of 5 up to the Top 85. It is set to tie the record for the Top 90 on the 6/26 chart, and is 6 weeks away from setting the Top 95 record and 8 weeks away from setting the Hot 100 record.

[Gary]

My bad, I only included what I thought were the most relevant ones when I started this a year ago

Never really thought about most weeks in the top 90 or 95, top 1,2,3 and 5 have been written about many times before, never seen a writeup on top 4

If there is one you want to see, I can add it

[phieaglesfan712]

Jun 20, 2021 10:05:36 GMT -5 Gary said:

My bad, I only included what I thought were the most relevant ones when I started this a year ago

Never really thought about most weeks in the top 90 or 95, top 1,2,3 and 5 have been written about many times before, never seen a writeup on top 4

If there is one you want to see, I can add it

The ones that I'd really like to see are Top 4, 15, 25, and 50 (in addition to the ones you already have). I appreciate that guy for going above and beyond, but the rest of the increments are just gravy.

[Gary]

Page 1 lists updated

Levitating added to the Top 10 list

[Gary]

Save Your Tears
Levitating
Blinding Lights

[Zoibator]

Jul 24, 2021 9:08:40 GMT -5 Gary said:

Page 1 lists updated

Levitating added to the Top 10 list

Fyi you mentioned Levitating twice in the Top 10 section of the main post

[Gary]

Levitating hits 30 weeks

numbers also updated for that other song on the page 1 lists

[Gary]

The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Ties Record for Most Weeks Spent on Billboard Hot 100
By Gary Trust
8/9/2021
Click to copy
www.billboard.com/articles/news/9612160/the-weeknd-blinding-lights-ties-weeks-record-hot-100/
0

The song scores its 87th week on the survey, matching the run of Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive."
The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" adds another honor to its already historic Billboard Hot 100 run, spending a record-tying 87th week on the chart (dated Aug. 14). It equals the run of Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive," which logged its time on the tally in 2012-14.

"Blinding Lights," released on XO/Republic Records, bowed on the Hot 100 dated Dec. 14, 2019, at No. 11. The song, which ranks at No. 16 in its 87th week, hit No. 1 for its first of four weeks on top on the chart dated April 4, 2020. Along the way, it has rewritten the records for the most time spent in the Hot 100's top five (43 weeks), top 10 (57 weeks), top 20 (78 weeks) and top 40 (83 weeks).


Here's an updated look at the titles to log the most time on the Hot 100, dating to the chart's Aug. 4, 1958, inception through the latest list, dated Aug. 14, 2021.

Most Weeks Spent on the Billboard Hot 100:
87 weeks, "Blinding Lights," The Weeknd, No. 1 peak (four weeks), April 4, 2020 peak date
87 weeks, "Radioactive," Imagine Dragons, No. 3, July 6, 2013
79 weeks, "Sail," AWOLNATION, No. 17, Oct. 12, 2013
76 weeks, "I'm Yours," Jason Mraz, No. 6, Sept. 20, 2008
69 weeks, "How Do I Live," LeAnn Rimes, No. 2, Dec. 13, 1997
68 weeks, "Counting Stars," OneRepublic, No. 2, Jan. 18, 2014
68 weeks, "Party Rock Anthem," LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock, No. 1 (six weeks), July 16, 2011
65 weeks, "Rolling in the Deep," Adele, No. 1 (seven weeks), May 21, 2011
65 weeks, "You Were Meant for Me"/"Foolish Games," Jewel, No. 2, April 19, 1997
64 weeks, "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood, No. 8, June 2, 2007


Should "Blinding Lights" -- one of three Hot 100 No. 1s from The Weeknd's 2020 album After Hours, and which he performed as the finale of his Super Bowl LV halftime show medley Feb. 7 -- notch an 88th week on the Hot 100 dated Aug. 21, setting the record outright for the most time spent on the chart, it will be joined on the ranking by his new single, "Take My Breath," released Friday (Aug. 6).

"I've always had an admiration for the era before I was born," The Weeknd, 31, mused to Billboard in 2020 of the retro vibe of "Blinding Lights." "You can hear it as far back as my first mixtape [2011's House of Balloons] that the '80s – Siouxsie & the Banshees, Cocteau Twins – play such a huge role in my sound. Sometimes it helps me create a new sound and sometimes it's just obvious. I'm just glad the world's into it now."

[Gary]

Evolution of the Most weeks Hot 100 - record (starting from Aug 1958)


January, 1959 ---- 25 weeks Chantilly Lace, Big Bopper
October, 1959 ---- 26 weeks Robbin' The Cradle, Tony Bellus
December 1959 ---- 26 weeks Mack The Knife, Bobby Darin
April, 1960 ----- 27 weeks Running Bear, Johnny Preston
April 1962 ------- 39 weeks The Twist, Chubby Checker
May 1978----------- 40 weeks I Go Crazy, Paul Davis
November 1982 ----- 43 weeks Tainted Love, Soft Cell
December 1989 ----- 43 weeks What About Me, Moving Pictures
April 1994 -------- 45 Weeks Whoomp(There It Is), Tag Team
February 1995 ----- 54 weeks December 1963(Oh What A Night), Four Seasons
August, 1996 ------- 55 weeks Missing, Everything But The Girl
February, 1997 ----- 60 weeks Macarena(Bayside Boys Mix), Los Del Rio
February, 1998 ----- 65 weeks Foolish Games/You Were Meant For Me, Jewel
October, 1998 ------ 69 weeks How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes
October 2009------- 76 weeks I'm Yours, Jason Mraz
May 2014----------- 87 weeks Radio Active, Imagine Dragons
August 2021 ------- Blinding Lights, The Weeknd

[Gary]

Page 1 updated for Blinding Lights, Save Your Tears & Levitating

[Gary]

What Was the World Like When The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Debuted on the Hot 100 88 Weeks Ago?
By Andrew Unterberger
8/17/2021
Click to copy
www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9615787/weeknd-blinding-lights-what-was-life-like/


On the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, the No. 1 spot was occupied by The Weeknd's new official single "Heartless," which had jumped up 31 spots from the week before -- but the week's top debut was another new Weeknd track, "Blinding Lights," which bowed at No. 11.

"Heartless" would ultimately spend 23 total weeks on the Hot 100, but "Lights" has held on ever since -- with the exception of one week in January 2021, when the chart was overrun with holiday titles -- for a now-record-setting run of 88 weeks, over a year and eight months total. It's been long enough that "Blinding Lights" has been a Hot 100 fixture that it's increasingly tough to even remember a time when The Weeknd's synth-rock instant classic hasn't been an inextricable part of our pop lives.

The Weeknd Celebrates 'Blinding Lights' Hot 100 Record & Promises 'The F---ing Dawn Is Coming'

So, given the occasion of its record-breaking 88th week on the Hot 100, we decided to flash back to the very beginning of its run, to remember a world in which "Blinding Lights" had only just begun to make our acquaintance, on its way to being one of the most ubiquitous hits in top 40 history. What was the world like on Dec. 14, 2019? Let's take a look at some of the highlights.

-New albums in stores and on streaming that weekend included Stormzy's Heavy Is the Head, Kaytranada's Bubba, Smokepurpp's Deadstar 2, and Harry Styles' Fine Line -- the latter of which would ultimately be the week's best-performing set, moving 478,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release.


-Frozen II, released nearly a month earlier, was still ruling pop culture: The movie was spending its third week No. 1 at the U.S. box office, while the soundtrack had just topped the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time.

-New in theaters that weekend: Jumanji: The Next Level, Richard Jewell, 6 Underground, Bombshell -- and, most relevantly to The Weeknd, the Safdie Brothers' A24 production Uncut Gems, which featured a cameo from none other than Abel Tesfaye as his 2012-era self, performing cuts from his breakthrough House of Balloons mixtape and trying to seduce Julia Fox's character.


-The NBA team with the best record was the Milwaukee Bucks, who moved to 24-3 on the season with a 17-point beatdown of the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, just behind them was the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers, who were 23-3 in LeBron James' and Anthony Davis' first season together in the Purple and Gold.

-The New York Times ran an op-ed letter from their editorial board about Pres. Trump led by a simple one-word message: "Impeach."

-The annual festivity of SantaCon was underway, with thousands of Santa-dressed revelers of various degrees of drunkenness meeting up at Times Square in the morning and spending the rest of the day flooding the streets of New York.

-Saturday Night Live was hosted that night by Scarlett Johansson -- her sixth time hosting -- while the musical guest was Niall Horan, playing a pair of songs from his then-upcoming Heartbreak Weather album: "Nice to Meet Ya" and "Put a Little Love on Me."

Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds on The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Passing 'Radioactive' Hot 100 Record: 'He's a Genius'

-Reports emerged that Pres. Trump's administration would soon announce the withdrawal of about 4,000 troops from Afghanistan. "The commander feels confident we can go down to a lower level without jeopardizing our ability to ensure that Afghanistan doesn't become a safe haven for terrorism," Secretary of Defense Mark Esper had said.

-Joe Burrow, 23-year-old redshirt senior quarterback for the LSU Tigers, won the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding player of that college football season -- by the largest margin in the history of Heisman voting.

-No news stories ran in any major publication included the words "coronavirus" or "COVID-19."

[Gary]

The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' By the Numbers: All the Stats Behind Its Record-Breaking Run
By Xander Zellner
8/17/2021
Click to copy
www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9615822/the-weeknd-blinding-lights-statistics-behind-record-breaking-run/

The song scores its 88th week on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" is now, officially, the longest charting hit in the Billboard Hot 100's history, as the song -- originally released in 2019 -- tallies its 88th week on the survey, dated Aug. 21, 2021.

It passes the 87-week Hot 100 run of Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" in 2012-14.

As "Blinding Lights" adds perhaps its most notable chart record yet, here's a look at its most luminous stats (as of charts dated Aug. 21, with all data through Aug. 12, according to MRC Data).

ARTIST MENTIONED
The Weeknd


The Weeknd Celebrates 'Blinding Lights' Hot 100 Record & Promises 'The F---ing Dawn Is Coming'



88: Record number of weeks that "Blinding Lights" has spent on the Hot 100, from its debut on the chart dated Dec. 14, 2019.

43: Record number of weeks totaled in the Hot 100's top five. It passed The Chainsmokers' "Closer," featuring Halsey, and Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You," each with 27 weeks in the tier, for the achievement.

57: Record number of weeks spent in the Hot 100's top 10, previously held by Post Malone's "Circles" (39).

79: Record number of weeks spent in the Hot 100's top 20, a mark also previously belonging to "Circles" (60).

84: Record number of weeks spent in the Hot 100's top 40, having passed "Radioactive" (63).

13: The number of U.S.-specific Billboard charts on which "Blinding Lights" has hit No. 1. It has led the all-genre Hot 100, Streaming Songs, Radio Songs and Digital Song Sales surveys; Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs and R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales; Hot R&B Songs, R&B Streaming Songs and R&B Digital Song Sales; and the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary radio genre charts.


48: Record weeks spent at No. 1 on Hot R&B Songs, more than double the sum of three runners-up (with 20 apiece). It has also logged the most weeks in the top 10 and on the tally overall (66 each).

26: Record weeks notched atop Radio Songs. The mark had been held for over two decades by Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" (18 weeks) in 1998.

35: Weeks spent atop Adult Contemporary, the most among solo males in the chart's 60-year history.

5,410,644,400: Total cumulative audience for "Blinding Lights" on U.S. radio.

1,270,906,753: Total on-demand U.S. streams for the song, audio and video combined.

811,500: Total U.S. downloads sold for the song.

33: "Blinding Lights" has hit No. 1 on surveys in Billboard's charts menu encompassing 33 countries. Its world domination has extended to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela.

LV: Super Bowl whose halftime show this Feb. 7 spotlighted The Weeknd's medley, in which "Blinding Lights" served as the finale.

1: Weeks that "Blinding Lights" has not appeared on the Hot 100 since debuting. It was not on the chart dated Jan. 2, 2021, due in large part to an influx of holiday hits. It returned the following week at No. 3, marking the highest re-entry in the chart's history.

34: The total number of Hot 100 No. 1s since "Blinding Lights" debuted on Dec. 14, 2019, in addition to the song itself, which reigned for four weeks in April and May 2020. In its debut frame, the top title was The Weeknd's own "Heartless." Since then, the songs to ascend to No. 1 have been, chronologically, Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and Post Malone's "Circles," also in 2019 …


In 2020: Roddy Ricch's "The Box"; Drake's "Toosie Slide"; The Scotts, Travis Scott and Kid Cudi's "The Scotts"; Doja Cat's "Say So," featuring Nicki Minaj; Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber's "Stuck With U"; Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage," featuring Beyoncé; Lady Gaga and Grande's "Rain on Me"; DaBaby's "Rockstar," featuring Roddy Ricch; 6ix9ine and Minaj's "Trollz"; Taylor Swift's "Cardigan"; Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar"; Cardi B's "WAP," featuring Megan Thee Stallion; BTS' "Dynamite"; Scott's "Franchise," featuring Young Thug and M.I.A.; Jawsh 685, Jason Derulo and BTS' "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)"; 24kGoldn's "Mood," featuring iann dior; Grande's "Positions"; BTS' "Life Goes On"; and Swift's "Willow" …

And, in 2021, so far: Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License"; Drake's "What's Next"; Cardi B's "Up"; Bieber's "Peaches," featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon; Lil Nas X's "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)"; Silk Sonic's (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) "Leave the Door Open"; Polo G's "Rapstar"; another leader by The Weeknd: "Save Your Tears," with Grande; Rodrigo's "Good 4 U"; BTS' "Butter" and "Permission to Dance"; and current leader "Stay" by The Kid LAROI and Bieber.

Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds on The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Passing 'Radioactive' Hot 100 Record: 'He's a Genius'

1,218: The number of songs that have charted on the Hot 100 since "Blinding Lights" debuted.

20: The number of other songs by The Weeknd that have hit the Hot 100 since "Blinding Lights" entered the chart.

62: The number of songs sent onto the Hot 100 by Lil Baby since "Blinding Lights" debuted, the most of any artist in that timeframe.

3: The number of 2020 year-end charts that "Blinding Lights" topped, wrapping at No. 1 for the year on the Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Pop Airplay.

3: Total Billboard Music Awards that "Blinding Lights" has won. It earned honors for top Hot 100 song, top R&B song and top radio song at the 2021 festivities. The Weeknd also won the coveted top artist trophy, among 10 total wins for the year. "Thank you to my fans, of course," he said in his acceptance speech for top artist. "I do not take this for granted."

Bonus … 1 billion times brighter than the surface of the sun: The brightest light ever recorded, created by a group of physicists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln "by focusing a laser beam extremely intensely." (And perhaps still not a match for the continuing chart glow of "Blinding Lights.")

[Gary]

Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds on The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Passing 'Radioactive' Hot 100 Record: 'He's a Genius'
By Andrew Unterberger
8/16/2021
Click to copy
www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9615436/dan-reynolds-imagine-dragons-radioactive-weeknd/


Seven years ago, Imagine Dragons made history on the Billboard Hot 100 with just their second single as a band. Following the chart breakout of their anthemic 2012 debut hit "It's Time," which peaked at No. 15 on the Hot 100 in early 2013, the Dan Reynolds-fronted group released "Radioactive," a massive-sounding arena-rock chest-beater warped by hip-hop dynamics and dubstep-influenced production.

The song didn't sound much like anything else on radio in 2012 -- or 2013, or 2014 -- but it eventually stretched out over all three calendar years, crossing over to multiple radio formats, becoming an iTunes best-seller and even briefly holding the record for the most-streamed song in Spotify history. The song first debuted on the Hot 100 on Aug. 18, 2012, and on the chart dated Feb. 28, 2014, it broke the record (previously held by Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours") for the longest stay in Hot 100 history in its 77th week on the chart -- holding on for another 10 weeks, until finally falling off the chart dated May 17th, 2014, after an 87-week run.

The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Spends Record-Breaking 88th Week on Billboard Hot 100
ARTIST MENTIONED
Imagine Dragons


In the seven years since, few songs have even approached that historic run: until this year, the only song to really get close was AWOLNATION's "Sail," whose run was concurrent to that of "Radioactive" -- but which only lasted 78 weeks before falling off. But in late 2019, pop superstar The Weeknd released a two-pack of new songs which would make pop music history in the years to come. At first, "Blinding Lights" was the lesser of the two hits, debuting at No. 11 on the Hot 100 while its partner "Heartless" ascended to the No. 1 spot -- but it would prove the much longer-lasting, reaching No. 1 for four weeks in 2020, spending a record-breaking 57 weeks in the chart's top 10, and this week, passing "Radioactive" for all-time chart longevity in its 88th week on the chart.

Last week -- with his band's signature hit just days away from ceding the Hot 100 record to "Blinding Lights" --Reynolds talked to Billboard about his memories of recording "Radioactive," why he never expected the song to do what it did, and how he couldn't be happier about The Weeknd being the guy he's passing the long-endurance Hot 100 torch to.

When you were recording “Radioactive,” I’m sure you didn’t have any thoughts of it becoming one of the biggest hits in Hot 100 history -- but did you have a sense that it was going to be a pretty big song for you guys?

When we were making the song, it felt really strange, in a cool way. Like, I was excited listening to it, I was excited to show it to my friends, because it was weird. I mean, at that point, we were nothing. My band wasn’t signed at that point, when I wrote that song. And so I had no idea that it would be anything close to what it was. But I did feel that it was special, and interesting.


But once we signed [to Interscope], it wasn’t like everybody at the label was like, “This is the song.” In fact, it was the opposite. “It’s Time” was the first single, and we [already] had “Radioactive” at that point. Nobody thought that that song would play on radio. In fact, I remember our radio department specifically being like, “This song won’t play on radio.” But the song just started to go on its own, and then it just went to radio because it kind of had a life of its own, and it kinda dictated its own way.

Long story short, I had no idea. No idea whatsoever.

Was it in its final form production-wise at that early stage?

Yeah, it was really exactly what you hear [now]. We had that song recorded before we signed. It started with me and Alex da Kid in the studio, together. He had worked together a basic track, which was like a kick and a snare, and that dubstep kind of sound to it. And then I recorded melodies -- and my guitarist came in, and he recorded guitars, and then we did this intro/interlude, with the guitars. And then we brought in the bass player and the drummer, and put on a little bit of live bass, and a little bit of live drums to kind of bring that live sound to a synthetic sound. Which is what we’ve always been interested in, this kind of digitized-married-with-the-organic [sound].


So what was it after the success of “It’s Time” that convinced you and/or the label that this would be the logical choice for the next single?

It just did it on its own. Like, it started to get syncs -- I think it was Assassin’s Creed, if I remember right, [that] wanted to use it for a trailer, then it got put in a trailer for that. And people started to hear it, and share it -- it just was a viral song... There was no magical format, no repeating it. I’ve had people ask me, “What did you guys do to make that song big?” And the song just wanted to be big. Love it or hate it, the song just did what it did. You can’t manipulate that big of a hit. Especially in this day and age -- like, nobody knows how to do that. And certainly, that song was never thought of as a focus track. It almost didn’t make the record [2012 debut LP Night Visions].

I wrote “Radioactive" in this room, and I had an engineer record my vocals. And he came and listened to it, and his reaction was like, “Whoa, this is really weird. But let’s listen again.” And typically, Alex [da Kid] is like, very quiet -- he’d listen and be like, “Cool.” But that one in particular, we were both like, “This is weird!” And it was before… dubstep was not in the mainstream world yet. It was just starting to peek out. And that’s another thing about “Radioactive" -- I think it was just the luck of the time, too. It was like, Skrillex was just starting to become a mainstream [artist], and bringing dubstep to the mainstream, but it hadn’t been in pop radio in any format, or alternative radio.


Was it validating when the song started to take off? You’d already had the one hit, but a second hit kind of establishes you guys -- and it doesn’t sound like “It’s Time,” so it shows another side to Imagine Dragons.

You know, I didn’t even have that thought. Everything was so whirlwind crazy tornado -- I don’t think I ever even had the thought where it was like, “Oh good! We have another single, we’re not a one-hit thing!” I was on the road every day, traveling the world, performing as much as possible. And everything I had ever dreamed of as a kid was happening, and it just was like mind-boggling to me. And then we’re at the Grammys, and then we’re performing it with Kendrick [Lamar]... everything was just so fast, and intense.

Songs That Defined the Decade: Imagine Dragons' 'Radioactive'

Do you remember a moment when you could tell, “OK, this isn’t just a second hit, this is like a career-defining, era-defining sort of song”?

I think when we got off the stage at the Grammys, and I was like, meeting Jay-Z and Beyoncé, and Jay-Z was like, “That was amazing! Wow! That was my favorite performance of the night!” And this is Jay-Z, who I grew up worshipping. I listen to hip-hop way more than I listen to anything else, so ‘90s hip-hop was like, everything I consumed. East Coast, West Coast, Jay-Z, 2Pac, Biggie… that was everything to me. So to be meeting him, to meet Beyoncé, Daft Punk… that was a moment. And Paul McCartney, I met Paul McCartney that night.

And yeah, just when the song finished, me and Kendrick looked at each other, and I think we both -- like, we gave each other a hug, and we were both like, “Whoa, this is special.”

Over the course of 87 weeks, how sick did you get of the song?

You know -- I thought I’d be more sick of it. We just performed it last night, for the first time [in three years]. So I’ve taken three years off, we just got together as a band and we were rehearsing, and we played the song. And I loved playing it. I really did. It felt really good to play it.

Were you paying attention to its chart run while it was going up, and then sticking around?


Our manager would send us an email being like, “This is what’s going on on the charts, this song is breaking this record, it’s doing this…” And we’d be like, “Whoa, that’s crazy.” Or we’d be like, in Amsterdam, and like, half-awake… We never really celebrated it properly. We never were like, “‘Radioactive’ went diamond, let’s all go to dinner and let’s celebrate!” And it was like, “Whoa! Well, OK, we gotta get on stage for yadda yadda and this…”

These last three years have been the first time that I think everything settled. Everything settled, from like the high highs, the low lows, the hard parts, the good parts, the perspective of it all -- how one in a billion it all was… and I’m just left with a lot of gratitude at this point. I feel really grateful for my health, grateful for “Radioactive” and everything that it did. I love The Weeknd. I think that he’s a genius, I think he’s a melodic genius. And it feels like great company, you know what I mean?

Imagine Dragons: Who Wants to Talk About the Biggest Band of 2017?

Do you remember what song “Radioactive” beat in 2014 for the all-time longevity record?

I can’t remember. What was it?

It was “I’m Yours,” by Jason Mraz. It was 76 weeks, and you got to 87.

Haha! Now that you say that, I do remember that.

And there was another song that you were kind of neck-and-neck with at the time, it was…

“Sail”?

“Sail,” very good!

So our first tour was opening for AWOLNATION. When we were signed, so our first big tour. And everything started to blow up while we were opening on that tour with them. And I love AWOLNATION. Like, really really love the creativity of the work... that kind of genreless creative searching. And Aaron was always writing, and when we were on the tour together he was showing me stuff he was listening to, and it was really just a large genre of creativity. Which I always can appreciate. I know some people hate it, the genreless[ness] of it all, like it feels like it’s meandering… but I love it, so I identify with it.

We never had any competitiveness -- at that time, especially, we were playing tiny rooms, to like 500 people. It wasn’t like “Sail” was at the top, and “Radioactive” was at the top…

You talk about both “Sail” and “Radioactive” being genreless -- you could probably say the same thing about “Blinding Lights.” It’s kind of in between two or three different genres. Is that sort of the key behind having these hits that last for two years?


I think songs that get gargantuan -- obviously, I don’t know what the magical key for any of that is. But I think there’s something… melodically, it has to really catch everybody, from like a tiny kid to a grandmother, there obviously needs to be something super-hooky going on with it. But I think it has to be a certain amount weird, too. A lot of these songs that are huge... they’re slow-growers, typically. Because they don’t fly up the chart and fall off. It’s just this long, slow thing.

I don’t really know. I actually have no idea. I’m thinking about all these songs that are huge and I’m like, “They don’t all match up with this.” I don’t know if it’s genreless or not.


As we're talking, we’re still a week away from The Weeknd potentially beating the record -- is that something you’re going to be monitoring, is that something you care about at all, the passing of the torch?

No, I think it’s probably expected. At some point, something like that’s going to happen, and it’s not something that I’m tallying. And honestly, like I said, I love The Weeknd. So that’s just incredible -- he’s a legend, he’s an icon. I think his music is the type of music that’s going to live on for a long time, and do good things. So if there was ever someone to take the record, I think it’s good company.

Any final thoughts about “Radioactive” a decade later? Its legacy, what it’s meant to you guys and that moment in pop history?

Yeah, I mean, I love the song. I love “Radioactive,” I’m proud of it to this day. I’m really proud of what that song has done, and did for my life and the life of my kids and my family. And also, it’s really fun to play live.

[Gary]

The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Spends Record-Breaking 88th Week on Billboard Hot 100
By Gary Trust
8/16/2021
Click to copy
www.billboard.com/articles/news/9615371/the-weeknd-blinding-lights-hot-100-record-88-weeks/

It breaks out of a tie with Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive."
The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" logs a record-breaking 88th week on the Billboard Hot 100 (on the chart dated Aug. 21). It passes Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive," which spent 87 weeks on the survey in 2012-14.

"Blinding Lights," released on XO/Republic Records, debuted at No. 11 on the Hot 100 dated Dec. 14, 2019. The song, which ranks at No. 18 in its 88th week, hit No. 1 for its first of four weeks on top on the chart dated April 4, 2020. Over its run, it has rewritten the records for the most time spent in the Hot 100's top five (43 weeks), top 10 (57 weeks), top 20 (79 weeks) and top 40 (84 weeks).

The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber Extend 'Stay' Atop Hot 100, The Weeknd's 'Take My Breath' Debuts in Top 10
ARTIST MENTIONED
The Weeknd


Here's an updated look at the titles to tally the most time on the Hot 100, dating to the chart's Aug. 4, 1958, inception through the latest list, dated Aug. 21, 2021.

Most Weeks Spent on the Billboard Hot 100:
88 weeks, "Blinding Lights," The Weeknd, No. 1 peak (four weeks), April 4, 2020 peak date
87 weeks, "Radioactive," Imagine Dragons, No. 3, July 6, 2013
79 weeks, "Sail," AWOLNATION, No. 17, Oct. 12, 2013
76 weeks, "I'm Yours," Jason Mraz, No. 6, Sept. 20, 2008
69 weeks, "How Do I Live," LeAnn Rimes, No. 2, Dec. 13, 1997
68 weeks, "Counting Stars," OneRepublic, No. 2, Jan. 18, 2014
68 weeks, "Party Rock Anthem," LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock, No. 1 (six weeks), July 16, 2011
65 weeks, "Rolling in the Deep," Adele, No. 1 (seven weeks), May 21, 2011
65 weeks, "You Were Meant for Me"/"Foolish Games," Jewel, No. 2, April 19, 1997
64 weeks, "Before He Cheats," Carrie Underwood, No. 8, June 2, 2007


"Blinding Lights," which The Weeknd performed as the finale of his Super Bowl LV halftime show medley Feb. 7, is one of three Hot 100 No. 1s from his 2020 album After Hours.

"After Hours was always meant to be a very personal project. It's a story I had to tell," The Weeknd told Billboard after "Blinding Lights" became the first (and, so far, only) song to spend a year in the Hot 100's top 10. "The fact I've been able to tell it with the world listening is incredible."

Meanwhile, The Weeknd adds his latest Hot 100 hit, as his new single "Take My Breath" launches at No. 6 on the Aug. 21 chart, arriving as his 13th top 10.

[Gary]

page 1 updates for Blinding Lights and Levitating

[Gary]

Five Reasons Why The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ Set the All-Time Hot 100 Longevity Record
By Jason Lipshutz
8/17/2021
Click to copy
www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9615907/the-weeknd-blinding-lights-hot-100-longevity-record-analysis/


The Weeknd makes history on this week’s Billboard Hot 100: not only does the pop superstar score a top 10 debut with his latest single, “Take My Breath,” but he also captures the chart record for most weeks spent by a single song on the tally, as “Blinding Lights” notches its 88th week on the chart. Originally making its debut on the Hot 100 dated Dec. 14, 2019, “Blinding Lights” has now broken out of a tie held with Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” which spent 87 weeks on the chart from 2012 to 2014, to become the longest-running Hot 100 hit in the survey’s history.

“Blinding Lights” has long been a smash of mammoth proportions: prior to setting the Hot 100 longevity record, the single from The Weeknd’s 2020 album After Hours set the records for longest stays in the Hot 100’s top five (43 weeks), top 10 (57 weeks) and top 20 (79 weeks). Amazingly, the song still resides in the lattermost category, clocking in at No. 18 in its record 88th week on the chart.

The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' By the Numbers: All the Stats Behind Its Record-Breaking Run

Yet it’s worth wondering: how did “Blinding Lights”' morph from another hit single for The Weeknd into an all-time chart stalwart, shattering various Hot 100 records along the way? Here are the five main reasons why “Blinding Lights” has been able to enter uncharted chart territory and snatch the Hot 100 longevity crown:

1. The Weeknd is a superstar at multiple formats...

Two days before “Blinding Lights” came out in November 2019, The Weeknd released a different song -- and sent it straight to the top of the Hot 100 chart. “Heartless” was unveiled as the first taste of his fourth full-length, and its quick ascension to No. 1 confirmed The Weeknd’s pop star power ahead of 2020’s After Hours. Although he was three years removed from his previous album, 2016’s Starboy, at the time, smashes like “Can’t Feel My Face,” “The Hills” and “Starboy” had turned him into a household name, and his My Dear Melancholy EP and Black Panther soundtrack hit “Pray for Me” with Kendrick Lamar in 2018 had kept him active in pop culture prior to his official comeback. Like any pop A-lister, The Weeknd’s track record as a hitmaker set him up for success when he did return with a new project, with top 40 radio and streaming services ready for whatever he had prepared next.


Of course, not every superstar is able to deliver a single that spends months on end on the Hot 100 chart based on name recognition. And while “Heartless” wasn’t able to muster a prolonged chart run, “Blinding Lights” was able to capitalize on the type of superstar The Weeknd has become: a brand name in different styles. A mainstream artist who nimbly straddles genre lines and outpaces the competition at both radio and streaming, The Weeknd doesn’t sound out of place on an afternoon top 40 mix, on soulful R&B playlists, blasting at a hip-hop festival or from the speakers at a nightclub. He’s the rare artist that can both make hedonistic anthems with Future and get the Kidz Bop treatment, and have each appearance feel logical.

So when “Blinding Lights” started to take off, the single did so on a multitude of platforms, reaching disparate listener audiences that most artists wouldn’t be able to unite. As it sets the Hot 100 longevity record, “Blinding Lights” has also topped a whopping 14 different Billboard charts, ranging from Hot R&B Songs to On-Demand Streaming Songs to Radio Songs (more on that one in a second) to Adult Contemporary. Before a specific type of song is able to conquer those charts, it takes a singular artist to possess enough influence at each format to help it get there.

2. ...And he’s in his biggest era to date.

Even with multiple No. 1 singles, festival headlining slots and awards-show accolades all coming prior to After Hours, The Weeknd’s latest run has dwarfed the success of his previous projects. After Hours debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in March 2020 with 444,000 equivalent album units -- the third-biggest bow of last year, after Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Juice WRLD’s Legends Never Die -- and kept providing The Weeknd with commercial W’s for more than a year afterward. “Blinding Lights” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 the same week as the album’s chart debut, follow-up “In Your Eyes” followed into the chart’s top 20, and fourth single “Save Your Tears” reached the summit earlier this year after Ariana Grande hopped on the official remix. Overall, After Hours was the eighth-biggest album of 2020 on the Billboard 200 year-end chart, and even as The Weeknd kicks off his next era -- new single “Take My Breath” debuts at No. 6 on this week’s Hot 100 -- his 2020 album remains in the top 20 of the current Billboard 200 chart.

The Weeknd Celebrates 'Blinding Lights' Hot 100 Record & Promises 'The F---ing Dawn Is Coming'

So how has the overall success of After Hours helped the “Blinding Lights” chart run? By providing The Weeknd with major opportunities in which to showcase the smash. That included, most notably, the Super Bowl halftime show -- the most coveted performance slot on the planet, which “Blinding Lights” closed out in grand fashion earlier this year. But The Weeknd also performed the song to open the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards last August, during his guest appearance on Saturday Night Live in March 2020, and during his The Weeknd Experience interactive livestream event on TikTok last summer. These all gave The Weeknd the chance to don his red suit, bandage his face up and perform “Blinding Lights” for millions of viewers as his career remained red-hot. And in the case of the Super Bowl, it yielded a real momentum boost for the song, with a 41% increase in streams immediately after the performance.

3. The right sound for radio, at the right time.

One year before “Blinding Lights” set the record for most weeks logged on the Hot 100, the song made history on another Billboard chart -- it spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Radio Songs tally, surpassing the 18-week mark set by Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” 22 years earlier. The Weeknd had enjoyed previous success at different formats, but the radio ubiquity of “Blinding Lights,” which topped out at 23 weeks at No. 1 on Radio Songs, was literally unprecedented -- the difference between a hit that lingers in heavy rotation for multiple months and a once-in-a-generation radio smash that gets regular play for over a year and eventually results in a Hot 100 record.


"'Blinding Lights' is one of those special, melodic, mass-appeal songs with multi-format and multi-generational appeal," Jon Zellner, president of programming operations at iHeartMedia, told Billboard last year when the song set the Radio Songs record. Erik Bradley, music director at Chicago's WBBM-FM, added, "It just had a little more of a retro vibe to it, and it just felt like it was going to be one of the top couple songs for the entire year. And that happened."

What Was the World Like When The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Debuted on the Hot 100 88 Weeks Ago?

The “retro vibe” is worth noting in particular, since “Blinding Lights” arrived at radio at the end of a relatively downtempo period at top 40 -- Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” Halsey’s “Without Me” and Khalid’s “Talk” were among the biggest songs of 2019 -- and helped kick off a trend of uptempo, throwback-leaning pop hits, including Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now,” Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me,“ Doja Cat’s “Say So” and BTS’s “Dynamite.” The bright, synth-heavy arrangement of “Blinding Lights” worked alongside the songs concurrently succeeding when it settled in for its Radio Songs run in 2020; had The Weeknd released it in 2018, for instance, perhaps it wouldn’t have fit in with the rest of power rotation and become quite as dominant.

4. The pandemic played a large part.

Part of that uptempo revival at radio can be chalked up to the coronavirus pandemic -- which shut down the U.S. in March 2020, the same month The Weeknd released After Hours -- and the mass desire to hear uplifting pop during a time of lockdown and uncertainty. "I don’t know that during a pandemic, you want to be so sad and 'the world is ending,'" Bradley told Billboard last year.

Yet the pandemic also impacted the Hot 100 run of “Blinding Lights” in other ways. For one, fewer blockbuster albums were released over the course of its chart run, with projects delayed due to the shutdown, tours postponed or cancelled and promo opportunities scrapped out of necessity. Of course, The Weeknd’s own plans were affected by the pandemic -- his After Hours arena tour, scheduled for last year, was postponed to 2022 -- but by setting up “Blinding Lights” prior to shutdown and growing the single into a smash, he was able to do with the song what other A-list artists could not with their music over the past 17 months. And with fewer major projects coming out, there were fewer opportunities for “Blinding Lights” to get pushed down, or off, the Hot 100.


That lack of competition ultimately turned into a positive for both The Weeknd and music fans seeking comfort-food hits, as another effect that the pandemic had on popular music was pushing listeners toward the familiar. Turnover at radio and on streaming platforms has slowed down during shutdown, with the same songs spending longer than usual near the top of streaming charts and radio program directors more likely than ever to keep multiple songs by the same artist in heavy rotation, provided those artists are mass-appeal superstars.

Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds on The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Passing 'Radioactive' Hot 100 Record: 'He's a Genius'

The general preference for the familiar has helped other artists, too: Justin Bieber has been able to promote a handful of songs to top 40 radio at the same time, and Ariana Grande recently became the first artist to have three singles in the top 10 of the Pop Airplay chart. For The Weeknd, however, the longer shelf life of songs in radio rotation and on streaming charts has been particularly helpful as he’s rolled out other singles from After Hours. “In Your Eyes” and “Save Your Tears” were able to enjoy their own runs as hits without decreasing the appeal of “Blinding Lights”; listeners were fine regularly engaging with two or three The Weeknd songs, and as such, they were able to coexist on the Hot 100 for longer than usual.

5. Don’t underestimate the Weeknd-Max Martin combo.

The main reason why “Blinding Lights” just set the Hot 100 longevity record? It’s an excellent pop single: immediately catchy but eminently pulse-pounding, stuffed with hooks that recall other classic singles and styles but which never sound overly derivative. And that highly professional pop construction can be credited primarily to The Weeknd, who has turned his soulful croon into a commanding mainstream instrument over the past decade, and Max Martin, the most important pop producer of the 21st century, who co-wrote and co-produced the track.

“Blinding Lights” is not the first time The Weeknd and Martin have worked together: the producer helped the rising singer fully breach stardom five years earlier with his first Hot 100 chart-topper, “Can’t Feel My Face,” and contributed to his Beauty Behind The Madness and Starboy albums. Yet After Hours -- which features Martin as a co-producer on five songs, including “In Your Eyes” and “Save Your Tears” -- is where the pair sound most in synch on the vision of a full project, with Martin helping supply ‘80s-spiked synths and crisp melodies that perfectly complement The Weeknd’s vocal textures.


Martin has helmed dozens of hits over the past quarter-century, for artists ranging from Britney Spears to *NSYNC to Taylor Swift to Ariana Grande, and his presence in sculpting and perfecting the longest-running song in the history of the Hot 100 should not be discounted. Neither should The Weeknd’s: if the pop superstar has become Martin’s latest muse, then he is also maximizing (excuse the pun) the opportunity that collaborating with a super-producer affords. “Blinding Lights” had the pedigree to become an all-time hit, but The Weeknd was the one who sealed the deal.

[Gary]

Aug 17, 2021 11:41:32 GMT -5 Gary said:

page 1 updates for Blinding Lights and Levitating

[Gary]

Aug 23, 2021 18:58:33 GMT -5 Gary said:

Aug 17, 2021 11:41:32 GMT -5 Gary said:

page 1 updates for Blinding Lights and Levitating

Also Save Your Tears

[Gary]

Feb 8, 2021 18:49:35 GMT -5 Gary said:

^{Hot 100 longevity leaders by decade}

1958-1969

The Twist, Chubby Checker 39
Wipe Out, The Surfaris 30
Harlem Nocturne, The Viscounts 29
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late), David Seville/The Chipmunks 28
The Little Drummer Boy, The Harry Simeone Chorale 28
Running Bear, Johnny Preston 27
Sunshine Of Your Love, Cream 26
Robbin' The Cradle, Tony Bellus 26
Mack The Knife, Bobby Darin 26
Moon River, Henry Mancini 26
Never On Sunday, Don Costa 26
Finger Poppin' Time, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters 26


1970s

I Go Crazy, Paul Davis 40
Why Me, Kris Kristofferson 38
How Deep Is Your Love, Bee Gees 33
Feelings, Morris Albert 32
Baby Come Back, Player 32
Superstar, Murray Head 31
I Just Want To Be Your Everything, Andy Gibb 31
I Love The Nightlife (Disco 'Round), Alicia Bridges 31
Hot Child In The City, Nick Gilder 31
Dream On, Aerosmith 29
Devil's Gun, C.J. & Co. 29
Disco Inferno, The Trammps 29
(Love Is) Thicker Than Water, Andy Gibb 29

1980s

What About Me, Moving Pictures 43
Tainted Love, Soft Cell 43
Red Red Wine, UB40 40
I'm So Excited, Pointer Sisters 40
Into The Night, Benny Mardones 37
Where Are You Now?, Jimmy Harnen With Synch 36
Gloria, Laura Branigan 36
Jessie's Girl, Rick Springfield 32
Baby, Come To Me, Patti Austin,James Ingram 32
Another One Bites The Dust, Queen 31


1990s

How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes 69
Foolish Games/You Were Meant For Me, Jewel 65
Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los Del Rio 60
I Don't Want To Wait, Paula Cole 56
Missing, Everything But The Girl 55
Barely Breathing, Duncan Sheik 55
Too Close, Next 53
Truly Madly Deeply, Savage Garden 52
Run-Around, Blues Traveler 49
This Kiss, Faith Hill 48
Counting Blue Cars, Dishwalla 48



2000s

I'm Yours, Jason Mraz 76
Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood 64
You And Me, Lifehouse 62
How To Save A Life, The Fray 58
The Way You Love Me, Faith Hill 56
Unwell, matchbox twenty 54
Hanging By A Moment, Lifehouse 54
Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down 53
Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me), Train 53
What Hurts The Most, Rascal Flatts 51
Viva La Vida, Coldplay 51
Here Without You, 3 Doors Down 51


2010s

Radioactive, Imagine Dragons 87
Sail, AWOLNATION 79
Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO Featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock 68
Counting Stars, OneRepublic 68
Rolling In The Deep, Adele 65
Ho Hey, The Lumineers 62
Demons, Imagine Dragons 61
Shape Of You, Ed Sheeran 59
Somebody That I Used To Know, Gotye Featuring Kimbra 59
All Of Me, John Legend 59


2020s (through 2/6/21 chart)

I Hope, Gabby Barrett Featuring Charlie Puth 57
Blinding Lights, The Weeknd 57
Before You Go, Lewis Capaldi 49
Adore You, Harry Styles 48
Don't Start Now, Dua Lipa 45
Circles, Post Malone 45
ROCKSTAR, DaBaby Featuring Roddy Ricch 40
The Bones, Maren Morris 39
Life Is Good, Future Featuring Drake 38
Go Crazy, Chris Brown & Young Thug 38

Updated longevity by decade 9/11/21 chart


Blinding Lights, The Weeknd 87
I Hope, Gabby Barrett Featuring Charlie Puth 62
Mood, 24kGoldn Featuring iann dior 52
My Ex's Best Friend, Machine Gun Kelly X blackbear 52
Go Crazy, Chris Brown & Young Thug 52
Before You Go, Lewis Capaldi 52
Adore You, Harry Styles 48
Levitating, Dua Lipa Featuring DaBaby 48
Circles, Post Malone 45
Don't Start Now, Dua Lipa 45

[Gary]

Levitating - 3rd most all time


Most weeks top 10

Blinding Lights, The Weeknd 57

Circles, Post Malone 39

Levitating, Dua Lipa 36

[Gary]

Most weeks top 10

Blinding Lights, The Weeknd 57

Circles, Post Malone 39

Levitating, Dua Lipa 37

[Gary]

Time for the BTS remix to keep this going- LOL

[Gary]

Most weeks top 10

Blinding Lights, The Weeknd 57

Circles, Post Malone 39

Levitating, Dua Lipa 38

[Top 40 Tracker]

Please add Levitating to the Top 20 and 40 posts. I noticed it missing from the lists.

[kimberly]

Sept 15, 2020 20:29:12 GMT -5 Gary said:

Most weeks top 10

Save Your Tears, The Weeknd & Ariana Grande 25
Trap Queen, Fetty Wap 25
The Twist, Chubby Checker 25
Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton 25
The Box, Roddy Ricch 25
Rockstar, Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage 25
Despacito, Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber 25
Counting Stars, OneRepublic 25
Apologize, Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic 25
All About That Bass, Meghan Trainor 25
Rockstar, DaBaby Featuring Roddy Ricch 25
Kiss Me More, Doja Cat Featuring SZA 25

as of this week, "Kiss Me More" extends its record as the longest-running all-women collaboration in the Top 10, and enters the all-time list Gary compiles here.

[Gary]

16 weeks to the Blinding Lights record

[Gary]

Weeks in the top 2 list has been updated

[Gary]

Dec 6, 2021 16:34:41 GMT -5 Gary said:

Weeks in the top 2 list has been updated

top 3 also as well as final numbers for Levitating