Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' Leads Hot 100 for 8th Week, The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Marks a Year in Top 10
By Gary Trust
3/8/2021
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www.billboard.com/articles/news/9536569/olivia-rodrigo-drivers-license-number-one-eighth-week-hot-100/"Blinding Lights" is the first song to spend 52 weeks in the Hot 100's top 10.
Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" adds an eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, encompassing its entire run on the chart so far.
Meanwhile, The Weeknd's former leader "Blinding Lights," at No. 3, becomes the first song in the Hot 100's history to spend a year in the top 10, as it logs its 52nd week in the region.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated March 13) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (March 9). For all chart news, you can follow
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"License" was released Jan. 8 on Geffen/Interscope Records and debuted at No. 1 on the Jan. 23-dated Hot 100, marking Rodrigo's first leader (after her debut entry, "All I Want," reached No. 90 in January 2020). The song from the singer-songwriter and actress, who broke through with roles on Disney Channel's Bizaardvark and Disney+'s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, totaled 19.7 million U.S. streams (down 9%) and 9,000 downloads sold (down 30%) in the week ending March 4, according to MRC Data. It also drew 73.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 7%) in the week ending March 7.
The track holds at its No. 2 high on the Radio Songs chart; slips 3-4 on Streaming Songs, after four weeks at No. 1; and drops 2-5 on Digital Song Sales, after three weeks at No. 1.
"License" also wins the Hot 100's top Airplay Gainer award for a seventh consecutive week, becoming the first song to link such a streak since Pharrell's "Happy" claimed the honor for eight straight weeks in February-March 2014.
Additionally, "License" is just the seventh single to have debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and spent at least its first eight weeks on top. It's the first to earn the distinction for an artist's first No. 1 as the sole billed act.
Singles to Spend First Eight Weeks or More on Hot 100 at No. 1
16 weeks, "One Sweet Day," Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 1995-96
14 weeks, "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight," Elton John, 1997-98
11 weeks, "God's Plan," Drake, 2018
11 weeks, "I'll Be Missing You," Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112, 1997
10 weeks, "Hello," Adele, 2015-16
8 weeks, "Drivers License," Olivia Rodrigo, 2021
8 weeks, "Fantasy," Mariah Carey, 1995
Cardi B's "Up" keeps at its No. 2 high on the Hot 100; it debuted at the runner-up spot three weeks ago. It returns for a second week atop Streaming Songs (23.9 million, down 1%), repeats at No. 4 on Digital Song Sales (10,000, up 9%) and climbs 33-28 on Radio Songs (27.4 million, up 19%).
"Up" posts a third week at No. 1 on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which employ the same methodology as the Hot 100.
The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" rebounds 5-3 on the Hot 100. The smash spent four weeks at No. 1 last April-May, eventually finishing as the Hot 100's top hit of all of 2020, and adds a record-extending 52nd week in the top 10, becoming the first song in the history of the chart (which began Aug. 4, 1958) to total a full year's time in the top 10. After debuting at No. 11 on the chart dated Nov. 14, 2019, it reached the top 10 on Feb. 29, 2020, and has spent all but two frames in the top tier since (ranking at Nos. 11 and 18 for two weeks in December).
Here's an updated look at the songs that have spent the most time in the Hot 100's top 10.
Most Weeks in Billboard Hot 100's Top 10
52, "Blinding Lights," The Weeknd, 2020-21
39, "Circles," Post Malone, 2019-20
33, "Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)," Post Malone & Swae Lee, 2018-19
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, "Bad Guy," Billie Eilish, 2019
30, "Smooth," Santana feat. Rob Thomas, 1999-2000
Meanwhile, "Lights" ties for the most time totaled in the Hot 100's top three, 21 weeks, equaling the sums of The Chainsmokers' "Closer" and Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk!"
Further, "Lights" achieves a record-padding 43rd week in the Hot 100's top five (no other song has logged more than 27 weeks in the region) and becomes one of just nine hits to have totaled at least 65 weeks on the chart overall, and the first since OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" wrapped a 68-week run in October 2014. Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" spent a record 87 weeks on the Hot 100 in 2012-14.
"Lights" also notches a record-extending 48th week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart.
Ariana Grande's "34+35" holds at No. 4 on the Hot 100, two weeks after it revisited its No. 2 peak (sparked by the Feb. 12 premiere of its official video starring Grande, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion).
Chris Brown and Young Thug's "Go Crazy" dips to No. 5 from its No. 3 Hot 100 high and tallies an eighth week atop Radio Songs (74.7 million in audience, down 5%).
The Weeknd's other current Hot 100 top 10, "Save Your Tears," is steady at No. 6, two weeks after reaching its No. 4 high. It becomes his 11th top 10 on Radio Songs (13-10; 42.9 million, up 6%), where, to note yet another superlative, "Blinding Lights" reigned for a record 26 weeks in April-October 2020.
24kGoldn's "Mood," featuring Iann Dior, is stationary at No. 7 on the Hot 100, after eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in October through mid-January. It rules the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 27th week each.
Rounding out the Hot 100's top 10, Lil Tjay's "Calling My Phone," featuring 6LACK, holds at No. 8, two weeks after it launched at No. 3; Pop Smoke's "What You Know Bout Love" re-enters the region at a new No. 9 high, up from No. 11; and Dua Lipa's "Levitating," featuring DaBaby, keeps at No. 10, after hitting No. 5.
Again, for all chart news, you can follow
billboard and
billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated March 13), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (March 9).
