Billie Eilish Scores First No. 1 Single, Ending “Old Town Road”’s 19-Week Run
Lil Nas X’s viral hit “Old Town Road” is no longer the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, after a record breaking 19-week tenure in the top slot. Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” dethroned the track, making it her first No. 1 single. Lil Nas X took to Twitter to congratulate Eilish on the achievement, writing, “congratulations to billie eilish!! u deserve this!!” Billy Ray Cyrus also tweeted in praise of Eilish. “Congratulations @billieeilish,” he wrote. “Well deserved. Your persistence paid off. Thanks everybody. It was a hell of a ride.” Back in July, the When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? single received a remix from Justin Bieber.
“Old Town Road” became the longest running No. 1 song in history when hit the 17-week mark in July, breaking the previous record of 16 weeks shared by “One Sweet Day” (by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men) and “Despacito” (by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, featuring Justin Bieber). It made headlines back in March, when it was removed from the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, despite possessing many sonic and verbal qualities in common with country music (lyrics about horse-riding, cowboy hats, etc). The single’s popularity only increased in the months following, however.
After Billboard’s decision to eliminate the track from its country chart, Billy Ray Cyrus shared his remix of the song. Cyrus’ version of “Old Town Road” went on to receive re-remixes by Diplo, and Young Thug and Mason Ramsey (the Yodeling Kid). CupcakKe shared her own version of the song, “Old Town Hoe,” back in May. In June, Lil Nas X released his 7 EP, which features the hit single.
Read “How Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ Became a Lightning Rod for Race, the Charts, and Country Music” over on the Pitch.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
