Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’ Ties for Fourth-Longest Reign in the Billboard Hot 100’s History

Gary Trust
·7 min read
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Harry Styles‘ “As It Was” adds a 14th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The song’s latest frame at the summit marks another milestone, as it ties for the fourth-longest command in the chart’s 64-year history.

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj‘s former Hot 100 No. 1 “Super Freaky Girl” rebounds from No. 7 to No. 3, and returns to No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, following the release of its “Queen Mix” version; Post Malone‘s “I Like It (A Happier Song),” featuring Doja Cat, reaches the Hot 100’s top five, rising 6-5; and Morgan Wallen revisits his best Hot 100 rank, as “You Proof” jumps 10-6, after the arrival of its official video.

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The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Sept. 24, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Sept. 20). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“As It Was,” released on Erskine/Columbia Records, tallied 68.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (essentially even week-over-week), 14.4 million streams (down 9%) and 3,000 downloads sold (down 13%) in the Sept. 9-15 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The single scores a sixth week atop the Radio Songs chart; retreats 5-6 on Streaming Songs, after two weeks on top starting in its debut week in April; and dips 21-24 on Digital Song Sales, following a week in the lead in May.

Tied for Fourth-Longest No. 1 Hot 100 Run

“As It Was” ties for the fourth-longest rule in the Hot 100’s history, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception. It boasts the longest command since Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (also on Columbia), ruled for a record 19 weeks in 2019.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100:
19, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, beginning April 13, 2019
16, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, May 27, 2017
16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995
14 (to date), “As It Was,” Harry Styles, April 16, 2022
14, “Uptown Funk!,” Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
14, “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009
14, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005
14, “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
14, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996
14, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
14, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992

Notably, “As It Was” ties for the longest Hot 100 domination among singles by artists with no accompanying acts. (Of those seven songs above with 14-week commands, “As It Was” is one of four by solo artists, joining the hits listed by Mariah Carey, Elton John and Whitney Houston.)

Most Weeks Ever in Hot 100’s Top Two & Top Three

“As It Was” extends its record for the most weeks spent in the Hot 100’s top two positions, having logged 23 weeks, of its 24 total weeks on the chart, in the top two, from its April 16 debut at No. 1 through the newest, Sept. 24-dated survey.

Meanwhile, the song ties The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay,” beginning in July 2021, for the most weeks, 23 each, tallied in the Hot 100’s top three in the chart’s history.

Further, “As It Was” is the first song ever to spend its first 23 weeks on the Hot 100 all in the top three.

No. 1 on Hot 100 for 14 Weeks Over 24 Weeks

“As It Was” has now placed atop the Hot 100 for 14 weeks over a span of 24 weeks, from its debut through the current chart. (In its other 10 weeks on the list, it ranked at No. 2 for nine weeks and No. 3 for one frame.) The song extends the longest span of a title leading the list in a single release cycle. (Overall, Mariah Carey’s 1994 carol “All I Want for Christmas Is You” holds the record for the longest stretch from a song’s first to its most recent week at No. 1: two years and three weeks [Dec. 21, 2019-Jan. 8, 2022]).

Concurrently, on the Radio Songs chart, “As It Was” has led for six weeks over a span of 19 weeks, tying for the second-longest span of a song ranking at No. 1. The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” ruled for 26 weeks over a stretch of 28 weeks (2020), while “As It Was” matches the No. 1 span of Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” which led for 18 weeks out of 19 (1998).

Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” holds at its No. 2 Hot 100 high, led by 35 million in airplay audience (up 7%) and 19.6 million streams (down 2%). It leads the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a fourth week each and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts for a third frame each, having become the first song to rule all five lists (dating to October 2012, when Billboard‘s main genre-based song charts adopted the Hot 100’s methodology).

Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” rebounds 7-3 on the Hot 100, four weeks after it soared in at the summit. It returns for a second week at No. 1, from No. 3, on Streaming Songs (19.8 million, up 6%) and resurges 4-2 on Digital Song Sales (14,000, up 130%), helped by the Sept. 9 release of its “Queen Mix,” adding JT, BIA, Katie Got Bandz, Akbar V and Maliibu Miitch. The track also tops the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart for a fifth week.

Nicky Youre and dazy’s “Sunroof” holds at its No. 4 Hot 100 high and Post Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Song),” featuring Doja Cat, climbs 6-5 for a new best. Post Malone notches his eighth top five Hot 100 hit, and first since “Circles,” which led for three weeks in 2019-20, while Doja Cat claims her third and first since “Kiss Me More” (No. 3 peak, July 2021).

Morgan Wallen returns to his highest Hot 100 rank, as “You Proof” jumps 10-6, its peak first set upon its debut on the May 28-dated chart. Aided by the Sept. 9 premiere of its official video, the song gained by 6% to 16.4 million streams in the tracking week and 13% to 5,000 sold, as well as 13% to 30.4 million in radio reach. It concurrently rules the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart for a fifth week. Wallen first hit a No. 6 Hot 100 high with the launch of “7 Summers” in August 2020.

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, and Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” descends 5-7, after two weeks at No. 1 beginning in late July; OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” keeps at its No. 8 high; Harry Styles’ “Late Night Talking” falls from its No. 3 peak to No. 9 (boosted the week before by the arrival of new options for purchase); and Future’s “Wait for U,” featuring Drake and Tems, returns to the region, lifting 11-10, following a week at No. 1 in its debut frame in May.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Sept. 24), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Sept. 20).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes an exhaustive and thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data, removing any suspicious or unverifiable activity using established criteria before final chart calculations are made and published. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious and unverifiable is disqualified prior to final calculations.

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