Lil Nas X sets new Billboard record for most weeks at No.1

NEW YORK (AP) — It's one sweet day for Lil Nas X: The breakthrough rapper's viral "Old Town Road" has broken the Billboard record set by Mariah Carey's "One Sweet Day" for most weeks at No. 1.

Lil Nas X accomplishes the feat this week as his country-trap song spends its 17th week on top of the Hot 100 chart. Carey and Boyz II Men's duet set the record in 1996, and the only song to come close to breaking it was the ubiquitous international hit "Despacito," which tied the 16-week record in 2017.

"Old Town Road," which has achieved most of its success through audio streaming, was originally a solo song but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track. The song also has remix versions featuring Diplo, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey and BTS, and Billboard counts the original song and its remixes as one when calculating chart position, thus helping "Old Town Road" stay on top.

"Old Town Road" initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn't hurt the song; it only propelled it.

Songs have come close to displacing "Old Town Road" from the top spot — including Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" and a pair of Taylor Swift singles — but ultimately were unsuccessful.

Swift was successful in 2017 when her song "Look What You Made Me Do" stopped Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's "Despacito" from reaching a 17th week at No. 1. Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" ended Carey and Boyz II Men's epic run in 1996. </s> Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi.

"Old Town Road" logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week, matching the success that Carey and Boyz II Men's "One Sweet Day" achieved in 1995-1996. Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's "Despacito" accomplished the feat in 2017.

No song has spent more than 16 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart in the 61-year history of the Billboard charts.

The country-rap "Old Town Road" was originally a solo song but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track and it topped the charts. </s> FILE – This June 1, 2019 file photo shows Lil Nas X performing at HOT 97 Summer Jam 2019 in East Rutherford, N.J. The rapper has taken his “Old Town Road” to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi.

“Old Town Road” logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart this week, matching the success that Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” achieved in 1995-1996. Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” accomplished the feat in 2017.

No song has spent more than 16 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart in the 61-year history of the Billboard charts.

The country-rap “Old Town Road” was originally a solo song, but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track and it topped the charts, achieving most of its success through audio streaming.

The song initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn’t hurt the song; it only propelled it.

“Old Town Road” appears on Lil Nas X’s debut EP “7,” which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s 200 albums chart earlier this month. The EP also features the Top 40 hits “Panini” and “Rodeo” with Cardi B.

“Old Town Road” is also spending its 16th week on top of both the R&B/Hip-Hop and rap songs charts. The song has several versions, including remixes featuring Diplo, Young Thug and Mason Ramsey; Billboard counts the original song and its remix versions as one when calculating chart position, thus helping “Old Town Road” stay on top.

A number of songs have debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, unable to push “Old Town Road” out of its top position, including two tunes from Taylor Swift (“You Need to Calm Down,” ”ME!”); Ed Sheeran and Bieber’s “I Don’t Care”; and two songs from Shawn Mendes (“If I Can’t Have You,” ”Senorita” with Camila Cabello).

Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” stopped “Despacito” from reaching a 17th week at No. 1 when the pop smash jumped from No. 77 to No. 1 in 2017. Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” ended Carey and Boyz II Men’s epic run in 1996. </s> NEW YORK—Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi.

"Old Town Road" logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week, matching the success that Carey and Boyz II Men's "One Sweet Day" achieved in 1995-1996. Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's "Despacito" accomplished the feat in 2017.

No song has spent more than 16 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart in the 61-year history of the Billboard charts.

The country-rap "Old Town Road" was originally a solo song, but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track and it topped the charts, achieving most of his success through audio streaming.

The song initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn't hurt the song; it only propelled it.

"Old Town Road" appears on Lil Nas X's debut EP 7, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's 200 albums chart earlier this month. The EP also features the Top 40 hits "Panini" and "Rodeo" with Cardi B.

"Old Town Road" is also spending its 16th week on top of both the R&B/Hip-Hop and rap songs charts.

A number of songs have debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, unable to push "Old Town Road" out of its top position, including two tunes from Taylor Swift ("You Need to Calm Down," "ME!"); Ed Sheeran and Bieber's "I Don't Care"; and two songs from Shawn Mendes ("If I Can't Have You," "Senorita" with Camila Cabello).

Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" stopped "Despacito" from reaching a 17th week at No. 1 when the pop smash jumped from No. 77 to No. 1 in 2017. Céline Dion's "Because You Loved Me" ended Carey and Boyz II Men's epic run in 1996. </s> Lil Nas X has proven all those remixes were worth it now that his single “Old Town Road” is the longest-running No. 1 song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.

For 17 weeks, Lil Nas X’s fusion of country and trap has sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. That’s one week longer than previous record holders “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber and “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.

Lil Nas X was quick to share the news first reported by Chart Data, a music industry blog, and confirmed later by Billboard. He followed that up with a celebratory tweet, writing “YEEE TF HAWWW” accompanied by a horse and lighting bolt emoji.

The musician later got more serious on Instagram posting photos that track the journey of “Old Town Road” to #1, with a caption that explains all the work he did to make the song a hit. “I am so thankful that this blessing has been placed upon me. This song has changed my life and the way i see the world around me in less than a year,” Lil Nas X added between many different emojis, before saying “it’s just the beginning!”

This achievement comes after “Old Town Road” initially struggled to stay on the country charts because the TikTok-incubated hit was deemed not to be country enough by Billboard. Lil Nas X remedied that situation by recruiting country star Billy Ray Cyrus to join him on the first remix, which in turn propelled the song up the Hot 100 chart.

Since the success of the Billy Ray Cyrus remix, Lil Nas X has recruited Diplo, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey, and RM of BTS to all contribute to several different remixes of the song.
• Lil Nas X hit with $25 million lawsuit for allegedly sampling song without permission </s> It’s one sweet day for Lil Nas X: The breakthrough rapper’s viral “Old Town Road” has broken the Billboard record set by Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day” for most weeks at No. 1. Lil Nas X accomplishes the feat this week as his country-trap song spends its 17th week on top of the Hot 100 chart.

Carey and Boyz II Men’s duet set the record in 1996, and the only song to come close to breaking it was the ubiquitous international hit “Despacito,” which tied the 16-week record in 2017.

Hours later he posted a video thanking his fans for helping his song set a new record.

“I’m on the toilet right now, but I want to say thank you to every single person who has made this moment possible for me. We just broke the record for the longest-running No. 1 song of all-time,” said Lil Nas X, sporting a cowboy hat as he played “Old Town Road” in the background. “Let’s go!”

“Old Town Road,” which has achieved most of its success through audio streaming, was originally a solo song but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track. The song also has remix versions featuring Diplo, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey and BTS, and Billboard counts the original song and its remixes as one when calculating chart position, thus helping “Old Town Road” stay on top.

“17 is my new favorite number,” Cyrus said in a statement Monday, also referring to his debut album “Some Gave All,” which spent 17 weeks at No. 1 in 1992. “My goal was always to make music that would touch people’s lives around the world.”

“Old Town Road” initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn’t hurt the song; it only propelled it.

Songs have come close to displacing “Old Town Road” from the top spot — including Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” and a pair of Taylor Swift singles — but ultimately were unsuccessful.

Swift was successful in 2017 when her song “Look What You Made Me Do” stopped Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” from reaching a 17th week at No. 1. Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” ended Carey and Boyz II Men’s epic run in 1996. </s> NEW YORK (AP) — Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi.

"Old Town Road" logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week, matching the success that Carey and Boyz II Men's "One Sweet Day" achieved in 1995-1996. Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's "Despacito" accomplished the feat in 2017.

No song has spent more than 16 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart in the 61-year history of the Billboard charts.

The country-rap "Old Town Road" was originally a solo song, but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track and it topped the charts, achieving most of its success through audio streaming.

Lil Nas X is looking forward to setting a new Billboard record next week. He posted a video Monday on social media of the "SpongeBob SquarePants" character Squidward Tentacles saying, "Please stream 'Old Town Road.'"

"Me on the internet this whole week tryna break the billboard record," he wrote in the caption.

"Old Town Road" initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn't hurt the song; it only propelled it.

"This song has been a uniter not a divider," Cyrus said in a statement Monday. "I'm giving God the glory now for allowing me the gift to be part of such a special song. It's a unique moment in time where people from all over the world and all walks of life find they have more in common than they do different. It's a moment we've all shared and I'm grateful for it."

"Old Town Road" appears on Lil Nas X's debut EP "7," which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's 200 albums chart earlier this month. The EP also features the Top 40 hits "Panini" and "Rodeo" with Cardi B.

"Old Town Road" is also spending its 16th week on top of both the R&B/Hip-Hop and rap songs charts. The song has several versions, including remixes featuring Diplo, Young Thug and Mason Ramsey; Billboard counts the original song and its remix versions as one when calculating chart position, thus helping "Old Town Road" stay on top.

A number of songs have debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, unable to push "Old Town Road" out of its top position, including two tunes from Taylor Swift ("You Need to Calm Down," ''ME!"); Ed Sheeran and Bieber's "I Don't Care"; and two songs from Shawn Mendes ("If I Can't Have You," ''Senorita" with Camila Cabello).

Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" stopped "Despacito" from reaching a 17th week at No. 1 when the pop smash jumped from No. 77 to No. 1 in 2017. Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" ended Carey and Boyz II Men's epic run in 1996. </s> The Atlanta artist’s “Old Town Road” single with Billy Ray Cyrus made Billboard history on Monday as the song officially topped the Billboard Hot 100 for an unprecedented 17th week.

The previous record of 16 weeks was held by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee‘s “Despacito” and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men‘s “One Sweet Day”. “Old Town Road” originated at the top of the Billboard charts back in April, shortly after Billboard removed the song from the Hot Country chart.

Since then there’s been an official video released, a remix with Cyrus, Young Thug, and Mason Ramsey along with a new version with RM of supergroup BTS. Earlier this month, he broke the record for the longest-running hip-hop song on the top of the chart and now, he owns the whole thing outright. By the time Labor Day rolls around, “Old Town Road” will more than likely top the Billboard Songs of the Summer chart.

Elsewhere, Lizzo‘s “Truth Hurts” is now at No. 5 as her breakthrough single inches closer and closer to the top three.

Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” Is The Longest-Running No. 1 Song In History was originally published on theboxhouston.com </s> The longest-running No. 1 single in the 61-year history of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart is not by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson or Madonna.

And no longer is that record held by “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, from 1995, or “Despacito,” the 2017 Latin smash by Luis Fonsi, with Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber — both of which held the top spot for 16 weeks.

The new champion is as much a novelty song as it is a meme and an object lesson in the state of music marketing: Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which — after its latest blast of remixes and videos — on Monday notched its 17th week atop Billboard’s flagship singles chart.
Billboard reports that Lil Nas X has broken the all-time record on the Billboard Hot 100 with his song "Old Town Road", as it spends its seventeenth week atop the chart; the previous record-holders are Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men with "One Sweet Day", and Luis Fonsi with "Despacito" featuring Daddy Yankee.