Ella Langley’s hit song “Choosin’ Texas” (featuring the lyric “he’s from Texas I can tell”) has spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as of August 2026. [1]
This historic run makes it the sole longest-running non-holiday No. 1 song by a female artist in the chart’s history. [1]
Would you like to know which other songs share the longest-running No. 1 spots in Billboard history?
Instagram·Good Morning AmericaHe may be “Choosin’ Texas,” but we’re choosing Ella Langley!And the popular song by artist Ella Langley has topped Billboard’s Hot 100 songs for 20 weeks now. That makes it the longest run b…
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BillboardElla Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ No. 1 on Hot 100 for 20th Week – BillboardElla Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” achieves a landmark 20th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — claiming the sole longest run ev…
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Here are the elite tracks that have claimed the longest runs at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history: [1]
| Weeks at No. 1 | Song | Artist(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 weeks | “All I Want for Christmas Is You” | Mariah Carey | 2019–Present |
| 20 weeks | “Choosin’ Texas” | Ella Langley | 2026 |
| 19 weeks | “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” | Shaboozey | 2024 |
| 19 weeks | “Old Town Road” | Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus | 2019 |
| 16 weeks | “Last Night” | Morgan Wallen | 2023 |
| 16 weeks | “Despacito” | Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber | 2017 |
| 16 weeks | “One Sweet Day” | Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men | 1995–1996 |
| 15 weeks | “As It Was” | Harry Styles | 2022 |
Key Milestones
- The Absolute Record: Mariah Carey’s holiday juggernaut holds the top spot. However, it achieves this by returning to the top of the charts for a few weeks every November and December. [1, 2]
- The Modern Era: Before electronically tracked data was adopted in late 1991, it was incredibly rare for a song to stay at No. 1 for more than 10 weeks. The explosion of streaming data has allowed massively viral songs to hold onto the top spot for months at a time. [1, 2]
Would you like to take a look at the longest-reigning No. 1 songs from a specific decade, such as the 1990s or 2000s?
BillboardThe Longest-Leading Billboard Hot 100 No. 1sAug 31, 2026 — How few? Just a mere 4% of all Hot 100 No. 1s dating to the chart’s launch on Aug. 4, 1958, have earned the achievement. Olivia Ne…
WikipediaList of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestonesAmong these records is the longest-running number-one single—a record currently held by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas I…
Rolling Stone’Choosin’ Texas’ Is Now the Second-Longest …Jaeden Pinder Contact Jaeden Pinder by Email View all posts by Jaeden Pinder August 31, 2026 Larry McCormack/Disney/Getty Images L…
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Here are the longest-reigning No. 1 songs of the 1990s and 2000s. These two decades completely transformed the charts, as Billboard introduced electronic tracking in late 1991, allowing mega-hits to lock down the top spot for months at a time. [1, 2, 3]
The 1990s: The Rise of the R&B Ballad
The ’90s were completely dominated by massive, powerhouse vocal ballads. Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey repeatedly traded the ultimate chart record back and then came together to secure a historic milestone. [1, 2]
- 16 weeks: “One Sweet Day” – Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men (1995)
- The record holder for over 23 years, merging the two biggest chart forces of the decade. [1]
- 14 weeks: “I Will Always Love You” – Whitney Houston (1992)
- Fueled by the soundtrack to The Bodyguard, it shattered the previous record for longevity. [1]
- 14 weeks: “I’ll Make Love to You” – Boyz II Men (1994)
- Tied Whitney Houston’s record just two years later. [1]
- 14 weeks: “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” – Los del Río (1996)
- A global dance craze that became the longest-reigning foreign-language hit of the century.
- 13 weeks: “End of the Road” – Boyz II Men (1992) [1]
The 2000s: The Hip-Hop and Pop Domination
By the 2000s, urban pop, hip-hop, and R&B collaborations took full control of radio and physical single sales. [1, 2]
- 14 weeks: “We Belong Together” – Mariah Carey (2005)
- Named the “Song of the Decade” by Billboard, marking Carey’s ultimate career comeback. [1]
- 14 weeks: “I Gotta Feeling” – The Black Eyed Peas (2009)
- Combined with their previous single “Boom Boom Pow,” the group held the No. 1 spot for an unprecedented 26 consecutive weeks in 2009. [1]
- 12 weeks: “Yeah!” – Usher feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris (2004)
- The definitive club anthem of the 2000s that defined the “Crunk” era. [1]
- 11 weeks: “Lose Yourself” – Eminem (2002)
- The first hip-hop track to ever rule the Hot 100 for more than 10 weeks, boosted by the movie 8 Mile. [1]
- 10 weeks: “Dilemma” – Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland (2002) [1]
- 10 weeks: “Gold Digger” – Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx (2005) [1]
- 10 weeks: “Irreplaceable” – Beyoncé (2006) [1]
- 10 weeks: “Low” – Flo Rida feat. T-Pain (2008) [1]
Would you like to look at the longest-running No. 1 songs from the 2010s or 2020s to see how streaming completely rewrote the record books?
Here are the longest-reigning No. 1 songs of the 2010s and 2020s. In these decades, streaming platforms completely re-engineered how the Billboard Hot 100 operates. High-volume, viral streaming numbers have allowed mega-hits to park at the top spot for massive stretches. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The 2020s: The Modern Record Breakers (So Far)
The current decade has been defined by unprecedented, month-long dominance from massive country crossovers and viral juggernauts. [1, 2]
- 20 weeks: “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley (2026)
- 19 weeks: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey (2024)
- A viral interpolation that ruled the summer of 2024. [1]
- 16 weeks: “Last Night” – Morgan Wallen (2023)
- 15 weeks: “As It Was” – Harry Styles (2022)
- Achieved its run through incredible staying power, repeatedly bouncing back to No. 1. [1]
- 10 weeks: “Butter” – BTS (2021)
- 10 weeks: “Drivers License” – Olivia Rodrigo (2021) [1]
The 2010s: The Streaming Explosion
The 2010s witnessed the official integration of streaming data (like YouTube and Spotify) into Billboard’s calculations, paving the way for the longest-reigning No. 1 song in history. [1, 2]
- 19 weeks: “Old Town Road” – Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus (2019)
- 16 weeks: “Despacito” – Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber (2017)
- 14 weeks: “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars (2015) [1]
- 12 weeks: “See You Again” – Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth (2015) [1]
- 12 weeks: “Closer” – The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey (2016)
- 12 weeks: “Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell (2013) [1]
- 11 weeks: “God’s Plan” – Drake (2018) [1]
Would you like to know which artists have the most total weeks at No. 1 across their entire careers, or perhaps which tracks had the fastest rise to the top?
Here is a look at the supreme record holders for the most total weeks at No. 1across their entire careers on the Billboard Hot 100, along with the iconic tracks that recorded the fastest rises to the top. [1, 2]
Most Cumulative Weeks at No. 1 (Career Totals)
Thanks to a mix of legendary discographies and streaming powerhouses, these artists have spent the most combined weeks looking down at the rest of the charts:
- 98 Weeks: Mariah Carey
- 60 Weeks:Rihanna
- 59 Weeks: The Beatles
- 56 Weeks:Drake
- The king of the streaming era. In 2018 alone, he spent a record-breaking 29 weeks at No. 1 between “God’s Plan,” “Nice For What,” and “In My Feelings”.
- 50 Weeks: Boyz II Men
- A staggering feat, considering they achieved this number using only five total chart-topping tracks in the 1990s. [1]
The Fastest Rises: No. 1 Hot 100 Debuts
Before 1995, it was statistically impossible for a song to debut at No. 1 due to how physical sales and radio plays were slowly calculated. Today, “instant” No. 1s happen regularly, but a few artists have mastered the immediate takeover: [1]
- Ariana Grande’s Historical Start: Ariana Grande holds a unique record where her first ten No. 1 hits all debuted at No. 1 during their very first week on the charts. [1]
- The First Ever: Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” (1995) became the first song in history to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100, breaking a 37-year-old barrier.
- The Record Breakers: Taylor Swift and Drake hold the record for the most total No. 1 debuts over their careers, routinely claiming the top spot the second they drop an “event” album. [1]
Would you like to explore which albums have spent the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, or see the all-time artists with the most individual No. 1 hits?
Here are the ultimate heavyweights when it comes to the most individual No. 1 hits on the Hot 100, followed by the albums that have spent the most total weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. [1, 2]
All-Time Artists With the Most Individual No. 1 Hits
These are the only acts in Billboard Hot 100 history to rack up double-digit individual chart-topping singles: [1]
- 20 Hits:The Beatles
- 19 Hits:Mariah Carey
- 18 Hits:Elvis Presley
- The definitive king of the pre-Hot 100 and early Hot 100 eras. [1]
- 15 Hits:Taylor Swift
- Her record-shattering album rollouts routinely launch new singles straight to the top of the charts. [1]
- 14 Hits:Rihanna & Drake (tied)
- 13 Hits: Michael Jackson [1]
- 12 Hits: The Supremes & Madonna (tied) [1]
- 11 Hits: Whitney Houston [1]
- 10 Hits: Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson, & Bruno Mars (tied) [1, 2]
Albums With the Most Cumulative Weeks at No. 1
When looking at the Billboard 200 album chart, longevity is calculated by the total number of weeks an artist’s entire catalog has spent sitting at No. 1: [1]
| Total Weeks at No. 1 | Artist / Group | Key Chart-Topping Albums |
|---|---|---|
| 132 weeks | The Beatles | Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper’s, 1 |
| 98 weeks | Taylor Swift | Fearless, 1989, The Tortured Poets Department |
| 67 weeks | Elvis Presley | Blue Hawaii, G.I. Blues |
| 52 weeks | Garth Brooks | Ropin’ the Wind, The Chase |
| 51 weeks | Michael Jackson | Thriller, Bad |
| 46 weeks | Whitney Houston | The Bodyguard Soundtrack, Whitney |
| 46 weeks | The Kingston Trio | At Large, String Along |
Individual Album Record Holders
If you look at single albums rather than career totals, the landscape changes slightly:
- The All-Time Leader: The West Side Story soundtrack (1962) holds the absolute record for an individual album, spending a staggering 54 weeks at No. 1.
- The Solo Artist Record: Michael Jackson’s Thriller (1982) spent 37 weeks at No. 1.
- The 21st-Century Record: Adele’s 21 (2011) spent 24 weeks at the top spot. [1, 2]
Would you like to look at the all-time list of albums with the most total weeks spent on the chart (even when not at No. 1), which features historical runs by Pink Floyd and Bob Marley? [1]
Here are the historic, decades-spanning albums that hold the records for the most total weeks spent anywhere on the Billboard 200 chart. While some of these only topped the chart briefly, their timeless popularity through physical catalog sales and streaming has kept them on the chart for years—and in some cases, decades. [1, 2, 3]
The All-Time Billboard 200 Longevity Kings
These are the only albums in American history to achieve the mind-boggling milestone of charting for over 500 weeks (nearly 10 full years): [1]
| Total Weeks on Chart | Album | Artist / Group | Release Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 996+ weeks | The Dark Side of the Moon | Pink Floyd | 1973 |
| 850+ weeks | Legend: The Best of… | Bob Marley & The Wailers | 1984 |
| 750+ weeks | Doo-Wops & Hooligans | Bruno Mars | 2010 |
| 758+ weeks | Greatest Hits | Journey | 1988 |
| 732+ weeks | Metallica (The Black Album) | Metallica | 1991 |
| 700+ weeks | Greatest Hits | Guns N’ Roses | 2004 |
| 700+ weeks | good kid, m.A.A.d city | Kendrick Lamar | 2012 |
| 618+ weeks | Born to Die | Lana Del Rey | 2012 |
| 600+ weeks | 2014 Forest Hills Drive | J. Cole | 2014 |
| 554+ weeks | Take Care | Drake | 2011 |
| 550+ weeks | Rumours | Fleetwood Mac | 1977 |
🌟 Broken Records & Chart Anomalies
- Pink Floyd’s Eternal Masterpiece: The Dark Side of the Moon is just a few frames away from becoming the first album in music history to hit 1,000 total weeks on the chart. It is a run so dominant that it equals more than 19 total years on the Billboard 200. [1, 2, 3]
- The “Catalog” Catch: Pink Floyd’s total would actually be much higher, but Billboard enforced a strict rule between 1991 and 2009 that banished older “catalog” albums from the main chart if they fell below the top 100. Once the rule was stripped away, Dark Side flooded back onto the chart. [1]
- The Female Record: Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die holds the monumental title of being the longest-charting album by a female artist in history, showing the immense generational staying power of her 2012 debut.
- The Hip-Hop Pioneer: Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city became the first-ever hip-hop studio album to crack the 700-week milestone, solidifying it as a modern classic that has never truly stopped streaming.
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