Monthly Archives: July 2023

Jung Kook becomes the second BTS member to reign, following Jimin. Plus, Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” debuts at No. 2.

Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, bounds in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Jung Kook becomes the second member of BTS with a Hot 100 leader, after Jimin’s “Like Crazy” launched at No. 1 in April.

Latto also lands her first Hot 100 No. 1.

Plus, Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” debuts at No. 2 on the Hot 100. The song, released in May, debuts with the biggest sales week for a country song in over 10 years, after CMT pulled its video, which premiered July 14, from rotation after three days, resulting in a surge of attention.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated July 29, 2023) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (July 25). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Seven” is the 1,151st No. 1 since the Hot 100 began in August 1958. It’s the 68th leader to debut at No. 1.

Streams, airplay & sales: “Seven” soars in at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with 21.9 million streams, 6.4 million in airplay audience and 153,000 combined digital and CD singles sold from its release July 14 through July 20, according to Luminate. (The song’s original and instrumental versions were released July 14 and its “Summer” and “Band” mixes arrived July 17; all were available for download for 69 cents. The song’s original version was also available for purchase on CD beginning July 14 for $1.99.)

“Seven” debuts at No. 2 on the Digital Song Sales chart and No. 4 on Streaming Songs. While below the all-format Radio Songs tally, it debuts at No. 30 on Adult Pop Airplay and No. 33 on Pop Airplay.

Jung Kook’s Hot 100 history: Jung Kook earns his first Hot 100 No. 1, or even top 10, following two charted songs in 2022: Charlie Puth’s “Left and Right,” featuring Jung Kook, hit No. 22 (July), after Jung Kook’s own “Stay Alive” spent a week on the list at No. 95 (February).

BTS now with 2 members with Hot 100 No. 1s: Jung Kook becomes the second member of BTS with a Hot 100 No. 1 (or, again, even a top 10), after Jimin’s “Like Crazy” debuted at No. 1 in April.

BTS – comprising j-hope, Jimin, Jin, Jung Kook, RM, Suga and V – has posted six Hot 100 leaders.

The superstar Korean septet is now among elite company, as nine groups boast multiple members with solo Hot 100 No. 1s:

• The Beatles
• The Black Eyed Peas
• Blind Faith
• BTS
• Destiny’s Child
• Fugees
• Genesis
• Hot Boys
• One Direction

Further, with BTS having logged six Hot 100 No. 1s and Jung Kook and Jimin with one No. 1 each, BTS joins The Beatles, The Black Eyed Peas, Destiny’s Child and Genesis as the only groups with leaders and multiple members also with No. 1s.

Latto leads: Latto likewise earns her first Hot 100 No. 1 with “Seven.” She previously hit the top 10 with “Big Energy,” which rose to No. 3 in April 2022.

Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” roars onto the Hot 100 at No. 2, as it drew 11.6 million streams (up 547%) and 7.3 million in radio airplay audience (up 17%) and sold 228,000 (up 27,625%) July 14-20.

The track debuts at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales, where it’s Aldean’s first leader, and No. 37 on Streaming Songs. While not on Radio Songs, it holds at No. 25 in its ninth week on Country Airplay.

The song scores the largest digital sales week for a country title (defined as by those that have hit Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart) in over 10 years, since Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” featuring Nelly, sold 244,000, as reflected on charts dated July 6, 2013.

On July 18, Billboard confirmed that CMT had pulled the official video for “Try That in a Small Town” after three days in rotation; the network declined to say why. Following CMT’s decision, Aldean posted a message to his Instagram Stories addressing the contrasting reactions that the song and video have faced.

The song’s video, released July 14, features footage of an American flag burning, protesters in confrontation with police, looters breaking a display case and thieves robbing a convenience store. The clip has prompted a firestorm of opinions about it and the song’s intent and messaging.

Aldean achieves his second Hot 100 top 10, after “Dirt Road Anthem,” which, helped by its remix featuring Ludacris, hit No. 7 in July 2011.

“Try That in a Small Town” concurrently re-enters at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which employs the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100. (The single spent one prior week on Hot Country Songs, at No. 35 on the June 3-dated list, reflecting its first week of tracking.) Aldean adds his 10th Hot Country Songs champ. He first led with “Why” in May 2006 and had most recently reigned with “Burnin’ It Down” in 2014. He also notches his 37th top 10; he’s peaked in the top 10 at least once each year dating to his first such hit, “Hicktown,” in 2005 – the longest active streak of annual top 10s on the chart.

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” descends to No. 3 on the Hot 100 after 14 weeks at No. 1; it’s tied for the fifth-longest command in the chart’s history. It lands an eighth week atop Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, having ranked at No. 1 each week since the seasonal recap returned.

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” falls to No. 4 on the Hot 100 after three weeks at its No. 2 high.

Notably, thanks to Aldean, Wallen and Combs’ hits, which rank at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on Hot Country Songs, the top three songs on the chart place in the Hot 100’s top four spots for the first time since the rankings began using the same formula.

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” dips 4-5 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3, as it logs a fifth week atop Radio Songs (92.9 million, up 1%). It tops Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs for a 47th week, extending the longest reign since the chart began (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).

Gunna’s “Fukumean” rises 7-6 for a new Hot 100 high – and reaches No. 1 on Streaming Songs (27.4 million, up 16%), where it’s the rapper’s second leader, after “Drip Too Hard,” with Lil Baby, ruled for a week in October 2018. “Fukumean” tops both the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a second week each.

Two weeks after arriving as her third Hot 100 No. 1, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” retreats 3-7; Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” climbs 9-8, after hitting No. 7; Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” backtracks 6-9, after eight weeks at No. 1 beginning upon its debut in January; and, rounding out the top 10, Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, drops 8-10, after it debuted at its No. 2 peak.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated July 29), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com Tuesday (July 25).

Source: billboard.com

It’s the pop superstar’s first re-recorded album to spend its first two weeks at No. 1.

Taylor Swift’s third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated July 29). It’s the first time a re-recorded Swift album has spent its first two weeks at No. 1. The pop superstar’s re-recorded Fearless and Red each bowed at No. 1 in 2021, and then fell from the top slot in their second frames — though the former returned to No. 1 six months later after its release on vinyl and signed CD.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) earned 121,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending July 20 (down 83%), according to Luminate.

Swift leads a quiet top 10, where the region hosts zero debuts for the first time in six months. The top 10 was last absent of debuts on the Jan. 28-dated list, when SZA’s SOS led the chart for a sixth week.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new July 29, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (July 25). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’s 121,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending July 20, SEA units comprise 73,000 (down 65%, equaling 95.6 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 22 songs), album sales comprise 47,000 (down 91%) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (down 72%).

For a second week in a row, Swift has four albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. A week ago, she became the first living artist to chart four albums in the top 10 at the same time since 1966. On the latest chart, those same four sets (all former No. 1s) are still in the top 10, as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is joined by Midnights (rising 5-4 with 51,000 units; down 7%), Lover (7-6 with 44,000; down 2%) and Folklore (a non-mover at No. 10 with 34,000; up 5%).

Morgan Wallen’s former No. 1 One Thing at a Time is stationary at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 105,000 equivalent album units (up 2%). One Thing at a Time has earned in excess of 100,000 equivalent album units in all 20 of its chart weeks. It extends its own record as the album with the most weeks of 100,000-plus units since the Billboard 200 began ranking titles by units in December of 2014.

Peso Pluma’s Génesis returns to its peak, rising 4-3 (55,000 equivalent album units; down 5%); Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album climbs 6-5 (48,000; up 3%); SZA’s SOS ascends 8-7 (43,000; down 1%); Lil Uzi Vert’s former leader Pink Tape dips 3-8 (40,000; down 34%); and Gunna’s A Gift & a Curse is steady at No. 9 (nearly 40,000; down 6%).

Source: billboard.com

Plus, Taylor Swift becomes the first woman with simultaneous top 10s from three of her own albums, as her re-recorded “I Can See You” debuts at No. 5.

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” rebounds to top the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a 14th total week. The smash ties for the fifth-longest command in the Hot 100’s nearly 65-year history.

Plus, as Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the set’s “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” debuts at No. 5 on the Hot 100. The song joins Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” from 2019’s Lover, and “Karma,” from 2022’s Midnights, in the Hot 100’s top 10 – making Swift the first woman ever with simultaneous top 10s from three of her own albums. Among all acts, only The Beatles previously achieved such a triple from three of their albums.

Meanwhile, “I Can See You” opens as Swift’s 42nd Hot 100 top 10, extending her record for the most among women.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated July 22, 2023) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (July 18). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Wallen’s “Last Night,” released on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records, drew 75.4 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 1%) and 28.6 million streams (down 4%) and sold 7,000 downloads (down 8%) in the July 7-13 tracking week, according to Luminate.

As “Last Night” leads the Hot 100 for a 14th week, returning from No. 2, it ties for the fifth-longest domination in the chart’s history.

Longest-Leading Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s:

• 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
• 15, “As It Was,” Harry Styles, April 16, 2022
• 14 (to date), “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, March 18, 2023
• 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

“Last Night,” which first led the Hot 100 in March, becoming Wallen’s initial leader on the list, pushes from No. 2 for a 16th week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart; lifts 5-2 on Digital Song Sales, following a week on top; and holds at its No. 3 best on Radio Songs.

“Last Night” also tops Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which employs the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100, for a 23rd week, the sixth-longest rule since the chart became an all-encompassing genre reflection in 1958; Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant To Be” spent a record 50 weeks at No. 1 in 2017-18.

Plus, “Last Night,” which crowned the Country Airplay chart for eight weeks, ascends to No. 5 on both Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay – as it becomes the first song by a lead male soloist to have topped Country Airplay and hit the top five on the two latter lists. (It’s the first top five hit by a lead solo male on all three charts since Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” hit No. 2 on Adult Pop Airplay and No. 4 on both Country Airplay and Pop Airplay in 2008.)

“Last Night” additionally notches a seventh week atop Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, having ranked at No. 1 each week since the survey returned.

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” rebounds for a third week at its No. 2 high on the Hot 100, from No. 3, with top Sales Gainer honors (11,000, up 7%).

A week after soaring in as her third Hot 100 No. 1, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” falls to No. 3. Although down 32% to 24.3 million streams and 81% to 5,000 sold, it jumps by 6% to 27.9 million in airplay audience. It falls to No. 3 on Streaming Songs, from No. 1, and 2-6 on Digital Song Sales, while rising 22-21 on Radio Songs.

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” holds at No. 4 on the Hot 100, after reaching its No. 3 best, as it spends a fourth week atop Radio Songs (92.2 million, essentially even week over week). The collab concurrently tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 46th week, extending the longest reign since the ranking began over a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).

As Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) soars in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart – marking her 12th leader, the most among women, as she surpasses Barba Streisand’s 11 – the re-recorded LP’s “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” debuts at No. 5 on the Hot 100. The song starts with 24.7 million streams, 361,000 in airplay audience and 4,000 sold.

The track arrives as Swift’s 42nd Hot 100 top 10, extending her record for the most among women.

Most Billboard Hot 100 Top 10s:

• 68, Drake
• 42, Taylor Swift
• 38, Madonna
• 34, The Beatles
• 32, Rihanna
• 30, Michael Jackson
• 29, Elton John
• 28, Mariah Carey
• 28, Stevie Wonder
• 27, Janet Jackson
• 26, Justin Bieber
• 25, Lil Wayne
• 25, Elvis Presley (whose career start predated the Hot 100’s inception)

“I Can See You” is also Swift’s 26th top five Hot 100 hit, the chart’s fifth-best total. Drake leads with 35 top five entries, followed by The Beatles (29), Madonna (28) and Mariah Carey (27).

Meanwhile, “I Can See You” joins Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” down to No. 9 on the Hot 100 from its No. 7 high, and “Karma” (featuring Ice Spice), which dips 9-10 after reaching No. 2, in the top 10. With the tracks from three Swift albums – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), 2019’s Lover and 2022’s Midnights, respectively – she becomes the first woman with simultaneous top 10s from three of her own albums.

Swift scores the feat thanks to the stars-aligning combination of the arrival of her new LP and its highest-charting hit on the Hot 100; the revived “Cruel Summer,” now being promoted as a single four years after its release; and the continued run of the latest single from her newest studio album of all-new material.

Among all acts, only The Beatles have also charted three simultaneous Hot 100 top 10s from three different albums of theirs: On the Feb. 29, 1964, chart, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” ranked at No. 1, “She Loves You” placed at No. 2 and “Please Please Me” entered the top 10 at No. 6; the songs were released on, respectively, the Fab Four’s U.S. albums Meet The Beatles, The Beatles’ Second Album and Introducing… The Beatles.

Also notably, “I Can See You” is Swift’s second “Taylor’s Version”-titled song to hit the Hot 100’s top 10; “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” from Red (Taylor’s Version), premiered at No. 1 on the Nov. 27, 2021, chart. “I Can See You” is also Swift’s second “From the Vault”-branded song to reach the top 10, after multiple mixes of “All Too Well” contributed to that song’s Hot 100 run, including its 10-minute-plus “From the Vault” version; she has unearthed such-named songs on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the first three of her planned six re-recorded albums.

Meanwhile, “Cruel Summer” claims the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a third consecutive week (38.3 million, up 27%).

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” falls 5-6 on the Hot 100, after eight weeks at No. 1 beginning upon its debut in January.

Gunna’s “Fukumean” pushes 8-7 for a new Hot 100 high. It concurrently reaches No. 1 on both the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, becoming the rapper’s first leader on each ranking. On the Hot 100, it takes the top Streaming Gainer nod (23.7 million, up 17%).

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, descends 6-8, after it debuted at its No. 2 peak.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated July 22), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com Wednesday (July 18).

Source: billboard.com

She achieves her 12th No. 1 album, surpassing Barbra Streisand for the most chart-toppers among women.

Taylor Swift’s third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated July 22), launching with the year’s biggest week for any album, and gives Swift her 12th No. 1, surpassing Barbra Streisand for the most No. 1 albums among women.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) bows with 716,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 13, according to Luminate, of which 507,000 are in traditional album sales. Both figures represent the largest week for any album in 2023 and the best since Swift’s last studio album, Midnights, debuted with 1.58 million units, of which 1.14 million were in album sales, last year (week ending Oct. 27, 2022; as reflected on the Nov. 5-dated Billboard 200).

2023’s previous largest week, by equivalent album units earned, was tallied by Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which launched with 501,000 units in the week ending March 9, as reflected on the Billboard 200 chart dated March 18. The year’s largest sales week was held by the debut frame of Stray Kids’ 5-STAR with 235,000 copies sold in the week ending June 8, as reflected on the June 17-dated charts.

Further, Swift has a total of four albums in the top 10 at the same time on the new Billboard 200, as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is joined by her former chart-toppers Midnights (falling 4-5), Lover (8-7) and Folklore (13-10). She is the first living act to have four albums in the top 10 at the same time since the April 2, 1966-dated chart, when Herb Alpert also had four albums in the top 10 (Going Places at No. 2, Whipped Cream & Other Delights at No. 3, South of the Border at No. 9, and The Lonely Bull at No. 10).

Between Alpert and Swift, only one other act has placed at least four titles in the top 10 concurrently, and that was Prince, following his death in 2016, when he had five albums in the top 10 dated May 14, 2016. (Swift is the only woman with four albums in the top 10 at the same time since the Billboard 200 was combined from its previously separate mono and stereo album charts into one all-encompassing list in August of 1963.)

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new July 22, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on July 18. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is a re-recorded version of Swift’s 2010 No. 1 Billboard 200 studio album Speak Now. The 22-track re-recorded edition includes new recordings of the original album’s 14 standard tracks, along with bonus cuts and previously unreleased “From the Vault” recordings. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) follows Swift’s re-recorded Red and Fearless albums, released in 2021. Both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Swift announced the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) on May 5, the same day she began taking pre-orders for the album via her official webstore. The set sold as a digital download album, double-CD, double-cassette and in three color vinyl LP variants (orchid marbled, violet marbled and a Target-exclusive lilac marbled color). It was also available to stream in its standard 22-track edition.  On the final day (July 13) of the album’s debut tracking week, Swift released a deluxe digital album download of the set exclusively sold through her official webstore, which added two bonus live tracks recorded during her ongoing The Eras Tour (“Dear John” and “Last Kiss,” both of which were originally released in their studio form on the Speak Now album in 2010).

Swift celebrated the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) during her Kansas City stop of The Eras Tour on July 7, where she premiered the music video for the album’s “From the Vault” track “I Can See You.” On stage, Swift was joined by the clip’s three co-stars, actors Taylor Lautner, Joey King and Presley Cash.

12 No. 1s: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) marks Swift’s 12th No. 1 on the Billboard 200, pushing her past Streisand (with 11 No. 1s) for the most chart-toppers among women since the chart began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March of 1956. Swift ties Drake for the third-most No. 1s among all acts, with only The Beatles (19) and Jay-Z (14) ahead of them.

Five Years in a Row of New No. 1 Albums: Swift is the only act to have achieved a new No. 1 album in each of the last five calendar years — 2019-23. She topped the list in 2019 with Lover; in 2020 she led with Folklore and Evermore; in 2021 she ruled with Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version); in 2020 Midnights arrived; and in 2023 Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) has now debuted. Swift is the only woman with five consecutive years of new No. 1 albums. Previously, she was tied with Miley Cyrus for the most consecutive years of new No. 1s (Cyrus did it four years in a row, from 2006-09, including titles billed to her former Disney Channel alter ego Hannah Montana). The only other acts with at least five years in a row of new No. 1s are The Beatles (seven years, 1964-70), Drake (five years, 2015-19), Jay-Z (five years, 2000-04) and Paul McCartney (five years, 1973-77).

Of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’s 716,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending July 13, album sales comprise 507,000, SEA units comprise 206,000 (equaling 269.33 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 22 songs – the third-largest streaming week of 2023 and the second-largest streaming debut frame of the year) and TEA units comprise 3,000.

Country Time: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) scores the largest week, by equivalent album units earned, for a country album since the Billboard 200 began ranking titles by units in December of 2014. It surpasses the previous best week in that span of time, notched by the opening week of Swift’s own Red (Taylor’s Version), with 605,000 units in 2021. Plus, with 507,000 copies sold in its first week, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) garners the largest sales week for a country album in nearly 10 years, since the debut frame of Luke Bryan’s Crash My Party (528,000 on the chart dated Aug. 31, 2013). (Country albums are those that have charted on, or are eligible for, Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.)

Version Vs. Version: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) logs the biggest week of the three re-recorded Swift albums, surpassing the opening frames of Red (Taylor’s Version) (605,000 in 2021) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (291,000; 2021). First-week sales of Red (Taylor’s Version) were enhanced by the availability of CDs signed by Swift sold in her webstore and via independent retailers. Fearless (Taylor Version)’s first-week did not include any signed copies or vinyl LP sales — which are traditionally quite large for Swift — as its vinyl did not arrive until months after the set’s initial release.

Swift Has Four of the Top Five Biggest Weeks Since 2019: Since January 2019, four of the top-five biggest weeks, by units earned, have been tallied by the debut frame of a Swift release: Midnights (1.578 million; 2022), Lover (867,000; 2019), Folklore (846,000; 2020) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (716,000; 2023). The only non-Swift week among the top five largest frames since January 2019 is the opening week of Adele’s 30, with 839,000 units in 2021.

Second-Largest Vinyl Sales Week in Modern Era: Of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’s 507,000 first-week copies sold, vinyl sales comprise 268,500 — the second-largest sales week for a vinyl album since Luminate began electronically tracking music sales in 1991. It is second only to the first week of Midnights’ vinyl LP, with 575,000 sold in its opening frame.

2023’s Second-Biggest Selling Album After One Week on Sale: After only one week on sale, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is 2023’s second-largest selling album. The year’s top-seller remains Swift’s own Midnights, with 636,000 sold in 2023. Midnights was the top-selling album of 2022, with 1.818 million sold that year.

Nine Albums With Half-Million-Plus Sales in a Single Week: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) marks the ninth Swift album to have sold at least 500,000 copies in a single week in the U.S. Since Luminate began electronically tracking music sales in 1991, Swift is the only act with nine different albums to sell at least a half-million copies in a single week.

As for the rest of the top 10 on the new Billboard 200… Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 2 with 104,000 equivalent album units (down 6%). One Thing at a Time has earned in excess of 100,000 equivalent album units in all 19 of its chart weeks. It extends its own record as the album with the most weeks of 100,000-plus units since the Billboard 200 began ranking titles by units in December of 2014.

Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape falls 1-3 on the Billboard 200 in its second week (61,000 equivalent album units earned; down 64%), Peso Pluma’s Génesis dips 3-4 (59,000; down 14%) and Swift’s Midnights is pushed down 4-5 (55,000; though up 2%).

Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album falls 5-6 (46,000 equivalent album units; down 4%); Swift’s Lover climbs 8-7 (45,000; up 3%); SZA’s former No. 1 SOS descends 6-8 (44,000; down 1%); and Gunna’s A Gift & a Curse falls 7-9 (42,000; down 3%). Swift’s Folklore returns to the top 10 for the first time in nearly two years, as the set rises 13-10 (33,000; up 5%). Folklore was last in the top 10 on the chart dated Aug. 7, 2021, when it ranked at No. 9.

Source: billboard.com

Plus, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” becomes her 41st top 10 – extending her record among women – and Gunna’s “Fukumean” also reaches the top 10.

There’s new blood atop the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, as Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” debuts at No. 1. Rodrigo slays with her third leader, following “Drivers License” and “Good 4 U” in 2021, both of which also launched at No. 1.

With “Vampire” serving as the lead single from Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts, due Sept. 8, after “Drivers License” introduced her first LP, Sour, she is the first artist ever to debut the lead singles from two career-opening albums at No. 1 on the Hot 100.

Plus, two songs ascend for their first week each in the Hot 100’s top 10: Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” now being promoted as her new single after it was released on her 2019 album, Lover, jumps 13-7 to becomes her 41st top 10 – extending her record among women – and Gunna’s “Fukumean” pushes 12-8, marking his fourth top 10.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated July 15, 2023) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (July 11). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Streams, airplay & sales: Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” released on Geffen/Interscope Records, drew 35.5 million streams and 26.3 million radio airplay audience impressions (aided by an FCC-friendly radio edit) and sold 26,000 (17,000 sales combined on 7” vinyl, sold for $10, and CD, for $3.50; and 9,000 digital downloads) in its first week, ending July 6, according to Luminate, following its June 30 release.

The song is the 1,150th No. 1 since the Hot 100 began in August 1958, and the 67th to soar in at the summit.

The track likewise debuts at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, No. 2 on Digital Song Sales (as it’s the overall top-selling song of the week, downloads and physical copies combined) and No. 22 on Radio Songs. (It starts at No. 17 on Pop Airplay and No. 22 on Adult Pop Airplay.)

“We always said that it was kind of our version of a rock opera,” Rodrigo told Billboard of “Vampire,” which she wrote with her main collaborator Dan Nigro, who solely produced it. “I think as the album was coming together, we were coming up with a bunch of songs that we really liked, but this one always stuck out to me as something that I felt like was honoring my singer-songwriter roots, but felt like an evolution – in a good way that wasn’t too stark. So, I really liked it for that, and it was always one of my favorites.”

Rodrigo’s 3rd No. 1: “Vampire” is Rodrigo’s third Hot 100 No. 1. “Drivers License” dominated for eight weeks, starting upon its debut in January 2021, and “Good 4 U” ruled for a week in its first frame in May 2021. “Vampire” is her fifth top 10, as her debut album Sour also generated “Deja Vu” (No. 3 peak) and “Traitor” (No. 9). All 11 songs from Sour reached the Hot 100’s top 30.

Leader for lead singles: With “Vampire” the lead single from Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts, expected Sept. 8, after “Drivers License” ushered in Sour, she is the first artist ever to debut the lead single from two career-opening albums at No. 1 on the Hot 100.

‘V’ is for victory: “Vampire” is just the seventh song that begins with the letter “v” to top the Hot 100.

Here the songs that have made such vaunted vaults:

• “Vampire,” Olivia Rodrigo, 2023
• “Viva La Vida,” Coldplay, 2008
• “Vision of Love,” Mariah Carey, 1990
• “Vogue,” Madonna, 1990
• “Venus,” Bananarama, 1986
• “Venus,” The Shocking Blue, 1970
• “Venus,” Frankie Avalon, 1959

(Strange, but it’s the tooth: Rodrigo has the first Hot 100 hit with the word “vampire” in its title.)

Y is for Y2K: Rodrigo was born Feb. 20, 2003. She is the only artist born in the 2000s with multiple Hot 100 No. 1s.

The other acts born since 2000 to have led the Hot 100: Billie Eilish (“Bad Guy,” 2019); Jawsh 865 (“Savage Love [Laxed – Siren Beat]” with Jason Derulo and BTS, 2020); 24kGoldn (“Mood” featuring Iann Dior, 2020); and The Kid LAROI (“Stay” with Justin Bieber, 2021).

“I think the most change I’ve felt was just as a girl, growing up and changing from being a teenager to a 20-year-old,” Rodrigo mused to Billboard of her evolution over the last two years. “All of the maturing and figuring yourself out, that’s just on a normal human-to-human level – I think that was the most surprising thing for me.”

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” dips to No. 2 on the Hot 100 following 13 weeks at No. 1, the second-longest command this decade, after Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (15 weeks, 2022). “Last Night” spent the last 10 consecutive weeks at No. 1, the best streak since Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” linked 11 weeks on top all in a row in January-March 2020.

“Last Night” drew 74.5 million in radio reach and 29.8 million streams and sold 8,000 June 30-July 6.

“Last Night” tops Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which employs the same multimetric methodology as the Hot 100, for a 22nd week, the sixth-longest rule since the chart became an all-encompassing genre reflection in 1958; Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” spent a record 50 frames at No. 1 in 2017-18.

Plus, “Last Night” adds a sixth week atop Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, having ranked at No. 1 each week since the survey returned.

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” reverses course to No. 3 from its No. 2 Hot 100 high.

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” slips to No. 4 from its No. 3 Hot 100 best as it spends a third week atop Radio Songs (92 million, up 2%). The collab concurrently tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 45th week, extending the longest reign since the ranking began over a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” retreats 4-5 on the Hot 100, after eight weeks at No. 1 beginning upon its debut in January, and Lil Durk’s “All My Life” featuring J. Cole descends 5-6, after it started at its No. 2 peak, as it tops the multimetric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a seventh week each.

Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” bounds 13-7 on the Hot 100, with 30.3 million in all-format airplay audience (up 35%), 14.9 million streams (up 11%) and 3,000 sold (essentially even week-over-week).

The song was released on Swift’s 2019 album Lover and is now being promoted as her newest single. It has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, as Swift has been performing it on her current Eras Tour, her first in which she’s been able to spotlight songs from Lover, which was released shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each concert on the tour is divided into 10 acts, encompassing nine of her LPs; the Lover era kicks off the show, with “Cruel Summer” performed in the opening set.

Nearly four years after Lover’s release, “Cruel Summer” becomes the set’s fourth Hot 100 top 10, joining lead single “Me!” featuring Brendon Urie (No. 2 peak); “You Need to Calm Down” (also No. 2); and the title track (No. 10), all in 2019.

“Cruel Summer” is Swift’s 41st career Hot 100 top 10, the second-most among all acts and the most among women.

Most Hot 100 Top 10s:

• 68, Drake
• 41, Taylor Swift
• 38, Madonna
• 34, The Beatles
• 32, Rihanna
• 30, Michael Jackson
• 29, Elton John
• 28, Mariah Carey
• 28, Stevie Wonder
• 27, Janet Jackson
• 26, Justin Bieber
• 25, Lil Wayne
• 25, Elvis Presley (whose career start predated the Hot 100’s inception)

Gunna’s “Fukumean” charges 12-8 on the Hot 100, driven most heavily by 20.2 million streams, up 12% and boosted by the July 5 premiere of its official video.

The song is the rapper’s fourth Hot 100 top 10, following “Pushin P” with Future and featuring Young Thug (No. 7, January 2022); “Lemonade” with Internet Money and featuring Don Toliver and NAV (No. 6, November 2020); and “Drip Too Hard” with Lil Baby (No. 4, October 2018).

Swift’s “Karma,” featuring Ice Spice, slips 8-9 on the Hot 100, after it soared to its No. 2 high in June following the release of its remix with Ice Spice.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Toosii’s “Favorite Song” falls 6-10, after it hit No. 5.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated July 15), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com Wednesday (July 11).

Source: billboard.com

“Last Night” hits more historic heights, while “Barbie World” opens at No. 7.

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” extends its command to 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. It’s now one of just 14 hits ever to have led the Hot 100 for at least that long.

Plus, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World,” with Aqua, launches at No. 7 on the Hot 100. The song, from the upcoming movie Barbie, arrives as Minaj’s 23rd top 10, Ice Spice’s fourth and Aqua’s second – after the group’s “Barbie Girl,” which the new song samples, hit No. 7 in 1997.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated July 8, 2023) will update on Billboard.com Wednesday (July 5, a day later than usual due to the Independence Day holiday in the U.S. July 4). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Wallen’s “Last Night,” released on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records, drew 72.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 1%) and 29.6 million streams (down 1%) and sold 8,000 downloads (up 5%) in the June 23-29 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The song, which first led the Hot 100 in March, becoming Wallen’s initial leader on the ranking, notches a 15th week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart; rises 4-3 for a new high on Radio Songs; and dips 2-3 on Digital Song Sales, following a week on top.

Additionally, “Last Night” tops Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which employs the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100, for a 21st week, tying for the sixth-longest rule since the chart became an all-encompassing genre reflection in 1958; Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant To Be” spent a record 50 frames at No. 1 in 2017-18.

Plus, “Last Night” adds a fifth week atop Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, having ranked at No. 1 each week since the survey returned.

“Last Night” is from Wallen’s album One Thing at a Time, which claims a 15th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album and song have, respectively, led the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously for 11 of those weeks – making the set just the third ever to have topped the Billboard 200 for at least 11 weeks while one or more of its songs have ruled the Hot 100. Wallen breaks out of a tie with Michael Jackson, thanks to Thriller and two of its smashes, for the best such chart double-up ever by a solo male artist.

Most Weeks for Albums & Their Songs Topping the Billboard 200 & Hot 100 Simultaneously:

• 13: Soundtrack, Saturday Night Fever; “Stayin’ Alive” (4; Bee Gees), “Night Fever” (8; Bee Gees), “If I Can’t Have You” (1; Yvonne Elliman), 1978
• 12: Whitney Houston, The Bodyguard soundtrack; “I Will Always Love You,” 1992-93
• 11: Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time; “Last Night,” 2023
• 10: Michael Jackson, Thriller; “Billie Jean” (7), “Beat It” (3), 1983

Luke Combs’ version of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” holds at its No. 2 Hot 100 high. With Wallen’s “Last Night” at No. 1 and Combs’ “Fast Car” at No. 2, country hits (as defined by titles that have reached Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, where they also currently place at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively) rank in the Hot 100’s top two simultaneously for a second consecutive week; previously a tandem of country songs in the top two had not occurred since the charts dated Feb. 21 and 28 and March 7, 1981, via Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love a Rainy Night.”

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” repeats at its No. 3 Hot 100 high, as it spends a second week atop Radio Songs (90.1 million, up 3%). The collab concurrently tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 44th week, extending the longest reign since the ranking began over a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” keeps at No. 4 on the Hot 100, after eight weeks at No. 1 beginning upon its debut in January; Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, holds at No. 5, after it started at its No. 2 best, as it tops the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a sixth week each; and Toosii’s “Favorite Song” is steady at No. 6 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 5.

Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World,” with Aqua, premieres at No. 7 on the Hot 100. The song, from the movie Barbie, due in theaters July 21, begins with 16.2 million streams, 4.7 million in radio reach and 37,000 sold from its release June 23 through June 29.

The track bows as Minaj’s 23rd Hot 100 top 10 – extending her record for the most among female rappers – while she ties Whitney Houston for the sixth-most among women overall in the chart’s history. Taylor Swift leads all women with 40 top 10s, followed by Madonna (38), Rihanna (32), Mariah Carey (28) and Janet Jackson (27).

Ice Spice scores her fourth Hot 100 top 10, and second with Minaj, after their “Princess Diana” debuted and peaked at No. 4 in April.

Aqua adds its second Hot 100 top 10, after its “Barbie Girl,” which “Barbie World” samples, reached No. 7 in September 1997. The European group’s 25-year, nine-month and three-week break between its top 10s marks the longest since Nat King Cole ended a record gap of 59 years, six months and a week between top 10s when “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)” reached the region over the most recent holiday season. The late legend surpassed The Ronettes, whose “Sleigh Ride,” a year earlier, led the group back to the top 10 after a wait of 58 years and two months.

Excluding holiday songs, Aqua wraps the sixth-longest wait between Hot 100 top 10s, and the second-longest among groups, after Santana, fronted by Carlos Santana. (Notably, all acts below make the list thanks to collaborations on the songs that brought them back to the top 10.)

Longest Breaks Between Hot 100 Top 10s, excluding holiday songs:

• Ozzy Osbourne: 30 years and three months, between “Close My Eyes Forever,” with Lita Ford, in 1989 and Post Malone’s “Take What You Want,” featuring Osbourne and Travis Scott, in 2019
• Dobie Gray: 30 years, two months and one week, between “Drift Away” in 1973 and Uncle Kracker’s cover, featuring Gray, in 2003
• Paul McCartney: 29 years and two weeks, between “Spies Like Us” in 1986 and “FourFiveSeconds,” with Rihanna and Kanye West, in 2015
• Santana: 28 years, seven months and two weeks, between “Black Magic Woman” in 1971 and “Smooth,” featuring Rob Thomas, in 1999
• Billy Ray Cyrus: 26 years and eight months, between “Achy Breaky Heart” in 1992 and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Cyrus, in 2019
• Aqua: 25 years, nine months and three weeks, between “Barbie Girl” in 1997 and “Barbie World,” with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, in 2023

“Barbie World” concurrently debuts at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales, marking Minaj’s 16th leader, Ice Spice’s second (after “Princess Diana,” with Minaj) and Aqua’s first. The song’s original (“explicit”) and “amended” versions were released June 23, while extended, instrumental, sped-up and slowed-down versions arrived June 26.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Taylor Swift’s “Karma,” featuring Ice Spice, dips 7-8, four weeks after it soared to its No. 2 high following the release of its remix with Ice Spice; SZA’s “Kill Bill” descends 8-9, after it became her first No. 1, for a week in April, as it tops the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart for a 28th week; and Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” backtracks 9-10 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated July 8), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com Wednesday (July 5).

Source: billboard.com