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Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee’s ‘Despacito,’ Featuring Justin Bieber, Hits No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
The song is the first mostly Spanish-language No. 1 since “Macarena” in 1996 & makes Bieber the first artist ever to earn new No. 1s in back-to-back weeks.
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee‘s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, crowns the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated May 27), rising 3-1. Among highlights for the new leader, it’s the first mostly Spanish-language Hot 100 No. 1 in more than 20 years and it makes Bieber the first artist ever to notch new No. 1s in consecutive weeks. A week ago (on the May 20 chart), Bieber bowed at No. 1 as featured (with three other acts) on DJ Khaled‘s “I’m the One” (which this week dips to No. 3).
Fonsi and Daddy Yankee each earn their first Hot 100 No. 1 and Bieber banks his fifth with “Despacito” (released on Universal Music Latino / Raymond Braun / SchoolBoy / Def Jam / UMLE / Republic Records).
As we do every Monday, let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100, which blends sales, airplay and streaming data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, May 16.
In fact, let’s take the many notable achievements for “Despacito” at No. 1 on the Hot 100 one-by-one.
No. 1 in streams & sales: “Despacito” scores its first week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart with 54.3 million U.S. streams, up 14 percent, in the week ending May 11, according to Nielsen Music. It also leads the Digital Song Sales chart, rebounding 2-1 for a second week on top, with 104,000 downloads sold, up 4 percent, in the week ending May 11; the remix with Bieber, released April 17, accounts for 73 percent of the song’s sales in the tracking week. On Radio Songs, “Despacito” darts 18-11 with 57 million in all-format airplay audience, up 17 percent, in the week ending May 14.
Bieber earns his ninth Digital Song Sales No. 1 and fourth Streaming Songs No. 1, while Fonsi and Daddy Yankee rule each chart for the first time.
Latin leader: Translating to “slowly” in English, “Despacito” (the 1,065th total No. 1 in the history of the Hot 100, which began on Aug. 4, 1958) is the first Hot 100 No. 1 sung mostly in Spanish since Los Del Rio’s “Macarena,” which, fueled by its Bayside Boys mix, dominated for 14 weeks in 1996. It also went on to become the biggest song of all of 1996 on that year’s year-end Hot 100. (The first 40 seconds of the Bieber mix of “Despacito” finds him singing in English, along with a quick snippet by Fonsi in English later in the song.)
“‘Macarena’ Reaches Numero Uno’,” Fred Bronson beamed in the Aug. 3, 1996, Billboard Chart Beat column, the week that “Macarena” hit the Hot 100’s summit. The song became the first leader sung primarily in Spanish since 1987, when Los Lobos’ remake of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” became the first, and only, all-Spanish-language No. 1 (for three weeks beginning Aug. 29, 1987).
A key similarity between the last two mostly Spanish-language Hot 100 No. 1s (and unlike “La Bamba”): Both “Macarena” and “Despacito” surged to new heights following the arrival of more mainstream remixes that added lyrics sung in English. The Bayside Boys mix transformed “Macarena” into a more pop-friendly dance song, after it had first hit No. 45 in fall 1995 in its original form. (The Bayside Boys’ makeover was actually released in August 1995 but didn’t fully catch on until dance/pop radio station WKTU New York added it in May 1996, jumpstarting its explosion). Meanwhile, “Despacito” had reached an almost identical No. 44 before the release of the Bieber-assisted version.
Hot Latin Songs leader: “Despacito” tops the Hot Latin Songs chart for a 15th week. While it’s Bieber’s first No. 1 on the genre chart, it’s Fonsi’s seventh and Daddy Yankee’s fifth. And, with 15 weeks on top, the track is tied for the 10th-longest No. 1 run in the chart’s 30-year history.
As for Bieber on the Hot 100 …
Bieber’s historic back-to-back No. 1s: Bieber becomes the first artist ever to tally new No. 1s on the Hot 100 in back-to-back weeks: “I’m the One” debuted at No. 1 on the May 20-dated chart (a week ago) and now “Despacito” dethrones it on the May 27 survey. The previous fastest accumulation of new No. 1s? Oh, only by The Beatles: On March 21, 1964, amid the frenzy of early Beatlemania, “She Loves You” hit No. 1; two weeks later, on the April 4-dated chart, “Can’t Buy Me Love” supplanted it. So, by adding new No. 1s in back-to-back weeks, Bieber bests the Beatles by a week for the quickest collection of new Hot 100 leaders.
Bieber was already among the mere 12 acts that have replaced themselves at No. 1 on the Hot 100, as his “Love Yourself” directly succeeded “Sorry” on Feb. 13, 2016. Now, he’s one of only three acts to earn two sets of consecutive leaders. His mentor Usher replaced himself at No. 1 twice in 2004, when “Burn” took over for “Yeah!” (featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris) and then when (after a No. 1 by Fantasia, “I Believe,” interrupted the reign of “Burn”) “Confessions Part II” replaced “Burn.”
The other act to have replaced itself with more than one pair of Hot 100 No. 1s: The Beatles again, who remain the only act to ring up three No. 1s in a row at the expense of all competition: their debut U.S. smash “I Want to Hold Your Hand” led directly before “She Loves You” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
Eight straight: “Despacito” marks the eighth consecutive Hot 100 No. 1 exclusively by male artists. That’s the longest streak in 29 years, since male artists linked 13 in a row in 1988. The all-time record? 17 in a row in 1961. (Click here for all details.)
The most turnover at the top in 27 years: “Despacito” topping the May 27-dated Hot 100 also marks the fourth new No. 1 in as many weeks, following the coronations of Kendrick Lamar‘s “Humble.” (May 6), Bruno Mars‘ “That’s What I Like” (May 13) and Khaled’s “I’m the One” (May 20). Incredibly, that’s the quickest turn-around of new No. 1s on the chart since late 1990 (notably, before electronically-measured Nielsen Music data began fueling the chart in November 1991, making for generally longer No. 1 reigns than before, when the chart had been fed by ranked reports from radio stations and retailers).
The current streak is the longest since seven Hot 100 No. 1s stepped up to the top in successive weeks nearly 27 years ago: “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection,” Nelson (Sept. 29, 1990); “Close to You,” Maxi Priest (Oct. 6); “Praying for Time,” George Michael (Oct. 13); “I Don’t Have the Heart,” James Ingram (Oct. 20); “Black Cat,” Janet Jackson (Oct. 27); “Ice Ice Baby,” Vanilla Ice (Nov. 3); and “Love Takes Time,” Mariah Carey (Nov. 10, to begin a three-week reign).
Oddly enough, the current run of four new No. 1s follows 11 straight weeks atop the Hot 100 for Ed Sheeran‘s “Shape of You” (which led for 12 total weeks).
As “Despacito” rules the Hot 100, Mars’ “Like” ranks at No. 2 for a second week after topping the May 13 chart. Still, it leads the Radio Songs chart for a second week, with 175 million in audience, up 1 percent. The track tops Hot R&B Songs for a 13th week and returns (2-1) for a sixth week atop Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Khaled’s “I’m the One,” featuring Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne, descends to No. 3 a week after launching at No. 1 on the Hot 100. It drops 1-2 on Digital Song Sales (80,000, down 53 percent) and 1-3 on Streaming Songs (46 million, down 15 percent). It surges, however, 33-14 on Radio Songs, up 53 percent to 54 million and winning the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award. The collab spends a second week at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top five, Sheeran’s “Shape” reverses course, rising 5-4, and Lamar’s “Humble.” falls 4-5. Interestingly, that makes for five current or former Hot 100 No. 1s in the top five, marking the first such sweep since the Feb. 4-dated chart (at Nos. 1-5, in order, that week: Migos’ “Bad and Boujee,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert; “Shape”; Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles, featuring Gucci Mane; The Chainsmokers’ “Closer,” featuring Halsey; and The Weeknd’s “Starboy,” featuring Daft Punk).
Future’s No. 5-peaking “Mask Off” rebounds 7-6 on the Hot 100, swapping spots with The Chainsmokers and Coldplay‘s No. 3-peaking “Something Just Like This” (6-7). The Chainsmokers, meanwhile, spend a 54th consecutive week in the top 10, a streak second only to Katy Perry’s 69-week run in 2010-11. On Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, “Something” logs a ninth week at No. 1. As previously reported, the song also tops the Pop Songs airplay chart, where it’s Coldplay’s first No. 1 after a record 16-year wait.
Closing out the Hot 100’s top 10, Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO TOUR Llif3” revisits its No. 8 high, lifting from No. 9; Zedd and Alessia Cara‘s “Stay” re-enters the top 10 (11-9), after reaching No. 7; and Kyle’s “iSpy,” featuring Lil Yachty, slides 8-10, after hitting No. 4.
Find out more Hot 100 news in the weekly “Hot 100 Chart Moves” column and by listening (and subscribing) to Billboard‘s Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast, all posting this week. Plus, visit Billboard.com tomorrow (May 16), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The Hot 100 and other charts will also appear in the next issue of Billboard magazine, on sale Friday (May 19).
Source: billboard.com