Since the inception of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958, there have been only 50 songs to debut at the pinnacle. The first to do so was Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” in 1995. Below are the songs to start on top – first in chronological order and then in order by DMDB ranking.
See other chart-based lists here and specific Billboard lists here.
1. Michael Jackson “You Are Not Alone” (9/2/1995)
2. Mariah Carey “Fantasy” (9/30/95)
3. Whitney Houston “Exale (Shoop Shoop)” (11/25/1995)
4. Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day” (12/2/1995)
5. Puff Daddy with Faith Evans & 112 “I’ll Be Missing You” (6/14/1997)
6. Mariah Carey “Honey” (9/6/1997)
7. Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (10/11/1997)
8. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (2/28/1998)
9. Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (9/5/1998)
10. Lauryn Hill “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (10/3/1998)
11. Clay Aiken “This Is the Night” (6/28/2003)
12. Fantasia “I Believe” (7/3/2004)
13. Carrie Underwood “Inside Your Heaven” (7/2/2005)
14. Taylor Hicks “Do I Make You Proud” (7/1/2006)
15. Britney Spears “3” (10/24/2009)
16. Eminem “Not Afraid” (5/22/2010)
17. Ke$ha “We R Who We R” (11/13/2010)
18. Britney Spears “Hold It Against Me” (1/29/2011)
19. Lady Gaga “Born This Way” (2/19/2011)
20. Katy Perry “Part of Me” (3/3/2012)
21. Baauer “Harlem Shake” (3/2/2013)
22. Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” (9/6/2014)
23. Justin Bieber “What Do You Mean?” (9/19/2015)
24. Adele “Hello” (11/14/2015)
25. Zayn Malik “Pillowtalk” (2/20/2016)
26. Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (5/28/2016)
27. Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (1/28/2017)
28. DJ Khaled with Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne “I’m the One” (5/20/2017)
29. Drake “God’s Plan” (2/3/2018)
30. Drake “Nice for What” (4/21/2018)
31. Childish Gambino “This Is America” (5/19/2018)
32. Ariana Grande “Thank U, Next” (11/17/2018)
33. Ariana Grande “7 Rings” (2/2/2019)
34. Jonas Brothers “Sucker” (3/1/2019)
35. Travis Scott “Highest in the Room” (10/19/2019)
36. Drake “Toosie Slide” (4/18/2020)
37. Travis Scott & Kid Cudi “The Scotts” (5/9/2020)
38. Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber “Stuck with U” (5/23/2020)
39. Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande “Rain on Me” (6/6/2020)
40. 6ix9nine & Nicki Minaj “Trollz” (6/27/2020)
41. Taylor Swift “Cardigan” (8/8/2020)
42. Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion “WAP” (8/22/2020)
43. BTS “Dynamite” (9/5/2020)
44. Travis Scott with Young Thug & M.I.A. “Franchise” (10/10/2020)
45. Ariana Grande “Positions” (11/7/2020)
46. BTS “Life Goes On” (12/5/2020)
47. Taylor Swift “Willow” (12/26/2020)
48. Olivia Rodrigo “Drivers License” (1/23/2021)
49. Drake “What’s Next” (3/20/2021)
50. Justin Bieber with Daniel Caesar & Giveon “Peaches” (4/3/2021)
51. Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” (4/10/2021)
52. Polo G “Rapstar” (4/24/2021)
53. Olivia Rodrigo “Good 4 U” (5/29/2021)
54. BTS “Butter” (6/5/2021)
55. BTS “Permission to Dance” (7/24/2021)
56. Drake with Future & Young Thug “Way 2 Sexy” (9/18/2021)
Debuting at #1 isn’t an automatic pass to classic status, however. Only fifteen of the songs have rated in the DMDB’s top 1% of songs, or roughly top 1000. See that list here). Here’s how they stack up:
1. Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (10/11/1997)
2. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (2/28/1998)
3. Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (1/28/2017)
4. Adele “Hello” (11/14/2015)
5. Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (9/5/1998)
6. Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” (9/6/2014)
7. Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day” (12/2/1995)
8. Puff Daddy with Faith Evans & 112 “I’ll Be Missing You” (6/14/1997)
9. Drake “God’s Plan” (2/3/2018)
10. Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (5/28/2016)
11. Justin Bieber “What Do You Mean?” (9/19/2015)
12. Ariana Grande “Thank U, Next” (11/17/2018)
13. Ariana Grande “7 Rings” (2/2/2019)
14. Lady Gaga “Born This Way” (2/19/2011)
15. Mariah Carey “Fantasy” (9/30/95)
16. Lauryn Hill “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (10/3/1998)
17. Drake “Nice for What” (4/21/2018)
18. Eminem “Not Afraid” (5/22/2010)
19. DJ Khaled with Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne “I’m the One” (5/20/2017)
20. Jonas Brothers “Sucker” (3/1/2019)
21. Childish Gambino “This Is America” (5/19/2018)
22. BTS “Dynamite” (9/5/2020)
23. Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion “WAP” (8/22/2020)
24. Olivia Rodrigo “Drivers License” (1/23/2021)
25. Whitney Houston “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” (11/25/1995)
26. Zayn “Pillow Talk” (2/20/2016)
27. Michael Jackson “You Are Not Alone” (9/2/1995)
28. Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande “Rain on Me” (6/6/2020)
29. Baauer “Harlem Shake” (3/2/2013)
30. BTS “Butter” (6/5/2021)
31. Katy Perry “Part of Me” (3/3/2012)
32. Ke$ha “We R Who We R” (11/13/2010)
33. Olivia Rodrigo “Good 4 U” (5/29/2021)
34. Mariah Carey “Honey” (9/6/1997)
35. Britney Spears “3” (10/24/2009)
36. Ariana Grande “Positions” (11/7/2020)
37. Taylor Swift “Cardigan” (8/8/2020)
38. Drake “Toosie Slide” (4/18/2020)
39. Travis Scott “Highest in the Room” (10/19/2019)
40. Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber “Stuck with U” (5/23/2020)
41. Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” (4/10/2021)
42. Carrie Underwood “Inside Your Heaven” (7/2/2005)
43. Taylor Hicks “Do I Make You Proud” (7/1/2006)
44. Justin Bieber with Daniel Caesar & Giveon “Peaches” (4/3/2021)
45. Travis Scott & Kid Cudi “The Scotts” (5/9/2020)
46. Fantasia “I Believe” (7/3/2004)
47. Polo G “Rapstar” (4/24/2021)
48. BTS “Life Goes On” (12/5/2020)
49. 6ix9nine & Nicki Minaj “Trollz” (6/27/2020)
50. Britney Spears “Hold It Against Me” (1/29/2011)
51. Taylor Swift “Willow” (12/26/2020)
52. Travis Scott with Young Thug & M.I.A. “Franchise” (10/10/2020)
53. Drake “What’s Next” (3/20/2021)
54. Clay Aiken “This Is the Night” (6/28/2003)
55. BTS “Permission to Dance” (7/24/2021)
56. Drake with Future & Young Thug “Way 2 Sexy” (9/18/2021)
Resources and Related Links:
First posted 3/4/2012; last updated 10/17/2021. | 
