“Old Town Road” became biggest #1 in Hot 100 History

Old Town Road Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus

Writer(s): Montero Hill/Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross/Kowa Roukema (see lyrics here) Released: December 3, 2018 First Charted: May 4, 2019 Peak: 119 US, 16 A40, 19 CW, 118 RB, 12 UK, 118 CN, 113 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 17.5 US, 2.4 UK, 21.75 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 3439.98 video, 2690.90 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: At 19 years old, Montero Lamar Hill (professionally known as Lil Nas X) released his debut single, “Old Town Road.” On August 3, 2019, it spent its 17th week atop the Billboard Hot 100 making it the biggest #1 in the chart’s history. The song’s U.S. chart run has been marked by eight weeks in which it accumulated twice as many chart points as the runner-up song, a feat last accomplished by Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” in 1992-93. WK Hill initially wrote the song out of frustration at being discouraged by his parents and sister. After writing it, he spun the meaning so that “old town road” was a symbol of success. WK YoungKio, a Dutch record producer, produced the beat a year before the song’s release by sampling Nine Inch Nails’ “34 Ghosts IV.” Hill bought the beat for $30. WK He released it independently and after creating memes to promote the song, it was picked up by users on TikTok, a social video sharing app. The song got picked up on radio when the daughters of two different program directors – DJ Riddler in Houston and Indianapolis and Joe Mack in Memphis – showed their dads the TikTok memes. RS The song grew so quickly in popularity that radio stations had to download the audio from YouTube. WK The song had the rare distinction of debuting simultaneously on the Hot 100 and Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop and country charts in March 2019. However, after its #19 debut on the latter, Billboard magazine disqualified the song, saying it didn’t fit the definition of the genre. WK The move sparked controversy as some, such as music critic Robert Christgau said, “Taking ‘Old Town Road’ off the country chart strikes me as racist pure and simple.” WK When asked if he consider it a country song, Lil Nas X said, “the song is country trap. It’s not one, it’s not the other. It’s both.” WK Hill was signed to Columbia Records on March 22, 2019 and then they distributed the single. WK The song hit #1 the week ending April 4, 2019. At one minute and fifty-three seconds, it was the fifth shortest single in the history of the Hot 100 to reach #1 and the shortest since 1965 when Herman’s Hermits topped the charts with “I’m Henry VIII, I Am.” WK In the wake of the controversy about whether or not the song was country, a remix was released featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, best known for the 1992 country hit “Achy Breaky Heart.” That resulted in 143 million streams in a week, breaking the previous record of 116.2 million streams by Drake’s “In My Feelings.” WK The song exceeded 100 million streams in each of the next eight weeks, landing 9 of the 11 highest streaming weeks in the history of digital music. WK Another remix featuring Cyrus and Diplo was released on April 29. WK Various versions of the song topped the charts in more than a dozen countries. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Billy Ray Cyrus BB Billboard (7/10/2019). “Will 'Old Town Road' Break the All-Time Hot 100 Record? Everything You Need to Know About Lil Nas X's Historic No. 1 Run” by Andrew Unterberger RS Rolling Stone (4/17/2019). “Fueled By Controversy, Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ Is on a Record-Breaking Run ” by Elias Leight WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/6/2019; last updated 3/31/2024.

Drake landed at #1 in the U.S. with “One Dance”

One Dance Drake with Wizkid & Kyla

Writer(s): Aubrey Graham/ Paul Jefferies/ Noah Shebib/ Ayodeji Balogun/ Errol Reid/ Luke Reid/ Kyla Smith/ Corey Johnson (see lyrics here) Released: April 5, 2016 First Charted: April 23, 2016 Peak: 110 US, 11 RR, 20 A40, 118 RB, 115 UK, 17 CN, 17 AU, 22 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 2.4 UK, 13.62 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 360.64 video, 3069.25 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Grime pioneer Logan Sama supposedly played Drake’s team the 2008 song “Do U Mind” by Kyla. WK Drake and company reached out to her record company to tell her they wanted to sample the song. Kyla initially thought it was an April Fool’s joke – until she signed legal documents. CX The song ended up serving as the bridge for “One Dance,” which also featured Nigerian Afrobeat artist Wizkid as a writer and co-producer. WK Kyla didn’t get to listen to the final version – which was recorded in just a week’s time – because Drake rushed the song out for fear of it getting leaked, as had happened with his song “Controlla” in March. WK Unsure how it would go over, Drake’s team released the song simultaneously with “Pop Style,” a more convential rap record which featured Kanye West and Jay-Z. They didn’t need to worry – “One Dance” landed at #1 in 15 countries, marking Drake’s first time to the summit as a lead artist. He’d previously guested on “What’s My Name?” CX and “Work,” both #1 songs for Rihanna. WK In the U.S., it became one of only 32 songs to top the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks or more. It became the second-longest consecutive #1 in the UK with 15 weeks at the pinnacle. WK It became the most streamed song in the history of Spotify with over a billion streams WK and was the biggest-seller in the world in 2016. WK Interestingly, the song’s lack of an official video aided the song’s success on the charts in countries which didn’t tally YouTube streams. A scene from the short film Please Forgive Me, however, featured the song and ended up serving as a video for the song. WK Pitchfork described the song as “a throbbing, wine-worthy tropical thumper…about the spiritual connection two people can have in a club.” WK The New York Times’ Jon Caramanica called it “one of Drake’s breeziest and most accessible songs, and also one of his savviest.” WK Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield said it was “a utopian fusion of global styles.” WK Resources: CX CapitalXtra.com (8/18/2016). “11 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Drake’s ‘One Dance’” WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 3/11/2024.