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” (9/30/1995)
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)
57. Coldplay with BTS “My Universe” (10/9/2021)
58. Taylor Swift “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” (11/27/2021)
59. Harry Styles “As It Was” (4/16/2022)
60. Jack Harlow “First Class” (4/23/2022)
61. Future with Drake & Tems “Wait for U” (5/14/2022)
62. Drake with 21 Savage “Jimmy Cooks” (7/2/2022)
63. Nicki Minaj “Super Freaky Girl” (8/27/2022)
64. Taylor Swift “Anti-Hero” (11/5/2022)
65. Miley Cyrus “Flowers” (1/28/2023)
66. Jimin “Like Crazy” (4/8/2023)
67. Olivia Rodrigo “Vampire” (7/15/2023)
68. Jung Kook with Latton “Seven” (7/29/2023)
69. Oliver Anthony “Rich Men North of Richmond” (8/26/2023)
70. Zach Bryan & Kacey Musgraves “I Remember Everything” (9/9/2023)
71. Drake & SZA “Slime You Out” (9/30/2023)
72. Drake & J. Cole “First Person Shooter” (10/21/2023)
73. Taylor Swift “Is It Over Now?” (11/11/2023)
74. Ariana Grande “Yes, And?” (1/27/2024)
75. Megan Thee Stallion “Hiss” (2/10/2024)
76. Ariana Grande “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” (3/23/2024)
77. Future, Metro Boomin, & Kendrick Lamar “Like That” (4/6/2024)
78. Taylor Swift & Post Maone “Fortnight” (5/4/2024)
79. Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us” (5/18/2024)
80. Post Malone & Morgan Wallen “I Had Some Help” (5/25/2024)
81. Morgan Wallen “Love Somebody” (11/2/2024)
82. Kendrick Lamar “Squabble Up” (12/7/2024)
83. Travis Scott “4x4” (2/8/2025)
84. Morgan Wallen & Tate McRae “What I Want” (5/31/2025)
85. Sabrina Carpenter “Manchild” (6/21/2025)
86. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift “The Fate of Ophelia” (10/18/2025)
87. Bruno Mars “I Just Might” (6/24/2026)
88. Harry Styles “Aperature” (2/7/2026)
89. BTS “Swim” (4/4/2026)
90. Olvia Rodrigo “Drop Dead” (5/2/2026)
91. Drake “Janice STFU” (5/30/2026)
92. Ariana Grande “Hate That I Made You Love Me” (6/13/2026)
93. Taylor Swift “I Knew It, I Knew You” (6/20/2026)
The #1 Debuts Ranked
Debuting at #1 isn’t an automatic pass to classic status. Only 21 of the songs have rated in the DMDB’s top 1% of songs. See that list here). Here’s how they stack up:
DMDB Top 1%:
1. Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (1/28/2017)
2. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (2/28/1998)
3. Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (10/11/1997)
4. Adele “Hello” (11/14/2015)
5. Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (9/5/1998)
6. Puff Daddy with Faith Evans & 112 “I’ll Be Missing You” (6/14/1997)
7. Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” (9/6/2014)
8. Drake “God’s Plan” (2/3/2018)
9. Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day” (12/2/1995)
10. Justin Timberlake “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (5/28/2016)
11. Harry Styles “As It Was” (4/16/2022)
12. Lauryn Hill “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (10/3/1998)
13. Justin Bieber “What Do You Mean?” (9/19/2015)
14. Ariana Grande “Thank U, Next” (11/17/2018)
15. Mariah Carey “Fantasy” (9/30/1995)
16. Ariana Grande “7 Rings” (2/2/2019)
17. Lady Gaga “Born This Way” (2/19/2011)
18. Miley Cyrus “Flowers” (1/28/2023)
19. Olivia Rodrigo “Drivers License” (1/23/2021)
20. Olivia Rodrigo “Good 4 U” (5/29/2021)
21. Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion “WAP” (8/22/2020)
DMDB Top 2%:
22. Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” (4/10/2021)
23. Drake “Nice for What” (4/21/2018)
24. Eminem “Not Afraid” (5/22/2010)
25. Childish Gambino “This Is America” (5/19/2018)
26. DJ Khaled with Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne “I’m the One” (5/20/2017)
27. BTS “Dynamite” (9/5/2020)
28. Jonas Brothers “Sucker” (3/1/2019)
29. Taylor Swift “Anti-Hero” (11/5/2022)
30. Justin Bieber with Daniel Caesar & Giveon “Peaches” (4/3/2021)
31. BTS “Butter” (6/5/2021)
32. Olivia Rodrigo “Vampire” (7/15/2023)
33. Post Malone & Morgan Wallen “I Had Some Help” (5/25/2024)
34. Zach Bryan & Kacey Musgraves “I Remember Everything” (9/9/2023)
35. Jack Harlow “First Class” (4/23/2022)
DMDB Top 5%:
36. Zayn “Pillow Talk” (2/20/2016)
37. Taylor Swift & Post Maone “Fortnight” (5/4/2024)
38. Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us” (5/18/2024)
39. Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande “Rain on Me” (6/6/2020)
40. Ariana Grande “Positions” (11/7/2020)
41. Whitney Houston “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” (11/25/1995)
42. Taylor Swift “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” (11/27/2021)
43. Polo G “Rapstar” (4/24/2021)
44. Michael Jackson “You Are Not Alone” (9/2/1995)
45. Taylor Swift “Cardigan” (8/8/2020)
46. Future with Drake & Tems “Wait for U” (5/14/2022)
47. Baauer “Harlem Shake” (3/2/2013)
48. Travis Scott “Highest in the Room” (10/19/2019)
49. Katy Perry “Part of Me” (3/3/2012)
50. Drake “Toosie Slide” (4/18/2020)
51. Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber “Stuck with U” (5/23/2020)
52. Taylor Swift “Willow” (12/26/2020)
53. Coldplay with BTS “My Universe” (10/9/2021)
54. Mariah Carey “Honey” (9/6/1997)
55. Ke$ha “We R Who We R” (11/13/2010)
56. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift “The Fate of Ophelia” (10/18/2025)
57. Sabrina Carpenter “Manchild” (6/21/2025)
58. Morgan Wallen & Tate McRae “What I Want” (5/31/2025)
DMDB Top 10%:
59. Nicki Minaj “Super Freaky Girl” (8/27/2022)
60. Drake with 21 Savage “Jimmy Cooks” (7/2/2022)
61. Taylor Swift “Is It Over Now?” (11/11/2023)
62. Ariana Grande “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” (3/23/2024)
63. Ariana Grande “Yes, And?” (1/27/2024)
64. Drake with Future & Young Thug “Way 2 Sexy” (9/18/2021)
65. Future, Metro Boomin, & Kendrick Lamar “Like That” (4/6/2024)
66. Jung Kook with Latton “Seven” (7/29/2023)
67. Travis Scott & Kid Cudi “The Scotts” (5/9/2020)
68. Drake “What’s Next” (3/20/2021)
69. Britney Spears “3” (10/24/2009)
70. BTS “Life Goes On” (12/5/2020)
71. BTS “Permission to Dance” (7/24/2021)
72. 6ix9nine & Nicki Minaj “Trollz” (6/27/2020)
73. Carrie Underwood “Inside Your Heaven” (7/2/2005)
74. Taylor Hicks “Do I Make You Proud” (7/1/2006)
75. Fantasia “I Believe” (7/3/2004)
76. Britney Spears “Hold It Against Me” (1/29/2011)
77. Oliver Anthony “Rich Men North of Richmond” (8/26/2023)
78. Morgan Wallen “Love Somebody” (11/2/2024)
79. Bruno Mars “I Just Might” (6/24/2026)
80. Kendrick Lamar “Squabble Up” (12/7/2024)
DMDB Top 20%:
81. Megan Thee Stallion “Hiss” (2/10/2024)
82. Jimin “Like Crazy” (4/8/2023)
83. Drake & J. Cole “First Person Shooter” (10/21/2023)
84. Travis Scott with Young Thug & M.I.A. “Franchise” (10/10/2020)
85. Clay Aiken “This Is the Night” (6/28/2003)
86. Drake & SZA “Slime You Out” (9/30/2023)
87. BTS “Swim” (4/4/2026)
88. Taylor Swift “I Knew It, I Knew You” (6/20/2026)
89. Ariana Grande “Hate That I Made You Love Me” (6/13/2026)
90. Harry Styles “Aperature” (2/7/2026)
91. Olvia Rodrigo “Drop Dead” (5/2/2026)
92. Travis Scott “4x4” (2/8/2025)
93. Drake “Janice STFU” (5/30/2026)
Resources/Related Links:
First posted 3/4/2012; last updated 6/20/2026.
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