Morgan Wallen “What I Want” debuted at #1

What I Want Morgan Wallen with Tate McRae

Writer(s): Morgan Wallen, Tate McRae, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Ryan Vojtesak, John Byron, Joe Reeves (see lyrics here) Released: May 16, 2025 First Charted: May 28, 2025 Peak: 11 BB, 16 ST, 16 AC, 5 A40, 13 CW, 30 UK, 2 CN, 13 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.2 UK, 2.35 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 25.85 video, 323.61 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Country artist Morgan Wallen was born in 1993 in Tennessee. He released his first album, If I Know Me, in 2018. That album and its two follow-ups were certified for a total of 22 million, generating nine top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and six #1 songs on the country chart. In 2024, Wallen started releasing singles from his fourth album, I’m the Problem. Though four singles from that album, he racked up a total of fourteen top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and nine #1 country songs. “What I Want,” the album’s fifth single, found Wallen topping both charts for the fourth time. The duet with Tate McRae marked his first collaboration with a female singer. The Canadian pop star broke through in the United States with her 2023 song “Greedy,” a #3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Wallen’s sister, Ashlyne, introduced him to her music. SF Although the song wasn’t written with a female singer in mind, Wallen said she “absolutely crushed every single part of the song.” SF CountryCentral.com named “What I Want” the Best Collab of 2025. CC The song is “is an emotionally candid ballad” where two people “agree to a fleeting connection without the weight or risk of a deeper relationship.” SF They “bring their own baggage together, realizing that they ask more of each other and, as a result, let each other off the hook” WK for a “no-strings attached romance without expectation or regret.” SF Resources: CC CountryCentral.com (12/15/2025). “Morgan Wallen’s ‘What I Want’ feat. Tate McRae is voted Best Collab of 2025” (facebook post) SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/18/2026.

Billie Eilish “Birds of a Feather” first charted

Birds of a Feather Billie Eilish

Writer(s): Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell (see lyrics here) Released: July 2, 2024 First Charted: June 1, 2024 Peak: 2 BB, 13 RR, 8 AC, 16 A40, 2 UK, 3 CN, 12 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 0.6 UK, 6.23 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 284.20 video, 1731.45 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell Was born in 2001 in Los Angeles, California. She was only 15 when she released the EP Don’t Smile at Me, which achieved platinum status and reached #14 on the Billboard album chart. That success came, however, more in the wake of her 2019’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, a chart-topper that was certified four times platinum and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. 2021’s Happier Than Ever, was another #1 platinum album. Eilish’s 2024 album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, reached #2 and went platinum. The lead single, “Lunch,” was a top-five hit. A snippet of “Birds of a Feather,” also from the upcoming album, was premiered in the trailer for season 3 of Netflix series Heartstopper. When the album was released, multiple tracks reached the Billboard Hot 100, a common occurrence for blockbuster artists in the streaming era. The song “Birds of a Feather” debuted at #13 as an album cut, but then defied odds and continued to climb into the top 10. That led to it being released as the album’s second single. WK It would end up outdoing “Lunch,” reaching #2 in the United States and topping the charts in Australia and Iceland. It nominated for Grammys for Song and Record of the Year, awards she’d previously won for “Bad Guy” (both), “Everything I Wanted” (Record), and “What Was I Made For?” (Song). The title is taken from the “dusty old proverb” SF “birds of a feather flock together,” suggests “that similar souls find each other. Billie throws it into the blender with a hefty dose of romance” SF and “explores themes of deep love and a desire for lasting connection.” WK She sings “about a bond that transcends the ordinary, a connection so deep it demands they stick together until the bitter end.” SF NPR’s Alisa Ali said the song’s “poignat lyricism hides amid the dark humor and [Eilish’s] clever cadence makes for one of the singer’s most memorable vocal performances.” WK Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/1/2025.

Hozier “Too Sweet” hit #1

Too Sweet Hozier

Writer(s): Andrew Hozier-Byrne, Daniel Tannenbaum, Peter Gonzales, Sergiu Gherman, Stuart Johnson, Tyler Mehlenbacher, Daniel Krieger (see lyrics here) Released: March 29, 2024 First Charted: April 3, 2024 Peak: 11 BB, 12 BA, 11 ST, 14 RR, 3 AC, 112 A40, 110 AA, 17 MR, 12 UK, 2 CN, 11 AU, 12 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 1.2 UK, 6.51 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 243.62 video, 1192.65 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Singer/songwriter Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (stage name Hozier) was born in Newcastle, Ireland, on March 17, 1990. His mix of folk, blues, and pop made for an unexpected #2 hit in 2013 with the anthemic, gospel-tinged “Take Me to Church.” It seemed to be an anomaly, unlike anything else at the time and, sure enough, looked like it would be a one-hit wonder for Hozier. Then a decade later, he had a minor hit with “Eat Your Young”creeping up to #67 on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year saw ozier back in the top 40as Noah Kahan’s duet partner on “Northern Attitude.” Hozier appeared to be on the radar again. His melding of genres now fit alongside the wave of “New Americana” led by Noah Kahan. Still, it’s hard to imagine anyone had it on their bingo card that Hozier would land a #1 hit in 2024, making him the first Irish act since Sinéad O'Connor (“Nothing Compares 2 U”) in 1990 to hit #1 in the U.S.. “Too Sweet”not only topped the U.S. charts, but peaked at #1 in Australia, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. The song, “Too Sweet,” was released as a single from his EP Unheard, a collection of four previously unreleased tracks leftover from his sessions for third studio album Unreal Unearth. Hozier said the songs fit the themes of “gluttony, limbo, violence and the outward ascent,” WK a reference to Dante’s Inferno, SF that had marked the original album. The song has been described as “a boozy ballad” SF in which “Hozier meeting the rhythm of a true night owl, sipping whiskey and drinking black coffee. Additionally, it shows the facets and multitudes of a relationship.” WK She “is a devotee of discipline, health, and early mornings” SF while “he makes use of the various pleasures of life.” WK He sings about favoring “rawness because his partner is ‘already too sweet.’” WK It “paints a picture of a love affair teetering on the edge thanks to a fundamental mismatch in energy levels. It's like trying to waltz with a hyperactive ferret.” SF Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/16/2024; last updated 12/27/2024.

Teddy Swims “Lose Control” hit #1

Lose Control Teddy Swims

Writer(s): Jaten Dimsdale, Joshua Coleman, Julian Bunetta, Marco Rodriguez-Diaz Jr., John Sudduth (see lyrics here) Released: June 23, 2023 First Charted: August 19, 2023 Peak: 11 BB, 19 BA, 13 DG, 12 RR, 1<35 AC, 14 A40, 2 AA, 35a RB, 2 UK, 2 CN, 4 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 1.8 UK, 11.06 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 681.76 video, 1839.33 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Jaten Collin Dimsdale was born in 1992 in Georgia. He grew up listening to Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and Stevie Wonder at an early age. In high school, he got into musical theater and took up instruments including piano and ukulele. He took up the nickname “Teddy Swims” from a childhood reference to his size and “an internet-speak acronym for ‘someone who isn’t me sometimes’ referring to the idea of integrating different parts of his personality.” WK1 He started his career working with a variety of bands in alternative rock, post-hardcore, hair metal, and soul. In June 2019, he posted a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You” to YouTube. That October he did a cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One” that became his most-watched video. He showed his diversity with covers of Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved,” Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” WK1 He also released his first original single, “Night Off,” in 2019. His major label debut single, “Picky,” followed in January 2020. He released four EPs in 2021 and 2022. In September 2023, he dropped his first studio album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1). At this point, he’d released more than 25 singles – none of which had charted. Finally, however, he got his break when “Lose Control,” the album’s lead single, became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 26, 2023. The song debuted at #99. More than six months later, it went all the way to the top. Songfacts.com said, it “isn’t just a song. It’s a raw, emotional battle cry. Teddy Swims sings about how love turns him into a mess of emotions when he’s not with his sweetheart.” SF It is “a vocally demanding track that explodes into a lung-busting chorus reminiscent of ‘Tennessee Whiskey,’” SF a song popularized by George Jones in 1983 and again by Chris Stapleton in 2015. Swims said of “Lose Control” that, “Being in love can be like an addiction sometimes — always chasing the highs from the lows. It's about losing yourself and losing control when it all starts to cave in and thinking that the only way out is through being with that person, chasing that feeling over and over again.” WK2 Resources: SF Songfacts WK1 Wikipedia entry for Teddy Swims WK2 Wikipedia entry for “Lose Control” Related Links: First posted 4/14/2024; last updated 6/15/2025.

Beyoncé hit #1 with “Texas Hold ‘Em”

Texas Hold ‘Em Beyoncé

Writer(s): Brian Bates, Nathan Ferraro, Raphael Saadiq, Dahiana Martinez (Vrita B) (see lyrics here) Released: February 11, 2024 First Charted: February 21, 2024 Peak: 12 BB, 13 DG, 11 ST, 22 AC, 7 A40, 33 AA, 110 CW, 19 RB, 15 UK, 13 CN, 2 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.6 UK, 3.99 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 104.35 video, 586.31 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” were simultaneously released to promote Cowboy Carter, the eighth studio album from Beyoncé. The songs were surprise releases on the night of the Super Bowl. Beyoncé hinted at their release during her appearance in a Verizon commercial during the game. “Texas Hold ‘Em” became her ninth solo #1 hit. It also topped the charts in Belgium, Canada, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the UK, It also made history as the first country chart-topper for a black woman. Tthe uptempo country-meets-soul song is named after the poker game and uses it “as a playful metaphor for a blossoming romance.” SF Songfacts.com said this about the song: “’Texas Hold 'Em’ kicks off the party with a twangy beat and playful swagger, inviting us to two-step the night away. Beyoncé…infuses the song with nods to her Southern roots, peppering the chorus with mentions of ‘real-live hoedowns,’ heatwaves, and even a tornado.” SF While some dismissed the song and album as a misguided attempt to crossover to the country charts, there were music critics who “praised ‘Texas Hold ‘em’ for its playful tone, authentic sound, Beyoncé’s vocal performance, and its celebration of the Black roots of country music.” WK Variety’s Chris Willman called it a “genre-embracing and transcending” track. WK In the country music world, the song was praised “for elevating the accessibility of country music for a wider audience.” WK Time’s Taylor Crumpton attacked country music’s gatekeepers, noting that Beyoncé “has been country for the entirety of her life.” WK She was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and listened to country music at an early age. The city’s “cowboy heritage and zydeco music played a role in her upbringing.” WK Her family attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo every year. WK Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/17/2024; last updated 12/27/2024.

Benson Boone released “Beautiful Things”

Beautiful Things Benson Boone

Writer(s): Benson Boone, Jack LaFrantz, Evan Blair (see lyrics here) Released: January 18, 2024 First Charted: January 31, 2024 Peak: 2 BB, 12 DG, 11 ST, 16 RR, 19 AC, 15 A40, 33 AR, 12 UK, 19 CN, 16 AU, 5 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 1.8 UK, 11.15 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 773.64 video, 2211.23 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Singer/songwriter Benson Boone was born June 25, 2002, in Monroe, Washington. He auditioned for American Idol in early 2021 and was invited to the show’s Hollywood week, but opted out to focus on his career. He started releasing snippets of his music on TikTok and after catching the attention of Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons was signed to Night Street Records. He released his first single, “Ghost Town,” later that year and it peaked at #100 on the Billboard Hot 100. He reached #82 in 2022 with “In the Stars.” Both songs were featured on his debut EP, Walk Me Home. Another EP followed in 2023 before Boone released his first album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, in 2024. It was preceded by the single “Beautiful Things,” which eventually peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK. The song started out as two separate songs which Boone merged into one at the urging of songwriter Jack LaFrantz. In the ballad, Boone “reflects on gratitude for life, love, and the volatility of happiness.” WK As Songfacts.com says, “Boone contemplates life’s unpredictable nature and the fear of losing the beautiful things he cherishes…It confronts the fragility of happiness, the fleeting nature of time, and the constant shadow of loss that looms over even the most beautiful moments” SF Boone first teased the song on TikTok and Instagram on December 3, 2023, amassing 130 million views by January 18, 2024, WK when it was officially released. A video was released a day after the single and racked up more than half a million views within an hour. WK Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/16/2024; last updated 6/15/2025.