14 Songs That Were So Big, They Spent More Than 3 Months at No. 1
Some songs are hits and others are mega-hits, the kind of earworms that you can't seem to escape for months on end, the ones that dominate radio airplay, top streaming lists and break chart records. And stateside, the most reputable way to gauge a song's popularity is via the famous Billboard Hot 100 rankings, which launched back on August 4, 1958. The index tracks the 100 most popular songs across all genres each week using a mix of streaming activity, radio impressions and sales data as calculated by Luminate.
The biggest songs of all time haven't just topped the Billboard charts for a mere few days but for weeks-long, history-making stretches-only 4% of Hot 100 No. 1s have had the distinction of spending more than 10 weeks at the top of that index, and even fewer have exceeded 14 consecutive weeks at the top. (As for the nonconsecutive record, Mariah Carey's"All I Want for Christmas Is You" holds the title for total weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with 22 weeks.)
Here are 14 famous songs that spent more than three months at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 but be warned: These will definitely get stuck in your head!
14 Songs That Were No. 1 for 3 Months or More
1. 'Old Town Road' by Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus (2019)
Spending a record-breaking 19 consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 from April to August 2019, country rap hit "Old Town Road" was the smash-hit debut of American artist Lil Nas X, in no small part fueled by the song's massive popularity on TikTok.
The remixed single featuring country star Billy Ray Cyrus was the chart's No. 1 song of 2019 overall, making Lil Nas X (born Montero Lamar Hill) the youngest male artist with the year-end Hot 100 No. 1, and the second-youngest act ever to lead the year-end tally (after Lulu for the 1967 hit "To Sir With Love"), per Billboard.
2. 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' by Shaboozey (2024)
Funnily enough, yet another massive country-rap hit tied Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" atop the annals of Billboard Hot 100 history: Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," the infectious fourth single from the musician's 2024 album Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, spent a whopping 19 nonconsecutive weeks at the top of the chart. It stood as the longest run by a solo artist until the one and only Mariah Carey eventually surpassed that stat with her enduring holiday classic, "All I Want for Christmas Is You."
And that's not the only Billboard record that "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" broke: the jaunty crowd-pleaser also spent 27 weeks at No. 1 on the all-format Radio Songs chart, breaking the record previously held by The Weeknd's colossal single "Blinding Lights." Shaboozey is also only the second Black artist to top both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts simultaneously, following Beyoncé's historic achievement earlier in 2024 with "Texas Hold 'Em."
3. 'Last Night' by Morgan Wallen (2023)
The third single from his 2023 album One Thing at a Time, Morgan Wallen's "Last Night" not only peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs rankings, but it also reached the top of the Hot 100 list full stop, a first for the controversial country crooner overall and the first country song by any male solo artist in four decades, since Eddie Rabbitt's "I Love a Rainy Night" in 1981.
Along with that hugely popular single, Wallen's One Thing at a Time as a whole holds the record for the most songs simultaneously charted in a single week, with 36 tracks-literally every song on the album-on the Billboard survey.
Related: Country Star Makes History After Hit Song Takes 67 Weeks to Reach No. 1
4. 'One Sweet Day' by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men (1995)
Again, Mariah Carey is no stranger to the Billboard charts-she basically crushes the list's longstanding records each and every holiday season. But over 30 years ago, the diva hit another high note with the release of "One Sweet Day," her collaboration with iconic R&B group Boyz II Men off her fifth studio album Daydream.
The emotional ballad debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed right there for 16 long, consecutive weeks, from December 2, 1995, to March 16, 1996, making history at the time as the longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 ever.
Fun fact: Boyz II Men previously held the very same record twice, with 1992's "End of the Road" spending 13 weeks at the top and 1994's "I'll Make Love to You" spending an impressive 14.
5. 'Despacito' by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber (2017)
One of the biggest Latin songs of all time, reggaeton party starter "Despacito" from Puerto Rican pair Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee-off the former's tenth studio album Vida-was plenty popular on its own, but it hit another level of global recognition with an English-language remix featuring pop superstar Justin Bieber.
Released on April 17, 2017, with added lyrics by the Canadian singer, the remix tied Mariah and Co. for the longest-reigning number one on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time with 16 weeks. The song also became the longest-running number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart with 56 weeks from 2017 to 2026 (until Bad Bunny's "DtMF," that is).
"He opened up a lot of doors for us," Fonsi told Billboard about adding Bieber to the production. "I'm really grateful that things just happened in such a beautiful way and all the stars aligned…The whole world was dancing and singing in Spanish, I'm proud of that."
Related: Grammy-Award Winning Latin Singer Hits Historic No. 1 Billboard Milestone
6. 'As It Was' by Harry Styles (2022)
Both as a member of the pop phenomenon One Direction and as a solo artist, Harry Styles has gotten pretty good at breaking music records over the years-from his historic 12-show residency at London's Wembley Stadium to his latest album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally., which surpassed one million units sold globally in its first week.
But it was actually the lead single off his previous album, 2022's Harry's House, that broke Billboard records: After debuting that April, "As It Was" enjoyed 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 list, the singer's second No. 1 after "Watermelon Sugar." "As It Was" was joined in the top 10 by fellow Styles singles "Late Night Talking," "Music for a Sushi Restaurant," and "Matilda," making the Grammy winner the first British solo artist to achieve the feat.
Related: Harry Styles Causes Stir With Ticket Prices for First Tour in Three Years
7. 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston (1992)
Equipped with one of music's greatest voices and arguably the most famous drum hit in history, Whitney Houston's 1992 pop-ballad cover of the Dolly Parton masterpiece "I Will Always Love You" peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for a staggering 14 weeks. Released as part of the iconic movie soundtrack for Houston's film debut, The Bodyguard, the song also had an 11-week run at No. 1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart and earned Whitney the distinction of having the best-selling single of all time by a female solo artist worldwide.
As for the song's creator, Parton had publicly revealed that she actually prefers Whitney's version to her own. "When she started that, I almost wrecked. Honest to God. Had to pull over to the side at Walgreens there in Brentwood or where the Walgreens is now and to listen to the rest of it," the country icon told Howard Stern about hearing Houston's cover on the car radio for the first time. "I couldn't believe my little country sad song could even be done like that. That was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in my entire life."
Related: 1986 Power Ballad Named No. 1 Hit Song Became a Timeless Anthem
8. 'I'll Make Love to You' by Boyz II Men (1994)
One of the most successful vocal groups of the 1990s, Boyz II Men made many appearances on the coveted Hot 100 list, but their biggest was via the swoon-worthy lead single from the group's second album, II.
Released in July 1994, "I'll Make Love to You" dominated the Billboard rankings at No. 1 for 14 weeks, from August 27 to November 26, before the track was replaced at the top by another one of the group's singles, "On Bended Knee."
Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris and Michael McCary would break their No. 1 record one year later with "One Sweet Day," their 1995 collaboration with Mariah Carey.
Related: 1999 Hit Was No. 1 26 Years Ago Today-After Boyz II Men Turned It Down
9. 'Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)' by Los Del Rio (1996)
From school dances to wedding receptions, Los Del Rio's "Macarena" was practically inescapable in the mid-'90s, aided in no small part by the novelty dance craze created to accompany the song.
The original track was released in 1993, but it hit stateside fame three years later by way of an English-language remix by Miami-based producers the Bayside Boys. Their reworked version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks between August and November 1996.
Overall, the dance single stayed on the Hot 100 chart for 60 weeks, the longest reign among No. 1 songs until it was surpassed 15 years later by Adele's behemoth 2011 hit "Rolling in the Deep."
10-11. 'Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight' by Elton John (1997)
The biggest double A-side single to reach No. 1 on Hot 100 charts was Elton John's October 1997 combo release of "Candle in the Wind" and "Something About the Way You Look Tonight," which held the ranking's top spot for 14 consecutive weeks.
The latter song was an entirely new production by John and his longtime lyrical partner Bernie Taupin, while the former was a reworking of the 1973 song of the same name which was originally inspired by Marilyn Monroe. That throwback track was reworked into the record-breaking "Goodbye England's Rose" version, an emotional tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, who tragically died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997.
With more than 33 million copies sold worldwide, "Candle in the Wind 1997" is still the best-selling physical single of all time, according to Guinness World Records. Proceeds from the single benefitted charities supported by the late royal.
Related: 1976 Power Ballad Named No. 1 Hit Song Became a Generational Breakup Anthem
12. 'Uptown Funk!' by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars (2014)
An instant dance floor favorite, "Uptown Funk!" was released on Nov. 10, 2014, as the lead single off 2015's Uptown Special, from British-American DJ and record producer Mark Ronson, with groovy vocals byBruno Mars. That link-up proved to be quite a lucrative one, with "Uptown Funk!" reigning as one of the biggest and best songs of the 2010s, occupying the top spot on the Hot 100 list for 14 consecutive weeks until it was replaced by Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" featuring Charlie Puth.
But the hit song nearly happened by accident, as Ronson revealed to NPR: "It did come out of a jam at Bruno's studio, you know? He was playing drums. And Jeff Bhasker, who co-produced the record with us, is on synths, and I was playing bass. And I think that that spirit, or at least the raucousness of maybe that, is in there."
13. 'I Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas (2009)
We had a feeling this one would make the list! TheBlack Eyed Peas' 2009 smash "I Gotta Feeling" initially debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was actually pushed out of the top spot by their previous single "Boom Boom Pow." It soon rose to the No. 1 slot, where it sat comfortably for 14 consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one single of 2009.
Given how unabashedly feel-good the single is, its popularity wasn't much of a surprise, even to the group. "It's dedicated to all the party people out there in the world that want to go out and party," band member Will.i.am told Marie Claire at the time. "Mostly every song on the Black Eyed Peas record is painting a picture of our party life. It was a conscious decision to make this type of record. Times are really hard for a lot of people and you want to give them escape and you want to make them feel good about life, especially at these low points."
Related: 2000s Music Icon Fergie Comes Out of ‘Retirement' for First Performance in 7 Years
14. 'We Belong Together' by Mariah Carey (2005)
Fittingly, the "14 Weeks" club is rounded out by Mariah Carey and her 2005 single "We Belong Together" off The Emancipation of Mimi, which was something of a creative comeback for the legendary singer. And what a comeback it was: The iconic R&B ballad marked Carey's sixteenth topper on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed in the No. 1 slot for 14 nonconsecutive weeks.
Proving its sheer crossover appeal, the single became the first song to simultaneously occupy the number one position on nine-yes, nine-Billboard charts at once, including the pop, R&B, hip-hop and dance rankings. We'd expect nothing less from Mimi!
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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 6:04 AM.