BTS bounds onto the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart at No. 1 with its new single “Permission to Dance.” The South Korean septet supplants itself at the top spot, as the group’s own “Butter” falls to No. 7 after seven weeks at No. 1. “Dance” launches as the group’s fifth Hot 100 leader.
Plus, The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber debut on the Hot 100 at No. 3 with “Stay.” The song marks the former’s second top 10, and a new career high, and the latter’s 24th top 10.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated July 24) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (July 20) For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
“Dance,” released on HYBE/BigHit Entertainment/Columbia Records, is the 1,126th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 62-year history, and the 55th to enter on top. Here’s a deeper look at its entrance.
Streams, airplay & sales: Following its July 9 release, “Dance” drew 15.9 million U.S. streams and 1.1 million radio airplay audience impressions and sold 140,100 downloads (via its original and instrumental digital versions, each on sale for 69 cents) in the week ending July 15, according to MRC Data.
The track debuts atop the Digital Song Sales chart, where it’s BTS’ eighth No. 1, extending the act’s record for the most among groups. It also begins at No. 8 on Streaming Songs.
BTS’ 5th Hot 100 No. 1: As BTS scores its fifth Hot 100 No. 1 with “Dance,” here’s a recap of the group’s leaders:
“Dynamite,” three weeks at No. 1, beginning Sept. 5, 2020
“Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat),” with Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo, one, Oct. 17, 2020
“Life Goes On,” one, Dec. 5, 2020
“Butter,” seven, June 5, 2021
“Permission to Dance,” one to-date, July 24, 2021
Fastest 5 No. 1s since …: BTS has achieved its Hot 100 No. 1s over a span of 10 months and two weeks. That’s the quickest accumulation of five leaders since Michael Jackson tallied five, all from his album Bad, over nine months and two weeks in 1987-88: “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” with Siedah Garrett, “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Dirty Diana.”
The Beatles hold the mark for the quickest span of five Hot 100 No. 1s, having earned their first five over exactly six months in 1964: “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “She Loves You,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Love Me Do” and “A Hard Day’s Night.”
4th No. 1 debut: As “Dynamite,” “Life Goes On,” “Butter” and “Dance” have all debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, BTS is the fourth act with at least four first-place arrivals. Ariana Grande leads all acts with five No. 1 starts; Justin Bieber and Drake also each boast four.
BTS replaces itself on top: With “Dance” replacing “Butter” atop the Hot 100, BTS is the first artist to dethrone itself since Drake, whose “In My Feelings” ended the eight-week reign of “Nice for What” on the July 21, 2018 chart. (Before that, on the April 21, 2018-dated survey, “Nice” soared in at No. 1, wrapping the rule of his “God’s Plan.”)
Sheeran’s 4th No. 1 as a writer: “Dance” sports four writer credits: Jenna Andrews, “Steve Mac” McCutcheon, John McDaid and Ed Sheeran. Andrews adds her second Hot 100 No. 1 as a writer, following BTS’ “Butter,” and McCutcheon and McDaid also each score their second, after they teamed on Sheeran’s 12-week 2017 No. 1 “Shape of You.”
Sheeran leads the Hot 100 with a fourth song as a writer, following Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” (two weeks at No. 1, 2016) and his own “Shape” and “Perfect” (six weeks, 2017-18).
“Dance” floor ceiling: BTS sends the ninth song with the word “dance” in its title to the top of the Hot 100. Here’s the full “dance” card:
“Save the Last Dance for Me,” The Drifters, three weeks at No. 1, beginning Oct. 17, 1960
“Let’s Dance,” David Bowie, one, May 21, 1983
“Flashdance…What a Feeling,” Irene Cara, six, May 28, 1983
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” Whitney Houston, two, June 27, 1987
“Batdance,” Prince, one, Aug. 5, 1989
“Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” C+C Music Factory, two, Feb. 9, 1991
“Just Dance,” Lady Gaga feat. Colby O’Donis, three, Jan. 17, 2009
“One Dance,” Drake feat. WizKid & Kyla, 10, May 21, 2016
“Permission to Dance,” BTS, one week to-date, July 24, 2021
(Four songs with “dancing” in their titles have topped the Hot 100, all, unsurprisingly, at the height of the disco era: “You Should Be Dancing,” Bee Gees, 1976; “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” Leo Sayer, 1977; “Dancing Queen,” ABBA, 1977; and “Shadow Dancing, Andy Gibb, 1978.)
His song: Meanwhile, BTS’ “Dance” features the lyric, and instruction (with which few would surely argue), “When it all seems like it’s wrong/ Sing along to Elton John.”
John is, of course, no stranger to the top of the Hot 100, having achieved nine No. 1s, from “Crocodile Rock” in 1973 to “Candle in the Wind 1997″https://www.billboard.com/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight” in 1997-98.
(The legend gives himself permission to sing along to BTS.)
Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100, eight weeks after it led in its debut week. It drops to No. 2 on Streaming Songs after seven weeks on top (25.7 million, down 7%); climbs 6-4 on the Radio Songs chart (65.1 million impressions, up 6%); and falls 9-12 on Digital Song Sales (7,400, down 10%).
“Good 4 U” concurrently becomes Rodrigo’s second No. 1 on the mainstream top 40 radio-based Pop Airplay chart, climbing 3-1. “Drivers License” reigned for five weeks in March-April (and crowned the Hot 100 for eight weeks). Meanwhile, her radio single in between, “Deja Vu,” holds at its No. 5 high on Pop Airplay (after reaching No. 3 on the Hot 100).
The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber roar onto the Hot 100 at No. 3 with “Stay.” The song, released July 9, starts with 34.7 million streams, 12.9 million in radio audience and 12,000 sold. It enters atop Streaming Songs, where it’s The Kid LAROI’s first No. 1 and Bieber’s sixth, and No. 5 on Digital Song Sales.
The Kid LAROI lands his second Hot 100 top 10, and a new career best, after “Without You,” with Miley Cyrus, hit No. 8 in May.
Bieber earns his 24th Hot 100 top 10. He’s the 13th artist with at least that many, after Drake (45), Madonna (38), The Beatles (34), Rihanna (31), Michael Jackson (30), Taylor Swift (29), Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder (28 each), Janet Jackson, Elton John (27 each) and Lil Wayne and Elvis Presley (25 each).
Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” featuring DaBaby, drops 3-4 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 2, as it claims a fourth week at No. 1 on Radio Songs (79.9 million, essentially even week-over-week), while Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA, slips 4-5, after hitting No. 3.
Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” keeps at No. 6 on the Hot 100, two weeks after it debuted at No. 5. It wins top Airplay Gainer honors, as it rises 10-9 on Radio Songs (49.8 million, up 15%).
As BTS’ “Butter” falls to No. 7 after spending its first seven weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1, it descends to No. 2, also after seven weeks on top, on Digital Song Sales (49,800 sold, down 54%) and 26-27 on Streaming Songs, although with a 4% gain to 11.2 million. It pushes 21-20 on Radio Songs (29.7 million, up 2%). (Driven by its sales decline, it makes the steepest slide from No. 1 on the Hot 100 after at least seven weeks on top since Santana’s “Maria Maria,” featuring The Product G&B, fell to No. 8 after 10 weeks at the summit in June 2000.)
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” backtracks 5-8, after a week at No. 1; The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Save Your Tears” holds at No. 9, after two weeks on top; and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Deja Vu” is steady at No. 10.
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated July 24), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (July 20).
