Luke Bryan notches his 12th multiweek No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart as “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” (Capitol Nashville) spends a second body on the summit (on the record dated Sept. 22). The observe reigns with 42.6 million viewers impressions, down 3 p.c, within the week ending Sept. 16, based on Nielsen Music.
“Sunrise,” Bryan’s 20th whole Country Airplay chief, is his second multiweek No. 1 in 2018 following “Most People Are Good,” which led for 3 weeks starting March 31. Bryan’s longest-leading No. 1 is “Play It Again” (4 frames, 2014).
“Sunrise” marks the 11th multiweek Country Airplay No. 1 of 2018 — clearly a rising development lately. Nine songs topped the chart for over one week in the identical timeframe in 2017, after 5 did so in the identical span in 2016.
“I’m in favor of extra multiweek No. 1s and suppose it is baloney to have 45 or so No. 1s in a 12 months,” says Cumulus vp nation Charlie Cook. (The most No. 1s in a 12 months since Country Airplay started in 1990? Forty, in 2016. The quantity fell to 33 in 2017, whereas 26 songs have hit No. 1 up to now this 12 months. Notably, these totals are up considerably from 1998, 1999 and 2003, the years with the fewest annual leaders: 18 apiece.)
“We prefer it when sturdy songs are rewarded with staying on the prime of the chart for further weeks,” says Cook. “We preserve strong-testing songs in energy rotation lengthy after they’ve dropped off the chart.”
One instance of a observe that Cook feels was No. 1 on Country Airplay for much less time than it might have deserved is Sam Hunt‘s “Body Like a Back Road,” which led for 3 weeks in May 2017. As it topped Country Streaming Songs for 34 weeks and Country Digital Song Sales for 31, “that track ought to have stayed at No. 1 [on Country Airplay] for six weeks,” he says.
On the Hot Country Songs chart, which blends airplay, streaming and gross sales information, “Body” dominated for 34 weeks, the second-longest run within the chart’s 59-year historical past; Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line‘s “Meant to Be” (Warner Bros./Big Machine Label Group) handed “Body” and on the Sept. 22 chart dominates for a 42nd week (after main Country Airplay for every week).
“I definitely hope it is a development,” says Entercom Communications KILT Houston pd Bruce Logan of the rising tide of multiweek No. 1s. “Real hits are songs that join with the viewers, promote, stream, analysis and transfer on to strong recurrent airplay. As a format, for us to be wholesome, now we have to make actual hits, not the conveyer belt that grew to become ‘push week’ [by labels to send a song to No. 1] with [a big decrease in airplay] the minute the push is over. Anything you need to push for is not successful.”
HOOKED ON ‘HOOKED’: Dylan Scott‘s “Hooked” (Curb) ascends 4-2 in its 55th chart week on Country Airplay, up 12 p.c to 40.1 million impressions. The observe completes the longest climb to the highest two, a mark beforehand held by William Michael Morgan‘s “I Met a Girl,” which peaked at No. 2 in its 52nd week (Oct. 15, 2016).
“Hooked” additionally jumps to the Hot Country Songs prime 10, romping 11-6. In addition to its airplay achieve, it surges by 27 p.c to 4.1 million U.S. streams. Scott banks his second Hot Country Songs prime 10 following “My Girl,” which peaked at No. 3 (and topped Country Airplay) in summer season 2017.
CARRIE ON: Carrie Underwood‘s “Love Wins” (Capitol Nashville) debuts at No. 34 on Country Airplay (3.8 million). The track is the second single from her album Cry Pretty, launched Sept. 14. The title observe grew to become her 27th prime 10 when it reached No. 9 on the chart dated Sept. 1.
