The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” is now, officially, the longest charting hit in the Billboard Hot 100‘s history, as the song — originally released in 2019 — tallies its 88th week on the survey, dated Aug. 21, 2021.
It passes the 87-week Hot 100 run of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” in 2012-14.
As “Blinding Lights” adds perhaps its most notable chart record yet, here’s a look at its most luminous stats (as of charts dated Aug. 21, with all data through Aug. 12, according to MRC Data).
88: Record number of weeks that “Blinding Lights” has spent on the Hot 100, from its debut on the chart dated Dec. 14, 2019.
43: Record number of weeks totaled in the Hot 100’s top five. It passed The Chainsmokers’ “Closer,” featuring Halsey, and Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” each with 27 weeks in the tier, for the achievement.
57: Record number of weeks spent in the Hot 100’s top 10, previously held by Post Malone’s “Circles” (39).
79: Record number of weeks spent in the Hot 100’s top 20, a mark also previously belonging to “Circles” (60).
84: Record number of weeks spent in the Hot 100’s top 40, having passed “Radioactive” (63).
13: The number of U.S.-specific Billboard charts on which “Blinding Lights” has hit No. 1. It has led the all-genre Hot 100, Streaming Songs, Radio Songs and Digital Song Sales surveys; Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs and R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales; Hot R&B Songs, R&B Streaming Songs and R&B Digital Song Sales; and the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary radio genre charts.
48: Record weeks spent at No. 1 on Hot R&B Songs, more than double the sum of three runners-up (with 20 apiece). It has also logged the most weeks in the top 10 and on the tally overall (66 each).
26: Record weeks notched atop Radio Songs. The mark had been held for over two decades by Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” (18 weeks) in 1998.
35: Weeks spent atop Adult Contemporary, the most among solo males in the chart’s 60-year history.
5,410,644,400: Total cumulative audience for “Blinding Lights” on U.S. radio.
1,270,906,753: Total on-demand U.S. streams for the song, audio and video combined.
811,500: Total U.S. downloads sold for the song.
33: “Blinding Lights” has hit No. 1 on surveys in Billboard‘s charts menu encompassing 33 countries. Its world domination has extended to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela.
LV: Super Bowl whose halftime show this Feb. 7 spotlighted The Weeknd’s medley, in which “Blinding Lights” served as the finale.
1: Weeks that “Blinding Lights” has not appeared on the Hot 100 since debuting. It was not on the chart dated Jan. 2, 2021, due in large part to an influx of holiday hits. It returned the following week at No. 3, marking the highest re-entry in the chart’s history.
34: The total number of Hot 100 No. 1s since “Blinding Lights” debuted on Dec. 14, 2019, in addition to the song itself, which reigned for four weeks in April and May 2020. In its debut frame, the top title was The Weeknd’s own “Heartless.” Since then, the songs to ascend to No. 1 have been, chronologically, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Post Malone’s “Circles,” also in 2019 …
In 2020: Roddy Ricch’s “The Box”; Drake’s “Toosie Slide”; The Scotts, Travis Scott and Kid Cudi’s “The Scotts”; Doja Cat’s “Say So,” featuring Nicki Minaj; Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s “Stuck With U”; Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé; Lady Gaga and Grande’s “Rain on Me”; DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” featuring Roddy Ricch; 6ix9ine and Minaj’s “Trollz”; Taylor Swift’s “Cardigan”; Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar”; Cardi B’s “WAP,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion; BTS’ “Dynamite”; Scott’s “Franchise,” featuring Young Thug and M.I.A.; Jawsh 685, Jason Derulo and BTS’ “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)”; 24kGoldn’s “Mood,” featuring iann dior; Grande’s “Positions”; BTS’ “Life Goes On”; and Swift’s “Willow” …
And, in 2021, so far: Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License”; Drake’s “What’s Next”; Cardi B’s “Up”; Bieber’s “Peaches,” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon; Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”; Silk Sonic’s (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) “Leave the Door Open”; Polo G’s “Rapstar”; another leader by The Weeknd: “Save Your Tears,” with Grande; Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U”; BTS’ “Butter” and “Permission to Dance”; and current leader “Stay” by The Kid LAROI and Bieber.
1,218: The number of songs that have charted on the Hot 100 since “Blinding Lights” debuted.
20: The number of other songs by The Weeknd that have hit the Hot 100 since “Blinding Lights” entered the chart.
62: The number of songs sent onto the Hot 100 by Lil Baby since “Blinding Lights” debuted, the most of any artist in that timeframe.
3: The number of 2020 year-end charts that “Blinding Lights” topped, wrapping at No. 1 for the year on the Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Pop Airplay.
3: Total Billboard Music Awards that “Blinding Lights” has won. It earned honors for top Hot 100 song, top R&B song and top radio song at the 2021 festivities. The Weeknd also won the coveted top artist trophy, among 10 total wins for the year. “Thank you to my fans, of course,” he said in his acceptance speech for top artist. “I do not take this for granted.”
Bonus … 1 billion times brighter than the surface of the sun: The brightest light ever recorded, created by a group of physicists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln “by focusing a laser beam extremely intensely.” (And perhaps still not a match for the continuing chart glow of “Blinding Lights.”)
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