As Billboard reported Monday (Aug. 31), Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” logs its 20th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a new record for the longest run on top by a non-holiday hit. It broke a record first set in 2019 by Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus), which logged 19 weeks on top.
The only single with a longer run at No. 1 is Mariah Carey’s 1994 holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which has had 22 weeks on top, spread across eight calendar years.
Related
Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ Becomes Sole Longest-Leading Non-Holiday Hot 100 Hit With 20th Week at No. 1
Langley’s endurance at No. 1 increases the already excellent chances that “Choosin’ Texas” will land Grammy nominations for record and song of the year.
To celebrate “Choosin’ Texas” setting a new record for the longest run at No. 1 by a non-holiday hit, we decided to look back at all the previous holders of that record, together with how they fared at the Grammys. We didn’t include singles that merely tied an existing record. For the record, those were: Johnny Horton’s “The Battle of New Orleans” (six weeks at No. 1 in 1959); Percy Faith’s “Theme From A Summer Place” and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” (nine weeks at No. 1 in 1960 and 1968, respectively); Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” (10 weeks at No. 1 in 1982); Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” (14 weeks at No. 1 in 1994); Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” (16 weeks at No. 1 in 2017); and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (19 weeks at No. 1 in 2024).
Historical Note: The Hot 100 and the Grammys both originated in 1958. The first Hot 100 appeared in the issue dated Aug. 4, 1958. The eligibility period for the first Grammy Awards was Jan. 1, 1958, to Dec. 31, 1958. (The inaugural awards were presented in May 1959.)
Here are all the singles that have set new records for most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, together with how they fared at the Grammys. The year shown is the year the single set the Hot 100 record.