- Seventeen different songs have hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year.
- “Thank U, Next” by Ariana Grande took the first top spot of the year. Mariah Carey’s classic holiday single “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is currently charting at No. 1 for the first time since its release in 1994.
- Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” topped the chart for a historic 19 weeks.
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The Billboard Hot 100 is roundly recognized as the music industry’s most reliable measure of song popularity. To score a No. 1 on the chart is a major accomplishment; to debut at No. 1 is even more rare.
This year has been especially interesting. After Selena Gomez’s comeback ballad “Lose You to Love Me” surged to No. 1 in November, 2019 became the year with the most female artists to top the Hot 100 this decade. Mariah Carey added to that historic number when her classic holiday single, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” topped the chart for the first time since its release in 1994.
Moreover, thanks to smash hits like Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” – both of which dominated radio play and streaming numbers for an unprecedented stretch of weeks – only 17 songs have claimed the chart’s top spot so far this year. They’re listed in chronological order below.
This list has been updated since its original publish date.
"Thank U, Next" by Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande's 2018 single "Thank U, Next" continued its Billboard Hot 100 reign into the first week of 2019. It had already been No. 1 for six weeks, and the seventh was its last on top of the chart.
"Without Me" by Halsey
Halsey's "Without Me" took the No. 1 spot for two nonconsecutive weeks in 2019. It dethroned "Thank U, Next" for the second week of the year, and after briefly dropping to No. 2, it returned to the top of the chart the following week.
"Sunflower" by Post Malone and Swae Lee
"Sunflower," a 2018 single from the soundtrack of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," was No. 1 on the chart for the third week of 2019.
"7 Rings" by Ariana Grande
"7 Rings" reigned on the chart for eight nonconsecutive weeks. After debuting at No. 1, it remained in the top spot for five weeks. After two weeks at No. 2, it returned to No. 1 for three more weeks.
"Shallow" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
"Shallow," the lead single from the soundtrack of "A Star is Born," peaked at No. 1 for one week in March following its win for best original song at the 2019 Oscars.
"Sucker" by the Jonas Brothers
"Sucker" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent one week on top.
"Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X
After spending just five weeks on the chart, Lil Nas X's unlikely hit "Old Town Road" surged 15 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 for its first week at No. 1 in April.
"Old Town Road (Remix)" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
After Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to his remix of "Old Town Road," the new version displaced the original at No. 1. It went on to rule the chart for a record-breaking 19 weeks, the first song in history to do so.
"Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish
"Bad Guy" ended the historic reign of "Old Town Road" after spending nine weeks at No. 2 on the chart. It held the top spot for one week.
"Señorita" by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
"Señorita" climbed to No. 1 for one week after spending some time at No. 2. It became Shawn Mendes' first No. 1 song and Camila Cabello's second.
"Truth Hurts" by Lizzo
"Truth Hurts" spent seven nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the chart. It rose to the top spot in August, two years after its release, after Lizzo performed the song at the MTV Video Music Awards.
After six weeks at No. 1 and briefly losing the top spot, it reclaimed the title for one week - tying the record for a rap song by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Highest in the Room" by Travis Scott
Travis Scott's "Highest in the Room" debuted at No. 1 and spent one week at the top of the chart.
"Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi
"Someone You Loved" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late October after performing well on international charts. After it was briefly unseated for one week, it returned to the top spot and remained there for two weeks.
"Lose You to Love Me" by Selena Gomez
"Lose You to Love Me" debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 after Selena Gomez released the ballad midweek, which is unusual for an artist that's looking for chart success. Following its first full week of data tracking, however, it surged to the top spot and became Gomez's first-ever No. 1 hit.
"Circles" by Post Malone
Post Malone's summer single "Circles" moved from the runner-up spot to No. 1 for the last week of November, remaining there for the first week of December. It's his fourth chart-topping song.
"Heartless" by The Weeknd
"Heartless" debuted at No. 32, but rocketed to the top spot for its second week on the chart. It became The Weeknd's fourth No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey's timeless holiday ballad "All I Want for Christmas Is You" topped the chart for the first time since its release in 1994, becoming the singer's 19th No. 1 hit. It previously peaked at No. 3 in December 2018.
The song reached No. 1 the week before Christmas and remained there for the last full week of 2019.