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A remarkably small segment of all songs that have reached the prestigious No. 1 position on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart has managed to maintain that dominance for ten consecutive weeks or longer — a feat so rare that it has come to define true pop-cultural longevity. Among the most astonishing examples, Mariah Carey’s perennial favorite, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ originally released in 1994, has once again soared to the pinnacle of the chart, reclaiming the No. 1 position for its nineteenth cumulative week. With this extraordinary achievement, Carey now ties with Lil Nas X and Shaboozey, matching their all-time record for the longest-running reign atop the Billboard Hot 100.
Widely acknowledged as the most authoritative and comprehensive all-genre singles chart in the United States, the Billboard Hot 100 has served since its inception in 1958 as the ultimate benchmark of mainstream musical success. Over the decades, more than a thousand distinct tracks have ascended to the coveted No. 1 spot. Yet, only a handful have proven resilient enough to remain there for double-digit weeks, an accomplishment that reflects both exceptional popularity and cultural impact.
Mariah Carey’s 1994 landmark single ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ — a song that resurfaces each holiday season to dominate the public’s attention — began its cyclical return to the summit in 2019. Its enduring power continues to transcend generations, solidifying its position as one of the most recognizable and beloved festive anthems of all time. Its latest resurgence marked not only another chapter in Carey’s longstanding reign but also confirmed her shared place in Billboard history alongside Lil Nas X’s pioneering ‘Old Town Road’ and Shaboozey’s genre-blending ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy),’ both of which previously held records for the longest stays at No. 1.
The following comprehensive list meticulously catalogs the forty-seven songs that have achieved this rare 10-week-or-longer milestone. Each entry presents the artist, the song title, the original date that it first reached the summit of the Billboard Hot 100, and the total duration of its reign at the top. Together, these songs trace the evolution of popular music over nearly seven decades, representing a fascinating cross-section of shifting tastes, musical innovation, and generational icons. To accompany this retrospective, readers can explore and enjoy the full curated playlist on Business Insider’s official Spotify channel, offering an auditory journey through these epoch-defining hits.
From the first breakthrough of Debby Boone’s ‘You Light Up My Life’ in 1977—the inaugural track ever to sustain a 10-week run at No. 1—to Alex Warren’s contemporary success ‘Ordinary’ in 2025, every song on the list encapsulates a distinct era of musical achievement. Each one represents a blend of artistry, cultural timing, and audience resonance powerful enough to captivate listeners for months on end. Readers will also find legendary examples such as Whitney Houston’s emotionally soaring ‘I Will Always Love You,’ Boyz II Men’s record-setting ballads, and Santana’s turn-of-the-millennium reinvention with ‘Smooth’ and ‘Maria Maria.’ The progression continues through influential hits that shaped the early 21st century, from Usher’s ‘Yeah!’ and Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’ to Drake’s string of era-defining chart triumphs and the resurgence of Adele’s soulful dominance. Modern classics like Lil Nas X’s genre-fusing breakthrough, BTS’s global phenomenon ‘Butter,’ and Harry Styles’s introspective ‘As It Was’ round out the more recent chapters of this musical lineage.
Finally, the resurgence of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ in late 2025 remains a particularly symbolic achievement. More than three decades after its original release, the song not only reclaimed its status but also extended its cumulative chart-topping record to 19 weeks—an unparalleled accomplishment for a female artist and an affirmation of the track’s unshakable cultural presence. This vast timeline of 47 record-setters ultimately serves as a mirror to the shifting landscape of popular music: a chronicle of how sound, style, and sentiment evolve while the universal power of a truly great song remains eternal.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/number-1-songs-chart-longest-leaders-billboard-hot-100
