Glass Animals’ ‘Heat Waves’ Ties The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ for Longest Run in Hot 100 History

10 October, 2022

Glass Animals‘ former five-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Heat Waves” ties The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” for the most weeks spent on the chart over the survey’s 64-year history.

“Heat Waves” spends its 90th week on the Hot 100 (dated Oct. 15), at No. 20, tying the record run of “Blinding Lights” in 2019-21. Over the course of its Hot 100 tenure, “Heat Waves” also broke the record for the longest climb to No. 1, when it reached the summit in its 59th week in March, as it has drawn audiences on TikTok and multiple radio formats since its June 2020 release.

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“Blinding Lights” logged four weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and set records for the most weeks spent in the top five (43), top 10 (57), top 20 (80) and top 40 (86). Its longevity helped it earn the distinction as the No. 1 title on Billboard‘s Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs ranking.

“Blinding Lights” had held the longevity record on the Hot 100 since August 2021, when it overtook Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive.” The latter track spent 87 weeks on the chart and had held the mark since 2014, when it surpassed Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” (76 weeks, 2008-09).

Here’s an updated look at the titles with the most weeks spent on the Hot 100, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception through the Oct. 15-dated chart.

Most Weeks Spent on the Billboard Hot 100:

  • 90, “Heat Waves,” Glass Animals
  • 90, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd
  • 87, “Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons
  • 79, “Sail,” AWOLNATION
  • 77, “Levitating,” Dua Lipa
  • 76, “I’m Yours,” Jason Mraz
  • 69, “Save Your Tears,” The Weeknd & Ariana Grande
  • 69, “How Do I Live,” LeAnn Rimes
  • 68, “Counting Stars,” OneRepublic
  • 68, “Party Rock Anthem” LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock

With its 57th week spent in the Hot 100’s top 20, “Heat Waves” ties The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” for the fourth-most weeks spent in the region, after “Blinding Lights” (80), Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” (62) and Post Malone’s “Circles” (60).

Only “Blinding Lights” has spent more weeks in the Hot 100’s top 40 (86) than “Heat Waves” (75).

“Heat Waves” debuted at No. 100 on the Hot 100 dated Jan. 16, 2021. The No. 1 song that week was Taylor Swift’s “Willow.” Since then, an additional 26 songs (excluding “Heat Waves”) have reached the summit. From the Jan. 16, 2021-dated Hot 100 to the current, Oct. 15, 2022, chart, “Heat Waves” has ranked alongside a whopping 1,261 other songs.

Of the 90 weeks that “Heat Waves” has spent on the Hot 100, 66 were shared with The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Save Your Tears,” the most of any song over the former’s run. “Levitating” follows with 64 shared weeks, then “Stay” (63).

Xander Zellner

Billboard