With ‘Die for You,’ The Weeknd Matches Michael Jackson for Hot 100 History: Ask Billboard
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the U.S.
Or, tweet @gthot20.
Let’s open the latest mailbag (and Instagram feed …)
The Weeknd Matches Michael Jackson for Hot 100 History
The Weeknd is correct! With “Die for You” soaring to No. 1 on the latest, March 11-dated Billboard Hot 100, he joins Jackson as the only male soloists with multiple leaders on the chart from three albums.
(The feat is based on counting “Die for You” from Starboy, on which it was originally released in 2016, six-plus years before its new remix, with Ariana Grande, sparked its coronation. For Billboard’s charts, all versions of the song roll up into one chart listing.)
Overall, the club of acts with multiple Hot 100 No. 1s originally released on three, or more, albums, is exclusive – just seven members, with The Weeknd its newest since 2001. Two of those acts have notched multiple leaders from more than three albums each: Mariah Carey, the leader with six, and The Beatles, with four.
Let’s recap each act’s impressive haul of multiple Hot 100 No. 1s from three or more albums each (with details, similar to the journey of “Die for You,” regarding songs with notable release histories beyond the albums listed below).
The Weeknd
- Starboy: “Starboy” (feat. Daft Punk), 2017; “Die for You” (with Ariana Grande), 2023
- After Hours: “Heartless,” 2019; “Blinding Lights,” 2020; “Save Your Tears” (with Grande), 2021
- Beauty Behind the Madness: “Can’t Feel My Face,” “The Hills,” 2015
Janet Jackson
- All for You: “Doesn’t Really Matter,” 2000 (originally released on the Nutty Professor II: The Klumps soundtrack); “All for You,” 2001
- janet.: “That’s the Way Love Goes,” “Again,” 1993″
- Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814: “Miss You Much,” 1989; “Escapade,” “Black Cat,” 1990; “Love Will Never Do (Without You),” 1991
Mariah Carey
- The Emancipation of Mimi: “We Belong Together,” 2005; “Don’t Forget About Us,” 2005-06 (added to the album’s Ultra Platinum Edition rerelease)
- Rainbow: “Heartbreaker” (feat. Jay-Z), 1999; “Thank God I Found You” (feat. Joe & 98 Degrees), 2000
- Butterfly: “Honey,” 1997; “My All,” 1998
- Daydream: “Fantasy,” 1995; “One Sweet Day” (with Boyz II Men), 1995-96; “Always Be My Baby,” 1996
- Music Box: “Dreamlover,” 1993; “Hero,” 1993-94
- Mariah Carey: “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” 1990; “Someday,” “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” 1991
Whitney Houston
- I’m Your Baby Tonight: “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” 1990; “All the Man That I Need,” 1991
- Whitney: “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” 1987; “So Emotional,” “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” 1988
- Whitney Houston: “Saving All My Love for You,” 1985; “How Will I Know,” “Greatest Love of All,” 1986
Michael Jackson
- Bad: “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” (with Siedah Garrett), “Bad,” 1987; “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror,” “Dirty Diana,” 1988
- Thriller: “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” 1983
- Off the Wall: “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” 1979; “Rock With You,” 1980
The Beatles
- Let It Be: “Get Back” (first released as a non-album single), 1969; “Let It Be,” “The Long and Winding Road,” 1970
- Hey Jude: “Paperback Writer,” 1966; “Hey Jude,” 1968 (both first released as non-album singles)
- Magical Mystery Tour: “Penny Lane,” “Hello Goodbye,” 1967 (both first released as non-album singles)
- Help!: “Ticket to Ride,” “Help!,” 1965
The Supremes
- The Supremes Sing Holland–Dozier–Holland: “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” 1966; “Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone,” 1967
- More Hits by The Supremes: “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Back in My Arms Again,” 1965
- Where Did Our Love Go: “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” 1964 (all first released as non-album singles)
The Weeknd doesn’t only become the latest artist with at least two Hot 100 No. 1s from three or more albums. As previously reported, “Die for You” also makes him and Grande the sixth pair of artists with two No. 1s together.
There’s even more to The Weeknd and Grande’s latest success …
An Achievement to ‘Die For’
Hi Gary,
The Weeknd and Ariana Grande score a first on the latest Hot 100: Thanks to “Die for You” and “Save Your Tears,” they are the first artists in the elite category of acts with two shared No. 1s each with top billing on both of their hits. All the others – Drake and Future; Drake and Rihanna; Eminem and Rihanna; Nelly Furtado and Timbaland; and Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule – included featured billings on their No. 1s together.
Meanwhile, here are a few star collaborators that have nearly each pulled off a pair of Hot 100 chart-toppers, each missing by just one position:
- Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney: “The Girl Is Mine” (No. 2, 1982) and “Say Say Say” (No. 1, 1984)
- Beyoncé & Jay-Z: “Crazy in Love” (No. 1, 2003) and “Drunk in Love” (No. 2, 2014)
- Rihanna & Jay-Z: “Umbrella” (No. 1, 2007) and “Run This Town (No. 2, 2009)
- Drake & 21 Savage: “Jimmy Cooks” (No. 1) and “Rich Flex” (No. 2, both 2022)
Also, a darkly fun coincidence: No. 1 on the Hot 100 is “Die for You” and No. 100 is “Die 4 Me,” by Halsey. Honestly, what are the chances? I don’t know, for the life of me.
Pablo Nelson
Oakland, Calif.
Thanks Pablo. Plus, the titles at Nos. 2 and 99 on the latest Hot 100: “Flowers” and “The Color Violet.”
Also, the debuts at Nos. 89 and 88: “Joe” and “Dirt.” If we have a callback to an early 2000s film in “Kill Bill,” why not another?
An ’80s Hit That ‘Ties’ Into This Week
Hi Gary,
With “Die for You” hitting No. 1 on the Hot 100 after a six-year-plus wait, the second-longest from a debut on the chart, I thought of a song that should be noted among those that took long routes to the top: “At This Moment” by Billy Vera & The Beaters. The ballad peaked at No. 79 its first time out, as a live version, in 1981 and, thanks to a newer studio recording, hit No. 1 over five years and four months later, in January 1987.
Take care!
Ron Raymond, Jr.
Thanks, Ron. Great observation. The song hit No. 1 at last sparked by its synch in NBC’s Family Ties. “I am grateful to have written a standard that will live long after I’m gone,” Vera said in an in-depth 2021 interview that chronicles the song’s comeback.
The only reason that it isn’t considered among the songs with the longest climbs to No. 1 on the Hot 100 from a debut is that when it returned to the chart, it was treated as a debut, not a re-entry, as it was, as you point out, an entirely new recording, as opposed to a remix, and on a different label (Rhino Records, marking its first leader) than when it was first released.
The song also wasn’t the only one to return in a new form, and as a debut on the Hot 100, during that era. The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” likewise charted as a new entry, thanks to a re-recording, on Curb Records (as a cassette single), and hit No. 19 in November 1990.
Meanwhile, the duo’s original version, on Verve (on vinyl), re-entered, after reaching No. 4 in 1965, and rose to No. 13 in October 1990.
So, two versions of the classic charted on the Hot 100 simultaneously. Or, put another way, and to reference a movie from the early ’90s this time, ditto.
Gary Trust
Billboard
