What is the #1 Hot 100 song of all time?
Drumroll, please… or, if you’re feeling extra, a kazoo fanfare. According to Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs” chart—a title that sounds like it was named by a committee of over-caffeinated historians—the crown goes to The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.” Yes, the synth-soaked, ’80s-nostalgic bop that made us all question why we aren’t driving neon-lit sports cars through rain-soaked cities at midnight. It dethroned legends, out-streamed viral cat videos, and probably sold a few extra pairs of sunglasses. Iconic.
But Wait, Why Not “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Old Town Road”?
Great question, imaginary skeptic! Billboard’s ranking isn’t just about vibes (though vibes are crucial). It’s a math soup of:
- Weeks on the chart: “Blinding Lights” camped out for 90 weeks, like that one guest who won’t leave your party but keeps refilling the chip bowl.
- Streaming numbers: Enough plays to make a TikTok algorithm blush.
- Cultural impact: It soundtracked everything, from breakup texts to that time you tried (and failed) to replicate Abel’s dance moves.
Meanwhile, Queen’s operatic masterpiece and Lil Nas X’s yeehaw revolution settled for silver and bronze. Respectfully.
“Blinding Lights”: The Song That Refuses to Fade
This isn’t just a song—it’s a time traveler. Released in 2019, it somehow teleported straight from a John Hughes movie, armed with a synth riff that could resurrect disco. It’s the musical equivalent of finding a perfectly preserved McDLT in your grandma’s freezer. And let’s be real: The Weeknd’s falsetto could probably convince a cactus to start dancing. The track’s staying power is so legendary, even your grandkids will Shazam it at retro-themed gas stations.
So there you have it. The #1 Hot 100 song of all time is a neon-drenched, shoulder-pad-worthy anthem that’s less “hit single” and more “cultural glitch in the matrix.” Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be practicing our strut-walking-into-the-sunset moves. Just in case.
What chart is based on the Hot 100?
The Billboard Hot 100 is the Beyoncé of music charts—iconic, influential, and surrounded by a squad of spin-offs that try (but mostly fail) to steal its spotlight. While it’s busy ranking the week’s top songs using sales, streams, and radio voodoo, other charts orbit it like overenthusiastic groupies. Think of them as the Hot 100’s quirky cousins who showed up to the family reunion with a ukulele and a PowerPoint about “streaming metrics in the post-CD era.”
Charts That Borrow the Hot 100’s Homework (But Change the Answers)
- Billboard 200: The Hot 100’s older sibling who only cares about albums. It’s like comparing a full Thanksgiving dinner to a single slice of pie—both delicious, but one requires way more commitment.
- Hot 100 Recurrents: Where retired Hot 100 hits go to sip margaritas and reminisce about their glory days. If a song charts for over 20 weeks, it gets forcibly relocated here—like a musical retirement home.
The “Weird Science” Spin-Offs
Then there are the charts that dissect the Hot 100’s formula with the precision of a toddler using safety scissors. The Radio Songs chart? That’s just the Hot 100 without the “cool kids” (streaming and sales). Digital Song Sales? It’s the Hot 100’s analog cousin who still thinks MP3s are cutting-edge. And let’s not forget the Emerging Artists chart, which is basically the Hot 100’s way of saying, “Here’s who might replace you in 5-7 business years.”
In short, the Hot 100 is the sun, and everything else is just Pluto—occasionally relevant, mostly forgotten, and definitely not a “real planet” in the eyes of chart purists. But hey, at least they’re all united by one thing: making data scientists question their life choices since 1958.
