Following New Year’s tradition, for 2021, let’s look at the 21 biggest hits ever to peak at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
The list below includes country, dance, pop, rap and rock classics, two tracks from Don Henley’s album The End of the Innocence, a revved-up TV theme and more, all of which hit No. 21 highs on the weekly Hot 100.
21 No. 21 Hits for ’21
Rank, Title, Artist, Peak Year
21, “Saturday Nite,” Earth, Wind & Fire, 1977
20, “Let Me Be Your Angel,” Stacy Lattisaw, 1980
19, “Fascinated,” Company B, 1987
18, “Winners and Losers,” Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, 1976
17, “Native New Yorker,” Odyssey, 1978
16, “Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol’ Boys),” Waylon Jennings, 1980
15, “Strange but True,” Times Two, 1988
14, “The Last Worthless Evening,” Don Henley, 1989
13, “Black Superman – Muhammad Ali,” Johnny Wakelin & The Kinshasa Band, 1975
12, “Serious,” Donna Allen, 1987
11, “Last Child,” Aerosmith, 1976
10, “Fall for You,” Secondhand Serenade, 2008
9, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” Willie Nelson, 1975
8, “For You,” The Outfield, 1991
7, “I Feel a Song (In My Heart)”/”Don’t Burn Down the Bridge,” Gladys Knight and The Pips, 1974
6, “The Heart of the Matter,” Don Henley, 1990
5, “And We Danced,” Hooters, 1985
4, “Talk to Me,” Chico DeBarge, 1987
3, “Tequila,” Dan + Shay, 2018
2, “Secrets,” OneRepublic, 2010
1, “Do You Want Me,” Salt-N-Pepa, 1991
Topping the tally, Salt-N-Pepa’s “Do You Want Me” reached No. 21 on the Hot 100 in June 1991. It became the act’s third top 40 hit in as many appearances, after “Push It” (No. 19, 1988) and “Expression” (No. 26, 1990). In November 1991, the hip-hop pioneers rose to a new No. 13 best with “Let’s Talk About Sex.” Salt-N-Pepa scored its two highest-charting Hot 100 hits in 1993-94: “Shoop” (No. 4) and “Whatta Man,” featuring En Vogue (No. 3).
(Additional honorary shoutouts to Adele’s 21, which ranks at No. 1 on the Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 albums chart recap; 50 Cent’s four-week 2003 Hot 100 No. 1 “21 Questions,” featuring Nate Dogg; and every charted hit by 21 Savage.)
Billboard’s 21 No. 21 Hits for ’21 recap is based on actual performance on the weekly Hot 100 chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.
