Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” adds a 20th week atop Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated July 1).
The song surpasses “You Proof,” which dominated Hot Country Songs for 19 weeks beginning in May 2022, for the longest-leading of Wallen’s seven career No. 1s.
Here’s a look at the songs that have led Hot Country Songs for 20 weeks or more since the chart became an all-encompassing genre survey in October 1958. Wallen is the only soloist with two titles on the list, while duo Florida Georgia Line is the only other act with two. (All seven songs below have reigned since the chart adopted the all-genre Billboard Hot 100’s multimetric methodology in October 2012.)
Longest-Leading Hot Country Songs No. 1s (since 1958):
- 50 weeks, “Meant to Be,” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, beginning in December 2017
- 34, “Body Like a Back Road,” Sam Hunt, February 2017
- 27, “I Hope,” Gabby Barrett, July 2020
- 24, “Fancy Like,” Walker Hayes, July 2021
- 24, “Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line, December 2012
- 21, “10,000 Hours,” Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber, October 2019
- 20, “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, February 2023
“Last Night,” released on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records, drew 72.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 4%) and 29.8 million streams (up 1%) and sold 7,000 downloads (down 3%) in the June 16-22 tracking week, according to Luminate.
“Last Night” concurrently leads Country Airplay for an eighth week – tying for the chart’s second-longest command ever, below “You Proof” (10 weeks) – and bullets at its No. 8 high on both Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay.
Unsurprisingly, the seven 20-week-plus Hot Country Songs leaders above have all received pop/adult crossover radio airplay support, as the chart reflects all-format airplay, in addition to streaming and sales data.
‘Car’ Ride
Concurrently on Hot Country Songs, Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 classic “Fast Car” holds at its No. 2 high. The cover attracted 21.2 million streams (up 4%) and sold 10,000 in the tracking week – as it hits No. 1 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart and rises to No. 2 on Streaming Songs.
The song, which Chapman solely authored, pushes 10-7 on the all-format Radio Songs chart, led by its No. 2 rank on Country Airplay, as it surged by 18% to 31.1 million in audience. It also bullets in the top 25 of Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay.
As previously reported, “Last Night” and “Fast Car” rank at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on the Hot 100, marking the first time in over 42 years that country songs have pulled off such a double-up.
Zimmerman’s 4th Top 10
Also on Hot Country Songs, Bailey Zimmerman scores his fourth top 10 as “Religiously” pushes 11-10. On Country Airplay, it climbs 16-14 for a new best (11.8 million, up 27%). It also drew 9.9 million official U.S. streams (up 6%) and sold 2,000.
Zimmerman made history on the Sept. 2, 2022-dated Hot Country Songs chart when he became the first artist to place three career-opening entries in the top 10 simultaneously. That week, “Rock and a Hard Place,” “Where It Ends” and “Fall in Love” ranked at Nos. 6, 7 and 10, respectively. The songs peaked at Nos. 2, 5 and 7.
On Country Airplay, Zimmerman has notched two No. 1s: “Fall in Love” led for a week in December 2022, followed by “Rock and a Hard Place,” which ruled for six frames starting this April.
