The Weeknd scores longest-running hit in US chart history
The Weeknd has broken the record for the longest-charting song in the US, with his song Blinding Lights – first released in November 2019 – spending 88 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.
The record was previously held by rock band Imagine Dragons, whose song Radioactive spent 87 weeks on the chart between 2012 and 2014.
Taken from the album After Hours, Blinding Lights climbed the chart during early 2020 and spent four weeks at No 1 in April that year. Currently at No 18, it looks set to extend its run.
Blinding Lights’ 89 consecutive weeks in the UK chart – eight of those at No 1 – means it is closing in on Lewis Capaldi’s record of 100 consecutive weeks in the UK Top 100, for his ballad Someone You Loved. The Weeknd’s song still has some way to go to beat the Killers’ record of 280 non-consecutive weeks in the Top 100, however – their song Mr Brightside, released in 2004, is currently at No 79.
The Weeknd thanked his fans on Instagram. “Big day for Blinding Lights,” he wrote. “Forever grateful to be able to experiment with sounds, try new things with my voice and create music with the people I truly love and respect. For the last decade every song has been a journey and to be able to continue this journey has been nothing short of a blessing.”
His new single, Take My Breath, was released earlier this month, while two other songs – Save Your Tears with Ariana Grande and You Right with Doja Cat – are currently in the US Top 20. A new album is anticipated for later this year.