100 Weeks of the Billboard Global Charts: The No. 1s

The latest Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, dated Aug. 13, 2022, mark 100 weeks since the worldwide song lists launched in September 2020. This week, we’re celebrating the hits that topped, lingered on, and shaped the surveys throughout their first 100 weeks. Today, we start with the No. 1s.

Billboard‘s global charts premiered nearly two years ago with a pair of disparate songs ruling the inaugural rankings: Cardi B‘s “WAP,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, crowned the Global 200; while Maluma reigned over the Global Excl. U.S. survey with “Hawái.” Over on the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100, “WAP” returned to the top for its third nonconsecutive week at No. 1 (of four total), while “Hawái” climbed to No. 55.

This contrast set the tone for the 100 weeks to come, as America’s prominence in the global music market caused the Global 200 to often line up with the Hot 100, while the Global Excl. U.S. chart frequently strayed. When “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” by Jawsh 685, Jason Derulo and BTS simultaneously rose to No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Global 200 in October 2020, South Korea’s Blackpink launched atop the Global Excl. U.S. chart with “Lovesick Girls” — while reaching No. 59 on the Hot 100. Similarly, when Glass Animals led the two former charts with their enduring “Heat Waves,” Brazil’s Anitta took control of the latter with “Envolver,” despite peaking at No. 70 on the Hot 100 in April.

Take a look at the video below, graphing every Global 200 No. 1 hit, week by week.

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While English-language, American pop has maintained a grip on the global charts, these No. 1s are examples of how the Global Excl. U.S. chart has reflected big hits in other languages. Spanish has been represented by “Hawái,” “Envolver,” Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez‘s “Dákiti” and, most recently, Bizarrap and Quevedo‘s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52.” “Dákiti” and “Vol. 52” also topped the Global 200, despite the latter, in its first week at the summit, not appearing on the same week’s Hot 100, breaking new international ground for songs that had not yet crossed over to wide American audiences.

Meanwhile, five songs that feature Korean lyrics have reached the global apex. “Lovesick Girls” and “Savage Love” were first in October 2020, followed by three more songs by BTS — “Life Goes On,” “My Universe” with Coldplay, and “Yet to Come.” All five tracks mix Korean with English, while the four Spanish-language songs noted above are performed exclusively in Spanish.

In total, 31 songs have reached the top of either global chart (or both) and all but two have been released since 2020. The exceptions were multi-week leaders, both taking non-traditional routes to the top, leaving and then returning to No. 1. Mariah Carey‘s evergreen 1994 carol “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has spent eight weeks atop the Global 200 (four each over the past two holiday seasons) and four on Global Excl. U.S. (one; three).

But while Carey’s classic will likely return to the charts — possibly for more time at No. 1 — alongside a crop of over 50 other Yuletide songs, the other major renewed 20th century global chart hit appears to be more of an isolated incident. Kate Bush‘s 1985 alt classic “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” recently ruled the Global 200 for three weeks and the Global Excl. U.S. chart for one, driven by its prominent sync in the fourth season of Netflix’s ’80s-set Stranger Things.

While the series also spurred global chart returns for ’80s songs by Metallica, Journey and Musical Youth, among others, none came remotely close to replicating Bush’s sustained revival, as “Hill” spends a 10th week in the top five of both charts. It’s one of just two non-holiday songs released before 2017 to hit the top 10 of either list, alongside Fleetwood Mac‘s “Dreams.”

Here’s a week-by-week look at all the Global Excl. U.S. No. 1s, beginning 99 weeks ago in September 2020.

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Anomalies notwithstanding — and it’s getting harder to call these non-English-language or non-newly-released hits anomalies as TikTok’s whims spread their rule over the entire planet — many of the biggest global No. 1s of the last two years are simply some of the most obvious hits by major Western pop stars. Harry Styles‘ “As It Was” holds the record for the longest-running No. 1 on each chart, with 13 weeks on top of Global Excl. U.S. and 12 atop the Global 200. Other double-digit-week leaders on the Hot 100 have also topped both global lists: Adele‘s “Easy on Me” (seven weeks atop Global Excl. U.S.; six weeks, Global 200); and BTS’ “Butter” (five; two), along with fellow titans Olivia Rodrigo‘s “Drivers License” (nine; eight) and “Good 4 U” (nine; six); and The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber‘s “Stay” (nine; 11).

As for a round-up of the most notable No. 1s over the first 100 weeks of Billboard’s global charts…

The First No. 1s: “WAP” by Cardi B, featuring Megan Thee Stallion, for three non-consecutive weeks on the Global 200; “Hawái,” by Maluma, for one week on Global Excl. U.S.

The Current No. 1s: “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” by Bizarrap & Quevedo spends a third consecutive week atop both charts.

The Longest-Running No. 1: “As It Was” by Harry Styles, for 12 weeks on Global 200 and 13 weeks on Global Excl. U.S.

The Most No. 1s: BTS has notched six chart-toppers on each list. “Dynamite,” “Life Goes On,” “Butter,” “Permission to Dance,” and “My Universe,” with Coldplay, crowned both charts. “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat),” with Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo, led the Global 200 for one week in October 2020, while “Yet to Come” capped the Global Excl. U.S. survey for a week this June.

Next up, Ariana Grande (“Positions”; “Save Your Tears,” with The Weeknd), Justin Bieber (“Peaches,” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon; “Stay,” with The Kid LAROI); and Olivia Rodrigo (“Drivers License”; “Good 4 U”) each boast two global No. 1s.

No. 1 Debuts: 17 songs have debuted at No. 1 on the global charts combined – accounting for more than half of the total 31 chart-toppers.

Bonus No. 1: Dua Lipa‘s “Levitating” climbed as high as No. 2 on the Global 200 (and No. 3 on Global Excl. U.S.) but, just as it did on the Hot 100, ruled the 2021 year-end chart, fueled by a 32-week stay in the top 10. This week, it spends its 96th consecutive frame on the chart.

The same year’s No. 1 year-end Global Excl. U.S. song was BTS’ “Dynamite,” which dominated the weekly chart for eight weeks in 2020-21.

Another Bonus No. 1: Though Bad Bunny topped both global charts with “Dákiti” in 2020, he has yet to hit No. 1 with a song from his season-defining Un Verano Sin Tí. But he’s come very close — a lot. Over the course of four weeks in May and June, Bunny sent three different songs to No. 2: “Moscow Mule,” “Ojitos Lindos,” featuring Bomba Estereo, and “Me Porto Bonito,” featuring Chencho Corleone.

Take a listen to the biggest global hits of the last 100 weeks — we’ll be updating the playlist throughout the week as we highlight more of the charts’ most definitive hits.