Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” adds a record-extending 39th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart (dated March 23), and makes history in the process.
As it rebounds to the summit, “Flowers” has now totaled 88 weeks atop all the Billboard radio charts that it has led. In addition to its 39 frames atop Adult Contemporary, the song, released on Columbia Records in January 2023, ran up reigns of 18 weeks on the all-format Radio Songs chart, 17 weeks on Adult Pop Airplay, 10 weeks on Pop Airplay and four weeks on Dance/Mix Show Airplay.
“Flowers,” which this February won the Grammy Award for record of the year, one-ups The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which posted 87 combined weeks atop Billboard airplay charts. The latter, released in 2019, dominated Adult Contemporary for 35 weeks, Radio Songs for a record 26 weeks, Adult Pop Airplay for 20 weeks and Pop Airplay for six weeks.
“Flowers” is one of 21 smashes that have spent at least 52 weeks, or a full year, combined at No. 1 on Billboard airplay charts. Billboard boasts 25 currently-active radio airplay charts, dating to the Adult Contemporary tally’s July 17, 1961, launch. Country Airplay became the first airplay chart ranked by electronically-monitored data as of the list dated Jan. 20, 1990; all current airplay charts (over half of which began in the ‘90s) are based on data monitored by Mediabase and provided to Billboard by Luminate.
The 25 such surveys: Adult Alternative Airplay, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Airplay, Adult R&B Airplay, Alternative Airplay, Christian AC Airplay, Christian Airplay, Country Airplay, Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Gospel Airplay, Holiday Airplay, Latin Airplay, Latin Pop Airplay, Latin Rhythm Airplay, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Mainstream Rock Airplay, Pop Airplay, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Radio Songs, Rap Airplay, Regional Mexican Airplay, Rhythmic Airplay, Rock & Alternative Airplay, Smooth Jazz Airplay and Tropical Airplay.
Below browse the 21 songs – with a leading three by Mariah Carey, followed by two by Adele – that have blanketed radio and spent the most cumulative weeks atop Billboard’s airplay charts. They’re some of the most familiar hits still prominent on airwaves – as Cyrus playfully asked the Grammys crowd when she performed “Flowers,” “Why are you acting like you don’t know this song?!”
88 weeks, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Feb. 25, 2023
Adult Contemporary: a record 39 weeks at No. 1
Radio Songs: 18 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 17 weeks
Pop Airplay: 10 weeks
Dance/Mix Show Airplay: 4 weeks
87 weeks, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: April 18, 2020
Adult Contemporary: 35 weeks at No. 1
Radio Songs: a record 26 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 20 weeks
Pop Airplay: 6 weeks
74 weeks, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: March 4, 2017
Latin Rhythm Airplay: 20 weeks at No. 1
Latin Airplay: 19 weeks
Latin Pop Airplay: 18 weeks
Dance/Mix Show Airplay: 7 weeks
Pop Airplay: 5 weeks
Radio Songs: 5 weeks
72 weeks, “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. T.I. + Pharrell
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: July 13, 2013
Adult R&B Airplay: 17 weeks at No. 1
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 12 weeks
Pop Airplay: 10 weeks
Rhythmic Airplay: 10 weeks
Radio Songs: 11 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 6 weeks
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 6 weeks
72 weeks, “Somebody That I Used To Know,” Gotye feat. Kimbra
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Feb. 25, 2012
Adult Contemporary: 19 weeks at No. 1
Adult Alternative Airplay: 13 weeks
Alternative Airplay: 12 weeks
Rock & Alternative Airplay: 7 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 6 weeks
Dance/Mix Show Airplay: 6 weeks
Radio Songs: 6 weeks
Pop Airplay: 3 weeks
71 weeks, “High Hopes,” Panic! at the Disco
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Nov. 17, 2018
Rock & Alternative Airplay: 17 weeks at No. 1
Alternative Airplay: 16 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 15 weeks
Radio Songs: 14 weeks
Pop Airplay: 6 weeks
Dance/Mix Show Airplay: 3 weeks
71 weeks, “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Aug. 4, 2018
Adult Contemporary: 36 weeks at No. 1
Radio Songs: 16 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 14 weeks
Pop Airplay: 5 weeks
69 weeks, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: May 28, 2005
Radio Songs: 16 weeks at No. 1
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 14 weeks
Pop Airplay: 10 weeks
Rhythmic Airplay: 10 weeks
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 9 weeks
Adult R&B Airplay: 8 weeks
Dance/Mix Show Airplay: 2 weeks
65 weeks, “Feel It Still,” Portugal. The Man
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: July 8, 2017
Alternative Airplay: a record-tying 20 weeks at No. 1
Rock & Alternative Airplay: 17 weeks
Adult Alternative Airplay: 11 weeks
Dance/Mix Show Airplay: 5 weeks
Radio Songs: 5 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 4 weeks
Pop Airplay: 3 weeks
65 weeks, “Danza Kuduro,” Don Omar & Lucenzo
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Nov. 13, 2010
Latin Rhythm Airplay: a record 29 weeks at No. 1
Tropical Airplay: 18 weeks
Latin Airplay: 15 weeks
Latin Pop Airplay: 3 weeks
63 weeks, “Shape of You,” Ed Sheeran
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Feb. 25, 2017
Adult Contemporary: 24 weeks at No. 1
Radio Songs: 12 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 12 weeks
Pop Airplay: 9 weeks
Dance/Mix Show Airplay: 6 weeks
57 weeks, “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Feb. 12, 2011
Adult Contemporary: 19 weeks at No. 1
Adult Alternative Airplay: 14 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 13 weeks
Radio Songs: 6 weeks
Pop Airplay: 5 weeks
56 weeks, “Easy on Me,” Adele
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Nov. 13, 2021
Adult Contemporary: 24 weeks at No. 1
Radio Songs: 15 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 10 weeks
Pop Airplay: 7 weeks
56 weeks, “Dilemma,” Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Aug. 17, 2002
Radio Songs: 12 weeks at No. 1
Rhythmic Airplay: 11 weeks
Rap Airplay: 10 weeks
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 9 weeks
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 9 weeks
Pop Airplay: 5 weeks
56 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Dec. 9, 1995
Radio Songs: 13 weeks at No. 1
Adult Contemporary: 13 weeks
Pop Airplay: 11 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 10 weeks
Rhythmic Airplay: 9 weeks
55 weeks, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Dec. 13, 2008
Holiday Airplay: 55 weeks at No. 1 – the most weeks that any song has spent atop a single Billboard airplay chart
55 weeks, “Be Without You,” Mary J. Blige
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Jan. 7, 2006
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 15 weeks at No. 1
Adult R&B Airplay: 14 weeks
Radio Songs: 9 weeks
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 6 weeks
Pop Airplay: 4 weeks
Rhythmic Airplay: 4 weeks
Dance/Mix Show Airplay: 3 weeks
53 weeks, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Green Day
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Dec. 11, 2004
Alternative Airplay: 16 weeks at No. 1
Mainstream Rock Airplay: 14 weeks
Adult Pop Airplay: 11 weeks
Adult Alternative Airplay: 8 weeks
Pop Airplay: 4 weeks
53 weeks, “In Da Club,” 50 Cent
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Feb. 8, 2003
Rap Airplay: 12 weeks at No. 1
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 10 weeks
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 9 weeks
Rhythmic Airplay: 9 weeks
Radio Songs: 9 weeks
Pop Airplay: 4 weeks
52 weeks, “No Guidance,” Chris Brown feat. Drake
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Aug. 3, 2019
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 27 weeks at No. 1
Adult R&B Airplay: 11 weeks
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: 10 weeks
Rhythmic Airplay: 4 weeks
52 weeks, “Ginza,” J Balvin
Date of first week at No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart: Sept. 12, 2015
Latin Pop Airplay: 25 weeks at No. 1
Latin Rhythm Airplay: 15 weeks
Latin Airplay: 12 weeks
