Chart Commentary — September 05, 2026

EXXA LANGLEY

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” achieves a landmark 20th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — claiming the sole longest run ever atop the chart for a non-holiday song. The smash first led in February, has already set multiple chart records and is just the second title in the Hot 100’s 68-year history to lead for at least 20 weeks.

Here’s an updated look at the longest-leading hits, ranked by most weeks at No. 1 ever on the Hot 100:

• 22 weeks, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey, 2019-26
• 20, “Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley, 2026
• 19, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey, 2024
• 19, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, 2019
• 16, “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, 2023
• 16, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, 2017
• 16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 1995-96

The only song in the way of the run of “Choosin’ Texas” historically, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has ruled the Hot 100 each Yuletide season since the 1994 carol was first No. 1 in 2019, and could add to its total in the holidays ahead.

THE COUNTRY 4 RIDES AGAIN

Stella Lefty’s “Boston” repeats at its No. 2 Hot 100 best, Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” is stationary at No. 3, after it spent its first two weeks on the chart at No. 1 in June, and Morgan Wallen’s “Been by Now” holds at No. 4, after it debuted at its No. 2 high.

Country boasts another especially triumphant week, a month after the genre monopolized the entire top five on the Hot 100 for the first time. Of the 13 weeks all-time with country songs at either Nos. 1-3, 1-4 or 1-5, all have occurred since August 2023, powered, in part, by country’s growth in streaming, among other factors.

D. PARTON DEPARTIN’

Dolly Parton died Aug. 25 in Nashville at age 80 and the world continues to mourn.

Two iconic Dolly Parton recordings reach the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, following the beloved entertainer’s passing, as “Jolene” reenters the Sept. 5-dated chart at No. 16 and “I Will Always Love You” debuts at No. 27.  Both songs, solely written by Parton (perhaps on the same day), are from 1974. “Jolene” became Parton’s first of 23 career Hot 100 hits, reaching No. 60 that March. That year’s version of “I Will Always Love You” had never before reached the ranking, though they both hit No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. They became the second and third Hot Country Songs leaders, respectively, of her 25 total, the most among women.

Parton’s 1982 re-recording of “I Will Always Love You” hit No. 53 on the Hot 100 that year, marking her only version of the ballad to make the chart until this week. Whitney Houston famously took her cover to No. 1 for a then-record 14 weeks in 1992-93. Similarly, “Jolene” became a Hot 100 top 10 hit as reimagined by Beyoncé, who sent it to No. 7 in 2024.

Three other Parton favorites reenter the Hot 100: 

• “9 to 5,” at No. 18, spent two nonconsecutive weeks at #1 in 1981
• “Islands in the Stream,” with Kenny Rogers, at No. 26, spent two weeks at #1 1983 and was the second #1 for each artist at the time
• “Here You Come Again,” at No. 44, which peaked at #3 in 1978

Jarrett Nolan

I was born a poor Black child into a family that put the “fun” in dysfunction. But through that fun, there was A LOT of music. At a very young age, my parents introduced me to everything ranging from Doo Wop to the British Invasion to Motown to Philly Soul to Psychedlic Rock to Funk.

Since I’m a Jersey boy born-n-bred, I landed a job at WHTZ (Z100) as a producer. I gave the DJs info about artists to read on-air – most of mine were chart-related, naturally.

I did double duty at WSBG, a small market radio station in the Poconos, as a DJ because I have a face for radio.

Through a random twist of fate, I wound up at BMG Distribution in Times Square. Shortly after, I ended up at Arista (shouldn’t have done that!). My career in the music industry ended with a stint at being a personal assistant to alterna-rap act PM Dawn.

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