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?!”
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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