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Music

23rd Nov 2021

60 years later, a new number one song of all time has been crowned

Hugh Carr

number one song all time

We can’t see this being topped any time soon.

Billboard has announced a new number one song of all time, beating the previous recipient after nearly 60 years on top.

The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ has been named the most successful song of all time, beating Chubby Checker’s ‘The Twist’.

‘The Twist’ was named the most successful song of all time in 2008 based on a system that takes into account the length of weeks at number one in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and subsequent weeks on the charts.

Since March of 2020, however, the Canadian singer’s lead single from the album After Hours has remained in rotation, smashing records such as most weeks in the top 5 (43 weeks), top 10 (57 weeks), top 40 (86 weeks) and on the Hot 100 chart itself (90 weeks).

The song was the most streamed song on Spotify in 2020, and currently sits at number two in the most streamed songs of all time on the platform behind Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’.

‘Blinding Lights’ was also used in a major dance challenge on Tiktok in 2020, with the official sound being used in 1.6 million videos.

The song and the album was controversially snubbed at the Grammys in 2020.

“The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…” the singer wrote following the announcement.

The Weeknd has seen major success since the launch of After Hours, including a memorable Super Bowl performance and plans for a world tour in 2022.

In an interview with Billboard following the announcement, The Weeknd cited the game GTA: Vice City as a major inspiration behind the song.

“GTA: Vice City really opened my eyes to a lot of ’80s music, so there was a nostalgia for when I was a kid playing video games and listening to Hall & Oates and Michael Jackson while driving through the city,” he said.