It’s official—the “Old Town Road” is one long damn road. But, there’s a celebration to be had!
According to Billboard, Lil Nas X has officially broken the record for the longest-running No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Old Town Road” (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus) remaining in the top spot for 17 weeks. The hugely popular song beat out the two reigning songs, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber.
“Old Town Road” is also leading the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts (each, at 17 weeks) and the Songs of the Summer chart (nine weeks).
The Billboard Hot 100 has been around for 60 years, so this is a truly historic moment for the 20-year-old artist who has been on this earth for less than half of its history.
Billboard also provided a current list of the top songs with a long tenure at the top spot:
Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1
17, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, April 13, 2019
16, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, May 27, 2017
16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995
14, “Uptown Funk!,” Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
14, “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009
14, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005
14, “Candle in the Wind 1997"/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
14, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996
14, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
14, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992
The reigning champ, Carey, took to Twitter to officially congratulate Lil Nas X, imploring him to “keep living your best life!”
The winning man also took to social media to express how much this record-breaking moment means to him as he used the song as motivation to finally move out of his sister’s house.
“I have been so thankful that this blessing has been placed upon me,” Lil Nas X wrote. “This song has changed my life and the way I see the world around me in less than a year. Thank you to every single person who has been a part of this journey. As I said before, it’s just the beginning”
“Just the beginning,” indeed. This moment was certainly just a matter of time, especially since the song is hugely popular with the kids. No, really, “Old Town Road” is their damn jam.
I know one thing, that long-ridden horse has to be tired. I hope it gets a medal for its efforts.