Will Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song' Mark A Historic 17th Week At No.1?

The contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top Bulletin board charts and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming November 16 Billboard Hot 100, we look at Shaboozey's chances of becoming just the second single in chart history to spend 17 weeks at No. 1.

Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (American Dogwood/EMPIRE/Magnolia Music): This week, Shaboozey's “A Bar Song” reclaims the top spot on the Hot 100 from Morgan Wallen's “Love Somebody,” fending off a tough Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga's “Die With a Smile” to claim Week 16 at the top of the chart. That 16 frames at No. 1 is already a record, matching the longest reign on the chart this decade, a record previously held solely by the aforementioned Wallen with the previous year's “Last Night.”

Now, “A Bar Song” is set for a week of 17 – which would take it past “Last Night,” along with fellow 16-week No. 1s “One Sweet Day” (Mariah Carey & Boyz Men , 1995-96) and “Despacito” (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, 2017) in sole possession of second place for the biggest hit in Hot 100 history. A 17th week at No. 1 would not only set a new mark for this decade, but it would also be the longest for a song by just one artist.From there, the only song that will stay in the history books will be “Old Town Road” (Lil Nas X feat. . Billy Ray Cyrus), with 19 weeks at No. 1 in 2019.

Will it get there? Well, his numbers are still slipping, but very slowly, as he looks on pace to score a 15th week atop Radio Songs and may recover some on Streaming Songs with Tyler, the Creator Chromaticity album (released Monday morning, October 28) now in its second(-ish) frame. As has long been the case with “A Bar Song,” the song is a solid enough performer that it's still unlikely to simply cede the throne. Another song will probably have to come and actively grab it from Shaboozey.

Tyler, the Creator's feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne, “Sticky” (Colombia): Shocking – Tyler's biggest hit early, Creator's top spot (and pace setter) Chromaticity The album seems to be the one with all the rap hitmaker guest stars. “Sticky,” which features not only 2024 sensations GloRilla and Sexyy Red, but one of the most successful rappers in Bulletin board story (and Tyler's own hero) in the legendary Lil Wayne, has taken over the album's top performing song on Apple Music and iTunes, and is also climbing the daily chart on Spotify, looking to take over from 'St . Chroma' (which debuts at No. 7 on this week's Hot 100) as the set's best-performing Hot 100 single.

Does this mean “Sticky” will be in the hunt for the top spot on the chart in the next frame in its first full week of tracking? Maybe not enough – it still has a long way to go after debuting at No. 14 this week, and radio is sure to do little to help, as the song's first lead verse makes it a challenging full airplay (where Tyler doesn't did it ever have much success at first). But if he continues to grow at the rate he's been, he could be a major challenger for Shaboozey in the coming weeks — especially if hip-hop radio decides to stick with parts of the song featuring GloRilla and Sexyy Red, two of the most reliable fixtures of the year in the format.

Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga, “Die With a Smile” (Streamline/Interscope/Atlantic/ICLG): “Die With a Smile” hit No. 1 last week and fell a bit, but that doesn't mean it's out of the running now. Even with the song likely to slip in sales and streams just a week after the duo debuted new live and acoustic versions of it, it continues to grow at radio airplay, jumping 11-9 on Radio Songs this week and should to remain elevated next week. Could the Grammy nominations announced this Friday (with 'Smile' a strong contender for a nod in multiple categories) be enough to put it over the top next week? Bruno and Gaga certainly didn't get to where they are today by leaving potential No.1s on the table, so another concerted push before the song's chart run ends is always a possibility.

Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather” (Darkroom/Interscope/ICLG): Speaking of No. 2 hits — another single that “Bar Song” has so far held at No. 2 is Billie Eilish's long-running Hit with hard and soft smash, which went silver the week after its official video was released, and which sits at No. 3 on the chart behind “Bar Song” and “Smile” this week. There's nothing new to talk about the song this week, but it remains a steady performer on both streaming and radio (having topped Pop Airplay for seven weeks and Adult Pop Airplay for three weeks) — and it might as well be nominated for a Grammy next week, with Billie being one of the most celebrated artists at the awards this decade.