Harry Styles’ ‘Watermelon Sugar’ Surges to Top of Billboard Hot 100, Becoming His First No. 1
Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar" tops the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, becoming his first No. 1 on the ranking, as it blasts from No. 7.
Harry Styles‘ “Watermelon Sugar” takes the top seed on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, becoming his first No. 1 on the ranking, as it blasts from No. 7.
Styles is the second member of One Direction to have led the Hot 100, following Zayn with “Pillowtalk” in 2016.
Plus, The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights,” at No. 4 on the Hot 100, scores a historic week on two other charts, and Billie Eilish‘s “My Future” soars onto the Hot 100 at No. 6, marking her third top 10 and highest debut.
Let’s run down the top 10 of the newest Hot 100, which blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Aug. 15) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 11).
“Watermelon Sugar,” released on Erskine/Columbia Records, is the 1,107th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 62-year history.
Here’s a deeper look at the song’s coronation.
No. 1 sales, No. 2 in airplay: “Watermelon Sugar” bounds 9-1 on the Digital Song Sales chart, up 614% to 63,000 downloads sold in the week ending Aug. 6, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. It pushes 3-2 on Radio Songs, up 8% to 71.7 million audience impressions in the week ending Aug. 9, and jumps 29-18 on Streaming Songs, although down 1% to 14.2 million U.S. streams in the week ending Aug. 6.
The song was on sale in Styles’ webstore via three physical/digital combination offerings during the tracking week ending Aug. 6. Consumers could buy cassette and vinyl singles (priced at $14.98-$15.98), with each purchase including a digital download; the download (the sale of which contributed to the latest tracking week) would be sent upon purchase, with physical versions due to arrive at a later date. The song (its original version and an instrumental) was also sale-priced to 69 cents at all digital retailers during the tracking week.
Styles scores his second Digital Song Sales No. 1, after “Sign of the Times” led for a week upon its debut in April 2017. On Radio Songs, he matches his best rank; prior single “Adore You” peaked at No. 2 in early July.
New videos, #WatermelonSugarDay: Further enhancing the profile for “Watermelon Sugar” in the tracking week, an official “behind the scenes” video for the song premiered July 31, while a “lost tour visual” clip arrived Aug. 3.
Plus, the hashtag #WatermelonSugarDay trended Aug. 3 (coinciding with National Watermelon Day, the slice of the year that “recognizes the refreshing summertime treat enjoyed at picnics and fairs”).
Harry’s history: As Styles achieves his first Hot 100 No. 1, he surpasses his prior best rank, earned when “Sign of the Times” debuted and peaked at No. 4 in April 2017. In his other top 10 visit as a soloist, “Adore You” reached No. 6 this April.
One Direction, two leaders: Styles becomes the second member of One Direction to have led the Hot 100, following Zayn, whose “Pillowtalk” reigned in its debut week in February 2016.
As a group, One Direction has tallied six Hot 100 top 10s, reaching a No. 2 best. Its debut smash “What Makes You Beautiful” hit No. 4 in April 2012, followed by “Live While We’re Young” (No. 3, October 2012); “Best Song Ever” (No. 2, August 2013); “Story of My Life” (No. 6, November 2013); “Drag Me Down” (No. 3, August 2015); and “Perfect” (No. 10, November 2015).
Zayn departed the act, which is currently on hiatus, in 2015.
1D is, thus, now among an elite listing of groups with multiple members that have topped the Hot 100 solo. The Beatles became the first such act, when, after landing a record 20 No. 1s in 1964-70, George Harrison and Paul McCartney earned their first leaders apart from the band in 1970 and 1971, respectively. (By 1974, Ringo Starr and John Lennon also led solo.)
Sweet success: Styles’ new Hot 100 No. 1 marks the first leader with “watermelon” in its title. One such song previously hit the top 10: Mongo Santamaria Band’s “Watermelon Man” (No. 7, 1963).
Meanwhile, Styles scores the sixth Hot 100 No. 1 with “sugar” in its title, and the first in over 49 years. The song follows Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs’ “Sugar Shack” (five weeks on top in 1963); Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” (two, 1965); The Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar” (four, 1969); The Guess Who’s double-sided “American Woman”/”No Sugar Tonight” (three, 1970); and The Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar” (two, 1971).
DaBaby’s seven-week Hot 100 leader “Rockstar,” featuring Roddy Ricch, holds at No. 2. It rebounds for a 10th week at No. 1 on Streaming Songs (30.2 million, down 8%), slips 2-3 on Radio Songs (70.6 million, up 4%) and rises 7-6 on Digital Song Sales (9,000, down 4%).
“Rockstar” concurrently leads the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which use the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100, for a ninth week each.
Jack Harlow’s “Whats Poppin,” featuring DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne, keeps at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 2.
The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” ascends 5-4 on the Hot 100, following its four-week rule, and tops Radio Songs for a record-tying 18th frame (79.2 million in audience, up 4%). It matches Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” for the longest Radio Songs command since the chart started in December 1990.
Most Weeks at No. 1 on Radio Songs
18, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, April 18, 2020
18, “Iris,” Goo Goo Dolls, beginning Aug. 1, 1998
16, “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, Aug. 4, 2018
16, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, May 28, 2005
16, “Don’t Speak,” No Doubt, Dec. 7, 1996
“Blinding Lights” also tops the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart for a record-breaking 21st week. It bests three 20-week No. 1s for the mark, including another by The Weeknd, dating to the ranking’s October 2012 start: Drake’s “One Dance,” featuring WizKid and Kyla (2016); The Weeknd’s “Starboy,” featuring Daft Punk (2016-17); and Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” (2017).
SAINt JHN’s “Roses” climbs 8-5 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 4, as it dominates the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 15th week.
Billie Eilish’s “My Future,” released July 30, roars onto the Hot 100 at No. 6 following its first full week of tracking. It flies 50-3 on Digital Song Sales (15,000) and opens at No. 3 on Streaming Songs (20.9 million), while having drawn 7.4 million in radio reach in the tracking week.
Eilish adds her third Hot 100 top 10 and notches her highest debut, topping the No. 7 start in April 2019 of “Bad Guy,” which led for a week last August. She returned to the top 10 last November with the No. 8-peaking “Everything I Wanted.”
“My Future” concurrently crowns the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts (bounding from No. 18 on each list), becoming Eilish’s first No. 1 on each ranking.
Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo’s “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” hits a new Hot 100 high, rising 10-7.
Taylor Swift’s “Cardigan” falls to No. 8 on the Hot 100 a week after it launched at No. 1. After bowing atop Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales, it falls to No. 5 on the former (17.5 million, down 48%) and No. 8 on the latter (8,000, down 88%), while entering Radio Songs at No. 43 (19.2 million, up 51%).
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Chris Brown and Young Thug’s “Go Crazy” returns to the region at a new peak (12-9) and Lil Mosey’s “Blueberry Faygo” also re-enters the tier (11-10), after reaching No. 8.
For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 11), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.