ABC/Mark LevineSomething would have had to go very, very wrong for “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus not to be Billboard’s official 2019 Song of the Summer.
The publication’s Songs of the Summer chart tracks a song’s performance from Memorial Day through Labor Day based on streaming, airplay and sales. Since “Old Town Road” was number one on the ranking for all 14 weeks the chart tracked, it’s, of course, earned the official Song of the Summer title. The song also topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-breaking 19 weeks.
“Old Town Road” is the fifth Song of the Summer to have remained at number one on the chart from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The other four are “Despacito,” Drake‘s ‘One Dance,” Iggy Azalea‘s “Fancy” and Katy Perry‘s “California Gurls.”
Meanwhile, the number two Song of the Summer is Billie Eilish’s “bad guy,” followed by Khalid‘s “Talk,” “I Don’t Care” by Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber, and Lizzo‘s “Truth Hurts.”
Incidentally, “Truth Hurts” has finally hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was first released in 2017, but debuted on the chart on May 18 after being featured in the Netflix film Someone Great. It took 17 weeks for it to reach the summit.
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