The Hot 100 chart measures success across genres. Drake has the most No. 1 song debuts in history, followed by Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
The Billboard Hot 100 is widely considered the definitive all-genre singles chart in the US.
Although it was officially launched in 1958, Billboard began using modern airplay and sales data in 1991, allowing for more time-sensitive calculations and accurate rankings.
Well over 1,000 songs have reached the coveted No. 1 spot, but it’s far more difficult for a song to debut in the top position; it typically means a much-promoted single has met high expectations, or at least that an artist is supported and beloved by a legion of fans.
Keep reading for a complete list of instant chart-toppers throughout history.
Listen to the complete playlist on Business Insider’s Spotify.1. “You Are Not Alone” by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson was the first artist to achieve this feat with “You Are Not Alone”, which debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 2, 1995.
It was the second single from Jackson’s ninth album, “HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.”2. “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey
“Fantasy” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 30, 1995. It was the lead single from Mariah Carey’s fifth album, “Daydream.”3. “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston
“Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 25, 1995. It was the lead single from the soundtrack for the film “Waiting to Exhale.”4. “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
“One Sweet Day” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated December 2, 1995. It was the second single from Carey’s fifth album, “Daydream.”5. “I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy & Faith Evans, featuring 112
“I’ll Be Missing You” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 14, 1997. It was the second single from Diddy’s debut album, “No Way Out”, when he was known as Puff Daddy.6. “Honey” by Mariah Carey
“Honey” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 13, 1997. It was the lead single from Carey’s sixth album, “Butterfly.”7. “Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John
“Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 11, 1997. The double A-side single later became the first song ever to be certified diamond.8. “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion
“My Heart Will Go On” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 28, 1998.
The famous ballad was written for the soundtrack of “Titanic” and served as the movie’s main romantic theme. It was also released as a single from Dion’s fifth English-language album, “Let’s Talk About Love.”9. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 5, 1998. It was recorded for the film “Armageddon.”10. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” by Lauryn Hill
“Doo Wop (That Thing)” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 14, 1998. It was the lead single from Lauryn Hill’s debut album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”, which won the Grammy Award for album of the year.11. “This Is the Night” by Clay Aiken
“This Is the Night” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 28, 2003. It was Clay Aiken’s debut single after competing on season two of “American Idol.”12. “I Believe” by Fantasia
“I Believe” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 10, 2004. It was Fantasia’s debut single after winning season three of “American Idol.”13. “Inside Your Heaven” by Carrie Underwood
“Inside Your Heaven” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 2, 2005. It was Carrie Underwood’s debut single after winning season four of “American Idol.”
Underwood made history as the first country artist to have a No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100.14. “Do I Make You Proud” by Taylor Hicks
“Do I Make You Proud” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 1, 2006. Taylor Hicks first performed the song on the fifth season finale of “American Idol”, and it was released as a single shortly after his victory.15. “3” by Britney Spears
“3” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 24, 2009. It was the lead (and only) single from Britney Spears’ second greatest hits album, “The Singles Collection.”16. “Not Afraid” by Eminem
“Not Afraid” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 22, 2010. It was the lead single from Eminem’s seventh album, “Recovery.”17. “We R Who We R” by Ke$ha
“We R Who We R” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 13, 2010. It was the lead single from Kesha’s debut EP, “Cannibal.”18. “Hold It Against Me” by Britney Spears
“Hold It Against Me” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 29, 2011. It was the lead single from Spears’ seventh album, “Femme Fatale.”19. “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga
“Born This Way” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 26, 2011. It was the lead single from Lady Gaga’s second studio album of the same name.20. “Part Of Me” by Katy Perry
“Part of Me” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 3, 2012. It was the lead single from “Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection”, a reissue of Katy Perry’s third album.21. “Harlem Shake” by Baauer
“Harlem Shake” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 2, 2013.
Baauer’s viral hit benefited from a recent adjustment to the Hot 100’s formula, which saw the chart begin incorporating YouTube data. The chart methodology is updated at least once a year to reflect rapidly evolving listening trends. (YouTube song user-generated content was later removed from chart calculations in 2020.)22. “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift
“Shake It Off” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 6, 2014. It was released as the lead single from Taylor Swift’s fifth album, “1989.”23. “What Do You Mean?” by Justin Bieber
“What Do You Mean?” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 19, 2015. It was the lead single from Justin Bieber’s fourth album, “Purpose.”24. “Hello” by Adele
“Hello” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 14, 2015. It was the lead single from Adele’s third studio album “25”, which sold over 3 million copies in its first week.25. “Pillowtalk” by Zayn
“Pillowtalk” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 20, 2016. It was the lead single from Zayn’s debut solo album, “Mind of Mine.”26. “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 28, 2016. It was the lead single for the soundtrack of the film “Trolls.”27. “Shape Of You” by Ed Sheeran
“Shape of You” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 28, 2017. It was one of the lead singles, along with “Castle on the Hill”, from Ed Sheeran’s third album, “Divide.”28. “I’m The One” by DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne
“I’m the One” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 20, 2017. It was the second single from DJ Khaled’s 10th album, “Grateful.”29. “God’s Plan” by Drake
“God’s Plan” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 3, 2018. It was the lead single from Drake’s fifth studio album, “Scorpion.”30. “Nice for What” by Drake
“Nice for What” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 21, 2018. It was released as the second single from “Scorpion.”31. “This Is America” by Childish Gambino
“This Is America” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 19, 2018. It was released as a standalone single and later became the first rap song to win record of the year at the 2019 Grammys.32. “Thank U, Next” by Ariana Grande
“Thank U, Next” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 17, 2018. It was the lead single from Ariana Grande’s fifth studio album of the same name.33. “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande
“7 Rings” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 2, 2019. It was the second single from “Thank U, Next.”34. “Sucker” by the Jonas Brothers
“Sucker” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 16, 2019. It was the lead single from the Jonas Brothers’ fifth studio album, “Happiness Begins.
