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.
