Ask Billboard: These No. 2 Hot 100 Hits Were Actually No. 1s, Just on Other Billboard Charts
Categoria: Musica
They, too, won.
Por Billboard | 21/08/2026
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com . Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the United States. Or, reach out on Bluesky . Let’s open the latest mailbag. Related The 100 Best Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 Hits: Staff List The Biggest No. 2 Hot 100 Hits of All Time 15 Amazing Facts & Feats About No. 2 Hot 100 Hits Hi Gary, The Billboard writers certainly listed several worthy tunes regarding the best No. 2-peaking Billboard Hot 100 hits ever. I love the entire list, including the two by Madonna. Looking lower, “Soul Man,” “Live and Let Die,” “What Have I Done to Deserve This?,” “Regulate” and “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” are also definitely deserving. Gracias to the staff! Pablo Nelson Oakland, Calif. Hi Gary, Hello again. I decided that there should be a second email regarding runner-up Hot 100 hits, as I seem to need to mention these great songs that also reached No. 2 but didn’t make Billboard ’s feature. Bobby Hebb, “Sunny.” The 1966 single was eclipsed at the top by another warm-weather hit: “Summer in the City,” by The Lovin’ Spoonful, a group that had to settle for No. 2 twice: Before their No. 1, they both peaked at No. 2 with “Daydream” and “Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?” En Vogue, “Hold On.” Despite its No. 2 peak, it was the highest-charting hit called “Hold On” that week, and the group was the top-ranking vogue. Wilson Phillips’ “Hold On” was at No. 22 on the July 21, 1990, chart and Madonna’s “Vogue” was No. 33 (both after reaching No. 1). Nena, “99 Luftballoons.” It’s not too often that a politically charged record, and one that mentions Captain Kirk, goes that high, as this one did in 1984. Two, fittingly, by Twenty One Pilots : “Stressed Out” and “Heathens,” both in 2016. And two by George Michael : “I Want Your Sex,” from 1987, and the perennial “Last Christmas” by Wham!, which hopefully some year will go to No. 1. Thanks again. Pablo Thanks Pablo. I second your opinion that No. 2 Hot 100 hits make for a fun topic. Notably, Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” is continuing its historic run at No. 1 on the Hot 100 as Billboard celebrates No. 2-peaking songs, and the smash has been so big that it even prevented her from having another No. 1: When “Be Her” hit its No. 2 high in May for two weeks, it was below “Choosin’ Texas” each time. Other artists peaked at No. 2 blocked by a No. 1 of theirs, an occurrence that has become somewhat common thanks to album-bomb debut weeks and listener habits due to streaming. The week after Langley’s two weeks in the top two spots, Drake debuted at No. 1 with “Janice STFU,” directly above “Ran to Atlanta” (featuring Future and Molly Santana), also new that week, with both from his album ICEMAN . Plus, in February, as Bad Bunny kicked “DtMF” to No. 1 , “Baile Inolvidable” reached its No. 2 best. Still, “Be Her” stands as Langley’s longest-leading Count