Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ Atop Hot 100 for Sixth Week, Six Holiday Classics Scale Top 10

Taylor Swift‘s “Anti-Hero” rules the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a sixth week, encompassing its entire run on the ranking so far. The single is just the 10th in the Hot 100’s history to have spent its first six weeks on the chart at No. 1.

Meanwhile, six holiday classics light up the Hot 100’s top 10, led by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which rises from No. 5 to No. 2 and becomes the most-streamed song in the U.S., while two carols return to the region: Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (19-9) and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” (23-10).

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Dec. 10, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 6). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

In the Nov. 25-Dec. 1 tracking week, “Anti-Hero,” released on Republic Records, tallied 68.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 6%), 20.9 million streams (down 19%) and 13,000 sold (up 15%), according to Luminate. Aiding its sales sum, 10 previously-released versions of the song (its original, acoustic and instrumental versions; mixes featuring Bleachers; and its ILLENIUM, Jayda G, Kungs and Roosevelt remixes) were made available again in Swift’s webstore, discounted to 69 cents each, from late Nov. 30 through Dec. 1.

The single rebounds from No. 2 for a third week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart; holds at its No. 2 high on Radio Songs; and drops 2-6 after two weeks atop Streaming Songs.

As “Anti-Hero” tops the Hot 100 for a sixth week, Swift moves to within a week of her longest reign: “Blank Space” dominated for seven weeks in 2014-15.

Five weeks ago, “Anti-Hero” blasted in atop the Hot 100, as Swift made history as the first artist to monopolize the chart’s entire top 10 in a single week, with all tracks all from her new album Midnights.

Meanwhile, of the 64 singles that have debuted atop the Hot 100, “Anti-Hero” is just the 10th to have spent at least its first six weeks on the chart at No. 1.

Singles to Spend Their First Six Weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1:
Title, Artist, Year(s), Weeks at No. 1 from debut (marking titles’ total weeks at No. 1 unless otherwise noted)
“Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift, 2022 (six, to-date)
“Butter,” BTS, 2021 (seven / 10 weeks at No. 1 total)
“Drivers License,” Olivia Rodrigo, 2021 (eight)
“God’s Plan,” Drake, 2018 (11)
“Hello,” Adele, 2015-16 (10)
“Born This Way,” Lady Gaga, 2011 (six)
“Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” 1997-98 (14)
“I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112, 1997 (11)
“One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 1995-96 (16)
“Fantasy,” Mariah Carey, 1995 (eight)

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” jingles 5-2 on the Hot 100, with 30.3 million streams (up 41%), 29.8 million airplay audience impressions (up 45%, good for top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100), and 5,000 sold (up 59%). It surges 3-1 for 16th cumulative week atop Streaming Songs, 14-7 on Digital Song Sales and dashes 38-23 on Radio Songs. It also crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 53rd week, of the chart’s 58 total frames since the list launched in 2011; it has topped the ranking for 38 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season, and rules as the top title on the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.

The song sports a record-setting history on the Hot 100, following its 1994 release on Carey’s 1994 album Merry Christmas. As streaming grew through the 2010s and holiday music became more prominent in Yuletide playlists on multiple streaming services, the song first hit the top 10 (reaching No. 9) in December 2017 and the top five (No. 3) in the 2018 holiday season. In December 2019, it ascended to the summit, 25 years after its original release, becoming the second holiday hit to reign, after “The Chipmunk Song” by David Seville & the Chipmunks spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning in December 1958.

“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, as she extended her mark for the most leaders among soloists and pushed to within one of The Beatles’ overall record 20.

As “Christmas” dominated the Hot 100 for three weeks on the charts dated Dec. 21, 2019, through Jan. 4, 2020, Carey also became the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the survey in four distinct decades. The track led again for two weeks in the 2020 holiday season, passing “The Chipmunk Song” for the most for a seasonal song, and ruled for three more frames over the 2021 holidays, upping its total to eight weeks at No. 1.

Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” originally released in 1958, climbs 6-3 on the Hot 100. It has peaked at No. 2 in each of the last three holiday seasons. The song claims the Hot 100’s top Streaming and Sales Gainer awards, up 51% to 29.9 million streams and 292% to 4,000 sold, while also soaring by 30% to 26.2 million in radio reach.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” slips 3-4 on the Hot 100, after it topped the Oct. 29-dated chart, as it leads Radio Songs for a third week (77.4 million in audience, up 8%).

The late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, rises 9-5 on the Hot 100 and the late Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from 1964, advances 10-6. The standards have reached Nos. 3 and 4 respective peaks in each of the last three holiday seasons.

Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” falls to No. 7 on the Hot 100 after spending its first three weeks on the chart at No. 2 (dating to its debut when Drake placed eight songs in the top 10 and 21 Savage, seven). The collab controls the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a fourth week each.

Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” descends 4-8 on the Hot 100, following three weeks at No. 1 in October. It concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 15th week each and Hot R&B Songs for a 13th frame.

Andy Williams’ 1963 chestnut “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” roars 19-9 on the Hot 100; it hit a No. 5 high in the 2020 holiday season. The song’s latest week in the top 10 extends the late Williams’ record for the longest span of an artist appearing in the tier to 63 years and two months, dating to his first week in the top 10 with “Lonely Street,” on the chart dated Oct. 12, 1959.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” jumps 23-10; released in 1984, the song by the duo of George Michael (who died in 2016) and Andrew Ridgeley first reached the top 10 during the 2020 holidays and lifted to a No. 7 high last holiday season.

Notably, Backstreet Boys’ new cover of “Last Christmas” spends a second week at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary airplay chart. Praised Michael’s family and George Michael Entertainment on his official Facebook account of the coronation, “George would have been delighted. What a great start to December!”

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Dec. 10), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 6).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.