The reign is not yet over.
Eminem’s “The Monster (featuring Rihanna)” is knocking ever furiously on the door, but Lorde’s “Royals” kept it shut for at least another week. The smash hit extended its streak atop the Hot 100 to nine weeks.
The inevitable takeover is looming, however, and the race is now on to see if “Royals” can hold firm for a tenth week.
While “Royals”‘ counts in radio spins, streams and on-demand plays were all down this week, its ranking on each of the corresponding charts held tight (#1, #2 and #2, respectively). Digital downloads, also steady from a chart perspective (at #2), improved this week.
According to Billboard, Lorde becomes the fifth female to score a reign of at least nine weeks for her Hot 100 debut. Carly Rae Jepsen and Ke$ha also hit the nine week mark with “Call Me Maybe” and “Tik Tok,” respectively,” while Debby Boone and Ashanti spent ten weeks at the top with their respective hits “You Light Up My Life” and “Foolish.”
Separated by just 0.4% in the Hot 100 scoring system, Eminem’s “The Monster” claimed second for a third consecutive week.
Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” repeated at number three, while OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” climbed to fourth. Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” slipped one spot to close out the top five.
The next five positions: Imagine Dragons’ “Demons” (#6), Katy Perry’s “Roar” (#7), Pitbull’s “Timber (featuring Ke$ha)” (#8), Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” (#9) and Paseenger’s “Let Her Go” (#10).
The latter, which had been gaining ground in America for months and solidified its status as a hit after Cole Vosbury performed it on “The Voice,” made its first appearance in the Top 10.