The 18th most popular song of 2023, according to Billboard’s Hot 100, was Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer,’ a song she finally released as a single four years after it first appeared on the album Lover.
At #19 is Morgan Wallen, with his third song in the top 20. ‘Thinkin’ Bout Me’ was the sixth single released from his 36-track album One Thing at a Time, a record that saw every one of its songs chart on the Hot 100. This was one of five songs from the album to reach the Top Ten.
Morgan Wallen is having a hell of a year. The country star released his third studio album, One Thing at a Time, in March and saw all 36(!) of its tracks reach the Billboard Hot 100.
That gave him the record for most songs on the list at one time (sorry, Drake). Of course, if any major artist decides to release a 37-track album that record will easily fall. Taylor Swift, Rihanna… get on it. Perhaps more impressive, Wallen also occupied five of the top ten slots for a period.
In a special year-end edition of ‘What the Kids are Listening To,’ I will spend the next two weeks looking at the Billboard Hot 100 singles for all of 2022.
If I did my job right last year, most of the songs at the top of the Hot 100 will have already appeared on the blog. And indeed that turns out to be the case. The first single on the chart to not yet show up as a Song of the Day is all the way down at #27. I’ll list the first 26 before getting to that one.
Country star Morgan Wallen owns the #12 spot on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, with ‘Wasted On You,’ a song that peaked at #9. Another track from Wallen’s most recent album has also reached the top ten, making him the rare country artist to see consistent success on this chart.
My knowledge of Wallen extends only to the headlines. First it was the cancelled SNL appearance due to his breaking COVID protocols in the week before the show. Then it was him getting caught on tape using the n-word during a drunken night out with friends. Not a good look.
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