The songs rank at Nos. 1 and 2 again, respectively, while the former takes over atop Radio Songs and the latter crowns Digital Songs.
Katy Perry's "Dark Horse," featuring Juicy J, scores a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, although Pharrell Williams' "Happy" gallops closer with across-the-board-gains as it holds at No. 2.
As we do each Wednesday, let's call the race among the songs jockeying for the best positions in the Hot 100's top 10.
Perry's ninth Hot 100 No. 1 (and Juicy J's first) continues its command, aided most notably by its coronation (2-1) on the Radio Songs airplay chart, where it gains by 8% to 143 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen BDS. "Horse" marks Perry's seventh Radio Songs No. 1, tying her with Usher for the third-best sum in the chart's 23-year history. Rihanna leads with 12 toppers, followed by Mariah Carey (11). (Read on for more about Carey on this week's Hot 100.)
"Horse" crowns the subscription services-based On-Demand Songs chart (3 million U.S. streams, down 1%, according to BDS) for a sixth week and holds at No. 3 on Streaming Songs (which it led three weeks ago) with 6.2 million streams (down 5%). It descends 1-2 after five weeks atop Digital Songs, with a 5% decline to 277,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
While "Horse" trots into the Hot 100's winner's circle again, Pharrell's "Happy" is fast on the move, holding at No. 2 for a second week with Airplay Gainer honors for a fourth straight week and Digital Gainer kudos for a second frame. "Happy" becomes Williams' first Digital Songs No. 1 (2-1) as a lead artist (and third overall), as it swells by 31% to 329,000 downloads sold. It concurrently storms 10-4 on Radio Songs (109 million, up 27%); 11-7 on Streaming Songs (4.4 million, up 19%); and 11-4 on On-Demand Songs (1.9 million, up 21%).
"Happy" also spends a second week at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Clearly, the stage is set for another fierce battle for No. 1 on next week's Hot 100. "Horse" drops by 1% in overall points and "Happy" hikes by 28%, with "Horse" now boasting a slim 5% points lead. Last week, "Horse" finished first over "Happy" by a 30% margin.