Sam Hunt Rates a Perfect 10 Atop Hot Country Songs With ‘Take Your Time’
The song becomes just the 16th No. 1 all-time to reign for at least 10 weeks. Plus, moves for Billy Currington and Thomas Rhett.
Sam Hunt‘s “Take Your Time” does just that atop Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart (dated April 25), as it appears to be in no apparent hurry to depart the summit. The love song reigns for a 10th week, marking just the 16th single to rule for double-digit weeks since the chart launched as a multi-metric survey in October 1958.
Notably, 11 of the No. 1s to dominate for at least 10 weeks led between 1958 and 1964 and the other five have ruled since October 2012. The reason for the extreme gap? Largely, changes in chart methodology through the years. While long rules were common in the late ’50s and early ’60s, Hot Country Songs eventually segued to greeting a new No. 1 almost weekly in the ’80s.
Turnover at the top slowed significantly when the chart became a Nielsen Music-based airplay-only ranking beginning in January 1990, but no songs again led for at least 10 weeks until Billboard transformed the tally into an airplay/sales/streaming hybrid chart in October 2012.
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“Time” logs the longest stay at No. 1 since Jason Aldean‘s “Burnin’ It Down” smoldered at the summit for 14 weeks beginning on Aug. 9, 2014. The record: Florida Georgia Line‘s “Cruise,” which dominated for 24 weeks beginning in December 2012 (and later benefited from its pop crossover success).
“Time” tops Country Digital Songs for a 12th week, with 60,000 downloads sold in the week ending April 12. It leads Country Streaming Songs for a ninth frame, with 3 million U.S. streams (up 9 percent). It holds at its No. 2 high on Country Airplay (44 million impressions, up 1 percent), while also crossing to a No. 40 debut on the Adult Pop Songs airplay chart.
Below Hunt, two songs make notable news on Hot Country Songs. Billy Currington collects his 12th top 10 as “Don’t It” rises 11-10 with top Airplay Gainer honors. It lifts 10-8 on Country Airplay (31 million, up 16 percent) and 15-12 on Country Digital Songs (20,000, up 5 percent).
Meanwhile, Thomas Rhett scores the Hot Shot Debut on Hot Country Songs with “Crash and Burn” at No. 21 (marking the highest bow of his nine chart entries). The bouncy, ’60s-influenced song launches, also as the highest new title, at No. 4 on Country Digital Songs (40,000 in its first week) and No. 38 on Country Airplay (4.4 million).