We’ve been living through “late nights in the middle of June” for close to two years straight. As Billboard reports, Glass Animals’ earworm “Heat Waves” has broken the record for the longest charting Hot 100 single.
“Heat Waves” has now spent 91 weeks as one of the most-played songs in the US, edging past the previous record of 90 weeks set by The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.” The top five is rounded out by Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” (87 weeks), AWOLNATION’s “Sail” (79 weeks), and Dua Lipa’s “Levitating (77 weeks).
A hit on platforms new and old, TikTok to traditional radio, “Heat Waves” also set a record for the most time on the chart before reaching No. 1, peaking in March of 2022 after 59 weeks. According to Billboard, it became the 1,134th No. 1 in the 63-year history of the Hot 100’s.
“Wow, all I can say is wow,” Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley said in a statement to Billboard. “Many of you know when I wrote this song I was writing about missing someone I loved very dearly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would lead to so much love and connection across the globe. You all have done that. Thank you to everyone who has helped this song reach so many people. You know who you are. Thank you.” Revisit “Heat Waves” below.
Earlier this year, Bayley hopped on a remix of Florence + The Machine’s “My Love,” and Glass Animals also delivered a cover of Lorde’s “Solar Power.”