(Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage via Getty Images)
17 weeks later, Lil Nas X is still breaking records. His viral hit, “Old Town Road,” has remained in the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks and counting. The previous record was set at 16 weeks, a length of time only achieved by two other songs, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” featuring Justin Bieber, and “One Sweet Day” by Boyz II Men featuring Mariah Carey. Thanks to a string of viral moments on TikTok, Twitter and other social media platforms, “Old Town Road” has become the most frequently downloaded, bought and streamed song in the world. The viral fusion of country and trap music, featuring an obscure Nine Inch Nails sample, has infiltrated every corner of the internet and public consciousness. In addition to the infamous Billie Ray Cyrus remix that quickened Lil Nas X’s rise to stardom, he has three other remixes of the song — two of which came out in the last month. The hit song’s popularity has shown no signs of waning.
Billboard Hot 100: #1(=) Old Town Road, @LilNasX & @billyraycyrus [21 weeks]. *record breaking seventeenth week at #1*
— chart data (@chartdata) July 29, 2019