Bad Bunny and Harry Styles are back in the spots it’s been hard to force them out of for the last few months: at No. 1 on Billboard’s album and song charts, respectively. But the real achievement of the week may belong to someone who’s hovering below them: country star Morgan Wallen, who has set a record for his longevity in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.
Wallen’s “Dangerous: The Double Album” has just established a new mark for the album by a single artist that has spent the most weeks in the Billboard album chart’s top 10: 86. The previous record-holder (per Billboard) was the debut album by folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, which spent 85 weeks in the top 10 in the early ’60s. He’s also recently passed longevity marks for Adele’s “21” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” each of which spent 84 weeks in the top 10.
“Dangerous” is not the all-time record-holder for any album’s longevity; there are seven albums with even longer streaks than Wallen’s 86 weeks, but all of them are soundtracks or cast albums. If Wallen wants to surpass the mark for any album, period, he will have to last past the 173 weeks accumulated by the “My Fair Lady” original Broadway cast album in the late ’50s.
“Dangerous” stepped up three positions, back up to No. 2, this week, despite a modest 5% decline, adding 48,000 album equivalent units to its coffers. There was no danger of it returning to No. 1, though, as long as Bad Bunny is around. His “Un Verano Sin Ti” returns to the top, far ahead of Wallen and the rest of the pack, with 99,500 units.
In the 18 weeks Bad Bunny’s album has been out, it has never dropped below No. 2. Is it possible “Un Verano Sin Ti” is so strong that it could break Wallen’s record for top 10 longevity someday? Right now, that doesn’t seem impossible, so let’s give it another 68 weeks or so and find out.
The top debut for the week is Megadeth’s “The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!,” inat No. 3 with 48,000 equivalent album units (of which 45,000 came via traditional album sales). It’s Megadeth’s eighth top 10 album since the group first charted that high in 1992.
The other album to debut in the top 10 is Santos’ “Fórmula, Vol. 3,” bowing at No. 10 with 26,000 units.
Holdovers in the Billboard 200’s top 10 include DJ Khaled’s “God Did” at No. 4 (falling from its debut atop the chart last week), Styles’ “Harry’s House” at No. 5, Beyone’s “Renaissance”at No. 6, Rod Wave at No. 7, the Weeknd at No. 8 and Twice at No. 9.
Styles is as indomitable on the Billboard Hot 100 as Bad Bunny is on the album chart. So it’s not just a pair of acting roles he has to celebrate this week, as “As It Was” enjoys a non-consecutive 13th week at No. 1. Not far behind it is another Styles hit, “Late Night Walking,” which reaches a new peak of No. 3, well ahead of its No. 12 placement on the previous week’s chart.
While the Hot 100’s top 10 consists mostly of holdovers, a oneRepublic song, “I Ain’t Worried,” does make its own leap into that territory, landing at No. 8 from last week’s No. 14 position. It’s easily the top-charting song from the “Top Gun: Maverick” soundtrack, as Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” peaked at No. 49 upon entry three months ago.
Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” maintains its No. 2 position from the previous week. Nicky Youre and Dazy’s “Sunroof” rises one spot to No. 4. Following behind: Lizzo’s former charttopper “about Damn Time” at No. 5, Post Malone and Doja Cat’s’s “I Like You (A Happier Song)” at No. 6, Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” at No. 7, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” at No. 9 and Wallen’s “You Proof” at No. 10.
