Harry Styles‘ “As It Was” continues as the biggest song in the world, as it logs a ninth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. On the latter list, the song ties for the longest reign yet.
Meanwhile, fellow British singer-songwriter Kate Bush‘s 1985 classic “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” blasts onto the surveys at Nos. 3 and 5, respectively, powered by its sync in the new fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things.
The two charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
Styles No. 1, Bush No. 3 on Global 200
Harry Styles’ “As It Was” adds a ninth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, all from its debut week, with 96.7 million streams (down 17%) and 16,500 sold (down 15%) worldwide in the May 27-June 2 tracking week.
Bad Bunny boasts three songs in the Global 200’s top five, all from his album Un Verano Sin Ti: “Me Porto Bonito,” with Chencho Corleone, rises to a new No. 2 high from No. 3; “Tití Me Preguntó” climbs 7-4, also reaching a new best; and “Ojitos Lindos,” with Bomba Estéreo, backtracks to No. 5 from its No. 4 high.
Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” roars onto the Global 200 at No. 3, fueled by its placement in Netflix’s Stranger Things. The fourth season of the ’80s-set show, which premiered May 27, incorporates the song in multiple episodes, serving as a recurring theme for the character of Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink.
The song bows with 49.1 million streams and 28,600 sold worldwide May 27-June 2, both totals up from nominal levels.
The classic by the English singer-songwriter, who first appeared on Billboard‘s charts in 1979, initially hit No. 30 on the U.S-based Billboard Hot 100 in November 1985, prior to re-entering at No. 8 on the latest list. The track, which Bush solely wrote and produced, reached No. 3 on the Official UK Singles chart in 1985 and has likewise returned to that tally’s top 10.
‘As It Was’ Ties Longest Global Excl. U.S. Reign
As on the Global 200, Harry Styles’ “As It Was” claims a ninth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, all from its debut atop the list, with 70.9 million streams (down 15%) and 9,100 sold (down 5%) in territories outside the U.S. in the May 27-June 2 tracking week.
The song ties for the chart’s longest Global Excl. U.S. command yet, matching previous nine-week leaders “abcdefu” by GAYLE (beginning this January), “Stay” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber and “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo (both in 2021).
Bad Bunny lines up the next three songs in the Global Excl. U.S. top five, as “Me Porto Bonito,” with Chencho Corleone, rises to a new No. 2 best from No. 4; “Ojitos Lindos,” with Bomba Estéreo, drops to No. 3 from its No. 2 high; and “Tití Me Preguntó” ascends 5-4 for a new best rank.
Rounding out the Global Excl. U.S. top five, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” debuts at No. 5 with 31.7 million streams and 10,200 sold outside the U.S., up from negligible sums.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated June 11, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (June 7). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard‘s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes an exhaustive and thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data, removing any suspicious or unverifiable activity using established criteria before final chart calculations are made and published. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious and unverifiable is disqualified prior to final calculations.