Doja Cat, Taylor Swift, and Jung Kook.Doja Cat/Taylor Swift/BANGTANTV/YouTube
- 15 different songs hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023.
- "All I Want for Christmas Is You" kicked off the year at No. 1, just like last year.
The Billboard Hot 100 is widely considered to be the definitive all-genre chart for songs in the US.
Although it's only one way to measure popularity, earning Billboard's highest rank is a huge achievement for an artist, whether it's a No. 1 debut like "Flowers" or a slow-burn climb to the summit like "Cruel Summer."
Indeed, artists like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and Drake defined pop music this year, dominating the Hot 100 for several weeks at a time. Country artists like Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan also enjoyed an upswing in chart success.
Every song that took the top spot in 2023 is listed below, in chronological order of its original peak date.
1. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey in "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Mariah Carey/YouTube
After three straight weeks at No. 1 in December 2022, Mariah Carey's holiday classic "All I Want for Christmas Is You" remained atop the chart for the first week of 2023.
2. "Anti-Hero" by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift in "Anti-Hero." Taylor Swift/YouTube
3. "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus in "Flowers." Miley Cyrus/YouTube
"Flowers," the lead single from Miley Cyrus' eighth album "Endless Summer Vacation," became the first major hit of 2023.
The song debuted at No. 1 in January and remained atop the chart for six consecutive weeks. After a brief hiatus, it returned in March for another two weeks.
4. "Die for You" by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande
The Weeknd and Ariana Grande perform at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
"Die For You" was originally released in 2016 with his third studio album "Starboy."
In early 2023, the song was resurrected and went viral on TikTok, so The Weeknd released a new remix featuring Ariana Grande. It topped the Hot 100 for one week in March.
5. "Last Night" by Morgan Wallen
Morgan Wallen in "Last Night." Morgan Wallen/YouTube
"Last Night" jumped to the top spot on the chart dated March 18, 2023, becoming Morgan Wallen's first No. 1 hit.
It went on to notch 16 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, the most ever for a solo song.
6. "Vampire" by Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo in "Vampire." Olivia Rodrigo/YouTube
"Vampire" debuted at No. 1 in July, making Olivia Rodrigo the only artist in history to have both lead singles from her first two albums ("Sour" and "Guts," respectively) arrive in the chart's top position.
The song returned for a second week at No. 1 in September.
7. "Seven" by Jung Kook featuring Latto
Latto in "Seven." Hybe Labels/YouTube
"Seven" debuted at No. 1 in July, making Jung Kook the second member of BTS to have a chart-topping solo hit.
8. "Try That in a Small Town" by Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean in "Try That In A Small Town." Jason Aldean/YouTube
Jason Aldean's "Try That In a Small Town" failed to chart on the Hot 100 when it was released in May 2023. Two months later, it reached No. 1 after the music video premiere.
The song's success was partially driven by controversy; CMT pulled the music video from rotation after three days, which led to a surge in streaming numbers, according to Billboard.
The song's lyrics were widely criticized as "pro-lynching," which Aldean denied. He filmed the music video at a courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a Black teenager named Henry Choate was lynched in 1927.
9. "Rich Men North of Richmond" by Oliver Anthony Music
Oliver Anthony in "Rich Men North of Richmond." radiowv/YouTube
"Rich Men North of Richmond," Oliver Anthony's breakout single, debuted at No. 1 in August. It remained atop the chart for a second week.
It's only the 16th solo-written song this century to chart at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
10. "I Remember Everything" by Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves
Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves. Erika Goldring/FilmMagic via Getty Images
"I Remember Everything" debuted at No. 1 in September. It was released as the 11th track on Zach Bryan's self-titled album.
11. "Paint the Town Red" by Doja Cat
Doja Cat in "Paint the Town Red." Doja Cat/YouTube
Doja Cat's "Paint the Town Red" rose to No. 1 in September, becoming the first rap song to lead the Hot 100 since Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl" over one year earlier.
The song returned to No. 1 in October for two additional weeks.
12. "Slime You Out" by Drake featuring SZA
Drake and SZA. Prince Williams/Wireimage; Andrew Chin/Getty Images
"Slime You Out" debuted at No. 1 on the chart in September. It was released as the lead single for Drake's eighth studio album "For All the Dogs."
13. "First Person Shooter" by Drake featuring J. Cole
Drake and J. Cole perform at the 2023 Dreamville Festival. Astrida Valigorsky/WireImage
"First Person Shooter" debuted at No. 1 in October, extending Drake's record for the most No. 1 song debuts in history (nine).
14. "Cruel Summer" by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift performs in Buenos Aires. Marcelo Endelli/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Originally released in 2019, "Cruel Summer" enjoyed a surge in popularity after Swift kicked off The Eras Tour.
It was promoted as an official single in June 2023 and finally reached No. 1 on the chart in October, marking Swift's milestone 10th chart-topper.
15. "Is It Over Now?" by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift in a promo photo for "1989 (Taylor's Version)." Beth Garrabrant
"Is It Over Now?" debuted at No. 1 in November. It was released as one of five vault tracks on "1989 (Taylor's Version)."