Ask Billboard: These No. 2 Hot 100 Hits Were Actually No. 1s, Just on Other Billboard Charts
They, too, won.
Dear Gary,
Billboard's writers have highlighted several remarkable tunes that reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart. Among them, Madonna's hits stand out, including "Soul Man," "Live and Let Die," "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," "Regulate," and "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)." Other deserving entries include Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" from 1966, which was overshadowed by "Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful, and En Vogue's "Hold On."
Nena's politically charged "99 Luftballoons" also made an impact in 1984, reaching No. 2 twice. Additionally, Twenty One Pilots' "Stressed Out" and "Heathens," both in 2016, and George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" from 1987 and Wham!'s "Last Christmas" were also notable No. 2 hits. However, it is uncommon for politically charged music to achieve such high rankings.
Lastly, Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" is currently holding the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100, preventing her from achieving another No. 1. Despite being blocked by her own No. 1 hits, "Be Her" reached No. 2 twice in May, directly above another of her songs, "Ran to Atlanta" from the ICEMAN album.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
