Ariana Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the pop superstar’s ninth career leader on the list.
The song is the second single from Grande’s seventh LP, Eternal Sunshine, which launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with the biggest week, in terms of equivalent album units earned, of 2024. “Yes, And?,” the lead single from the set, released on Republic Records, premiered at the summit in January.
Plus, as Grande wrote and produced “We Can’t Be Friends” with Max Martin and ILYA (and solely penned its lyrics), Martin extends his record for the most Hot 100 No. 1s among producers – 25 – in the chart’s history. He also surpasses John Lennon for the second-most leaders among writers – 27 – after only Paul McCartney’s 32.
Additionally in the Hot 100’s top 10, 4Batz and featured artist Drake bound from No. 61 to No. 7 with “Act II: Date @ 8,” following the release of its remix with Drake. 4Batz scores his first top 10, while Drake adds his record-extending 77th.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated March 23, 2024) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, March 19. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
“We Can’t Be Friends” becomes the 1,166th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 65-year archives, and the 76th to debut at the summit.
Here’s a look at its coronation, as well as the rest of the latest Hot 100’s top 10.
Streams, airplay & sales
Released March 8 on Eternal Sunshine, followed by the premiere of its official video the same day, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” drew 32.6 million streams and 4.6 million radio airplay audience impressions and sold 9,000 in the week ending March 14, according to Luminate. (It outpaces the streaming start of “Yes, And?,” which drew 27.2 million in its first frame.)
The new single launches at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, where Grande ups her total to six career leaders. On Digital Song Sales, it begins at No. 4.
Along with its original version released March 8, the track was available for purchase via three mixes released March 13: its “string version” and a cappella and instrumental options.
Grande’s ninth Hot 100 No. 1
Grande achieves her ninth Hot 100 No. 1. She notches her seventh No. 1 debut, surpassing Taylor Swift for the most among women; Drake leads all acts with nine chart-topping entrances.
Ariana Grande’s Hot 100 No. 1s: (*No. 1 debut)
“We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” one week at No. 1 to-date, March 23, 2024*
“Yes, And?,” one week, Jan. 27, 2024*
“Die for You,” with The Weeknd, one week, March 11, 2023
“Save Your Tears,” with The Weeknd, two weeks, beginning May 8, 2021
“Positions,” one week, Nov. 7, 2020*
“Rain on Me,” with Lady Gaga, one week, June 6, 2020*
“Stuck With U,” with Justin Bieber, one week, May 23, 2020*
“7 Rings,” eight weeks, beginning Feb. 2, 2019*
“Thank U Next,” seven weeks, beginning Nov. 17, 2018*
Grande also ties Beyoncé and Katy Perry for the seventh-most Hot 100 No. 1s among solo women. Mariah Carey leads all women, and soloists, with 19 (and overall trails only The Beatles, with 20), followed by Rihanna (14), Madonna (12), Whitney Houston, Taylor Swift (11 each) and Janet Jackson (10).
Max Martin extends No. 1 record among producers
Grande co-wrote and co-produced “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” with Max Martin and ILYA. She earns her ninth Hot 100 No. 1 as a writer and her second as a producer (following “Yes, And?”) ILYA adds his third leader as both a writer and producer, after “Yes, And?” and Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” for a week in 2022.
Meanwhile, with its arrival atop the Hot 100, Martin extends his mark for the most leaders among producers ever on the chart: 25. With “Yes, And?,” he passed the late George Martin (who produced 19 of The Beatles’ 20 No. 1s).
Most Hot 100 No. 1s Among Producers:
25, Max Martin
23, George Martin
18, Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald
16, James “Jimmy Jam” Harris III
16, Terry Lewis
Max Martin also surpasses the late John Lennon for the second-most Hot 100 No. 1s among writers, 27, after only Paul McCartney’s 32. (McCartney and Lennon co-penned all 20 of The Beatles’ No. 1s.)
Most Hot 100 No. 1s Among Writers:
32, Paul McCartney
27, Max Martin
26, John Lennon
18, Mariah Carey
18, Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald
Max Martin first dominated the Hot 100 both as a producer and writer over 25 years ago, when Britney Spears’ debut smash “…Baby One More Time” hit No. 1 on the Jan. 30, 1999-dated chart.
‘Friends’ in high places
“We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” is only the second Hot 100 No. 1 with the word “friends” in its name. The other included the word in both its title and artist fields: “That’s What Friends Are For,” by Dionne & Friends (Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder).
If including variations of the word “friend,” the total of such Hot 100 No. 1s would rise to five. A friendly reminder of the other three: “Girlfriend,” by Avril Lavigne (2007); “You’ve Got a Friend,” by James Taylor (1971); and “My Boyfriend’s Back,” by The Angels (1963).
(No songs with “enemy” in their titles have topped the Hot 100. Imagine Dragons’ “Enemy” has made the furthest such invasion, hitting No. 5 in April 2022.)
As for the word “love,” it appears in the title of a Hot 100 No. 1 for the first time since Jawsh 685, Jason Derulo and BTS’ “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” led for a week in October 2020.
‘And’ another thing: Top 10 streak continues
With Eternal Sunshine’s tracklist official upon the set’s release – and retroactive to the Hot 100 entrance of “Yes, And?” – Grande extends an unprecedented streak: She has now debuted the first single from each of her seven proper studio albums in the chart’s top 10.
My Everything, “Problem,” feat. Iggy Azalea, No. 3/2, 2014
Yours Truly, “The Way,” feat. Mac Miller, No. 10/9, 2013
4Batz’s first top 10, Drake’s 77th
Also notable in the Hot 100’s top 10, 4Batz surges 61-7 with “Act II: Date @ 8,” following the March 8 release of its remix with featured artist Drake, who is now also credited on the song’s chart listing. The song wins the chart’s top Streaming Gainer award, up 187% to 19.9 million streams. It also drew 8.4 million in radio audience (up 37%) and sold 1,000 (up 590%).
4Batz (real name Neko Bennett), from Dallas, earns his first Hot 100 top 10, while Drake claims his record-extending 77th.
Most Billboard Hot 100 Top 10s:
77, Drake
49, Taylor Swift
38, Madonna
35, The Beatles
32, Rihanna
30, Michael Jackson
29, Elton John
28, Mariah Carey
28, Stevie Wonder
27, Janet Jackson
26, Justin Bieber
25, Lil Wayne
25, Elvis Presley (whose career start predated the Hot 100’s inception)
“Act II: Date @ 8” simultaneously soars 7-1 on the multimetric Hot R&B Songs chart, where it becomes the first leader for 4Batz and the ninth for Drake (dating to the list’s 2012 inception).
(Where it’s @: “Act II: Date @ 8” is the first Hot 100 top 10 with “@” in its title. It leaps over the only other such top 40 hit: Playboi Carti’s “@ MEH” hit No. 35 in May 2020.)
‘Lose Control’ leads rest of top 10
Elsewhere, Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” is steady at its No. 2 Hot 100 best, as it adds a third week atop Digital Song Sales (12,000, down 52%).
Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” rebounds to its No. 3 Hot 100 high, from No. 4.
“Carnival,” by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign and featuring Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti, falls to No. 4 on the Hot 100 after a week at No. 1. It logs a third week atop both the multimetric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.
Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me” descends 3-5 on the Hot 100, following six nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning last December, as it notches a ninth week atop the Radio Songs chart (75.2 million, down 2%).
Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” dips 5-6 after two weeks atop the Hot 100 earlier this month. It leads the Hot Country Songs chart for a fifth week.
Below “Act II: Date @ 8” on the Hot 100, Tate McRae’s “Greedy” falls 6-8, after reaching No. 3.
Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, backtracks 7-9 on the Hot 100, after it led for a week upon its debut last September. It tops the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts for a 29th week each.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Grande’s “Yes, And?” rebounds 31-10, led by its 110% gain 17.3 million streams.
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on Billboard’s social accounts, and all charts (dated March 23), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (March 19).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
