- Who
- Glass Animals
- Where
- United States ()
- When
On 22 October 2022, indie rock band Glass Animals (UK) set a new longevity record on the US Billboard Hot 100 by spending a 91st week on the chart with “Heat Waves”. The track debuted at No.100 on 16 January 2021 before kicking off an unbroken 90-week run on 6 February 2021. It eventually climbed to No.1 on 12 March 2022, after an unprecedented 59-week journey to the top spot. “Heat Waves” broke a tie with The Weeknd’s 90-week behemoth “Blinding Lights” when it fell to No.21 on 22 October 2022.
“Heat Waves” has been described as the “ultimate sleeper hit” after its popularity on social media platforms such as TikTok, its inclusion in the EA Sports videogame FIFA 21, its status as a fan-fiction favourite, and its enduring appeal on streaming services such as Spotify, where it had amassed more than 2.05 billion streams by 20 October 2022.
On its long journey to No.1, “Heat Waves” set new Hot 100 records for the slowest climb to the Top 10 (42 weeks, on 13 November 2021) and the Top 5 (51 weeks, on 15 January 2022).
Longest-running Hot 100 hits, as of 22 October 2022:
91 weeks – “Heat Waves”;
90 weeks – “Blinding Lights” (14 December 2019 to 4 September 2021);
87 weeks – “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons (18 August 2012 to 10 May 2014).
“Heat Waves” has hit No.1 on 12 US-specific Billboard charts: Hot 100, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs, Hot Alternative Songs, Radio Songs, Alternative Airplay, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, Alternative Streaming Songs, Alternative Digital Song Sales, Global 200 and Global Excl. US. Glass Animals are Dave Bayley (vocals/guitar), Ed Irwin-Singer (bass guitar/vocals), Drew MacFarlane (guitar/vocals) and Joe Seaward (drums). The quartet’s second studio album, How to Be a Human Being, was nominated for the 2017 Mercury Prize.
The follow-up, Dreamland, featuring “Heat Waves”, debuted and peaked at No.2 in the UK on 20 August 2020. Despite forming in Oxford as far back as 2010, Glass Animals were nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in 2022. “Heat Waves” was nominated for Best British Single at the BRIT Awards 2022.
