Morgan Wallen Surpasses Billy Ray Cyrus' Record Of Longest Running #1 Country Song On ARIA Chart

Morgan Wallen claims an eighth week at #1 in Australia with Last Night and the track's first sales certification, newly 2x▲Platinum. 

Plus the track also achieves the same amount of time at the top of The U.S. Singles chart, while in Australia it surpasses the previous seven-week-holder for 'Longest #1 for a Country Song' for 1992's Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus, while the other track for this decade to log eight weeks at #1 (and no more) was last year's first new #1 song As it Was by Harry Styles, with both acts now equal-ninth on the list for 'Accumulated Weeks at No.1: Singles (2020's)', and Last Night is now one of 48 songs to have spent eight weeks at the top here. 

Morgan Wallen started his musical journey in the sixth season of the U.S. edition of The Voice (2014 season), where he managed to last until the playoffs after the second round, firstly under Usher and then Adam Levine. Morgan now becomes the equal-second highest placed Reality Singing Show entrant at #1 in Australia, tying with the aforementioned Harry Styles (who got his start in the UK edition of The X Factor), while only one act from a reality contest is placed higher with nine weeks at No.1, but that will be revealed next week if Morgan Wallen holds for a ninth week. 

Taylor Swift issued an expanded version of her Midnights (TW back to #1) album known as 'The Til Dawn Edition', which has seen a heap of alternate versions of the album's tracks return or debut within the Top 20 this week. Firstly is the track Karma, which first debuted and peaked at #9 on October 31st, 2022, and it saw a return to the Top 100 four weeks ago (May 15th), and the new version this week leaping up fifty-seven places to land at a new chart height of #2, plus the track features guest rapper Ice Spice, who along with Taylor is the only act with two Top 10 entries this week, as Ms. Swift's Anti-Hero moves back up one place to land at #10 and a 27th week within the Top 10 (now equal twelfth longest of all time). Karma also leaps up in England (67 to #12), Ireland (41 to #8), New Zealand (#9 return) and is currently sitting at #27 (LW-32) in The U.S.A. and #20 (LW-29) in Canada. 

After four weeks of sitting and waiting at #2 the FIFTY FIFTY entry Cupid dips one spot to #3, while the track is now Gold (●) in sales and holding for a fifth week at the singles summit in New Zealand. Also, down one spot to #4 is Flowers for Miley Cyrus, spending its 20th week within the Top 4, while on hold at #5 in both Australia and Canada is Fast Car for Luke Combs, a second week at that peak in both locations. 

The rest of the Top 10 declines slightly, with the biggest (!) drop within the Top 10 being a two-place slip to #6 for David Kushner and Daylight, which is newly certified as Gold (●) in sales, followed by single place moves for PinkPantheress and Ice Spice with Boy's a Liar (pt.2), Kill Bill by SZA and Die for You by The Weeknd with Ariana Grande to #7, #8 and #9 respectively. 

TOP 20: 

NEW PEAK: The current eight-week-running English #1 song Miracle for Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding continues to climb in Australia, this week up two places to a new peak of #13, while another Taylor Swift return occurs as her teaming with Lana Del Rey and Snow on the Beach blasts back up from LW-587 to #12 this week, with the track now featuring 'more-Lana'. 

The two Top 10 departures this week are for Lil' Durk and J. Cole with All My Life (HP-9, WI10-1), down two places to #11 with Durk's album Almost Healed debuting at #32 this week, while down four places to #14 is Until I Found You (HP-8x3, WI10-9) for Stephen Sanchez and Em Beihold. Harry's As it Was drops three places to #15 (last this low on Feb. 6th), with three tracks scoring chart-time-milestones this week as I Ain't Worried for OneRepublic is down four to #18, but logging one-year (52 weeks) within the Top 100 (WI50-51), while landing half-year (26 weeks) tallies are Creepin' for Metro Boomin', The Weeknd and 21 Savage (13 to #17) and Escapism for RAYE and 070 Shake (16 to #19). 

TOP 30: 

NEW PEAK: After jumping from #52 to #30 last week, this week Kali and her debut entry Area Codes is up three spots to a new peak of #27, while the passing recently of Tina Turner (May 25th) sees her 1989 single The Best return to the chart at #29 (original peak of #4 in late Oct. 1989), plus she also returns at #84 with her 1984 comeback single What's Love Got to Do With it, plus her collection All the Best jumps to #17 on the Albums Chart. 

Libianca and her People move back up one spot to #25 (HP-22), while the track holds at #2 in New Zealand and is back up to #5 in Ireland (HP-2). Canada's fourth week-running #1 single Calm Down for Rema and Selena Gomez is here down four spots to #21 and land its first sales cert of 4x▲Platinum, followed by a five place drop to #23 for Players by Coi Leray, leaving the Top 20 for the first time since early February. Two further accreditations occur within the Top 30 as Ed Sheeran and Eyes Closed drops three to #24 and is now Gold (●) and Sure Thing by Miguel falls two spots to #26 and is now 5x▲Platinum, while the last major drop here is an eight-place decline to #28 for last week's entry for Lana Del Rey and Say Yes to Heaven. 

TOP 40: 

NEW PEAK: After two+ years (109 weeks) within the Top 100 the J. Cole track No Role Modelz breaks into the Top 40 for the first time and surpasses its former peak of #43 (on four separate occasions), with the track this week jumping up four places to a new peak of #40, with the only other rise within the forty being The Kind of Love We Make by Luke Combs up to #36.

The only Australian performed track within the Top 50 this week is Riptide by Vance Joy which is down two spots to #31, as last week's Kylie Minogue debut leaves the Top 50 and two weeks ago The Kid LAROI saw his Stay track dip into the lower fifty, with that song newly 14x▲Platinum in sales (along with a few more of his titles, see below). Post Malone's Chemical track drops five places to #33, followed by Morgan Wallen's second new certification for this week as You Proof is now ▲Platinum in sales and down to #34. George Ezra's Green Green Grass slips five places to #38 and down three to #37 is the Tiësto and Tate McRae entry 10:35, which also cracks half-a-year (26 weeks) within the Top 100. 

TOP 50: 

NEW PEAK: Kendrick Lamar has two entries within the Top 50 this week, one a debut as a guest and the other a 2012 track from his Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City album called Money Trees, featuring Jay Rock as a guest. The song first charted locally in August of 2020 making it to #53 and charting for seven weeks, while the track returned to the Top 100 on May 1st and now this week it jumps up nine places to land at a new peak of #43, while the song features a sample of the Beach House track Silver Soul. 

Lewis Capaldi sees his two Top 50 entries fall into this chart region, as Someone You Loved falls six to #42 while he lands the title for 'Biggest Top 50 Drop' as his song Wish You the Best drops down seventeen places to #44. Other big drops into the fifty are Save Your Tears by The Weeknd (41 to #47), Another Love by Tom Odell (42 to #49), golden hour by JVKE (40 to #50) and leaving the chart from last week's Top 30 are Mathematical Disrespect by Lil' Mabu (LW #22) and Life Goes On by Ed Sheeran and Luke Combs (LW #23). 

NEW ENTRIES:

* #16 - Hits Different by Taylor Swift (Republic) is one of three extra tracks on the fourth reissue/expansion of her Midnights album which has leapt back to #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart this week (13th week overall), along with Snow on the Beach (#12) with Lana Del Rey and Karma now featuring Ice Spice which returned at a new peak of #2. 

* #22 - Dance the Night (from 'Barbie') by Dua Lipa (Atlantic/Warner) is the lead single from the July 21st due movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, while a heap of further Barbie's will appear in the film, one of which is Mermaid Barbie played by Dua Lipa. The soundtrack will also feature tracks from Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Charli XCX, Tame Impala, Dominic Fike, HAIM, The Kid LAROI, Khalid, PinkPantheress, Ava Max and FIFTY FIFTY, with this new track now Dua Lipa's nineteenth Top 50 entry (11 as lead, 8 as guest)

* #32 - America Has a Problem by Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar (Parkwood Ent./Columbia) is a reworked version of the track which appears on Beyoncé's Renaissance (Act 1) album from last year, this version featuring Kendrick Lamar. The track features a sample of the 1992 version of rapper Kilo Ali's track Cocaine, and is now the third entry from the album to chart after Break My Soul (HP-6x2, peaked August 2022) and Cuff it (HP-8, peaked October 2022).

New Certifications:

Last Night by Morgan Wallen ▲2

Cupid by FIFTY FIFTY ●

Daylight by David Kushner ●

Calm Down by Rema and Selena Gomez ▲4 (first cert.)

Eyes Closed by Ed Sheeran ●

Sure Thing by Miguel ▲5

You Proof by Morgan Wallen ▲ (first cert.)

Snooze by SZA ▲

Stay by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber ▲14

Love Again by The Kid LAROI ▲

HP = Highest Position

LW = Last Week

WI10 - Weeks in Top 10

*ARIA Chart info is based on sales for the week from the 25th of May to the 1st of June 2023

Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.