Which songs held the number one spot for the longest in the 1990s?
The quick-fire rollcall of the 1990s‘ musical tapestry will likely play out with the tail-end of acid house rave, Seattle’s grunge explosion and the American Lollapalooza MTV takeover, G-funk hip hop, ‘Cool Britannia’ and the Britpop knees-up, the peak of the manufactured boy/girl band, and Travis closing the decade on a whimper. A surface projection of the 20th century’s final curtain, perhaps, but a musical carousel that many would think dominated the charts the longest.
Commercial monsters and pop-cultural presence are usually at odds. If you think Nirvana, Oasis, Wu-Tang Clan, or even Madonna broke the 1990s chart records, you’re way off. “Adult contemporary”—the corporate successor to easy listening, blending the softer edges of soul, R&B and soft rock balladry—was the decade’s true hit machine. It became such a lucrative parallel ‘genre’ to the poster stars on every kid and teen’s bedroom wall that Billboard launched a dedicated chart for it: the Adult Top 40—now known as Adult Pop Airplay—in 1996.
So who were the artists that dominated the charts and just wouldn’t budge? Elton John, Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, and—specifically to the UK—Robson and Jerome all cash-guzzling behemoths who scored most people’s 1990s. John’s 1997 rework of ‘Candle in the Wind’ dropped during the operatic outpouring of grief following Princess Diana’s death sold so many millions the Record Industry Association of America devised their coveted Diamond category.
On the Billboard Hot 100, third place for longest-held number-one at 13 weeks is tied with Brandy and Monica’s sassy ‘The Boy Is Mine’ and Boyz II Men’s soppy ‘End of the Road’—you’ll be seeing plenty more of Motown’s glossy harmony group. Silver medal at 14 weeks is shared between John’s aforementioned benefit single, Los Del Rio’s Bayside Boys Remix of Butlins nightmare ‘Macarena’, Whitney Houston’s turgid ‘I Will Always Love You’, and Boyz II Men strike again with the syrupy ‘I’ll Make Love to You’.
Across the Atlantic, having your single tied to a blockbuster movie seems to make all the difference. The three longest-running UK number ones were all part of major film soundtracks. Whitney Houston’s Dolly Parton cover held the top spot for ten weeks off the back of The Bodyguard’s marketing juggernaut, while the success of Four Weddings and a Funeral helped Wet Wet Wet’s take on The Troggs’ ‘Love Is All Around’ sit at number one for a staggering 15 weeks.
So, which songs held the number-one spot for the longest?
Two drippy giants tower over the AC competition. Topping the American charts for a dizzying 16 weeks, Boyz II Men’s collaboration with Mariah Carey for 1995’s ‘One Sweet Day’ followed Daydream’s other massive hit ‘Fantasy’, which pushed Carey’s fifth album as one of contemporary music’s biggest-selling of all time.
Similarly, digging its heels for a bewildering 16 weeks is Bryan Adams’ epic love theme for 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Not content with pushing The Bodyguard‘s number one smash, Kevin Costner jumps from one vehicle to another to help lift ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It for You’ as the UK mega record breaker. Still Adams’ most successful single, his fist-pumping power ballad to this day is the second longest-held number one in UK history after Frankie Lane’s 1953 rendition of ‘I Believe’, enjoying the top spot for a whopping 18 weeks.
