BTS Reclaims No.1 on Billboard Chart with Previous No.1 Song for the First Time

▲Group BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The group BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) has achieved back-to-back No. 1 positions on the Billboard main singles chart. After holding the top spot for seven consecutive weeks, 'Butter' made a surprising return to No. 1, reclaiming the position from BTS's new song 'Permission to Dance.' This is the first time a previous No. 1 song has regained the top spot immediately after being replaced by the artist's new release.

On the 26th (local time), Billboard announced that BTS's 'Butter' had topped the main singles chart, the 'Hot 100.'

Released on May 21, 'Butter' held the No. 1 position for seven consecutive weeks from its release, but last week it dropped to No. 7 after being replaced by the newly debuted 'Permission to Dance.'

However, this week it jumped six spots to return to No. 1.

'Permission to Dance' swapped places with 'Butter,' dropping to No. 7.

BTS is the 14th artist to have a 'No. 1 baton touch' on the Hot 100 with their own songs, but it is unprecedented for the previous No. 1 song to return to the top immediately after being replaced.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Billboard stated, "This is the first case where an artist replaced their No. 1 spot with a new song and then brought the previous No. 1 song back to the top," referring to BTS.

With this, 'Butter' has extended its total weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 to eight weeks.

This ties the record for the most weeks at No. 1 this year on the chart, matching Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License.'

Since the first week of 'Butter's' charting on June 2, BTS has not relinquished the No. 1 spot to any other artist for a total of nine weeks.

Olivia Rodrigo's 'Good 4 U' has remained at No. 2 for nine consecutive weeks, trailing behind BTS's two songs.

The Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the U.S. based on digital downloads, physical sales, streaming numbers, and radio airplay.

A high sales volume exceeding 100,000 units again was a major driving force behind 'Butter' reclaiming the Hot 100 top spot.

In its ninth week (June 16?22), 'Butter' sold a total of 115,600 units, a 132% increase from the previous week’s 49,800 units. This figure is 16 times higher than Olivia Rodrigo's 'Good 4 U,' which ranked second on the Hot 100.

'Permission to Dance,' which sold 140,100 downloads in its first week, saw its sales drop by 39% to 85,000 units in its second week.

During this chart tracking period, fans' purchasing power appears to have refocused on 'Butter.'

▲Group BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) [Image source=Yonhap News]

On Billboard’s detailed chart, the 'Digital Song Sales' chart, 'Butter' and 'Permission to Dance,' which were No. 2 and No. 1 last week respectively, swapped places again.

'Butter' is also showing a steady increase in radio listenership, which is considered a gauge of a song's 'popularity.'

The number of radio listeners for 'Butter' reached 30.7 million, a 2% increase from the previous week, surpassing 30 million for the first time since its release.

However, streaming numbers fell by 21% to 8.8 million plays. Consequently, on the 'Streaming Songs' chart, it dropped 14 spots to No. 40 compared to the previous week.

The remarkable feat of reclaiming No. 1 with 'Butter' after handing over the top spot to 'Permission to Dance' once again demonstrates the power of the BTS fandom.

BTS member Suga expressed his emotion on the fan community Weverse, writing, "This is unbelievable..." and added, "Thank you and I’m grateful to ARMY (BTS fan club)."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.