Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha have officially nabbed the longest-running song on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs Chart, notching 35 weeks at the top of the list.
The tally puts them ahead of previous record holder Sam Hunt, whose song “Body Like a Back Road” ruled the chart for 34 weeks in 2017. “Meant to Be” has notched the No. 1 spot ever since it arrived on the chart in December 2017.
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FGL member Tyler Hubbard wrote the track with Rexha, Josh Miller and David Garcia, and Hubbard and bandmate Brian Kelley collaborated with Rexha for the song, which first appeared on her EP All Your Fault: Pt. 2.
“I’m so honored to be a writer and an artist on this song,” Hubbard told Billboard. “I’m thankful to just be one of the many people who put so much energy and effort into making music history. Now, it’s time to get back in the studio and try to break the new record.”
Kelley added, “The power of music continues to blow our minds, and we are extremely humbled and thankful that ‘Meant’ has spent the better part of a year at the top. The connection we feel with our fans through our music is extra special with this song. Bebe and her camp were a blast to work with.”
Rexha shared on Twitter that she was “speechless” at the achievement.
“I’m speechless. Longest running #1 song in Country music history,” she wrote. “I have nothing but the most thanks and gratitude and love for all those around me, especially the fans. This is for all of us. This is for breaking boundaries.”
I’m speechless. Longest running #1 song in Country music history. I have nothing but the most thanks and gratitude and love for all those around me, especially the fans. This is for all of us. This is for breaking boundaries.
— Bebe Rexha (@BebeRexha) July 30, 2018
In addition to the No. 1 spot, FGL also has the third longest-running song on the chart, as their debut single, “Cruise,” spent 24 weeks at the top in 2012-2013.
The duo also recently broke George Strait’s record of the most cumulative weeks at the top of the chart, passing Strait’s 84 weeks with 90 weeks to their name.
“We are absolutely blown away and extremely humbled to even be on the same chart as George Strait and some of our other heroes and country legends, so it’s wild to see our songs total 90 weeks at No. 1,” Kelley told Billboard. “It’s really hard to wrap our brains around that, but it’s also super-inspiring to get back in the studio and create more music for our fans.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Ethan Miller
