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Let’s open the latest mailbag.
‘Where Is My Husband!’? At No. 11, and in Good Company
Hi Gary,
That’s hilarious, or should I say, “high”-larious (and high, Gary!), that Joe Lynch posted the annual 4/20 chart … just after we all learned that Ella Langley’s Dandelion is the new No. 1 album. And how fun that a seemingly clean-cut ensemble such as The 5th Dimension earned the distinction as having the biggest record on that list.
Meanwhile, my mind is slowly accepting that RAYE’s “Where Is My Husband!” may not make the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10. It has joined my personal list of No. 11-peaking tunes (so far, at least) that includes the following, well, 11:
- “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles (from 1966)
- “Woodstock,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (covering Joni Mitchell; 1970)
- “Yes We Can Can,” The Pointer Sisters (1973)
- “You Got the Love,” Rufus feat. Chaka Khan (co-written by Ray Parker, Jr. and Khan; 1974)
- “Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win),” Fleetwood Mac (1976)
- “Body Language,” Queen (1982)
- “Another Part of Me,” Michael Jackson (1988)
- “The Promise,” When in Rome (1988)
- “Justified & Ancient,” The KLF feat. Tammy Wynette (1992)
- “What Is Love,” Haddaway (1993)
- “Same Love,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert (2013)
I could name plenty of other No. 11 songs that I’ve found important, and not just likable but especially significant, whether culturally, musically or lyrically. Billboard has covered this topic, in 2011, of course, with No. 11 similar to a No. 2 or No. 41 peak. Still, it’s great to see the ambitious and wildly talented RAYE having her biggest hit.
Thanks,
Pablo Nelson
Oakland, Calif.
Thanks Pablo.
“Her red lipstick … you know, it never moves,” RAYE told Billboard recently at the iHeartRadio Music Awards about Taylor Swift, after the pair chatted backstage. “The problem is, whenever I sing, it goes all over my face,” she rued. “I was like, ‘How do you do it?’ She was giving me some tips.”
RAYE is on par with Swift, however, when it comes to having peaked (again, to date) at No. 11 on the Hot 100. Swift has five such songs, all key in her catalog: “You’re Not Sorry,” from 2008; “Mean” (2010); “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” (2021); “Fresh Out the Slammer” (2024); and “Ruin the Friendship” (2025).
When you have so many hits, you’re bound to come close to the top 10 and just miss sometimes (similar to in sports, where even such GOATs as Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Mia Hamm, Bobby Orr, Bill Russell, Babe Ruth and Serena Williams have lost in championship rounds). Swift has the most No. 11 hits, followed by Elvis Presley with four (since the Hot 100 began in August 1958): “One Broken Heart for Sale,” “(Such an) Easy Question,” “I’m Yours” and “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”/“Patch It Up.” Plus, The Beatles are among the acts with at least two: “Eleanor Rigby,” as noted above, and, nearly 30 years later, “Real Love.”
More than 350 titles have peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 (just beyond the 5,200-plus hits that have entered the top 10). Which are the biggest? Let’s look at the top 33, through the chart dated April 25, 2026, as ranked by Billboard’s greatest of all time methodology:
- 33. “Reeling in the Years,” Steely Dan, May 12, 1973, peak
- 32. “Doctor’s Orders,” Carol Douglas, Feb. 8, 1975
- 31. “Numb,” Linkin Park, March 6, 2004
- 30. “Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win),” Fleetwood Mac, June 5, 1976
- 29. “Swing the Mood,” Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers, Jan. 13, 1990
- 28. “The Way We Were”/“Try To Remember,” Gladys Knight and The Pips, Aug. 2, 1975
- 27. “Moon River,” Henry Mancini and His Orchestra, Dec. 25, 1961
- 26. “Dare Me,” The Pointer Sisters, Sept. 21, 1985
- 25. “Keep On Movin’,” Soul II Soul feat. Caron Wheeler, Sept. 9, 1989
- 24. “A Love Bizarre,” Sheila E., March 1, 1986
- 23. “I’ll Be Over You,” Toto, Nov. 22, 1986
- 22. “Tired of Being Alone,” Al Green, Nov. 6, 1971
- 21. “Heaven Must Have Sent You,” Bonnie Pointer, Oct. 13, 1979
- 20. “I Believe in You (You Believe in Me),” Johnnie Taylor, Aug. 18, 1973
- 19. “Shine,” Collective Soul, Aug. 13, 1994
- 18. “This Is It,” Kenny Loggins, Feb. 9, 1980
- 17. “On and On,” Stephen Bishop, Oct. 8, 1977
- 16. “Meet Me Half Way,” Kenny Loggins, June 13, 1987
- 15. “Who Will Save Your Soul,” Jewel, Aug. 3, 1996
- 14. “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” KIX, Dec. 16, 1989
- 13. “The Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nei Au),” Andy Williams, Feb. 16, 1959
- 12. “The Promise,” When in Rome, Dec. 10, 1988
- 11. “Say You Won’t Let Go,” James Arthur, June 3, 2017
- 10. “Perfect Way,” Scritti Politti, Dec. 21, 1985
- 9. “Say You Love Me,” Fleetwood Mac, Sept. 18, 1976
- 8. “A Little Bit More,” Dr. Hook, Oct. 9, 1976
- 7. “One Hell of a Woman,” Mac Davis, July 13, 1974
- 6. “Now That We Found Love,” Heavy D & The Boyz, Oct. 5, 1991
- 5. “The Humpty Dance,” Digital Underground, June 2, 1990
- 4. “All for You,” Sister Hazel, Aug. 30, 1997
- 3. “100% Pure Love,” Crystal Waters, Oct. 8, 1994
- 2. “Into the Night,” Benny Mardones, Sept. 6, 1980
- 1. “I Don’t Want To Wait,” Paula Cole, Jan. 17, 1998
Special shoutout to James Arthur’s hit ballad being No. 11 on this ranking.
It’s largely a matter of timing, both for individual calendar years and competition in given weeks, but the most No. 11 Hot 100 releases in any single year is 12, in both 1967 and 2018. Enduring hits among them include The Monkees’ “Words” and Bee Gees’ “(The Lights Went Out In) Massachusetts” from the former batch and BTS’ “Idol,” featuring Nicki Minaj, DJ Snake’s “Taki Taki,” featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna and Cardi B, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Love.,” featuring Zacari, from the latter.
As for 11 other notable No. 11-reaching songs, through the latest Hot 100:
- “Wild World,” Cat Stevens (1971)
- “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” Prince (1980)
- “Because the Night,” 10,000 Maniacs (1994)
- “The Rhythm of the Night,” Corona (1995)
- “Can’t Fight the Moonlight,” LeAnn Rimes (2002)
- “She Wolf,” Shakira (2009)
- “Girl on Fire,” Alicia Keys feat. Nicki Minaj (2012)
- “Cool for the Summer,” Demi Lovato (2015)
- “Sure Thing,” Miguel (2023)
- “Get Him Back!,” Olivia Rodrigo (2023)
- “EoO,” Bad Bunny (2026)
Ok, 11 more (including two related at the turn of this decade):
- “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again,” Eric Carmen (1976)
- “Carry on Wayward Son,” Kansas (1977)
- “Head Over Heels,” Go-Go’s (1984)
- “Get on Your Feet,” Gloria Estefan (1989)
- “The Power of Good-bye,” Madonna (1999)
- “Best Day of My Life,” American Authors (2014)
- “Hot Girl Summer,” Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign (2019)
- “Hot Girl Bummer,” blackbear (2020)
- “You Right,” Doja Cat & The Weeknd (2021)
- “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish (2021)
- “Houdini,” Dua Lipa (2023)
Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want To Wait” reigns as the top No. 11-peaking Hot 100 hit, with its 56 weeks on the chart the most among all songs with that highpoint. It became the singer-songwriter’s second of two entries on the chart, after she galloped to the top 10 (No. 8) with “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” in 1997. “I Don’t Want To Wait” also ruled Adult Pop Airplay for six weeks and rose to the top five on Adult Alternative Airplay, Adult Contemporary, Pop Airplay and the all-format Radio Songs chart.
Most famously, “I Don’t Want To Wait” served as theme to TV classic Dawson’s Creek, further — and still — heightening its appeal; it drew 210,000 official U.S. streams and 1.8 million in radio audience April 10-16, according to Luminate.
“The music scene was wonderful. There was hope in the air,” in the ‘90s, Cole recalled to Billboard.
“It was a vehicle to bring it to another audience,” she said of her hit’s weekly on-screen placement. She added, “The song, where it came from, wasn’t for Dawson’s Creek. I wrote it about my grandparents, and it was a hit on its own well before it was the theme song.” (Something people may not know? “I don’t watch it …,” she admitted of the show with a laugh.)
“It’s so celebratory,” Cole said of revisiting her hits. “Like, let’s go into this party that is this song and let’s jam this together. It lifts the roof.”
