Started From the Bottom: Wiz Khalifa’s ‘See You Again’ & Other No. 1s That Debuted at No. 100
The Hot 100's new leader is the 10th to have made it all the way to the top after starting at the anchor spot.
It’s not how a song starts, but how it finishes on the Billboard Hot 100. That’s especially true in the case of the chart’s new leader, Wiz Khalifa‘s “See You Again,” featuring Charlie Puth. The song, from the Furious 7 soundtrack, zooms 10-1 in its fifth week on the chart. In its first week, it began humbly at No. 100.
Wiz Khalifa’s ‘See You Again’ Knocks ‘Uptown Funk’ Off No. 1 on Hot 100
How rare is it for a song to start at No. 100 on the Hot 100 and eventually reign? “Again” is just the 10th song to do so (of 1,042 all-time No. 1s). Coincidentally, it’s the first since the rapper’s prior No. 1, “Black and Yellow,” which ruled the Feb. 19, 2011 Hot 100 after debuting at No. 100 on Oct. 2, 2010. Khalifa is the only act to take two No. 100 starters to No. 1 in the chart’s 56-year history.
Related
Impressively, at just five weeks, “Again” completes the fastest trip from No. 100 to No. 1. It bests the first song to make the eventual 99-spot rise: Wilbert Harrison’s “Kansas City” hit No. 1 in its sixth week on April 18, 1959, after debuting at the chart’s southern-most outpost.
Pop Songs in Movies: 31 Unforgettable Scenes — From ‘Furious 7’ to ‘Pulp Fiction’
Ultimately, this is a quirky, largely chance-based achievement, as a song could very easily debut at No. 99 or miss the chart entirely and score a much higher debut the following week. (The latter happened, in fact, with Katy Perry‘s “Part of Me,” which debuted at No. 1 after just falling short, based on early airplay, the week before in 2012.)
Still, here are the select 10 songs that have been, at the start, all about that bass (No. 100) and, eventually, treble (No. 1) on the Hot 100. The club includes R&B legend Percy Sledge, who died Tuesday.
Hot 100 No. 1s That Debuted at No. 100:
Chart Date Reached No. 1, Title, Artist
May 23, 1959, “Kansas City,“ Wilbert Harrison
Feb. 13, 1960, “Teen Angel,“ Mark Dinning
Sept. 9, 1961, “Michael,“ The Highwaymen
Jan. 12, 1963, “Go Away Little Girl,“ Steve Lawrence
May 28, 1966, “When a Man Loves a Woman,“ Percy Sledge
April 7, 1973, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,“ Vicki Lawrence
July 24, 1993, “Can’t Help Falling in Love,“ UB40
Nov. 10, 2007, “Kiss Kiss,“ Chris Brown feat. T-Pain
Feb. 19, 2011, “Black and Yellow,“ Wiz Khalifa
April 25, 2015, “See You Again,“ Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth
“Started from the bottom … now we’re here,” as Drake would say.
More From Pro
