Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” Makes Billboard Chart History

The horses have now moved from the back to the front…and into Billboard chart history.

Lil Nas X‘s viral sensation “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, has officially broken the record for the longest-running #1 hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.  The song has now been on top for an unprecedented 17 weeks — longer than any other song in the chart’s 60-year history.

“Old Town Road” was in a three-way tie with “Despacito,” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, and “One Sweet Day,” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.  Both of those records were number one for 16 weeks.

X’s initial reaction to the news was to retweet Billboard‘s headline and then tweet:

YEEE TF HAWWW 🐎⚡️

— nope (@LilNasX) July 29, 2019

He then wrote a lengthy essay on Instagram.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

last year in october 🎃 , as a struggling artist 🤦🏾‍♂️starting to lose faith in what i could be, i went looking for beats on youtube👨🏾‍💻. i remember clicking on so many generic sounding beats🥁😞trying to find the right one for me🤔. when suddenly i came across a country-trap 👨🏾‍🌾🏚sounding masterpiece🤩. i immediately knew i would make something special out of it🤯💭⚡️! my sister👩🏽 told me i had little time left ⏳before i had to leave her house 🏠 after being there for months📆 promoting my music🎶 online 🤳🏾and not helping🤷🏾‍♂️ her out much. i was so upset 😔! i used it as motivation for the song🎼! i jokingly/seriously saw myself as a loner 🚶🏾‍♂️ cowboy🤠 needing to 🏃🏾run away from it all🎭! I went out 👟👟 on my sister’s back porch 😶 and listened to the beat 🎧OVER 🔄& OVER 🔄& OVER🔄!! then it came to me😳!! in my best singing voice😮 i sung🎶 “YEAHHH IM GONNA TAKE MY HORSE🐎 TO THE OLD TOWN ROAD 🛣 IM GONNA RIDEEEE TIL I CANT NO MORE 😔😔” I LOVED IT ALREADY! i started to work on it👨🏾‍🎨 👉🏾EVERY SINGLE DAY👈🏾. it needed to be funny🤣, it needed to be catchy🤗🎵, it needed to be hip hop 🗣🔥, it needed to be country🐴🍺, & it needed to be short👌🏾!! by the time i was finished 😅 setting it up 💁🏾‍♂️ i was out of my sister’s crib🏡 and at my brothers 👨🏾‍🦱 place. on ☃️🌬december 2️⃣nd i went into the studio 🎤🎤🎼 & recorded OLD TOWN ROAD🐎🤩✨ & put it out the exact same 🗓day!! did i know it would become the longest running number 1️⃣ song of all time? 🤔NO! ‼️ but i am so thankful🙏🏾 that this blessing ✨ has been placed upon me🤠. this song has changed my life🤩🤩🤩 and the way i see the world🌎🌍around me🙋🏾‍♂️ in less than a year📈. thank you to every single person☝️ who has been apart of this journey🌄. as i said😯 before, it’s just the beginning! 🖤🤠🐎⚡️

A post shared by Lil Nas X (@lilnasx) on Jul 29, 2019 at 11:31am PDT

“This song has changed my life and the way i see the world around me in less than a year,” he writes, “Thank you to every single person who has been apart of this journey. as i said before, it’s just the beginning!”

He also describes how last October, as he was on the verge of being kicked out of his sister’s place, he found the beat for “Old Town Road” online and came up with the lyrics because, he says, “I saw myself as a loner cowboy needing to run away from it all!”

He adds, “It needed to be funny, it needed to be catchy, it needed to be hip hop,  it needed to be country, & it needed to be short!! On december 2nd i went into the studio & recorded OLD TOWN ROAD & put it out the exact same day!!”

“did i know it would become the longest running number 1 song of all time? NO! But I am so thankful that this blessing  has been placed upon me.”

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