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Billboard's No. 2 Hits List; Ariana Grande Marks 100th Entry

8/12/2026

Summary

Billboard Ranks No.2

Billboard magazine released “The 100 Best Hot 100 No. 2 Hits,” ranking editors’ favorite runner-up singles.
The list evaluates all 542 songs that peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 since August 1958.
The Beatles have three No. 2 hits, while 12 of the 13 acts with ten or more No. 1s also have a No. 2.
Creedence Clearwater Revival peaked at No. 2 five times between March 1969 and October 1970 without ever reaching No. 1.

Summary

Grande Tops Charts

Singer Ariana Grande's album “petal” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard 200 with 295,000 units, her seventh chart-topper.
After all 12 “petal” tracks entered the Hot 100, “Hate That I Made You Love Me” rebounded to No. 2, giving Ariana Grande her 100th entry and making her the 23rd artist to do so.
Shakira and Burna Boy’s “Dai Dai (FIFA World Cup Song 2026)” led the Global Excl. U.S. chart for a seventh week.

History

Historical Context

Simon & Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970, never reaching No. 1. The song lingered at No. 2 for five consecutive weeks, while Billboard recorded 1,200 chart entries that year. Like that 1970 near-miss, today Billboard’s 100-Best No. 2 Hits list highlights Creedence’s five No. 2 peaks and Ariana Grande’s 100th chart entry, both illustrating modern artists’ frequent runner-up status. These patterns show that achieving No. 1 remains elusive, prompting record labels such as Universal Music and Sony to strategize releases around chart dynamics.

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Billboard Ranks No.2

Billboard magazine released “The 100 Best Hot 100 No. 2 Hits,” ranking editors’ favorite runner-up singles.
The list evaluates all 542 songs that peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 since August 1958.
The Beatles have three No. 2 hits, while 12 of the 13 acts with ten or more No. 1s also have a No. 2.
Creedence Clearwater Revival peaked at No. 2 five times between March 1969 and October 1970 without ever reaching No. 1.

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