Facebook.com/AWOLNATIONAWOLNATION has reason to celebrate: the group’s breakthrough track, “Sail,” been so successful that it’s made the top-10 list of the longest-charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100, which was created in 1958. “Sail” has spent a total of 62 weeks on the chart so far, and has sold more than 4.1 million downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
“I never actually expected people to hear the song at all,” frontman Aaron Bruno tells Billboard about “Sail.” “When I wrote it, I had thrown in the towel as far as anticipating any kind of commercial success.”
“Sail” debuted on the Hot 100 chart in September of 2011, and currently holds the #17 spot on the list, its highest position so far. The successful streak has given “Sail” the distinction of being the first song in the Hot 100’s history to hit its peak after a year on the chart.
Other rockers who’ve scored a place in the top-10 list of the longest-charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100 include The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey” — who are tied with AWOLNATION at 62 weeks — and Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” which tops them both with a total of 63 weeks on the chart.
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