The Weeknd smashes Billboard Top 10 record with ‘Blinding Lights’

The Weeknd is adding yet another incredible milestone to his career. On Monday, Variety confirmed that the Canadian singer's 2019 single “Blinding Lights” has now made history as the first song to spend a full year on the Billboard Top 10. Are you listening, Grammy Awards committee?

“Blinding Lights” beats the previous record held by Post Malone's “Circles,” which spent 39 weeks in the Billboard top 10. “Blinding Lights,” which appeared on The Weeknds fourth album “After Hours” and was released in late November 2019, had already broken a record for spending 43 weeks in the Billboard Top 5. The song could go on to break a third record if it manages to stay in the Billboard Top 100 for a few more months, which at this point looks highly likely. Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons currently hold the record for the longest time a song has spent in the Billboard Top 100 thanks to their massive 2012 single “Radioactive,” which spent 87 weeks on the Billboard chart.

The Weeknd celebrated his latest accomplishment in a completely understated and classy way that only the coolest of artist can pull off, by simply retweeting the news and adding “Beyond Blessed!”

“Blinding Lights” has been an undeniably massive hit for The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye. The song hit number one in 34 countries and won Video of the Year at the MTV Music Awards in August 2020. The Weeknd wrote the high-energy, retro '80s track along with Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Oscar Holter, Canadian rapper Belly and Canadian producer Jason Quenneville.

The music video for “Blinding Lights” is part of the continuous storyline for the After Hours singles. The video saga opens with The Weeknd partying in Las Vegas in the video for “Heartless” and continues with the drunk singer driving through Sin City looking bloody after being beaten up by bouncers in “Blinding Lights.” The singer literally loses his head in the video for “In Your Eyes” and it’s eventually attached to another person’s body in “Too Late.” In January, The Weeknd released what is possibly his final installment in the After Hours mini-movie with the video for “Save Your Tears,” where he debuts the (fake) shocking results of facial reconstruction surgery.

The Weeknd continued the storyline from his music videos during several late night and award show appearances in 2020, often sporting full face bandages. During the singer’s history-making Super Bowl halftime show in February, where he became the first Canadian solo singer to ever headline the show, The Weeknd recreated the After Hours saga in the stands and on the field of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

The Weeknd’s latest achievement for his After Hours album is yet another reason why music fans and critics remain bewildered over the singer being shut out at the 2021 Grammy Awards. At the time the nominations were announced on November 24, After Hours was already the bestselling album of the year in the US and “Blinding Lights” had already passed Post Malone’s “Circles” to be the longest-running top 10 single in US chart history.

Calling the Grammys ‘corrupt,’ The Weeknd pulled out of his previously scheduled appearance as one of this year’s performers.

The singer received plenty of support from his fellow artists, including Drake, Charlie Puth, Kid Cudi, Tinashe, Nicki Minaj, Akon, Sam Smith and Elton John.

Before you go: Megan Thee Stallion, The Weeknd land on Time 100 list

[video_embed id='2041288']Before you go: Megan Thee Stallion, The Weeknd land on Time 100 list[/video_embed]