Photography Charlotte Wales, Styling Tom GuinnessMusic / NewsMusic / NewsLil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ is the longest-running number one everMariah Carey has passed the torchShareLink copied ✔️July 30, 2019July 30, 2019TextBrit Dawson If your summer hasn’t been sountracked by “Old Town Road”, you’ve been doing it wrong. Topping the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks, Lil Nas X’s viral track is now officially the longest-running number one in US chart history. With 72.5 million streams and 46,000 downloads in the last seven days alone, the song has overtaken “Despacito” (thank god), and Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day”, which both spent 16 weeks at number one. “i am so thankful that this blessing has been placed upon me”, Lil Nas X wrote on Instagram, “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 (sic) of this journey. as i said before, it’s just the beginning!” pic.twitter.com/F7qEaSFf8K— nope (@LilNasX) July 29, 2019 The rapper dropped the track in December 2018, before releasing numerous remixes this year, the most popular featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. Along with this ingenious tactic (the remixes are close enough to the original, so they count as one single), Lil Nas X benefited from his internet brain and colossal social media following, which were central to the track’s viral fame. Passing the torch in a hilariously Photoshopped image, Mariah Carey tweeted her congratulations, writing: “Keep living your best life!” The rapper currently fronts the autumn 2019 issue of Dazed, which celebrates all things yeehaw. As part of the issue, we’ve also partnered with TikTok on the “Old Town Road”-inspired #LassoChallenge – make your attempt here, and keep an eye out for Lil Nas X’s cover story dropping this afternoon. Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MORECorridos tumbados: A guide to Mexico’s most controversial music genreSekou is the 21-year-old baritone making 70s soul cool againDon’t Be Dumb: The top 5 features on A$AP Rocky’s new album The rise of ‘Britainicana’: How Westside Cowboy are reshaping UK indieR!R!Riot is Taiwan’s pluggnb princessWhen did UK underground rap get so Christian? Why listening parties are everywhere right nowA night out with Feng, the ‘positive punk’ of UK UgDoppel-gäng gäng gäng: 7 times artists used body doublesWesley Joseph is the Marty Supreme of R&B (only nicer) How Turnstile are reinventing hardcore for the internet ageWill these be the biggest musical moments of 2026?