Bruno Mars Returns To No. 1 — And This Week Is Special For His Smash

Forbes

3 days ago

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars's 'Die With a Smile' returns to No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay, becoming their ... More first song to spend 10 weeks atop the chart. LOS ANGELES - FEBRUARY 2: Bruno Mars backstage at The 67th Annual Grammy Awards, airing live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, Sunday, Feb. 2 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/5:00-8:30 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.* (Photo by Stewart Cook/CBS via Getty Images)
Throughout the decades, both Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga have stood out as some of the biggest names in pop music. They've scored hit after hit, with radio play helping to keep many of their tunes alive and turning them into generation-defining smashes. The two artists have produced the kind of songs that don't just perform well initially, but which linger on the airwaves for years.
Their first collaboration, "Die With a Smile," has proved to be another one of those unceasing successes. As of this week, it's a special kind of win for the two musicians — one they've never experienced before.
'Die with a Smile' returns to No. 1 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart this week, stepping up from the runner-up spot back to the summit. It trades places with "Messy" by newcomer Lola Young, which recently took a turn running the show. The Gaga and Mars duet has now spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Pop Airplay tally.
"Die With a Smile" is the first 10-week ruler for both superstars on Billboard's list of the tracks that earn the highest number of audience impressions at U.S. radio stations catering to an adult-leaning pop sound.
Somewhat surprisingly, "Die With a Smile" gave Gaga her first No. 1 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart when it reached the peak position in December of last year. It outpaced several of her previous hits that stalled at No. 2, including "The Edge of Glory" and her Oscar-winning collaboration with Bradley Cooper, "Shallow."
Mars has claimed four No. 1s on the Adult Pop Airplay list, but none have come close to racking up as many weeks at the top as "Die With a Smile." In fact, with 10 frames in charge, it has now outperformed the combined total of his other three champions: "Just the Way You Are," "Uptown Funk" with Mark Ronson, and "When I Was Your Man." The cut even manages to double the stay of his second-longest leader, "Just the Way You Are," which hit No. 1 nearly 15 years ago and spent five frames ruling.