With its latest Billboard Hot 100 debut, One Direction bests the group’s British boy band ancestors the Beatles.
As previously reported, One Direction roars onto the Hot 100 (dated Nov. 7) at No. 10 with new single “Perfect.” Fueling its start, it begins at No. 2 on the Digital Songs chart with 136,000 sold in its first week, according to Nielsen Music, and No. 18 on Streaming Songs (6.9 million U.S. streams), following the arrival of its official video Oct. 20.
“Perfect” is 1D’s fifth top 10 debut on the Hot 100, and second from its Nov. 13 album Made in the A.M.; “Drag Me Down” debuted and peaked at No. 3 upon its arrival on the Aug. 22. With five, One Direction breaks the record for the most top 10 Hot 100 debuts among groups, passing the Beatles’ four. Counting all artists, Taylor Swift has tallied a record 12 top 10 debuts, dating to the Hot 100’s 1958 inception.
Before “Perfect” and “Drag” (the latter of which tied the Beatles’ mark), One Direction debuted at No. 3 on the Hot 100 with “Live While We’re Young” (No. 3, Oct. 20, 2012), “Best Song Ever” (No. 2, Aug. 10, 2013) and “Story of My Life” (No. 6, Nov. 16, 2013).
The Beatles launched three of their fab four top 10 Hot 100 debuts in their original historic heyday, and one as a reunited trio (featuring the late John Lennon’s vocals) more than a quarter-century later: “Hey Jude” (No. 10, Sept. 14, 1968), “Get Back,” with Billy Preston (No. 10, May 10, 1969), “Let It Be” (No. 6, March 21, 1970) and “Free as a Bird” (No. 10, Dec. 30, 1995).
Notably, until the adoption of Nielsen Music data in the ’90s, which made top 10 Hot 100 debuts more regular (although still fully laudable), the Beatles boasted the only such arrivals, with “Jude,” “Back” and “Let.”
1D also launches a second Hot 100 debut this week. Further down the chart, “Home” — a stand-alone track not on the new album — enters at No. 97.
