Red Hot Chili Peppers cap a two-week sprint to No. 1 on Billboard‘s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, zooming to the top of the Feb. 19-dated survey with “Black Summer.”
In the Feb. 7-13 tracking week, “Summer” earned 5.5 million rock radio audience impressions, according to MRC Data. That’s up 23% from its first three days of availability in the Jan. 31-Feb. 6 tracking week. The song was released Feb. 4 and debuted at No. 3 on the Feb. 12-dated chart, the top bow for any song on the survey since Green Day‘s “Father of All…” also soared in at No. 3 in September 2019.
“Summer” wraps the fastest flight to No. 1 on the chart since Foo Fighters‘ “Shame Shame” also needed just two weeks in November 2020.
Since Rock & Alternative Airplay began in 2009, only nine songs have hit No. 1 in just one or two weeks. The Chili Peppers boast three of those, with “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” and “Dark Necessities” also taking two frames, in 2011 and 2016, respectively. Foo Fighters also have three such songs, with “Shame Shame” following “Something From Nothing,” in 2014, and “Rope,” in 2011.
Of those nine leaders, “Rope,” Green Day’s “Oh Love” (2012) and Linkin Park‘s “The Catalyst” (2010) are the only songs to have debuted at No. 1.
“Summer,” “Adventures” and “Necessities” encompass all of the Chili Peppers’ Rock & Alternative Airplay rulers. In between “Necessities” and “Summer,” they charted two titles: “Go Robot” hit No. 12 and “Goodbye Angels” reached No. 40, both in 2017.
Concurrently, “Summer” is scaling Billboard‘s three plays-based rock radio charts. It breaks into the top 10 of Alternative Airplay, vaulting 14-4, giving the band its 26th top 10, second all-time since the survey began in 1988 and only one away from Foo Fighters’ record 27.
Most Top 10s, Alternative Airplay
27, Foo Fighters
26, Red Hot Chili Peppers
24, Green Day
23, U2
19, Pearl Jam
19, Weezer
18, The Offspring
17, Linkin Park
17, Muse
17, The Smashing Pumpkins
The band last hit the Alternative Airplay top 10 with “Necessities,” marking its record 13th No. 1. Green Day and Linkin Park follow with 12 and 11 leaders, respectively.
“Summer” also jumps 22-11 on Mainstream Rock Airplay and debuts at No. 22 on Adult Alternative Airplay.
Following its first full tracking week, “Summer” also dots multiple multi-metric charts. It debuts at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively, on Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, and starts at No. 78 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 4.6 million U.S. streams and sold 3,600 downloads Feb. 4-10.
The song’s sales count also sparks its No. 1 start on Rock Digital Song Sales, the band’s first ruler since the list began in 2010; it previously peaked as high as No. 3 with “Maggie” in 2011. On Rock Streaming Songs, “Summer” debuts at No. 13.
“Summer” is the lead single from Unlimited Love, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 12th studio album and first with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006’s Stadium Arcadium. It’s scheduled for release April 1.