Heavy metal statistics can be read through more than album sales or concert attendance. The Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart listings supplied here show how 17 songs compare by their listed position, highest chart position, and total weeks spent on the chart. The figures cover a broad rock and metal canon, from Black Sabbath and AC/DC to Linkin Park, Green Day, and Paramore.
Contents
- The headline chart figures
- The longest-running songs
- Songs with the strongest peak positions
- A comparison of chart longevity
- Current listing positions
- Artists represented in the figures
The headline chart figures
The supplied Official Charts listings report three different measurements: the latest listed week position, the best position reached, and the total number of weeks spent on the Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart. These measures answer different questions. A song can have a strong peak but a shorter overall run, while another can accumulate hundreds of weeks without reaching the top position.
The most persistent run in this group belongs to Green Day’s “Basket Case,” with 961 weeks on the chart. Nickelback’s “Rockstar” follows at 951 weeks, while Green Day’s “American Idiot” has 833 weeks. Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” has 722 weeks, and AC/DC’s “Back in Black” has 682 weeks.
Several songs combine a No. 1 peak with a long chart history. The Official Charts figures give “American Idiot,” “Supermassive Black Hole,” “Back in Black,” “Paranoid,” “What I’ve Done,” “Rockstar,” and “The Emptiness Machine” a highest position of No. 1. AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” also peaked at No. 1 and has 661 weeks on the chart.
The newest-looking entry by total weeks is Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine,” reported with 87 weeks. Its peak position is nevertheless No. 1, showing why peak rank and longevity should be considered separately.
The longest-running songs
Longevity is the clearest pattern in these figures. Eight songs have at least 600 reported weeks on the chart: “Basket Case” at 961, “Rockstar” at 951, “American Idiot” at 833, “Supermassive Black Hole” at 722, “Back in Black” at 682, “Highway to Hell” at 661, “You Give Love a Bad Name” at 603, and “Another One Bites the Dust” at 598, which is just below that threshold.
Green Day therefore appears twice among the longest-running songs. “Basket Case” is listed at LW 21 and has spent 961 weeks on the chart, while “American Idiot” is at LW 18 with 833 weeks. The difference between their latest listed positions is three places, but their reported totals differ substantially.
AC/DC also has a strong longevity showing. “Back in Black” is at LW 17 with 682 weeks, “Highway to Hell” is at LW 20 with 661 weeks, and “You Shook Me All Night Long” is at LW 26 with 619 weeks. These entries all peaked in the top three: “Back in Black” and “Highway to Hell” reached No. 1, while “You Shook Me All Night Long” reached No. 2.
Other extended runs include Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” with 603 weeks, Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” with 598, and Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” with 589. Linkin Park’s “What I’ve Done” has 521 weeks, while Paramore’s “Still Into You” has 481 weeks. Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” is listed with 441 weeks.
Songs with the strongest peak positions
A No. 1 peak is reported for ten of the 17 songs in this set: “Still Into You,” “American Idiot,” “Highway to Hell,” “Back in Black,” “Paranoid,” “Supermassive Black Hole,” “What I’ve Done,” “Rockstar,” “The Emptiness Machine,” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” This group spans songs with very different total chart histories, from 87 weeks for “The Emptiness Machine” to 951 weeks for “Rockstar.”
Five further songs reached No. 2: Green Day’s “Basket Case,” Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name,” AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” and the entries identified by the Official Charts figures as having a No. 2 peak within this set. The specific song-level comparison is clearest in the table below, which keeps each supplied title tied to its reported measurements.
| Song | Latest listed week | Peak | Weeks on chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Basket Case” — Green Day | 21 | 2 | 961 |
| “Rockstar” — Nickelback | 25 | 1 | 951 |
| “American Idiot” — Green Day | 18 | 1 | 833 |
| “Supermassive Black Hole” — Muse | 22 | 1 | 722 |
| “Back in Black” — AC/DC | 17 | 1 | 682 |
| “Highway to Hell” — AC/DC | 20 | 1 | 661 |
| “You Give Love a Bad Name” — Bon Jovi | 24 | 2 | 603 |
| “Another One Bites the Dust” — Queen | 19 | 3 | 598 |
| “Welcome to the Jungle” — Guns N’ Roses | 30 | 6 | 589 |
| “What I’ve Done” — Linkin Park | 23 | 1 | 521 |
The lower peaks are still substantial. “Another One Bites the Dust” reached No. 3 and has 598 weeks, while Linkin Park’s “Faint” also peaked at No. 3 and has 135 weeks. “Welcome to the Jungle” peaked at No. 6 with 589 weeks. Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” reached No. 12 and has 192 weeks, the lowest peak position reported in this group.
A comparison of chart longevity
The figures illustrate how enduring recognition can appear in different forms. A top peak records the best position a song reached, whereas total weeks records the length of its presence. “Basket Case” provides a strong example: its peak was No. 2, not No. 1, but its 961 weeks are the highest total in the supplied listings.
The same distinction appears in the midrange. “Welcome to the Jungle” peaked at No. 6 but has 589 weeks, more than “Paranoid,” whose peak was No. 1 and whose total is 441 weeks. “Break Stuff” peaked at No. 12 and has 192 weeks, while “Faint” peaked at No. 3 and has 135 weeks. A peak position alone would not describe their chart histories fully.
The following smaller group shows the range from the longest to the shortest reported run among the supplied songs:
- Green Day’s “Basket Case”: 961 weeks; peak No. 2; latest listed week LW 21.
- Nickelback’s “Rockstar”: 951 weeks; peak No. 1; latest listed week LW 25.
- Green Day’s “American Idiot”: 833 weeks; peak No. 1; latest listed week LW 18.
- Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole”: 722 weeks; peak No. 1; latest listed week LW 22.
- Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine”: 87 weeks; peak No. 1; latest listed week LW 27.
These are reported chart measures, not estimates of audience size, streams, ticket sales, or festival attendance. The figures also do not establish why one song remained on the chart longer than another. They only describe the three measurements reported by Official Charts for each listing.
Current listing positions
The latest listed week values run from LW 14 to LW 32. Linkin Park’s “Faint” is at LW 14, Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” at LW 15, Paramore’s “Still Into You” at LW 16, and AC/DC’s “Back in Black” at LW 17. Green Day’s “American Idiot” is at LW 18, Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” at LW 19, and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” at LW 20.
The next positions are held by Green Day’s “Basket Case” at LW 21, Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” at LW 22, Linkin Park’s “What I’ve Done” at LW 23, Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” at LW 24, and Nickelback’s “Rockstar” at LW 25. AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” is at LW 26, Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine” at LW 27, Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” at LW 29, Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” at LW 30, and Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” at LW 32.
The latest listed week is a snapshot of chart placement, not a ranking of total historical success. For example, “Faint” has the earliest latest-week value in the supplied set, LW 14, but its 135-week total is much smaller than “Basket Case” at 961 weeks. Keeping those fields separate avoids treating a current listing position as a lifetime measure.
Artists represented in the figures
Several artists contribute more than one song. Linkin Park appears with “Faint” at LW 14, peak No. 3 and 135 weeks; “What I’ve Done” at LW 23, peak No. 1 and 521 weeks; and “The Emptiness Machine” at LW 27, peak No. 1 and 87 weeks.
Green Day appears with “American Idiot” at LW 18, peak No. 1 and 833 weeks; “Basket Case” at LW 21, peak No. 2 and 961 weeks; and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” at LW 32, peak No. 1 and 434 weeks. AC/DC appears with “Highway to Hell” at LW 20, peak No. 1 and 661 weeks; “Back in Black” at LW 17, peak No. 1 and 682 weeks; and “You Shook Me All Night Long” at LW 26, peak No. 2 and 619 weeks.
The remaining artists each contribute one listed song: Paramore’s “Still Into You” is at LW 16, peaked at No. 1, and has 481 weeks; Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” is at LW 19, peaked at No. 3, and has 598 weeks; Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” is at LW 15, peaked at No. 12, and has 192 weeks; Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” is at LW 29, peaked at No. 1, and has 441 weeks; Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” is at LW 22, peaked at No. 1, and has 722 weeks; Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” is at LW 24, peaked at No. 2, and has 603 weeks; Nickelback’s “Rockstar” is at LW 25, peaked at No. 1, and has 951 weeks; and Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” is at LW 30, peaked at No. 6, and has 589 weeks.
Source: Official Charts, Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart listings.