The Weeknd knocks Chubby Checker off Billboard’s all-time song chart with viral hit Blinding Lights

Chubby Checker’s The Twist has been knocked off its perch at the top of Billboard’s all-time greatest song chart by The Weeknd’s viral hit Blinding Lights.

Checker’s 1960 hit has been atop the table since its inception in 2008, after spending several weeks at number one in the 60s.

Canadian artist The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye), released Blinding Lights in 2019, with the track quickly going viral on TikTok and climbing up the streaming charts.

The singer also closed with the track at his Super Bowl half-time show earlier this year, while an army of dancers joined him on the pitch in Tampa.

Blinding Lights spent four weeks at number one on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 (equivalent to the UK’s Top 40), going on to spend 43 weeks in the top five, 57 in the top 10 and 90 weeks in the chart overall.

He told Billboard: “I don’t think it has hit me yet.

“I try not to dwell on it too much. I just count my blessings, and I’m just grateful.”

Meanwhile, The Beatles continue their reign at the top of the all-time greatest artist table, followed by Madonna, Elton John and Elvis Presley.

The Fab Four boast 34 top 10 hits in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with 20 of them clinching the top spot in their history.

Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and Rihanna also make the list.

Billboard’s methodology is based around the company’s weekly Hot 100 chart (which began in 1958), and gives an inverse weighting based on their performance throughout history.

For instance, tracks in the number one spot are given the highest score, while those at number 100 are given the lowest, and totted up over time.

The all-time charts are updated every five years.