BTS’s ‘Butter’ Ties Aerosmith’s 23-Year Chart Record In Fourth Week At No. 1 – Forbes

BTS’s “Butter” holds strong at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for its fourth consecutive week. It’s a milestone achievement for the Korean pop septet, marking the longest-running No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 by a Korean act (and only the second song by a Korean artist to log multiple weeks atop the chart, behind BTS’s own “Dynamite”). And now, in its fourth week atop the chart, BTS’s new disco-pop smash also ties a 23-year chart record held by Aerosmith.

“Butter” ties Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” as the longest-running No. 1 debut by a group in Hot 100 history. The Boston-bred hard rock quintet launched the power ballad to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in September of 1998, where it remained for four consecutive weeks. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which appeared in the blockbuster disaster film Armageddon, marked Aerosmith’s first and only No. 1 hit to date, though they have racked up a slew of Top 20 hits throughout their nearly 50-year career. 

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Both “Butter” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” were, to some extent, stylistic departures for their respective artists. “Butter” is only BTS’s second song performed entirely in English, behind “Dynamite.” Meanwhile, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” marked Aerosmith’s most deliberate pop play ever, even amid a second-act career resuscitation marked by several popular ballads.

Both songs also came primarily from outside writers. Veteran balladeer Diane Warren penned “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” while “Butter” credits a team of writers and producers including Jenna Andrews, Rob Grimaldi and, curiously, Columbia Records CEO Ron Perry. (BTS leader RM also has a writing credit on the track.)

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That’s pretty much where the comparisons stop, though. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” is a supersized, unabashedly earnest love song, while “Butter” is an explosive, club-ready banger that’s already angling for the coveted “Song of the Summer” title. And while “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” marked Aerosmith’s first and only No. 1 hit, “Butter” marks BTS’s fourth in less than a year, behind “Dynamite,” “Life Goes On” and a remix of Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo’s “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat).”

“Butter” almost certainly won’t be BTS’s last No. 1 hit either, given their undeniable hot streak. And if “Butter” keeps defying even the loftiest expectations from fans and industry insiders, it could break Aerosmith’s 23-year record next week.