2009 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper
The 2009 Billboard Number One Hits list marked the end of the 2000s with dance-pop, digital sales explosions, rap crossovers, pop comebacks, and one of the most dominant chart runs ever by The Black Eyed Peas. Lady Gaga broke through, Kelly Clarkson made chart history, Jay-Z scored a major New York anthem, and Empire State of Mind carried the year into 2010.
This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 2009, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with Beyoncé’s late-2008 carryover and continues into early January 2010 with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.
The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using radio airplay, sales, and later streaming activity. These are official Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs, not pop-only, rock-only, airplay-only, dance-only, or “that was definitely everywhere on the radio” rankings.
2009 Billboard Number One Hits by Week
- December 28, 2008 – January 10, 2009: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) – Beyoncé
- January 11 – January 31, 2009: Just Dance – Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis
- February 1 – February 14, 2009: My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson
- February 15 – February 21, 2009: Crack a Bottle – Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent
- February 22 – April 4, 2009: Right Round – Flo Rida
- April 5 – April 11, 2009: Poker Face – Lady Gaga
- April 12 – July 4, 2009: Boom Boom Pow – The Black Eyed Peas
- July 5 – October 10, 2009: I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas
- October 11 – October 17, 2009: Down – Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne
- October 18 – October 24, 2009: 3 – Britney Spears
- October 25 – October 31, 2009: Down – Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne
- November 1 – November 7, 2009: Fireflies – Owl City
- November 8 – November 14, 2009: Whatcha Say – Jason Derulo
- November 15 – November 21, 2009: Fireflies – Owl City
- November 22, 2009 – January 2, 2010: Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys
Song-by-Song Notes on the 2009 Billboard No. 1 Hits
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) – Beyoncé
Beyoncé opened the 2009 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), a late-2008 carryover that continued into January. The song’s hand-clap rhythm, sharp hook, and instantly recognizable video choreography made it one of the most famous pop singles of the late 2000s.
The video became a pop-culture landmark, inspiring parodies, dance routines, awards-show moments, and endless “put a ring on it” references. A black-and-white video, three dancers, and one very committed hand gesture did a lot of damage.
Just Dance – Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis
Lady Gaga earned her first Hot 100 No. 1 with Just Dance, featuring Colby O’Donis. The song’s club-pop production, glossy hook, and nightlife energy helped launch Gaga as one of the defining new pop stars of the late 2000s.
Its climb to No. 1 marked the arrival of a new pop figure who understood music, image, fashion, video, and spectacle as one complete package. The title was simple, but the career launch was anything but.
My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson’s My Life Would Suck Without You made one of the biggest chart jumps in Hot 100 history, leaping from No. 97 to No. 1. The song brought Clarkson back to the top with a polished pop-rock hook and a chorus built for instant radio impact.
It also showed how digital sales could create huge chart movement in the late 2000s. The song did not climb the stairs; it took the elevator and pressed every button at once.
Crack a Bottle – Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent
Crack a Bottle debuted at No. 1 with three major rap names: Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent. The song arrived during the lead-up to Eminem’s Relapse era and drew major attention from fans waiting for his full return.
Its one-week run reflected the power of a high-profile rap release in the digital-sales era. The lineup alone was enough to make the chart pay attention.
Right Round – Flo Rida
Flo Rida reached No. 1 with Right Round, a pop-rap hit built around an interpolation of Dead or Alive’s 1985 song You Spin Me Round (Like a Record). The song’s massive opening-week digital sales helped drive its Hot 100 dominance.
It spent six weeks at No. 1 and continued Flo Rida’s run as one of the late-2000s’ strongest crossover hitmakers. The song was part nostalgia, part club-pop, and part download-era rocket fuel.
Poker Face – Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga scored her second No. 1 of 2009 with Poker Face. The song’s cool vocal delivery, electro-pop production, and mysterious lyrical style helped make it one of her signature early hits.
With Just Dance and Poker Face, Gaga became one of the year’s biggest breakthrough artists. By April 2009, it was clear she was not just visiting the pop chart. She had moved in with several outfits.
Boom Boom Pow – The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas reached No. 1 with Boom Boom Pow, their first Hot 100 chart-topper. The song spent 12 weeks at No. 1 and became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2009.
Its futuristic electro-hop sound helped define late-2000s pop radio, and it began the group’s incredible 26-week uninterrupted hold on the No. 1 spot when followed immediately by I Gotta Feeling. That is not a chart run; that is a lease agreement.
I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas replaced themselves at No. 1 with I Gotta Feeling, which spent 14 weeks at the top. The song became one of the biggest party anthems of the decade, with a simple feel-good hook and production from David Guetta.
Together, Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling kept The Black Eyed Peas at No. 1 for 26 consecutive weeks. For half of 2009, the Hot 100 basically had a Black Eyed Peas office with a nameplate.
Down – Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne
Jay Sean reached No. 1 with Down, featuring Lil Wayne. The song gave Jay Sean his first Hot 100 No. 1 and became a major pop-R&B crossover hit during the late-2000s digital era.
Its interrupted run around Britney Spears’ 3 showed how fast the chart could move in 2009. A one-week debut could briefly take over, then the previous hit could return like nothing happened.
3 – Britney Spears
Britney Spears debuted at No. 1 with 3, a sleek electro-pop single from her greatest-hits collection. The song became one of the few non-American Idol-related songs of the 2000s to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Its one-week run showed that Spears still had major release-week power a decade after her debut. The title was short, the hook was sharp, and the chart entrance was immediate.
Fireflies – Owl City
Owl City reached No. 1 with Fireflies, a dreamy synth-pop song that became one of the year’s most distinctive hits. Its gentle electronic sound, surreal lyrics, and soft vocal delivery stood apart from the harder club-pop dominating much of 2009.
The song topped the Hot 100 in two separate weeks, trading places with Jason Derulo’s Whatcha Say. It was quirky, bright, and probably responsible for a lot of bedroom ceiling stargazing.
Whatcha Say – Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo earned his first Hot 100 No. 1 with Whatcha Say. The song prominently sampled Imogen Heap’s Hide and Seek, turning a haunting vocal moment into the centerpiece of a mainstream pop-R&B hit.
Its one-week run introduced Derulo as a new chart presence and showed how familiar internet-era samples could become major pop hooks. The “mmm whatcha say” moment had already taken on a life of its own before the song topped the chart.
Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys closed the 2009 Billboard Hot 100 year with Empire State of Mind, a sweeping New York anthem that carried into January 2010. The song gave Jay-Z his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist.
Alicia Keys’ chorus helped turn the track into a civic sing-along for New York, sports events, TV montages, and every moment that needed instant skyline energy. It was less a song than a postcard with drums.
Major 2009 Hits That Did Not Reach No. 1
Several songs in older 2009 chart lists were huge hits but did not top the Billboard Hot 100. These are useful to mention because many readers may remember them as No. 1 songs, especially if they topped airplay, pop, R&B, or other Billboard charts.
- Heartless – Kanye West peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100.
- Dead and Gone – T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake peaked at No. 2.
- Blame It – Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain peaked at No. 2.
- Knock You Down – Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo peaked at No. 3.
- Best I Ever Had – Drake peaked at No. 2.
- You Belong with Me – Taylor Swift peaked at No. 2.
- Paparazzi – Lady Gaga peaked at No. 6.
Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 2009
The Black Eyed Peas Took Over Half the Year
The Black Eyed Peas spent 26 consecutive weeks at No. 1 with Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling. That run made them the dominant Hot 100 act of 2009 and one of the clearest examples of late-2000s digital-pop dominance.
Lady Gaga Became a Major Pop Star
Lady Gaga reached No. 1 twice in 2009 with Just Dance and Poker Face. Her arrival changed the pop conversation by combining dance music, visual performance, fashion, and theatrical celebrity into one full-force package.
Digital Sales Created Huge Chart Movement
My Life Would Suck Without You, Crack a Bottle, Right Round, and 3 all reflected the power of digital sales in 2009. The Hot 100 could shift dramatically when a major song sold huge numbers in its opening week.
New Artists Broke Through at No. 1
Lady Gaga, Colby O’Donis, The Black Eyed Peas, Jay Sean, Owl City, and Jason Derulo all reached No. 1 for the first time in 2009. The year had plenty of familiar stars, but it also introduced several names that shaped pop radio into the next decade.
Empire State of Mind Became a New York Anthem
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys closed the year with one of the most famous city anthems of the 2000s. Its cross-year run helped bridge the end of the decade into 2010.
2009 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia
- Boom Boom Pow by The Black Eyed Peas was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2009.
- The Black Eyed Peas spent 26 consecutive weeks at No. 1 with Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling.
- I Gotta Feeling spent 14 weeks at No. 1, the longest Hot 100 run of 2009.
- Boom Boom Pow spent 12 weeks at No. 1.
- Just Dance gave Lady Gaga her first Hot 100 No. 1.
- Poker Face gave Lady Gaga her second Hot 100 No. 1 in the same year.
- My Life Would Suck Without You jumped from No. 97 to No. 1.
- Empire State of Mind gave Jay-Z his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist.
- Whatcha Say gave Jason Derulo his first Hot 100 No. 1.
- Fireflies gave Owl City its only Hot 100 No. 1.
Why the 2009 Billboard Number One Hits Matter
The 2009 Billboard Number One Hits list showed pop music at the edge of a new decade. Digital sales were moving songs faster, dance-pop was becoming more dominant, and artists like Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, Jason Derulo, and Owl City helped shape the sound that would carry into the early 2010s.
The year also had an unusually clear centerpiece. The Black Eyed Peas owned the Hot 100 for 26 straight weeks, first with the futuristic stomp of Boom Boom Pow, then with the party anthem I Gotta Feeling. Few chart years have one act sitting at the top for that long without interruption.
For chart fans, 2009 was the sound of the download era flexing. Songs could debut high, leap dramatically, and dominate quickly. The Hot 100 was becoming faster, louder, more electronic, and more ready for the pop explosion of the 2010s.
