2011 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper
The 2011 Billboard Number One Hits list was a busy mix of huge pop personalities, club anthems, emotional ballads, rap breakthroughs, and the beginning of Adele’s major U.S. chart takeover. Katy Perry kept extending her Teenage Dream era, Adele turned heartbreak into the year’s biggest song, and LMFAO made the Hot 100 party like it had glow sticks in both hands.
This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 2011, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with Katy Perry’s late-2010 carryover and continues into early January 2012 with Rihanna and Calvin Harris’ We Found Love.
The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using radio airplay, sales, and streaming activity. These are official Billboard No. 1 songs, not personal favorites, playlist picks, or “the song your gym class could not escape” rankings.
2011 Billboard Number One Hits by Week
- December 26, 2010 – January 1, 2011: Firework – Katy Perry
- January 2 – January 8, 2011: Grenade – Bruno Mars
- January 9 – January 15, 2011: Firework – Katy Perry
- January 16 – January 22, 2011: Grenade – Bruno Mars
- January 23 – January 29, 2011: Hold It Against Me – Britney Spears
- January 30 – February 12, 2011: Grenade – Bruno Mars
- February 13 – February 19, 2011: Black and Yellow – Wiz Khalifa
- February 20 – April 2, 2011: Born This Way – Lady Gaga
- April 3 – April 23, 2011: E.T. – Katy Perry featuring Kanye West
- April 24 – April 30, 2011: S&M – Rihanna featuring Britney Spears
- May 1 – May 14, 2011: E.T. – Katy Perry featuring Kanye West
- May 15 – July 2, 2011: Rolling in the Deep – Adele
- July 3 – July 9, 2011: Give Me Everything – Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer
- July 10 – August 20, 2011: Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
- August 21 – September 3, 2011: Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) – Katy Perry
- September 4 – September 10, 2011: Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
- September 11 – September 17, 2011: Someone Like You – Adele
- September 18 – October 8, 2011: Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
- October 9 – November 5, 2011: Someone Like You – Adele
- November 6, 2011 – January 28, 2012: We Found Love – Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
Song-by-Song Notes on the 2011 Billboard No. 1 Hits
Firework – Katy Perry
Katy Perry opened the 2011 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with Firework, a late-2010 carryover from her massive Teenage Dream era. The song’s self-empowerment message, big chorus, and radio-friendly production helped make it one of Perry’s signature hits.
Its brief return to No. 1 in January showed how strong the single remained after the holidays. It was bright, loud, and not especially interested in subtle indoor lighting.
Grenade – Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars’ Grenade traded the No. 1 spot with Firework early in 2011, then returned for additional weeks at the top. The song’s dramatic pop-soul production and extreme heartbreak imagery helped Mars move beyond his breakthrough guest features into full solo-star territory.
Its interrupted run makes the early 2011 chart look a little choppy, but the song’s popularity was very real. Nobody was literally catching grenades, thankfully, but the chorus made the metaphor stick.
Hold It Against Me – Britney Spears
Britney Spears debuted at No. 1 with Hold It Against Me, the lead single from Femme Fatale. The song leaned into club-pop, electro-pop, and dubstep-influenced production, fitting squarely into the early-2010s dance-pop boom.
Its one-week debut showed that Spears still had major release-week power more than a decade after her first wave of hits. The song was futuristic for pop radio at the time, and very much dressed for the strobe lights.
Black and Yellow – Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa reached No. 1 with Black and Yellow, a Pittsburgh anthem that crossed from regional pride into national pop culture. Its title referenced the black-and-gold colors associated with Pittsburgh sports teams, including the Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins.
The song’s No. 1 week came around the same period as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Super Bowl XLV appearance, giving it extra sports-world visibility. Few city-color anthems have traveled this far.
Born This Way – Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga’s Born This Way debuted at No. 1 and became the 1,000th No. 1 song in Hot 100 history. The song’s message of self-acceptance, dance-pop production, and strong LGBTQ+ resonance made it one of the year’s biggest cultural singles.
It spent six weeks at No. 1 and marked one of Gaga’s most direct statement songs. It was less a whisper of encouragement than a nightclub sermon with shoulder pads.
E.T. – Katy Perry featuring Kanye West
Katy Perry continued her Teenage Dream run with E.T., featuring Kanye West. The song brought a darker, heavier electronic-pop sound than some of Perry’s earlier singles from the album.
Its No. 1 run was interrupted by Rihanna and Britney Spears’ S&M remix, then returned for two more weeks. That interruption matters for chart accuracy, because 2011 loved making the top spot a revolving door.
S&M – Rihanna featuring Britney Spears
Rihanna’s S&M reached No. 1 after a remix featuring Britney Spears helped push it to the top. The song became Rihanna’s 10th Hot 100 No. 1, a major milestone in her chart career.
The remix also made the song a pop-superstar event, pairing two of the biggest hitmakers of their generation. The title was spicy, but the chart math was straightforward.
Rolling in the Deep – Adele
Adele’s Rolling in the Deep spent seven weeks at No. 1 and became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2011. The song mixed blues, soul, pop, and a thunderous vocal performance, helping turn Adele’s 21 into one of the decade’s defining albums.
Its success stood apart from much of the year’s club-pop sound. While everyone else was bringing lasers, Adele showed up with heartbreak and a drumbeat that sounded like it knew secrets.
Give Me Everything – Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer
Pitbull reached No. 1 with Give Me Everything, featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer. The song was a peak early-2010s club-pop anthem, combining EDM production, a huge Ne-Yo chorus, and Pitbull’s party-brand confidence.
Its one-week run came between two longer chart stories, Adele’s Rolling in the Deep and LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem. It did not stay long, but it arrived dressed for bottle service.
Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem spent six weeks at No. 1 and became one of 2011’s defining party songs. Its shuffle-dance hook, electronic beat, and absurdly direct title made it a pop-culture staple almost immediately.
The song finished as Billboard’s No. 2 year-end Hot 100 song of 2011. For a track this silly on purpose, it had serious chart legs.
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) – Katy Perry
Katy Perry reached No. 1 with Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), giving her fifth Hot 100 No. 1 from the Teenage Dream album. That achievement tied Michael Jackson’s record from Bad for the most No. 1 singles from one album.
The song’s party-aftershock lyrics and 1980s-style video helped complete one of the most successful pop album campaigns in Hot 100 history. Perry’s 2011 chart run was not casual; it came with confetti and receipts.
Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera reached No. 1 with Moves Like Jagger, a whistling pop-funk hit tied to their visibility on The Voice. The song gave Maroon 5 a major comeback moment after several years away from the very top of the Hot 100.
Its interrupted run around Adele’s Someone Like You showed how competitive the fall chart became. Apparently, Jagger’s moves were strong, but Adele’s piano still had veto power.
Someone Like You – Adele
Adele scored her second 2011 No. 1 with Someone Like You, a spare piano ballad that contrasted sharply with the year’s dance-pop dominance. The song first rose to No. 1 in September, then returned for a longer run in October and early November.
Its success confirmed that Adele’s year was not built on one song. Rolling in the Deep was the explosion, and Someone Like You was the quiet heartbreak that somehow filled the whole room.
We Found Love – Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
Rihanna and Calvin Harris closed the 2011 Billboard Hot 100 year with We Found Love, a massive dance-pop single that carried into January 2012. The song’s pulsing electronic production and simple emotional hook helped make it one of Rihanna’s biggest hits.
Its long cross-year run helped define the EDM-pop sound that dominated early-2010s radio. It was bright, dramatic, and basically built for flashing lights in slow motion.
Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 2011
Adele Owned the Year-End Chart
Rolling in the Deep was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2011, and Adele also reached No. 1 with Someone Like You. Together, those songs made 21 one of the era’s most powerful album cycles.
Katy Perry Matched a Historic Album Record
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) became the fifth No. 1 single from Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, tying Michael Jackson’s Bad record for the most Hot 100 No. 1 songs from one album.
Dance-Pop and Club Music Were Everywhere
Hold It Against Me, Born This Way, Give Me Everything, Party Rock Anthem, and We Found Love all reflected the heavy dance-pop and club influence shaping early-2010s radio.
Rihanna Kept Building Her No. 1 Legacy
Rihanna reached No. 1 in 2011 with S&M and We Found Love. The former gave her a milestone 10th No. 1, while the latter became one of the biggest and longest-lasting hits of her career.
First-Time No. 1 Artists Broke Through
Wiz Khalifa, Adele, Pitbull, Afrojack, Nayer, LMFAO, Lauren Bennett, GoonRock, and Calvin Harris all earned their first Hot 100 No. 1 credits in 2011. The year mixed established stars with new names breaking into the top spot.
2011 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia
- Rolling in the Deep by Adele was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2011.
- Rolling in the Deep spent seven weeks at No. 1.
- Born This Way became the 1,000th No. 1 song in Hot 100 history.
- Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) made Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream only the second album to produce five Hot 100 No. 1 singles.
- S&M gave Rihanna her 10th Hot 100 No. 1.
- Black and Yellow gave Wiz Khalifa his first Hot 100 No. 1.
- Moves Like Jagger helped return Maroon 5 to No. 1 for the first time since Makes Me Wonder in 2007.
- We Found Love closed 2011 and carried into the 2012 Billboard chart year.
- Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO reached No. 1 in early 2012, not during the 2011 Billboard No. 1 chart year.
Why the 2011 Billboard Number One Hits Matter
The 2011 Billboard Number One Hits list showed pop music at peak early-2010s brightness. Dance-pop, club anthems, glossy collaborations, and major pop-star album campaigns shaped much of the year’s Hot 100 story.
At the same time, Adele changed the mood completely. In a year full of electronic production and party songs, Rolling in the Deep and Someone Like You proved that raw vocals, heartbreak, and classic songwriting could still dominate the chart.
For chart fans, 2011 was a year of glitter, piano tears, superstar remixes, and one very determined party-rock shuffle. The Hot 100 was loud, emotional, and occasionally wearing sunglasses indoors.
