2015 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper
The 2015 Billboard Number One Hits list was led by the unstoppable funk-pop blast of Uptown Funk, but the year had more range than one perfect wedding-reception monster. Taylor Swift carried over from 2014, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth delivered an emotional soundtrack giant, The Weeknd became a full pop superstar, Justin Bieber launched his comeback, and Adele closed the year with one of the biggest ballads of the decade.
This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 2015, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with Taylor Swift’s late-2014 carryover and continues into early January 2016 with Adele’s Hello.
The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using streaming activity, radio airplay, and sales. These are official Billboard No. 1 songs, not personal favorites, playlist picks, or “the song your DJ cousin swears cleared the dance floor in the best possible way” selections.
2015 Billboard Number One Hits by Week
- December 28, 2014 – January 10, 2015: Blank Space – Taylor Swift
- January 11 – April 18, 2015: Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
- April 19 – May 30, 2015: See You Again – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
- May 31 – June 6, 2015: Bad Blood – Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
- June 7 – July 18, 2015: See You Again – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
- July 19 – August 15, 2015: Cheerleader – Omi
- August 16 – August 22, 2015: Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd
- August 23 – September 5, 2015: Cheerleader – Omi
- September 6 – September 12, 2015: Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd
- September 13 – September 19, 2015: What Do You Mean? – Justin Bieber
- September 20 – November 7, 2015: The Hills – The Weeknd
- November 8, 2015 – January 16, 2016: Hello – Adele
Song-by-Song Notes on the 2015 Billboard No. 1 Hits
Blank Space – Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s Blank Space carried over from late 2014 and opened the 2015 Billboard Hot 100 calendar at No. 1. The song came from her album 1989 and turned tabloid caricature into one of her sharpest pop singles.
Its opening stretch showed how fully Swift had crossed into blockbuster pop. The lyrics winked at the public version of “Taylor Swift,” then made that version dance around a mansion with a golf club. Efficient branding, really.
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Uptown Funk became the defining Hot 100 song of 2015, spending 14 weeks at No. 1 and finishing as Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 leader. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars built the song around funk, Minneapolis sound, pop polish, and enough swagger to power a small city.
The song’s long run made it one of the decade’s biggest chart hits. It sounded retro without feeling old, which is a neat trick when the song is basically wearing sunglasses indoors.
See You Again – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
See You Again reached No. 1 as part of the Furious 7 soundtrack and became closely tied to the tribute for actor Paul Walker. Wiz Khalifa’s verses and Charlie Puth’s chorus helped turn the song into one of the year’s most emotional pop moments.
The song spent 12 total weeks at No. 1, interrupted only by Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood. Its chart run showed how soundtrack context, grief, and a memorable hook could combine into a massive mainstream hit.
Bad Blood – Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood, featuring Kendrick Lamar, debuted at No. 1 after the release of its high-profile music video. The single remix turned an album track from 1989 into a major pop event with a celebrity-filled rollout.
Its one-week run interrupted See You Again, but the video and Kendrick Lamar feature made it one of the most visible pop moments of the year. The song may have been called Bad Blood, but the marketing was in excellent health.
Cheerleader – Omi
Omi’s Cheerleader reached No. 1 in its Felix Jaehn remix version, turning a reggae-pop song into a breezy global summer hit. The remix’s tropical-house feel fit perfectly into mid-2010s pop, when light electronic grooves were everywhere.
The song spent six total weeks at No. 1 and gave Omi his major U.S. breakthrough. It was bright, simple, and practically built to follow people into beach stores.
Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd
The Weeknd reached No. 1 with Can’t Feel My Face, one of the songs that fully moved him into mainstream pop superstardom. Its sleek groove, Michael Jackson-style pop influence, and clean radio hook made it one of 2015’s most recognizable singles.
The song topped the Hot 100 in two separate weeks, trading places with Cheerleader. It helped prove that The Weeknd could move from darker alternative R&B into huge pop without losing his edge completely.
What Do You Mean? – Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber’s What Do You Mean? debuted at No. 1 and launched the Purpose era in a major way. The song’s tropical-pop production and lighter vocal style helped introduce a more mature sound for Bieber after a rocky public stretch.
Its debut became the first Hot 100 No. 1 of Bieber’s career. For a comeback single, it did exactly what it needed to do: arrive clean, catchy, and impossible to ignore.
The Hills – The Weeknd
The Weeknd followed Can’t Feel My Face with another No. 1, The Hills. The song was darker, heavier, and closer to the shadowy style that had first built his reputation before his pop breakthrough.
Its six-week run showed that The Weeknd could top the Hot 100 with both polished pop and something much moodier. In 2015, he was not just crossing over; he was bringing the fog machine with him.
Hello – Adele
Adele’s Hello debuted at No. 1 in November 2015 and carried into January 2016. The song marked her long-awaited return after the massive success of 21, and its dramatic video and enormous chorus made it an instant cultural event.
Hello spent seven weeks at No. 1 during the 2015 chart year and continued into the next. It was one of those ballads that did not simply arrive; it appeared in the doorway with a wind machine.
Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 2015
Uptown Funk Owned the Year
Uptown Funk spent 14 weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song for 2015. Its mix of retro funk and modern pop made it one of the most durable party songs of the decade.
Soundtracks Still Had Huge Chart Power
See You Again became a major No. 1 hit through its connection to Furious 7 and the tribute to Paul Walker. It showed that a movie song could still become one of the year’s biggest pop singles when the emotional context connected.
The Weeknd Became a Pop Superstar
The Weeknd reached No. 1 twice in 2015 with Can’t Feel My Face and The Hills. Those two songs showed both sides of his breakthrough: polished pop accessibility and darker R&B atmosphere.
Justin Bieber Began a Major Comeback
What Do You Mean? gave Justin Bieber his first Hot 100 No. 1 and launched the Purpose era. The success of that single set up his even bigger 2016 chart run with Sorry and Love Yourself.
Taylor Swift’s 1989 Era Kept Producing Hits
Taylor Swift appeared twice on the 2015 No. 1 list with Blank Space and Bad Blood. Both songs came from 1989, one of the decade’s biggest pop-era album campaigns.
2015 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia
- Uptown Funk spent 14 weeks at No. 1, the longest Hot 100 reign of 2015.
- Uptown Funk was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2015.
- See You Again spent 12 total weeks at No. 1 and was featured on the Furious 7 soundtrack.
- What Do You Mean? gave Justin Bieber his first Hot 100 No. 1.
- The Weeknd had two No. 1 songs in 2015: Can’t Feel My Face and The Hills.
- Taylor Swift also appeared on two 2015 No. 1 songs: Blank Space and Bad Blood.
- Cheerleader reached No. 1 in its Felix Jaehn remix version.
- Hello began Adele’s 25 era and carried into the 2016 Billboard chart year.
Why the 2015 Billboard Number One Hits Matter
The 2015 Billboard Number One Hits list showed a chart balancing old-school pop spectacle with newer streaming-era momentum. Uptown Funk was a retro party anthem, See You Again was a soundtrack-driven emotional giant, and The Weeknd brought darker R&B into the center of mainstream pop.
The year also set up several major stories for the rest of the decade. Justin Bieber’s comeback began, The Weeknd became a top-tier pop figure, Taylor Swift’s 1989 era stayed powerful, and Adele reminded everyone that a giant ballad could still command the chart.
For chart fans, 2015 was a year of big choruses, big comebacks, big soundtrack emotion, and one funk-pop song that simply refused to leave. The Hot 100 sounded polished, dramatic, and just funky enough to make formalwear seem reasonable.
