Who's Number One, Again, and Again, and Again, etc.

It is the time of year for the year-end best of the year lists.  One I have followed for decades is Billboard magazine's Top 100 songs of the year.  The magazine literally has dozens of other lists, based on things such as genre and format, but I'm talking about the big one here.  I've been trying to come up with my own predictions, based on what I've seen for almost as long, although my calculations aren't as thorough.  Even before I start my my tabulations next week, I can already guess what the number one should be:  "Old Town Road (Remix)" by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus.  How could it not?  It was number one for over five months.  Actually, it is possible for another song to overtake it, if it had more total weeks on the charts and had a lengthy peak position in the top ten or so.  For instance, "Shape of You" beat out "Despacito" for best of the year, even though the latter song spent more weeks at number one, all because the former spent more total time on the charts.  Still, "Old Town Road" will be hard to overtake.  This song is just one of the latest in a trend of songs that stay extra long times at number one, as that song demolished the previous record-holders of sixteen weeks.  Just last year, "Meant To Be" by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line spent an entire year at number one on the country charts.  Over fifty weeks!  Of course, it was the number one country song for 2018.  This year, Panic! at the Disco has spent over forty weeks at number one on the rock charts with two different songs.  First, there was "High Hopes," which spent a few months at number one.  It was then replaced by their own "Hey Look Ma I Made It."  That song stayed at number one for over two months before it was replaced by "High Hopes" again!  While I usually don't track the rock charts as much, I think I can safely say the "High Hopes" could be number one.  In my opinion, I find it more pop than rock, but what do I know.  I personally feel that this trend cannot be good for the overall health of the music industry.  Such slow turnover can only lead to lead to fewer acts getting the opportunity to shine.  I say this when the Hot 100 chart has had more newcomers hitting the top spot this year then there had been in some time.  Most of them are newer acts as well.  Lady Gaga and Post Malone were the only headlining artists who didn't have their first number one ever this year, for a combined three weeks.  And that includes two different songs by Malone.  It's just seems that I hear the same songs over and over again on the radio.  It doesn't help that my favorite station has a habit of playing older (as in over ten years old) at random times, or their frequent exclusions of rap/hip-hop.  It just keeps staying the same, again and again.  And again.