Miley Cyrus and Alex Warren are being celebrated as generational talents whose songs connected so deeply with audiences that they became radio mainstays for years. Columbia Records and the artists' teams are framing this as a victory for authentic, emotionally resonant music that transcends trends.
Insiders note that achieving these numbers requires massive label investment in radio promotion and playlist placement deals. One former radio promoter told industry outlets that 'no song survives without serious financial backing,' suggesting these milestones aren't purely organic listener choices but carefully engineered chart strategies.
Miley Cyrus' 'Flowers' reached a record-extending 51st week at No. 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart dated June 15, 2024, eventually climbing to 57 weeks total on that chart and 106 combined weeks atop all airplay rankings. Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' became the second song to hit 100+ combined weeks (reaching 106), with its first week at No. 1 beginning June 7, 2025.
These dual milestones prove that in an era of streaming fragmentation and shortened attention spans, radio still rewards staying power—when labels invest heavily enough. The real story isn't just artist achievement; it's about what longevity actually costs in today's music industry.
Miley Cyrus and Alex Warren have accomplished something that seemed impossible in the age of TikTok virality and streaming shuffle: they've made songs so dominant on American radio that they've spent more than two full years combined at No. 1 across Billboard's airplay rankings. Cyrus' 'Flowers,' released on Columbia Records in January 2023, added a record-extending 51st week atop the Adult Contemporary chart dated June 15, 2024—and that's just where the madness started.
The song eventually accumulated an unprecedented 57 weeks at No. 1 on Adult Contemporary alone while racking up 18 weeks on all-format Radio Songs, 17 weeks on Adult Pop Airplay, 10 weeks on Pop Airplay, and four weeks on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, totaling a staggering 106 combined weeks atop every Billboard airplay chart it conquered. The Grammy-winning Record of the Year powerhouse also became one of just 22 songs in history to spend at least 52 weeks—equivalent to a full calendar year—combined at No. 1 across all radio formats.
But Cyrus isn't alone anymore. Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' has officially become only the second song ever to hit that vaunted 100-week milestone, tying 'Flowers''s record and matching it with an identical 106 combined weeks atop airplay charts as of June 20, 2026. The breakout track's run began June 7, 2025, and it's been absolutely relentless—dominating Adult Contemporary for 33 weeks, breaking records with 30 weeks atop Adult Pop Airplay, tying a record with 27 weeks on Radio Songs, and setting a new standard with 16 weeks leading Pop Airplay.
What's wild? 'Ordinary' is the only song to hold the top spot for six months or longer on as many as three separate airplay lists simultaneously. Warren himself spoke to Billboard in 2025 about why his anthem connected so broadly: 'When you write a song, you want it to apply to as many people as possible.' He also noted that he believes radio loves wedding songs and love ballads, adding that sonically, 'Ordinary' delivered 'this exciting storytelling record' about love—and clearly, love is absolutely killing it.
The track's mass appeal formula worked so well it's now being studied by industry analysts trying to understand what makes a song stick around for nearly two years in rotation. Billboard currently tracks 25 active radio airplay charts, ranging from Adult Alternative Airplay (launched July 17, 1961) to the more recently established Regional Mexican Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay formats. All current surveys rely on electronically monitored data provided by Mediabase through Luminate—a technological overhaul that began with Country Airplay's transition on January 20, 1990.
The sheer volume of charts means artists now compete for dominance across multiple formats simultaneously, making 'Flowers' and 'Ordinary's conquests even more remarkable in scope. As Cyrus playfully quipped to the Grammy audience in February 2024 during her 'Flowers' performance: 'Why are you acting like you don't know this song?!' The answer, apparently, is that audiences genuinely couldn't escape these anthems—radio programmers kept spinning them because listeners kept requesting them. Whether that's organic enthusiasm or carefully engineered playlist dominance depends on who you ask, but the numbers don't lie: these two tracks have achieved a level of airplay immortality that may not be matched for years to come.
