A eulogy for 'Old Town Road' and its 19-week Billboard reign

The song of the summer has finally been dethroned

Lil Nas X.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Stagecoach, zzayko/iStock, PytyCzech/iStock, Billboard)

We are gathered here today to honor and pay tribute to the life of "Old Town Road," and so try to bring some comfort to those that mourn its fall from the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Old Town Road" is gone but not forgotten. It dropped to number three on the chart this week after a history-making 19 weeks at number one — a mind-boggling lifespan for a track that I'm still not entirely convinced wasn't an elaborate prank all along. Cause of death? Seventeen-year-old Billie Eilish, who likewise made history by becoming the first artist born this century to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. The murder weapon? A prickly little song you've probably been hearing everywhere for months, "Bad Guy."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.