It’s official, ladies and gents! Australian praise and worship outfit Hillsong United has rewritten the record books with Oceans (When Feet May Fail), which scores a 24th consecutive week at number one on Billboard’s Christian Songs chart. Oceans blasts past MercyMe’s Word of God Speak, the previous all-time leader for most weeks at number one (23 weeks), and firmly establishes the carrier single of Zion as a new classic for believers everywhere.
Not only that. Oceans peaked at No.83 on the Billboard Hot 100, making United’s first career number one single, the first-ever Billboard Christian Songs chart-topper to make the Hot 100! (Mandisa narrowly missed out on that one; Overcomer peaked at number 103 (No.3 on the Bubbling Under chart.) Oceans is now at No.96 on its 13th chart week.
Congratulations to the Joel Houston-led collective!
The rest of the Top 10 have to make do with they have. Newsboys’ We Believe, which took a back seat while its predecessor, the anthemic God’s Not Dead (Like a Lion), re-entered the chart at number two a few weeks back, once again returns to the runner-up spot. At third for the week ending May 17 is Phil Wickham, whose This is Amazing Grace, peaked at #2, prevented from the top spot by Oceans. (Coincidentally, This is Amazing Grace and God’s Not Dead are not the only songs in the Top 10 stopped from the pinnacle by Oceans. The Only Name narrowly missed becoming Big Daddy Weave’s second consecutive number one hit (after Redeemed).
Two songs are steadily climbing the chart: Matthew West’s Do Something, up three notches from 10-7, and Building 429’s Press On (featuring Group 1 Crew’s former female vocalist, Blanca Callahan), up a notch from 11-10.
1. (1) United Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)
2. (3) Newsboys We Believe
3. (4) Phil Wickham This is Amazing Grace
4. (2) newsboys God’s Not Dead
5. (5) Francesca Battistelli Write Your Story
6. (6) Crowder I Am
7. (10) Matthew West Do Something
8. (7) Big Daddy Weave The Only Name (Yours Will Be
9. (8) Jamie Grace Beautiful Day
