Lorde Links Longest Alternative Songs Reign By A Woman With 'Royals'

The song by the 16-year-old New Zealand singer/songwriter passes Alanis Morissette's 'You Oughta Know' for the longest command for a No. 1 by a lead female soloist

With the appropriately titled "Royals," Lorde scores the longest domination on Billboard's Nielsen BDS-based Alternative Songs chart by a woman (credited as a lead artist). "Royals" leads the list for a sixth week, passing the five-week reign of Alanis Morissette's fellow U.S. breakthrough hit "You Oughta Know" in 1995.
The honor is the latest on what's quickly becoming a deep resume for "Royals." When it reached the Alternative Songs summit five weeks ago, it became the first song by a lead solo female to crown the chart since Tracy Bonham's "Mother Mother" in 1996. On last week's Billboard Hot 100, "Royals" roared 8-3 with top Digital Gainer accolades; it's sold 991,000 downloads to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The track has topped the Hot Rock Songs chart for two weeks and counting.