How long can one song stay at the top of a weekly chart? In the Israeli foreign-music chart archive, the answer is 11 weeks, a record shared by Let It Be by The Beatles (1970) and Stayin' Alive by The Bee Gees (1978).
| Song | Artist | Year | Weeks at #1 | Weeks on chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Let It Be | The Beatles | 1970 | 11 | 16 |
| Stayin' Alive | The Bee Gees | 1978 | 11 | 26 |
| Woman in Love | Barbra Streisand | 1980 | 10 | 19 |
| Venus | Shocking Blue | 1970 | 9 | 14 |
| Xanadu | Olivia Newton-John and ELO | 1980 | 8 | 18 |
| Come Undone | Duran Duran | 1993 | 8 | 29 |
| My Sweet Lord | George Harrison | 1970 | 7 | 18 |
| Popcorn | Hot Butter | 1972 | 7 | 17 |
| Ma Baker | Boney M. | 1977 | 7 | 15 |
| Tragedy | The Bee Gees | 1979 | 7 | 19 |
Let It Be entered the chart on 29 Mar 1970 at #16 and spent 16 weeks on the chart in total, 11 weeks of them at the top. Stayin' Alive entered the chart on 5 Feb 1978 at #13 and spent 26 weeks on the chart in total, 11 weeks of them at the top.
The list is a reminder of how the weekly chart worked. A song earned 41 minus its position in points each week, so a long stay at #1 is worth far more than a brief peak. Just behind the leaders, Woman in Love by Barbra Streisand managed 10 weeks at #1.
Source: IsraelCharts archive, all weekly charts 1961–1997.