“Despacito” became the longest-running non-English-language No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with 16 weeks.
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee released the original Spanish-language song in January 2017. Justin Bieber joined them for a bilingual remix later that year, helping the track reach an enormous international audience. The remix led Billboard’s Hot 100 for 16 weeks.
Its achievement tied the overall record for most weeks at No. 1 at the time, matching “One Sweet Day.” It also surpassed the previous record for a song performed primarily in a language other than English. The song’s title means “slowly” in English.
The record is about language and chart duration, not about being the first Latin song to top the Hot 100. Earlier Spanish-language and bilingual hits had already reached No. 1, including “La Bamba” by Los Lobos.