Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, March 30, 2024: “Lose Control,” Teddy Swims

How far can a 6/8 time signature take you in the year 2024? Turns out, right to the top ... after 32 weeks. Indeed, Teddy Swims’ heartbroken R&B waltz “Lose Control” debuted on the Hot 100 at No. 99 more than half a year ago. When the song hit No. 1 for the list dated March 30, it marked the longest run of a song to the top in the chart’s 65 year history.

The recognition is worth it. Rarely do we hear throwback soulful ballads — that aren’t steeped in country music, mind you — from a male artist on the Hot 100 anymore, but between Swims’ uniquely edgy blue-eyed soul and a groove that isn’t content merely sitting back to keep time, “Lose Control” earns its keep above its peers, if only for a fleeting week.

Pulled from the depths of what it feels like when love and addiction blur dangerous lines, Swims (born Jaten Dimsdale) feels honest in his delivery, a novel rootsy move in such an auto-tuned world. When he croons “I lose control when you’re next to me / I’m falling apart in front of you, can’t you see?” it plays like less of a question and more of a plea, giving the entire production a credibility that blends pop and soul in ways that would make “Justified”-era Timberlake blush.

In the end, “Lose Control” is a track that wouldn’t seem out of place on a Nathaniel Rateliff album all the while bringing good, old-fashioned lovesickness back under the pop spotlight. “You’re breaking my heart, baby,” Swims confesses as the song fades out. “You make a mess of me.” It’s been a long while since the top of the Hot 100 encountered so much mess. On behalf of the pop community, welcome back.