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Ask Billboard: A Who’s Who of Hot 100 Hits With ‘Who’ in Their Titles, From Jimin to Madonna, Baha Men & More
By Gary Trust,
8 hours ago
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com . Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the United States. Or, message @gthot20 .
With Jimin debuting at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Aug. 3) with “Who,” I immediately thought of two “who”-titled hits that have peaked at that position: “Who Are You” by none other than The Who and “Who Is It” by Michael Jackson.
I didn’t know at the time of its release that The Who’s mesmerizing hit didn’t make the Hot 100’s top 10, but the recording always caught my attention, both for its musicality and the cursing that was allowed. For Jackson, his Dangerous album, from which “Who Is It” was released as a single, followed Bad and Thriller . The sets produced four, six and seven top 10s, respectively, with each generating seven top 40 hits.
I figured I’d ask Billboard – who else? – for a list of other charted songs starting with “who.”
(Should we count anything by Owl City?)
Pablo Nelson, that’s who Oakland, Calif.
Hi Pablo,
This “Ask Billboard” answers the question of who’s had all the biggest Hot 100 hits whose titles start with “who,” with Jimin’s “Who” joining 50 others that have reached the top 40. Conversely, it does the opposite of what any good mailbag should do, as it’ll leave all of the titles unanswered. There’s simply no field in Billboard ’s computerized chart archives to search for who let the dogs out, who that girl is, who it can be now, who is in the strawberry patch with Sally or who your daddy is. (There are other ways to find out that last one, if needed.)
Below is a look at all the top 40-peaking Hot 100 entries whose titles begin with “who,” making for a true who’s who of “who” hits, including one by, as noted, The Who (although not any by The Guess Who).
Upon its debut, Jimin’s “Who” is in the company of numerous memorable similarly titled hits.
Top 40-Peaking Hot 100 Hits Whose Titles Begin With ‘Who’
No. 1, 1987, “Who’s That Girl,” Madonna The title cut to the Madonna-starring film became the sixth of her 12 career Hot 100 No. 1s.
No. 1, 1982, “Who Can It Be Now?,” Men at Work The only other Hot 100 leader whose title starts with “who” introduced Men at Work, which landed its second No. 1 with follow-up and fellow ‘80s classic “Down Under.” “It doesn’t really happen, to hardly anybody,” Colin Hay, who fronted the band, told Billboard in 2023 of its breakthrough. “It was massive. Having said that, we were always very ambitious.”
No. 3, 1986, “Who’s Johnny,” El DeBarge No. 3, 1975, “Who Loves You,” The 4 Seasons
No. 4, 1981, “Who’s Crying Now,” Journey The song ranks as Journey’s second-highest-charting Hot 100 hit, outpaced only by “Open Arms,” which peaked at No. 2 for six weeks in 1982.
No. 5, 1999, “Who Dat,” JT Money feat. Sole No. 5, 1968, “Who’s Making Love,” Johnnie Taylor No. 6, 1985, “Who’s Holding Donna Now,” Debarge No. 7, 1987, “Who Will You Run To,” Heart
No. 7, 1985, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who,” Aretha Franklin The Queen of Soul added her 16th Hot 100 top 10 with the track. She earned one more, and her second No. 1 – after “Respect,” in 1967 – with “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” with George Michael, in 1987.
No. 7, 1961, “Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp),” Barry Mann No. 8, 1995, “Who Can I Run To,” Xscape
No. 9, 2024, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” Taylor Swift Who has the most Hot 100 top 10s in a single week, and from a single album? Swift swept the region thanks to her 2022 LP Midnights and repeated the feat this May via The Tortured Poets Department .
No. 9, 2007, “Who Knew,” P!nk No. 11, 1996, “Who Will Save Your Soul,” Jewel
No. 14, 2024, “Who,” Jimin The song starts with 14.7 million official U.S. streams and 70,000 sold in its first week. Its proper promotion to pop radio is set to begin the week of Aug. 12.
No. 14, 1993, “Who Is It,” Michael Jackson No. 14, 1978, “Who Are You,” The Who No. 15, 1989, “Who Do You Give Your Love To?,” Michael Morales No. 15, 1974, “Who Do You Think You Are,” Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods No. 16, 1987, “Who Found Who,” Jellybean feat. Elisa Fiorillo
No. 16, 1984, “Who Wears These Shoes?,” Elton John John’s two earlier 1984 hits – “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and “Sad Songs (Say So Much),” which rose to Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, on the Hot 100 – are likely better known, but this track gave him a third top 20 entry that year, the first in which he logged such a triple since 1976.
No. 17, 2021, “Who Want Smoke??,” Nardo Wick feat. G Herbo, Lil Durk & 21 Savage No. 17, 2009, “Who Says,” John Mayer No. 17, 1996, “Who Do U Love,” Deborah Cox No. 18, 1976, “Who’d She Coo?,” Ohio Players No. 19, 1968, “Who Will Answer?,” Ed Ames
No. 21, 2011, “Who Says,” Selena Gomez & The Scene With her ninth charted song, Gomez scored her highest Hot 100 peak to that point. She has since collected nine top 10s, including the 2019 No. 1 “Lose You To Love Me.”
No. 21, 1984, “Who’s That Girl,” Eurythmics No. 21, 1966, “Who Am I,” Petula Clark No. 22, 2002, “Who’s Your Daddy?,” Toby Keith No. 22, 1977, “Whodunit,” Tavares
No. 23, 2006, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” Bon Jovi The single, boosted by Jennifer Nettles’ guest turn, also brought Bon Jovi to No. 1 for two weeks on the Hot Country Songs chart.
No. 25, 1964, “Who Do You Love,” The Sapphires No. 27, 1973, “Who’s in the Strawberry Patch With Sally,” Tony Orlando & Dawn No. 28, 2001, “Who I Am,” Jessica Andrews No. 29, 2011, “Who Dat Girl,” Flo Rida feat. Akon No. 29, 1980, “Who’ll Be the Fool Tonight,” Larsen-Feiten Band No. 30, 2003, “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me,” Keith Urban No. 31, 1996, “Who You Are,” Pearl Jam No. 33, 1968, “Who Is Gonna Love Me?,” Dionne Warwick
No. 33, 1964, “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me),” Tony Bennett Bennett charted six top 40 Hot 100 hits from the survey’s start in 1958 through 1965. In 2011, he returned with the No. 87-peaking “Body and Soul,” with Amy Winehouse.
No. 34, 1965, “Who’ll Be the Next in Line,” The Kinks No. 35, 1992, “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,” U2 No. 37, 2005, “Who You’d Be Today,” Kenny Chesney No. 39, 1981, “Who’s Making Love,” Blues Brothers
No. 40, 2000, “Who Let the Dogs Out,” Baha Men Enduring more impressively than its peak would suggest, the song has drawn 288 million on-demand U.S. streams to date, according to (who, who, who, who, who?) data tracker Luminate.
No. 40, 1998, “Who Am I,” Beenie Man No. 40, 1981, “Who Do You Think You’re Foolin’,” Donna Summer No. 40, 1975, “Who’s Sorry Now,” Marie Osmond No. 40, 1975, “Who’s Your Baby?,” The Archies
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