Who Has Written the Most Number One Songs
The title of the songwriter with the most number one songs is most often attributed to Paul McCartney, with 32 Billboard Hot 100 number one singles as a writer or co-writer, a record documented by Billboard and discussed in industry profiles from Forbes and other outlets that track songwriting credits and publishing splits Forbes. This figure counts only songs where the writer is credited on the official charting recording, not songs written for other artists that did not reach number one, and it is based on the Hot 100 methodology published by Billboard, which blends sales, streaming, and airplay data.
Other frequent names in top songwriter rankings include John Lennon, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Carole King, each with dozens of Hot 100 number ones as credited writers, while modern hitmakers such as Max Martin, Dr. Luke, and Ryan Tedder have rapidly added to their totals through streaming-driven chart runs Billboard. The exact order depends on how credits are counted, whether solo writing or co-writing is included, and which chart rules are applied, but McCartney remains the most cited leader in widely reported public summaries of the record.
How Number One Song Counts Are Measured
Billboard counts a number one song based on the credited writers and composers listed on the official release, using data from streaming equivalents, digital sales, and radio airplay as defined in its current chart methodology, which is updated periodically to reflect changes in consumption Billboard Charts. A song must top the Hot 100, and the writer must be credited on that specific recording, so writing a hit that is covered by another artist without the original writer's credit does not add to the total.
Publishing rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC track writer credits and royalty splits, and their databases help confirm which songwriters contributed to chart-topping recordings, while the Harry Fox Agency and mechanical licensing bodies handle reproduction rights for physical and digital formats ASCAP. Because streaming now dominates chart points, a songwriter can earn multiple number ones from a single album if several tracks achieve top positions, which has accelerated the accumulation of credits for modern producers and writers.
Top Songwriters and Their Number One Records
Paul McCartney's 32 Hot 100 number ones as a writer include work with The Beatles and his solo career, with many of those hits co-written with John Lennon under the Lennon–McCartney credit, and the pair's combined total is even higher when both credits are considered Forbes. Other leading figures include Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Carole King, whose collaborations produced numerous chart-topping pop and R&B songs, while teams such as Holland–Dozier–Holland and Leiber and Stoller shaped the sound of multiple decades with concentrated runs of number ones.
In the streaming era, writers and production teams such as Max Martin, Shellback, and Dr. Luke have amassed large numbers of Hot 100 number ones by writing for major pop and hip-hop artists, and their credits now sit near the top of contemporary songwriter rankings SEC filings and public company disclosures. The rise of global streaming platforms has expanded the definition of a hit, allowing songs from many genres to reach number one and increasing the total count of chart-toppers a single prolific writer can accumulate over a career.