The Billboard Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the best-performing singles of the United States. Published by Billboard magazine, the data are compiled by Nielsen SoundScan based collectively on each single's weekly physical sales and airplay. There were ten singles that peaked atop the charts, but if "Un-Break My Heart" is excluded from the count (for the song started its peak in the previous year), the total would be nine. The longest running number-one single of 1997 is "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight", which logged 14 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Two of those weeks were logged in 1998 while the remaining 12 were attained in 1997.

With "Honey" becoming her 12th #1 single, Mariah Carey broke the record for most #1 songs by a female artist, surpassing Madonna and Whitney Houston with 11 each.

That year, 7 acts earned their first number one song, such as Spice Girls, Puff Daddy, Mase, The Notorious B.I.G., Hanson, Faith Evans, and 112. The Notorious B.I.G. became the fifth artist to hit number one posthumously, after his death in March 1997. Puff Daddy, Mase, and The Notorious B.I.G. were the only artists to hit number one more than once, with Puff Daddy hitting the most with three, while Mase and The Notorious B.I.G. hit twice.

Chart history +KeyIndicates best-performing single of 1997 Issue dateSongArtist(s)812January 4"Un-Break My Heart"Toni BraxtonJanuary 11January 18January 25February 1February 8February 15813February 22"Wannabe"Spice GirlsMarch 1March 8March 15814March 22"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"Puff Daddy featuring MaseMarch 29April 5April 12April 19April 26815May 3"Hypnotize"The Notorious B.I.G.May 10May 17816May 24"MMMBop"HansonMay 31June 7817June 14"I'll Be Missing You" Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112June 21June 28July 5July 12July 19July 26August 2August 9August 16August 23818August 30"Mo Money Mo Problems" The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy and MaseSeptember 6819September 13"Honey"Mariah CareySeptember 20September 27820October 4"4 Seasons of Loneliness"Boyz II Men821October 11"Candle in the Wind 1997" /"Something About the Way You Look Tonight"Elton JohnOctober 18October 25November 1November 8November 15November 22November 29December 6December 13December 20December 27

Number-one artists + List of number-one artists by total weeks at number one Position Artist Weeks at No. 1 1 Puff Daddy 19 2 Elton John 12 3 Faith Evans 11 112 5 Mase 8 6 Toni Braxton 7 7 The Notorious B.I.G. 5 8 Spice Girls 4 9 Hanson 3 Mariah Carey 11 Boyz II Men 1

See also 1997 in music List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of the 1990s

References

Additional sources Fred Bronson's Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, 5th Edition () Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2008, 12 Edition () Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Nineties () Additional information obtained can be verified within Billboard's online archive services and print editions of the magazine.