Miley Cyrus’s new single “Used To Be Young” is off to a fantastic start on the Billboard charts this week. The tune, which was promoted heavily ahead of its launch, earned a healthy starting point on several rankings, but one stands out from the rest as possibly the most impressive of the bunch, as on that list, Cyrus repeated a feat that no one else has managed this year.
“Used To Be Young” launches at No. 19 on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart this week. The list ranks the tunes that reach the largest audience at all radio stations in the U.S. The cut starts so high thanks to just under 26 million in airplay audience, a huge start for a track that was just released.
Billboard points out that “Used To Be Young” is only the second single of 2023 to start its time inside the top 20 on the Radio Songs chart. The other immediate hit? It’s another one from Cyrus.
The superstar started the year with her comeback smash “Flowers,” which was also welcomed warmly. That hit, which opened at No. 1 on the Hot 100, began its time on the Radio Songs tally at No. 18.
These days, it’s not rare for a new single from a major star like Cyrus to debut very high on charts like the Hot 100, Streaming Songs or Digital Song Sales tallies, but the same can’t be said for the Radio Songs ranking. The activity of fans largely fuels the aforementioned lists, but there are other powers at play when it comes to radio. In order to succeed at radio, a song must be heavily promoted by a singer or band’s record label, and it takes a lot of resources to make a real radio smash.
Most tunes, even those by chart-toppers, work their way up the Radio Songs chart somewhat slowly. It can take a while for enough stations and DJs to include a track in constant rotation to ensure it racks up enough plays to hit the tally. A lofty debut usually means that the music industry “machine” is working overtime behind the scenes to make it a smash and that programmers believe in its future.
The No. 19 start on the Radio Songs chart played a big role in helping “Used To Be Young” earn a healthy debut on the Hot 100 as well. The tune opens at No. 8 on the ranking of the most-consumed songs in the U.S. this week, giving Cyrus yet another placement inside the top 10. It also opens inside the highest tier on both the Digital Song Sales and Streaming Songs charts, certifying it as an immediate smash across all fronts.
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