Ariana Grande has broken another major streaming record with “we can’t be friends (wait for your love).” The Eternal Sunshine single has now spent 894 days on Spotify’s Global chart, making it the longest-charting song by a female solo artist released this decade.
Grande’s milestone comes just one day after SZA’s “Snooze” previously held the record at 893 days. With its latest charting day, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” moves into first place, extending the song’s already remarkable run more than two years after its release.
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Released on March 8, 2024, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” served as the second single from Grande’s seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine. Ariana Grande co-wrote and co-produced the song with Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh, building its emotional lyrics around the end of a relationship while also addressing the complicated dynamic between Grande and the press.
The song was a massive success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The chart debut marked Grande’s ninth Hot 100 No. 1 and her second from Eternal Sunshine, following “yes, and?”. It also became her seventh No. 1 debut, extending her record for the most No. 1 debuts among female artists at the time, while giving her a 22nd career Top 10.
Internationally, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, Grande’s fourth chart-topper on the global ranking.
Its visual campaign added another layer to the song’s success. Directed by Christian Breslauer, the music video draws directly from the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, following Ariana Grande as she undergoes a fictional memory-erasure procedure intended to remove memories of her former relationship. Evan Peters plays her on-screen ex.
The song’s awards run further established its impact. At the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, it received five nominations, including Video of the Year, ultimately winning Best Cinematography.
More than two years later, its streaming numbers continue to underline its staying power. “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” has surpassed 2.1 billion Spotify streams, while its 894-day presence on the Global chart now puts Grande ahead of SZA’s “Snooze” for the longest-charting female solo song released in the 2020s.
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