BTS' 'Fake Love' Becomes 17th Primarily Non-English-Language Top 10 on Hot 100

"Fake Love" is the third K-pop song to reach the top 10, following two hits from PSY.

As K-pop superstars BTS score their first top 10 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated June 2) --  and the first top 10 ever for a K-pop group, with "Fake Love" debuting at No. 10 -- the track becomes just the 17th primarily or entirely non-English-language song to reach the top 10 in the Hot 100's 59-year history.

After J Balvin and Willy William's "Mi Gente," featuring Beyoncé, reached the region in October, we sought the insights of Paul Haney at Joel Whitburn's Record Research. Thanks to his analysis, it turns out that, of the 4,799 singles that have reached the Hot 100's top 10, "Fake Love" is just the 17th performed primarily or fully in a language other than English.

"Fake Love" is from BTS' new album Love Yourself: Tear, which soars in as the group's first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, where it's also the first leader for a K-pop album.

The list below of 17 songs includes tracks sung entirely or mainly in a foreign language and doesn't include songs with minimal foreign-language portions, such as Enrique Iglesias' "Bailamos" or Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin's "I Like It."

Notably, "Fake Love" is the third K-pop song to reach the Hot 100's top 10, following PSY's "Gangnam Style" and "Gentleman," in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The most common non-English language among these 17 hits is Spanish, which infuses six songs.

Further, of these 17 songs, "Fake Love" is the first mostly or all-non-English-language song ever to debut in the Hot 100's top 10.

In chronological order, here are all 17 primarily or fully non-English-language songs to hit the Hot 100's top 10.

Every Primarily Foreign-Language Top 10 Hit on the Billboard Hot 100
Artist, Title, Peak Date, Peak Position (weeks at No. 1), Language

Domenico Modugno, "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)," Aug. 18, 1958, No. 1 (5 weeks), Italian

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Lolita, "Sailor (Your Home Is the Sea)," Dec. 19, 1960, No. 5, German

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Emilio Pericoli, "Al Di La'," July 7, 1962, No. 6, Italian

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Kyu Sakamoto, "Sukiyaki," June 15, 1963, No. 1 (3 weeks), Japanese

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The Singing Nun (Soeur Sourire), "Dominique," Dec. 7, 1963, No. 1 (4 weeks), French

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The Sandpipers, "Guantanamera," Sept. 17, 1966, No. 9, Spanish

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Mocedades, "Eres Tu (Touch the Wind)," March 23, 1974, No. 9, Spanish

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Nena, "99 Luftballons," March 3, 1984, No. 2, German

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Falco, "Rock Me Amadeus," March 29, 1986, No. 1 (3 weeks), German

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Los Lobos, "La Bamba," Aug. 29, 1987, No. 1 (3 weeks), Spanish

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Enigma, "Sadeness (Part 1)," April 6, 1991, No. 5, Latin/French

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Los Del Rio, "Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)," Aug. 3, 1996, No. 1 (14 weeks), Spanish

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PSY, "Gangnam Style," Oct. 6, 2012, No. 2, Korean

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PSY, "Gentleman," May 4, 2013, No. 5, Korean

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Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, "Despacito," May 27, 2017, No. 1 (16 weeks), Spanish

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J Balvin & Willy William featuring Beyoncé, "Mi Gente," Oct. 21, 2017, No. 3, Spanish

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BTS, "Fake Love," June 2, 2018, No. 10 (to date), Korean

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