With her new single “Touch My Body” hitting No. 1 this week, Greenlawn native Mariah Carey now has 18 chart-toppers, the second-most in pop music history, trailing only The Beatles with 20.
However, as she gears up for the release of her new “E=MC2 album on April 15, Carey hesitates to think of herself in such elite company.
“I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionized music but also changed the world,” Carey told The Associated Press. “That’s a completely different era and time ... I’m just feeling really happy and grateful.”
“Touch My Body,” which reaches No. 1 on a record-setting one-week total of 286,000 digital sales, extends Carey’s run of chart-topping span to 17 years, longer than both The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Presley’s No. 1s ran from “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956 to “Suspicious Minds” in 1969, while The Beatles’ streak came between 1964 and 1970.
Presley also gets passed on the list of artists with the most Top 10 singles, as Madonna’s new single “4 Minutes” becomes her 37th Top 10 single, rocketing from No. 68 to No. 3 this week.
PHOTO: Island Def Jam