McCartney Tops Writers List With 32 Hot 100 No. 1s; Max Martin Passes George Martin Among Producers

Billboard has published its updated look at the songwriters and producers with the most Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, and the numbers are in. Paul McCartney leads the songwriters list with 32, while Max Martin tops the producers list with 29.

Among recording artists, The Beatles continue to claim the record for the largest collection of No. 1 singles at 20. Mariah Carey sits behind them with 19, leading all soloists.

McCartney, Lennon and the Beatle Behind Them

McCartney and John Lennon rank first and third among songwriters, with 32 and 26 Hot 100 No. 1s each. Max Martin sits in second place with 31, from Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” in 1999 through Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero.”

Max Martin, the producer, now ranks above George Martin in total Hot 100 No. 1s. His count sits at 29, running from “…Baby One More Time” through “Hate That I Made You Love Me.”. George Martin himself produced 19 of The Beatles’ 20 No. 1s, leaving only one Fab Four leader uncredited to him: 1970’s, though “The Long and Winding Road,” was done by Phil Spector instead.

George Martin’s other four leaders as a producer include America’s “Sister Golden Hair” (1975), McCartney and Stevie Wonder’s “Ebony and Ivory” (1982), McCartney and Michael Jackson’s “Say, Say, Say” (1983-84) and Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” (1997-98).

Carey Climbs Both Lists

Both lists feature Mariah Carey, who has 18 Hot 100 No. 1s as a writer and 15 as a producer, along with 19 as an artist. The total rose because of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which hit No. 1 in December 2019 following 25 years in the making.

Her only No. 1 that she didn’t author? Her 1992 cover of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.”

Barry Gibb, Jimmy Jam and the Rest

Nine Hot 100 No. 1s were marked by Barry Gibb’s totals include the Bee Gees’, with seven of those records made under the production partnership of Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. The trio of Andy Gibb’s leaders were coproduced by all three men together.

James “Jimmy Jam” Harris III and Terry Lewis wrote and produced together for decades. They cowrote and coproduced 14 Hot 100 No. 1s, including nine by Janet Jackson. They also coproduced George Michael’s 1988 leader “Monkey” and Usher’s 2001 topper “U Remind Me,” giving them 16 total No. 1s as producers. They also cowrote Carey’s 1996 leader “Always Be My Baby,” making for 15 No. 1s for them as writers.

Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, along with Eddie Holland (13 Hot 100 No. 1s as a writer), made their mark on Motown. They wrote and produced the first 10 of The Supremes’ 12 total No. 1s in the ’60s.

A Special Mention

Steve Sholes produced 10 No. 1s by Elvis Presley on Hot 100 predecessor charts in 1956-58. He also produced six of the King’s seven Hot 100 leaders following the survey’s inception.

A pair of sources lie at the heart of these lists: Billboard’s charts department research and Fred Bronson’s The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Both were consulted to compile the rankings, which extend through the chart dated Oct. 10, 2026.

The Numbers at a Glance

That list tracks the shift in how pop works. McCartney and Lennon piled up their totals through both group work and solo projects. Max Martin, by contrast, built his total through producing other artists over his career.

A writer reaching number one on the Hot 100 earns the title of hitmaker. A producer attaining the same peak shapes a hit instead. Both roles claim part of the credit, and both records now reveal who has reached that peak most frequently.

Source material: “The Songwriters & Producers With the Most Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s,” Billboard.

Billboard Hot 100 · Max Martin · Paul McCartney · production · songwriting