South Korean superband BTS' Billboard-topping hit "Butter" came in at No. 4 on this week's Billboard main singles chart, slipping from last week's top spot.

"BTS' "Butter" drops to No. 4 after nine weeks atop the Hot 100," Billboard said on its website on Monday (US time).

"It posts a 10th week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales (79,200, down 30%) and returns to its No. 20 high on Radio Songs (31.6 million, up 4%)," it added.

The summery song had sat atop the main singles chart for nine nonconsecutive weeks, becoming the longest-running No. 1 song of 2021.

With "Butter" and "Permission to Dance," which reigned the Hot 100 for nine weeks and one week, respectively, the seven-piece act topped the competitive music chart for 10 straight weeks.

It also earned 15 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 records, including three times with "Dynamite," and one each with "Life Goes On" and "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)."

The group, which racked up the records in 10 months and two weeks, is the quickest act to have earned five No. 1s in three decades since Michael Jackson, according to Billboard. Jackson earned five Hot 100 No. 1s in nine months and two weeks in 1987-88.

"Butter," a summery disco-pop song released in late May, has been going strong since its release, sweeping online music charts and streaming platforms across the world, including iTunes and Spotify.

With "Butter," BTS earlier achieved the longest No. 1 streak achieved by a group since 1995, when "One Sweet Day," a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men, spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

The septet also became the first Asian artist to stay at No. 1 for longer than four straight weeks on Billboard's main singles chart. Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto held the title with "Sukiyaki" in 1963.

Released on July 9, "Permission to Dance" is the group's second collaboration with British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was included in the physical album for "Butter" along with instrumental versions for both songs.

The song immediately made a splash upon release, reaching No. 2 on Spotify and topping iTunes top songs charts in 92 regions. It debuted at No. 16 on the British music chart Official Chart's top 100 singles list.

In July, BTS released an R&B remix of the summer bop, which the group's label Big Hit Music described as having a 1990s vibe. The new version is a gesture of gratitude for fans around the world who supported BTS in hitting No. 1 on the Billboard main singles chart with five songs, it added. (Yonhap)