In an unprecedented turn of events, Jack Black’s latest musical endeavor, “Steve’s Lava Chicken,” has set a remarkable record on the Billboard Hot 100. At a mere 34 seconds, this track not only captures attention with its brevity but also stands as the shortest song to ever grace the chart since its inception in August 1958. The song, featured in the soundtrack of the highly anticipated A Minecraft Movie, made its debut at No. 77 on the list dated May 3, 2025, and has since experienced a significant surge in popularity, boasting a 62% increase in streaming to reach 7 million official U.S. streams between April 18 and April 24, as reported by data tracker Luminate.
Co-written by Black and director Jared Hess, “Steve’s Lava Chicken” is part of a soundtrack that has already garnered impressive box office success, grossing 6 million globally within its first four weekends. This marks Black’s second entry into the Hot 100, following his previous hit “Peaches,” which peaked at No. 56 in April 2023 from the soundtrack of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Chart Performance and Additional Tracks
In addition to its Hot 100 debut, “Steve’s Lava Chicken” has also made waves on the Hot Rock Songs chart, climbing four spots to secure the No. 10 position. The soundtrack features a total of four tracks by Black, including “I Feel Alive,” which features drumming by the renowned Dave Grohl, alongside two other brief tracks: “Birthday Rap,” featuring co-star Jason Momoa, and “Ode to Dennis.”
With its 34-second runtime, “Steve’s Lava Chicken” surpasses Kid Cudi’s “Beautiful Trip,” which previously held the title for the shortest Hot 100 hit at 37 seconds. This new record highlights a fascinating trend in the music industry, where brevity can indeed capture the audience’s attention.
For those intrigued by the evolution of song lengths on the Hot 100, here’s a look at the ten quickest hits by run time throughout the chart’s history:
- :34 — “Steve’s Lava Chicken,” Jack Black (Hot 100 peak: No. 77, May 3, 2025)
- :37 — “Beautiful Trip,” Kid Cudi (Hot 100 peak: No. 100, Dec. 26, 2020)
- :45 — “PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen),” Piko-Taro (Hot 100 peak: No. 77, Oct. 29, 2016)
- 1:02 — “Little Boxes,” The Womenfolk (Hot 100 peak: No. 83, April 25, 1964)
- 1:06 — “Deck the Halls,” Nat King Cole (Hot 100 peak: No. 16, Dec. 31, 2022)
- 1:13 — “Pete Davidson,” Ariana Grande (Hot 100 peak: No. 99, Sept. 1, 2018)
- 1:16 — “Difference (Interlude),” XXXTentacion (Hot 100 peak: No. 84, Dec. 22, 2018)
- 1:17 — “Some Kind-A Earthquake,” Duane Eddy His Twangy Guitar and the Rebels (Hot 100 peak: No. 37, Oct. 26, 1959)
- 1:19 — “Forward,” Beyoncé feat. James Blake (Hot 100 peak: No. 63, May 14, 2016)
- 1:20 — “What I’ve Been Looking For (Reprise),” Andrew Seeley & Vanessa Anne Hudgens (Hot 100 peak: No. 67, Feb. 11, 2006)
