The song was officially sent to the American radio stations on October 23, 1998.[2] On November 21, 1998, “…Baby One More Time” debuted at number-seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the chart two and a half months later for two consecutive weeks, replacing R&B-singer Brandy’s “Have You Ever?”.[12] Simultaneously, it climbed to number-one on the Canadian Singles Chart.[13] The song reached the top spot of the Hot 100 Singles Sales and stayed there for a solid four-week reign. This eventually propelled the single to a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.[14] Though not as strong as its sales tallies, “…Baby One More Time” also experienced considerable airplay becoming her first top ten hit on the Hot 100 Airplay peaking at number-eight.[15] The single also became an all-around hit on Top 40 radio, going top ten on both the Top 40 Tracks and Rhythmic Top 40, and to number-one for five weeks on the Mainstream Top 40.[13] “…Baby One More Time” spent thirty-two weeks on the Hot 100 and ended up at number-five on Billboard magazine’s year-end chart.[12]

The track reached the top spot in every European country in which it charted.[16] It topped the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles for ten consecutive weeks.[17] Notably, “…Baby One More Time” spent two consecutive weeks at number-one on the French Singles Chart and was certified platinum by the Syndicat National de l’Édition Phonographique after selling over 500,000 units in the country.[16][18] Additionally, the song topped the German Singles Chart for six consecutive weeks and sold over 750,000 copies, resulting in a three-times gold certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry[17][19] In the United Kingdom, according to her label Jive Records said that the single “…Baby One More Time” has sold more than 250,000 copies in a mere three days.[20] Spears broke a first-week sales record for a female act at the time when “…Baby One More Time” sold a total of 460,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[21] The single went on to sell over 1.5 million units, making it the highest-selling single of the year and the 25th best-selling of all-time in Britain.[22][23] Eventually, the British Phonographic Industry certified it two-times platinum on March 26, 1999.[24] Additionally, Spears joined a selected group of seven female acts with million-selling singles, which includes singers Kylie Minogue, Whitney Houston, Cher, Céline Dion, among others.[25]

“…Baby One More Time” debuted at number-twenty on the Australian Singles Chart, a month later reached number-one and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks.[26] The song eventually became the second highest-selling single of the year, only behind Lou Bega’s “Mambo#5″, and was certified three-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for selling over 210,000 copies.[27][28] In New Zealand, the single spent four non-consecutive weeks at the top of the charts and after shipping over 15,000 units to retailers the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand certified it platinum.[29][30]

Chart Rankings

Awards for Baby one more time