Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" has had a remarkable chart run.

Credit: Lady GaGa

After more than five months of dancing, Lady GaGa finally reaches the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with her debut single, "Just Dance." As chart watchers know, that's a very long climb to No. 1. In fact, according to Billboard, it's been more than eight years since an artist took a slower route to the summit: in November 2000, Creed's "With Arms Wide Open" reached the top spot 27 weeks after it first debuted on the Hot 100.

Lady GaGa's pop ditty, which recalls early Madonna, features backing vocals by Akon. It first hit big in the clubs, reaching No. 2 on both the Hot Dance Airplay and Hot Dance Club Play charts last summer.

Lady GaGa-- she of the platinum, long blonde hair, Jetsons-like disco outfits and sunglasses--told HX Magazine that "Just Dance," is about keeping moving after ingesting a few too many mood-altering substances. " If you've ever been so high that it's, like, scary, the only way you can deal with it is not deal with it, so you just kind of dance through the intoxication," she said.

"Just Dance" has been both a radio and download hit. The song sold 279,000 downloads this week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Just Dance" knocked Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" out of the top spot.