Posts tagged: songs

Weeks at No. 1: Three

Despite writing ubiquitous hits like “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story” earlier in her career (which peaked at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively), “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” was Swift’s first-ever song to top the Hot 100.

The country-pop crossover smash was released as the lead single from Swift’s fourth album, “Red.” It rose from No. 72 to No. 1 in its second week of tracking and remained atop the chart for two more weeks.

Weeks at No. 1: Four

“Shake It Off” was released as the lead single from Swift’s fifth album, “1989.” It became her first No. 1 debut on the Hot 100.

Weeks at No. 1: Seven

“Blank Space,” the second single from “1989,” debuted at No. 18 on the Hot 100.

It rose to No. 13 before soaring to No. 1 in its third week — dethroning “Shake It Off” and making Swift the first woman in history to replace herself in the chart’s top spot.

“Blank Space” went on to become one of Swift’s biggest hits, reigning atop the chart for nearly two months.

Weeks at No. 1: One

On May 17, 2015, a remix of “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar was released as the fourth single from “1989.”

It rose from No. 53 to the chart’s top spot after the music video premiered at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards and broke the Vevo record for most views in 24 hours.

Weeks at No. 1: Three

Despite mixed reactions from critics, Swift’s lead single from “Reputation” rose to No. 1 after its first full week of tracking, breaking the weekly streaming record for a song by a woman.

Once again, Swift’s music video broke the record for most views within 24 hours, racking up 43.2 million views in its first day.

Weeks at No. 1: One

Swift announced the arrival of her eighth album, “Folklore,” just one day in advance. The second track, “Cardigan,” was released at the same time as the album and promoted with a whimsical music video.

“Folklore” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 while “Cardigan” simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, making Swift the first artist in history to open atop both charts in the same week.

Weeks at No. 1: One

Just five months after “Folklore,” Swift repeated her pandemic-era strategy and surprise-released her ninth album, “Evermore,” alongside its lead single.

Again, “Willow” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 while “Evermore” simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Weeks at No. 1: One

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” was the second rerecorded album Swift released. It was accompanied by the long-awaited 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” a fan-favorite track from the original album.

“All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” was promoted with a self-directed short film and plenty of theories about the song’s most likely muse.

It debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, becoming the longest song in history to top the chart. The record was previously held by Don McLean’s “American Pie (Parts I & II)” at 8 minutes and 37 seconds.

Weeks at No. 1: Eight

“Anti-Hero” was released alongside Swift’s 10th album, “Midnights,” and promoted as the lead single.

It dominated the Hot 100 for eight weeks, surpassing the high-water mark set by “Blank Space.”

The same week that “Anti-Hero” debuted at No. 1, Swift became the first and only artist in history to occupy the entire top 10 on the Hot 100. The hit single was flanked by “Lavender Haze” (No. 2), “Maroon” (No. 3), “Snow on the Beach” (No. 4), “Midnight Rain” (No. 5), “Bejeweled” (No. 6), “Question…?” (No. 7), “You’re On Your Own, Kid” (No. 8), “Karma” (No. 9), and “Vigilante Shit” (No. 10).

Weeks at No. 1: Four

“Cruel Summer” was originally released as the second track on Swift’s 2019 album “Lover.”

Although it was identified early as a fan favorite, the song was never promoted as a single and debuted modestly at No. 29 on the Hot 100.

Four years later, Swift transformed “Cruel Summer” into a showstopping spectacle on the Eras Tour. Streams of the song began to surge, and it reigned atop Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart for two months. Swift’s label sent the song to pop radio in June 2023.

Finally, following the release of “The Cruelest Summer” EP — which includes a live version of the song and a remix by LP Giobbi — the song reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, marking Swift’s milestone 10th chart-topper.

Weeks at No. 1: One

“Is It Over Now?” was released as the final vault track on “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” a rerecording of her beloved fifth album.

Although it wasn’t initially slated as a single, its enthusiastic reception from fans pushed Swift’s team to serve the song to pop radio.

“Is It Over Now?” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dethroning “Cruel Summer.” Swift remains the only woman in history to replace herself in the top spot, a feat she’s now achieved twice.

Weeks at No. 1: Two

“Fortnight,” a duet with Post Malone, was released alongside “The Tortured Poets Department” and promoted as the album’s lead single.

The song debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 while “Poets” simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

For the second time in her career, Swift managed to occupy the entire top 10 of the Hot 100. In fact, the top 14 positions on the chart were occupied by “Poets” tracks, including “Down Bad” (No. 2) and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” (No. 3), all the way through to “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” (No. 14).

“Fortnight” returned to No. 1 on the Hot 100 for a second consecutive week.

Weeks at No. 1: Nine

“The Fate of Ophelia” was released alongside Swift’s 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” and promoted as the lead single.

The Shakespeare-inspired pop song debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, while “Showgirl” simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, breaking a record for the biggest sales week of all time.

All 12 tracks on the album debuted within the Hot 100’s top 12 spots, making Swift the first and only artist to dominate the chart’s top 10 on three separate occasions. “The Fate of Ophelia” was joined in the top five by “Opalite” (No. 2), “Elizabeth Taylor” (No. 3), “Father Figure” (No. 4), and “Wood” (No. 5).

“The Fate of Ophelia” remained atop the Hot 100 for eight straight weeks after its release. After falling to lower positions during the holiday season, it returned to No. 1 for its ninth week, surpassing “Anti-Hero” as Swift’s longest-leading hit to date.