For the second week in a row, Taylor Swift dominates the Hot 100. The singer-songwriter claims dozens of spots on the chart with tunes from her new album The Tortured Poets Department. She also holds onto the No. 1 spot again with her single “Fortnight” with Post Malone.
Amidst her many, many wins from The Tortured Poets Department, one of Swift’s older singles is also still going strong. “Cruel Summer” has somehow managed to hold on and live on the Hot 100, despite tough odds as the superstar’s latest round of smashes occupy a lot of real estate on the competitive tally.
“Cruel Summer” has now lived on the Hot 100 for 52 weeks. Put another way, the electro-pop cut has now managed a complete year on the ranking of the most-consumed songs in the U.S.
Swift has now seen only two tracks live on the Hot 100 for a year. “Cruel Summer” stands out as her second-longest-charting song ever. It’s just one frame away from tying with “Anti-Hero,” which racked up 53 frames somewhere on the tally, starting in 2022.
This week, “Cruel Summer” jumps from No. 41 to No. 28. That gain is thanks largely to the fact that plenty of The Tortured Poets Department-related cuts are falling down the Hot 100, making room for sturdier wins.
Whether “Cruel Summer” can make it past 52 weeks is yet to be seen. Billboard has a rule in place–known as the recurrent rule–which stipulates that after a year on the Hot 100, every tune must rank above No. 25 at all times. If it falls below that mark, it’s automatically removed, probably for good.
If Swift’s unlikely Hot 100 ruler doesn’t lift at least three spaces when the chart is refreshed in a few days, Billboard will take the title off of the list. If it can surge once again, it will tie as her longest-running win in the history of the tally.
