Four years after it was initially released, Taylor Swift’s song “Cruel Summer” is proving to be one of the biggest hits of her career. The track, which was chosen as the most unlikely of singles, has been dominating Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart for months, and at the moment it shows no sign of stopping. Now, with another week spent at the top, the cut makes history and helps Swift prove once again that she ranks among the most successful women in music history.
“Cruel Summer” has now led the charge on the Pop Airplay chart for 10 weeks. Billboard publishes the ranking every week and it lists the most successful tracks at pop radio stations across the U.S. Now that it has collected 10 weeks at No. 1, “Cruel Summer” ranks as one of the longest-charting leaders of all time by a solo female musician.
In fact, Swift is now tied with four other solo women for the fifth-most weeks spent at No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart. She is currently on the same level as Dionne Farris (“I Know”), Mariah Carey (“We Belong Together”) and Miley Cyrus (“Flowers”), who joined this list earlier this year.
Three solo female musicians have managed to keep a song at No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart for more than 10 weeks—but not much longer. Mariah Carey (“One Sweet Day” with Boyz II Men), Natalie Imbruglia (“Torn”), and Halsey (“Closer” with The Chainsmokers) all saw one of their smashes spend 11 frames atop the highly competitive tally.
When taking into account all musical acts that include women, the ranking changes slightly. Currently, the longest running No. 1 single of all time on the Pop Airplay chart is Ace of Base’s 1994 smash hit “The Sign.” That track held on for 14 weeks.
Earlier this year, “Cruel Summer” helped Swift make history in another way on the same ranking. The track became her twelfth leader on the Pop Airplay chart, and when it hit the peak position, she officially broke her tie with several other stars and became the musician with the most No. 1 songs of all time. Before “Cruel Summer” peaked, Swift was tied with Rihanna, Katy Perry and Maroon 5, who are all steady with their 11 chart-toppers.
Radio has been instrumental in the ongoing success of “Cruel Summer.” While the track was initially a fan favorite from her 2019 album Lover, it returned to prominence after Swift began performing it on her The Eras Tour. The track quickly began streaming well, and Swift and her label released it as in a single to catch the wave. Now it looks like the tune is about to become her milestone tenth No. 1 on the Hot 100, with radio being largely responsible for the tune’s continued success.
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