Taylor Swift took a chance in mid-2023 when she decided to release her song “Cruel Summer” as a single. It was a risk, as the tune was several years old, and that kind of move is rarely done in the music industry. In the months since it was promoted properly, not only has the electro-pop cut become a smash, it’s now making history on one of Billboard’s radio charts.
“Cruel Summer” is a non-mover on the Adult Pop Airplay chart this week, earning another stay at No. 1 on the ranking of the tunes that reach the largest audience at pop radio stations that cater to an older crowd. Swift’s hit has now ruled for 19 weeks, which stands as one of the longest runs of all time on the tally.
With a nineteenth turn at No. 1 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart, Swift now claims the fourth-longest-running leader of all time on the list. Last frame, she was tied with two other smashes–Nickelback’s “Photograph” and Matchbox 20’s “Unwell”—for the honor of being the tracks with the fourth-most frames spent in charge of the roster. Now, Swift has passed them, and she owns this bit of history to herself.
If “Cruel Summer” can hold on for a twentieth turn at No. 1, it will tie as the third-longest-running champion ever on the Adult Pop Airplay chart. The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” also managed 20 spins at No. 1 on the list, and it ranks in third place on this all-time ranking.
The longest-running No. 1 smash ever on the Adult Pop Airplay chart is Santana and Rob Thomas’s “Smooth.” That cross-genre smash ruled for 25 weeks at the turn of the millennium. In nearly a quarter-century since, no hit has been able to match its run.
Landing in second place on this list is The Calling’s “Wherever You Will Go.” The pop rock band’s biggest single controlled the Adult Pop Airplay chart for 23 weeks between 2001 and 2002. Swift has to hold on for about a month to catch up to that win, but at the rate she’s going, that seems doable.
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