For months now, Taylor Swift’s single “Cruel Summer” has been performing well on the Billboard charts. The tune became a surprise summer hit, and now its winning streak has continued into the fall. It seemed like the smash was going to fall down the rankings soon, but it’s gaining ground again. So, does it still have a shot at the top spot on the Hot 100?
This week, “Cruel Summer” rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart. The weekly tally ranks the most popular tunes at all radio stations in the United States, based on plays. This frame marks the first time the electro-pop hit has reached the summit.
Radio is one of the three consumption factors that play into where a track ranks on the Hot 100, the all-encompassing ranking of the most-consumed songs in America. Thanks in part to its continued success at radio, “Cruel Summer” lifts from No. 6 to No. 4 on the chart this time around.
“Cruel Summer” has thus far topped out at No. 3 on the Hot 100, but it might not be done yet. Currently, it is being beaten by Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” (No. 1), SZA’s “Snooze” (No. 2) and Luke Combs’s “Fast Car” (No. 3). Of those three, it seems most likely that Combs’s popular cover will descend first, as it has been living toward the top of the Hot 100 for the longest.
Conversely, both “Paint the Town Red” and “Snooze” are relatively new to the highest reaches of the Hot 100. Cat’s hip-hop hit has now spent a pair of frames at No. 1, and all of its consumption figures—sales, radio play, and streams—are up. That is due largely to the fact that her new album Scarlet was released a little more than a week ago. In the coming days, her smash might decline in popularity.
SZA’s “Snooze,” on the other hand, is only growing in stature. The track rises to a new peak of No. 2 this time around. The R&B hit was propelled toward the top of the tally recently thanks to a remix with Justin Bieber. If Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” does fall slightly, she may score her third No. 1 on the Hot 100 in only a matter of days.
At present, it appears that soaring to No. 1 on the Hot 100 would still be a stretch for “Cruel Summer,” though not impossible. It’s likely that “Snooze,” “Paint the Town Red,” and new releases from the likes of Jung Kook and soon, Drake, might take precedence and steal the spotlight. If Swift can keep her song going at radio and perhaps provide fans with another reason to stream and buy the cut—a new version, remixes, a feature, or maybe a music video—things could change.
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