Taylor Swift Has a New Longest-Running No. 1 Song

Taylor Swift has a new top song. On the latest installment of Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart, “The Fate of Ophelia” took the top spot for the ninth week to become Swift’s longest-running No. 1 hit.

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The song tallied eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 after its October release. Recently, “The Fate of Ophelia” slid to No. 28 as holiday songs took over the chart.

That changed this week, though, when “The Fate of Ophelia” regained the top position. In doing so, Swift now counts No. 1s in 11 distinct years. That’s behind only Mariah Carey, who’s had No. 1s in 22 distinct years.

“Anti-Hero,” which was released in 2022, was previously her longest running No. 1 with eight weeks in the top spot.

Over the course of her career, Swift has earned 13 No. 1 hits. That puts her in the fourth position for the most No. 1s in Hot 100’s history. She’s spent 45 weeks leading the chart, which is the eighth-best of all time.

In the 2020s, Swift has had eight Hot 100 No. 1s totaling 27 weeks on top. That’s a record amongst all artists this decade. 

What to Know About Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia”

During an appearance on the Capital Breakfast radio show, Swift opened up about the Shakespearean inspiration for the romantic track.

“It’s all kind of a play on Ophelia from Hamlet who was driven mad by love. Because of that, she ends up drowning,” Swift explained. “The play on it is like, ‘You saved me from that fate.’ Right? You rescued me. Like meeting someone and finding someone who took you away from that way that your life could have gone.”

The source material is “all very dramatic,” Swift said, which makes for a great song.

“When you’re dealing with Shakespeare, it’s kind of fun to say things like, ‘I might have lingered in purgatory.’ Or using kind of like ‘You wrap around me like a chain, a crown, a vine,’” she said, referencing lyrics from the song. “But then mixing the language with kind of more modern vernacular. Like, you know, like ‘Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes.’”

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