“The Fate of Ophelia” continues its reign on the Hot 100, giving Taylor Swift her fifth song to lead for at least a month and matching icons like The Beatles and Drake. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 06: Taylor Swift is seen leaving the “Poor Things” premiere at DGA Theater on December 06, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)
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For the fourth week in a row, Taylor Swift’s current single “The Fate of Ophelia” leads the Hot 100. The track debuted atop the ranking of the most consumed songs in the United States four frames back, and though it has faced competition from popular tunes like “Golden,” taken from KPop Demon Hunters, and the seemingly ever-present “Ordinary” from newcomer Alex Warren, the The Life of a Showgirl track has not yet ceded control over the throne.
As “The Fate of Ophelia” reaches its first month running the show on the Hot 100, it inches up within Swift’s discography and now ranks among her longest-ruling smashes. With four stays atop the roster, the singer makes history and joins some of the most successful musical acts of all time in a very specific — but nonetheless impressive — showing.
“The Fate of Ophelia” Joins Swift’s Longest-Running No. 1s
“The Fate of Ophelia” is Swift’s fifth song to spend at least four weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. The track is tied with both “Cruel Summer” and “Shake It Off” as her third-longest-running champion. Last time around, it was on the same page as both “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “Look What You Made Me Do,” but now the first focus cut from The Life of a Showgirl has passed those smashes.
Leading the charge within Swift’s own discography are “Anti-Hero” and “Blank Space,” which racked up eight and seven turns at No. 1, respectively.
Taylor Swift Matches Katy Perry and The Beatles
Billboard reports that thanks to the continued success of “The Fate of Ophelia,” Swift now claims the fifth-most songs that have dominated the Hot 100 for at least a month. She is not alone in this feat, as she sits alongside The Beatles, Drake, Bruno Mars, and Katy Perry, all of whom have also seen five tunes spend four weeks or longer in first place.
Which Musicians Claim the Most One-Month Hot 100 Rulers?
Two women are tied for the most month-long champions on the Hot 100. Both Mariah Carey and Rihanna have seen seven songs hold on for four weeks or longer.
PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 22: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) Rihanna attends the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 22, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Beyoncé and Usher Beat Taylor Swift By One Smash
Another two artists sit just slightly ahead of Swift and her contemporaries. Beyoncé and Usher have each racked up half a dozen such successes throughout their lengthy and storied careers.
“The Life of a Showgirl” and “The Fate of Ophelia” Hold Steady
As “The Fate of Ophelia” earns another stay inside the Hot 100 penthouse, its parent album is also unmoved at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The Life of a Showgirl launched a month ago with the largest opening sum of all time, becoming the first title to debut with four million equivalent units shifted. Since then, no other project has made a serious play for the top spot on the albums list — though the same can’t be said for the Hot 100.
The “Alone in My Tower” Version of “The Fate of Ophelia”
“The Fate of Ophelia” hasn’t stepped away from No. 1 on the Hot 100, but it looked for a moment like it might be forced out of the spotlight. Swift recently dropped several new versions of the song, including an acoustic take titled “Alone in My Tower” and an instrumental. Sales of all three editions of the track exploded, and each performed well on iTunes. Billboard typically groups sales of various versions of the same song together for charting purposes, and it’s a more than 200% spike in pure purchases that largely keeps “The Fate of Ophelia” at No. 1 on the Hot 100, fending off competition from “Golden,” taken from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, and other rising successes.