NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 12: Taylor Swift accepts the Best Pop award for “Anti-Hero” onstage … [+]
Taylor Swift is one of the most successful musicians in the history of Billboard’s pop radio charts. Actually, she’s one of the most successful artists ever, and her domination extends to the rankings that focus on the most-played tunes at pop radio in the U.S.
This week, Swift sits at No. 1 on all three of Billboard’s pop radio charts—the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, and Adult Contemporary lists. That’s an impressive show of popularity, and Swift’s domination is unusual. She sits on the throne of all three tallies, but not with the same tune.
Swift’s trifecta is made possible as her single “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vaults)” rises to No. 1 on a pair of lists. The smash is new to the highest rung on both the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay charts.
At the same time, Swift also manages to remain at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, but not with the tune that leads the other two pop radio rankings. On the AC list, her previous smash “Cruel Summer” is still in charge. That track has now been running the show on the Adult Contemporary tally for seven weeks.
The Adult Contemporary chart usually lags behind the other two pop radio tallies. It can take a long time for many tunes to hit their peak on this one list, with some songs climbing to the summit weeks or months after they top out on other rosters. “Is It Over Now?” is on the rise on the AC chart, and it reaches a new high point of No. 14 this frame.
It’s not unheard of for a musician to sit at No. 1 on all three of Billboard’s pop radio charts. The right smash, if it’s big enough and support from DJs and programmers is strong, can top all of them at once. The fact that Swift rules them all, but with different cuts, shows that she has several hits that have been released close to one another. It’s an odd and very specific set of circumstances, one that many other artists likely wouldn’t have been able to manage–but this is Swift, and the rules don’t apply to her.
