poll More popular hit globally: Shake It Off vs. Cruel Summer

[Strawberry Bubble]

Which of these two songs is bigger globally

[KahnumDash]

shake it off, but cruel summer is infinitely better in every way

[Kyoto]

SIO. Not even close.

[Busty Woman]

Voted cruel summer because it's not the worst pop song ever created 

[Strawberry Bubble]

Just now, Kyoto said:

SIO. Not even close.

why? cruel summer was everywhere too

[Kyoto]

Just now, Strawberry Bubble said:

why? cruel summer was everywhere too

I didn't see much of CS in my bubble. I got to know it was smashing when people made threads about it here and I even got surprised when it got more streams than bad guy on Spotify.

[Busty Woman]

1 minute ago, Strawberry Bubble said:

why? cruel summer was everywhere too

Plus cruel summer was THE song of 2023 taymania 

[Achilles.]

Shake Shake is bigger and better.

[SweetOreosOfHeaven]

Cruel Summer is the superior song but Shake It Off feels like a song that people from many different generations know, not sure about Cruel Summer

[Jack!]

Yeah it's definitely Shake It Off. But it was nice to see Cruel Summer do it's thing in 2023, and it's definitely the better song of the two.

[Peak Now]

Something something monoculture so Shake It Off

[k4rmabutterfly]

I've never heard Cruel Summer anywhere outside of TikTok  SIO was much bigger, at least in Brazil. 

[Punky Rooster]

SIO is Taylor's biggest hit, so that easily. Every local knows it, but few could pick out Cruel Summer.

[Summer Boy]

To be honest I never heard of Cruel Summer outside of atrl lol, but Shake It Off was huge. I know Cruel Summer is a big hit, I'm not denying that. I'm just sharing my experience (I think it's because of the streaming era, hits are not inescapable anymore). 

[unclefloprry]

lol SIO, I never heard Cruel Summer on the radio or other places

[charot]

Pre streaming era smashas always feel bigger and more popular by default

[Popboi.]

Cruel Summer is the poster image of TaylorMania and objectively has the tiny bit better stats.

 

Shake It Off has been constantly popular for over a decade now, so it's hard not to vote for it though (crazy the question isn't about Blank Space though, as that dominated both during her peak in the digital AND streaming eras)

[FrederickGa]

2 hours ago, Strawberry Bubble said:

why? cruel summer was everywhere too

SHAKE IT OFF's Music Video was everywhere

MV is still a big deal in LatAm & SouthEast Asia, and Cruel Summer without having one felt like an incomplete SMASH for a lot of places

[??????]

SIO was the monster family radio hit, CS was the monster new gen online hit

Both queens in their own leagues

[??????]

2 hours ago, charot said:

Pre streaming era smashas always feel bigger and more popular by default

This. Streaming is more personal and closed in; back before it was the default, everyone went to the more public radio and youtube channels to tune in to the hits - hence.

[Mean Trees]

3 hours ago, Strawberry Bubble said:

why? cruel summer was everywhere too

By everywhere do you mean your streaming app?? Music just doesn't have the same general appeal impact now as it did when Shake It Off was released.

[awong918]

Shake it Off was everywhere, unfortunately.

[VelvetCrush]

Everyone and their mothers recognize SIO. Can't say the same for Cruel Summer.

[terrorblade]

shake it off has merged with the human DNA i fear

[Strawberry Bubble]

2 hours ago, Mean Trees said:

By everywhere do you mean your streaming app?? Music just doesn't have the same general appeal impact now as it did when Shake It Off was released.

 

 

Cruel Summer was the pinnacle hit and basically the poster child of Taylormania. It was everywhere: radio, TikTok, and millions of people's streaming apps. You don't get 2.6 billion streams just from my Spotify account.

 

And everyone saying "I only heard it on TikTok"? Yes, because TikTok is how songs become inescapable now. That's literally the current music ecosystem.

Edited 15 hours ago by Strawberry Bubble