Cruel Summer

Locking down the US weekly top four though, the stomp

This sounds super fun and right up my alley while being almost all new to me - I'd like to participate as well might even set aside some time this weekend to start a first pass!

"The public turning on her" and she's locked for the Hot 100 #1, three more top five hits, and returning to #1 on the Billboard 200, oh Taylor your immense power even when the public spurns you

The most comically overhated album in internet history. Still to this day I'm pretty firmly convinced that a ton of people who complain about it never even bothered to listen to the second half, never bothered to let it simmer, and crucified it on the cross of the TikTok era's collective attention span. For me, I think it's some of her very best work. The standard edition is the most compelling argument yet for her ability to use synthpop specifically to tell a compelling story in a way that respects the legacy of the genre at large - along with some other sounds of course, because it's not nearly monotone as some would suggest. Either way, tracks like Fortnight and Guilty As Sin? are career highlights for me. The Anthology on the other hand is musically a sequel to Evermore, my favorite album of all time, and it's built in a way that makes it its own unique entry in her discography while still fitting in with her other Dessner-centric records. I think The Anthology is one of the most narratively and sonically compelling pieces in her discography, flowing from start to finish in a way that paints a very powerful picture. And it contains some of the best music she's ever made - The Prophecy remains my favorite track, I Hate It Here is one of her best, The Black Dog, The Bolter… the writing and melodies and production on this half are phenomenal. Special shout out to The Alchemy X Treacherous Live From Paris and to the Prophecy X Long Story Short Live From Lyon, two of my most played tracks ever, put them on streaming eventually Taylor pls Oh Torchipo they could never make me hate you!

Apple Music Replay is out for September finally. Taylor logged my fourth biggest month since starting my account in early 2024, my most played individual song in any single calendar month with Patient Zero at nearly 200 plays, four of my top five songs with the Encore tracks, well over a thousand minutes of the Encore logged alone - more than I listened to the standard edition in its release month - and more overall minutes than I've listened to her in any month since Tortured Poets release month. PZ is my #1 song of the year so far and in my top five most played ever (since 2024). All with six days of tracking

Well I do have to make my last few purchases to help lock the Encore album tracks, and I do have a gift card or two, so...

I think this is a really good point. Think about the VMAs for instance - a ton of major names that are hot on the charts lately, such as the women who will likely be #2 and #3 on the Billboard 200 next week and some of Taylor's other strongest competitors this decade, did not go despite being nominated, and even winning in some cases. The only major contemporary pop girl who attended other than her was Sabrina, and then of course the one and only Madonna herself with a media and chart resurgence to help make it happen. Then you read about how yearly viewership surged thanks to the change to CBS and see the headlines with photos of Taylor Swift holding the Video of the Year award or her Artist Director Honor the next day, the buzz and press around associating a new single's music video with it... it's clearly an opportunity that she took way further than literally anyone else did this year, and she does that consistently. That's why there's the running meme about her always announcing at awards shows, right? She plays the game like an old school pop star would, even now, and gets her name on everyone's mind no matter the occasion, plus she makes new connections for future collaborators.

The moment she went from being unable to pick a solid pop radio single to save her live, to having some of the best songs she's ever recorded consistently become major single releases oh Anti-Hero

Quick note, this did not happen; it went back to number one on its fourth day, this Monday. It dropped by 1.6m on Sunday, about 29.5%.

Fearless - 11 weeks Speak Now - 6 weeks Red - 7 weeks 1989 - 11 weeks Reputation - 4 weeks Lover - 1 week Folklore - 8 weeks Evermore - 4 weeks Fearless TV - 2 weeks Red TV - 1 week Midnights - 6 weeks Speak Now TV - 2 weeks 1989 TV - 6 weeks TTPD - 17 weeks Showgirl - 12 weeks, 13 next week. Total: 98 weeks, 99 next week. Leads the next solo artist, Elvis Presley at #3 overall, by 31 weeks; trails the Beatles by 34 weeks. At this rate she could actually make it all the way and break the all time record, honestly, which is maybe the single biggest achievement in US chart history and one I never thought would be possible before TTPD and Showgirl shattered her prior ceiling.

I think it's fair to observe that this is materially different from how it happened for Katy and that it's hard to compare. These certainly aren't all radio-promoted singles seeing massive success one after another, we all know that. It's fine to acknowledge this isn't exactly the most impressive record that a person can have - particularly when Janet still holds the single-release, pre-streaming, pre-album-track record of 7. I think it's also fair to observe that nobody else has done it even under current conditions, with access to the same release strategies and tools. The closest anyone has come that I can find is Drake getting 6.

I get the feeling that many of those who are more... motivated than the average person to question and critique her success would say that anything she does that doesn't conform to the perfect and most restrictive baseline average of all notable female pop releases is "inorganic." Never mind that other artists and their labels would do it this way if their internal metrics indicated it would work for them; Taylor specifically did it, so it's inorganic and unfair.

you know, sometimes I just can't help but recall how Red, Evermore, and The Anthology alone, without counting vault tracks or demos or the TTPD standard edition or anything, are already the greatest discography of all time oh Taylor, dare I ask that one day we hear another such masterpiece? could I even handle it?

From your fingertips and keyboard to Her eyes and ears, please dear god let this happen

#2 and #3 being all time records even including deluxe versions, anniversary reissues, rerecordings, and other extras Those are currently held by 1989/1989TV (12 top ten hits together) if you count rerecordings and Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection (8 top five hits, still holds the record for #1 hits and top three hits). Standard edition / single-release records are held by three Taylor albums and a Drake album for top ten hits with 10 each, and still to this day Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 for top five hits with 7. Taylor will also increase her current streak of top ten hits to 11 consecutive radio singles overall and to 14 consecutive radio singles as a lead artist (The Alcott was released to at least one radio format, so that's why they're not the same). She would still need seven more to tie the record for either way that you measure it, though obviously the record for most consecutive top ten chart entries is off the table unless she randomly decides to promote Ruin The Friendship and Honey, which would instantly put her at 17 and tie Madonna for the second longest streak of consecutive (and in this case partially simultaneous) top ten entries (Janet holds the record with 18).

Let's not pretend we weren't all being told this would tank like a rock now. This is clearly performing phenomenally for a deluxe edition single and is set up to be a decent success long term, particularly in the US. It's not like anyone thinks it's another Ophelia, but it's abundantly clear it's not a flop either, which so many in this thread seemed to desperately want.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, but feel free to clarify.

Had to remake an old classic avatar just for fun! By the way in case anyone else had never bothered to check, IBYTAM's YT numbers are abysmal If anyone wants to use this, feel free, I've decided I really like my current one for now.

Live what down? Shooting back to #1 with a bigger streaming units week than any other deluxe in recent memory with just four tracks?

This is really nothing. It's a misunderstanding at the absolute worst, and most people will recognize that pretty easily. Tinashe is genuinely too sweet as a person to ever intentionally and directly call anyone's work ****.

Well I am literally 5'5" so

It literally never ends. Every single move she makes seems attracts weirdos and has since the day I became a fan honestly this latest round has basically entirely broken the curse of me giving even the tiniest ****, it's so freeing

Fortnight was the perfect single and best mainstream radio pop single in her discography some of the GP didn't get it but it's at 1.25 billion streams already, it charted longer than Cardigan, ATW10, Willow, and LWYMMD - and it's my most played song ever so I have to stand up for it a lil!

Not 1989 not being big back then when in the US, the biggest market in the world, it: Spent 11 weeks at #1 Spent a full year in the top ten Went #3 → #1 → #17 → #101 → #82 → #116 on the Year End charts Was literally in the same position under the same other album on the Decade End chart

Not the Billboard article being nearly a week old and some of y'all are in here trying to say that this is her trying to control the narrative now. Time doesn't work that way! You people can't fool me!