[Photo courtesy of Women’s Health]

By Grace Koennecke, Columns Editor and Copy Editor

Monday, Taylor Swift earned her 10th No.1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Cruel Summer”, a track from 2019’s Lover. Now tied with music legends like Stevie Wonder and Janet Jackson for ninth place for most No.1 songs on the chart, the singer has proven she can break records overnight, even with a non-lead single.

The recent rise in popularity of “Cruel Summer” is most likely a result of Swift’s “Eras Tour”, which lasted from March to August throughout the United States, as well as the singer’s recent concert film to accompany the tour.

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Originally, the track reached No. 29 on the chart on September 7, 2019, dropping to No. 71 the following week and then disappearing. This past June, the song started to reemerge on the chart, earning a No. 49 spot, slowly continuing to move up in ranking. 

In July, Swift was at the top of the charts with the re-recorded version of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), breaking the record for most No.1 albums by a female artist, passing Barbara Streisand. She also extended her “Eras Tour” into 2024, planning to tour most of the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan among other countries next year.

As Swift continues to dominate the charts, she still has a few people to beat for the most No.1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including the Beatles who hold 20 No.1 singles, Mariah Carey with 19 singles, and Rihanna with 14 singles.

Listen to “Cruel Summer” here: