Taylor Swift: The #1’s

Taylor Swift The #1’s: 2006-2023

Overview: Singer born Taylor Alison Swift on 12/13/1989 in Reading, Pennyslvania. She released her first album in 2006 while still a teenager. She started out as a country artist but completely transformed to a pop star by 2014 with her 1989 album. She has spent more weeks atop the Billboard album chart (54) than any other woman in history. She has sold more than 200 million records worldwide and won three Grammys for Album of the Year. On the Web: TaylorSwift.com (official site) Facebook Wikipedia Lists: Taylor Swift: Top 100 Songs

Awards:

The Studio Albums: Hover over an album cover to see its title and year of release. Click on the album to go to its dedicated DMDB page. Compilations: While Swift has released multiple editions of her studio albums and even re-recorded versions of some of them, she has yet to release a proper career retrospective. This page offers a glimpse of each of her studio albums, highlighting those songs which have reached #1 on various charts, thus offering a sampling of what songs would be most likely to appear on a very overdue compilation. Dates indicate the songs first appearance at #1 on any of the noted charts. Click for codes to singles charts.

Taylor Swift (2006): Swift’s self-titled debut was released when she was sixteen years old. The album gave her five top-10 country hits, two of which went to #1. All five of those songs also reached the Billboard top 40. The album spent 24 weeks atop the country album chart and reached #5 on the overall Billboard album chart. It was certified as 7x platinum. 12/22/2007: “Our Song” (CW: 6) 8/23/2008: “Should’ve Said Now” (CW: 2) Fearless (2008): Like its predecessor, Swift’s second album gave her five top-10 country hits, two of which reached #1. However, this album made her a bona fide pop star, giving her five top-10 pop hits and winning the Grammy for Album of the Year. In addition, the two songs listed here rank amongst the DMDB’s top 1000 of all time. The album spent 11 weeks at #1 on the overall Billboard album chart and 35 weeks atop the country chart. It was certified for 10 million in sales in the United States. 11/22/2008: “Love Story” (CW: 2, AC: 6, RR: 1, AU: 2) 8/22/2009: “You Belong with Me” (BA: 2, CW: 2, AC: 14, RR: 1) Valentine’s Day (soundtrack, 2010): 2/6/2010: “Today Was a Fairytale” (DG: 1, CN: 1) Speak Now (2010): Once again, Swift kept one foot in pop and the other in country, spending 6 and 13 weeks atop those respective album charts. It was certified for 6 million in sales in the U.S. The album gave her five more top-10 country hits and four more top-10 pop hits. 8/21/2010: “Mine” (DG: 1, AC: 1) 10/30/2010: “Back to December” (DG: 1) 11/26/2011: “Sparks Fly” (CW: 1) 3/31/2012: “Ours” (CW: 1) Red (2012): Swift’s farewell to country saw her spend 16 weeks at #1 on the country album chart and 7 on the pop chart. It landed 7 million in sales in the United States. She got three more top-10 country hits and four top-10 pop hits, including her first pop chart-topper, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” 9/1/2012: “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (BB: 3, DG: 5, CW: 10, CN: 4) 10/13/2012: “Begin Again” (DG: 1) 10/27/2012: “I Knew You Were Trouble” (BA: 4, DG: 3, RR: 6, A40: 1) 1989 (2014): Swift’s full-fledged pop coronation made her a superstar. She racked up three #1 pop hits and two more top-10’s. “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space” rank in the DMDB’s top 1000 of all time. The album logged 11 weeks atop the Billboard album chart. At more than 12 million sales worldwide, it is her biggest seller to date. It also garnered her a second Album of the Year Grammy. 9/6/2014: “Shake It Off” (BB: 4, BA: 4, DG: 4, ST: 2, RR: 2, AC: 5, A40: 8, CN: 4, AU: 3) 11/1/2014: “Out of the Woods” (DG: 1) 11/15/2014: “Blank Space” (BB: 7, BA: 6, DG: 7, ST: 7, RR: 5, AC: 4, A40: 6, CN: 6, AU: 3) 3/15/2015: “Style” (RR: 3, AC: 2, A40: 2) 6/6/2015: “Bad Blood” (with Kendrick Lamar, BB: 1, BA: 5, DG: 5, RR: 6, A40: 3, CN: 1, AU: 3) 10/25/2015: “Wildest Dreams” (BA: 2, RR: 2, A40: 4) Fifty Shades Darker (soundtrack, 2017): 12/31/2016: “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” (with Zayn, DG: 2) Reputation (2017): This one spent four weeks at #1 on the album chart and sold more than 4.5 million worldwide. It gave Swift another Billboard Hot 100 chart topper with “Look What You Made Me Do” and a top-5 hit with “Ready for It?” Three more songs reached the top 20. 9/16/2017: “Look What You Made Me Do” (BB: 3, DG: 1, ST: 2, RR: 1, UK: 2, CN: 3, AU: 2) 9/23/2017: “Ready for It?” (DG: 1) 11/11/2017: “Gorgeous” (DG: 1) 11/25/2017: “Call It What You Want” (DG: 1) 7/22/2018: “Delicate” (RR: 1, AC; 10, A40: 4) Lover (2019): Swift’s sixth consecutive chart-topper only spent one week atop the Billboard album chart but matched the 4.5+ million in sales of its predecessor. Swift barely missed the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking in the runner-up spot with “Me!” and “You Need to Calm Down.” The title cut was also a top-10 hit. The most interesting story, however, belongs to “Cruel Summer.” The fan favorite essentially served as the opening song on Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour and finally got its chart due, going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 nearly five years after its initial release. 5/11/2019: “Me!” (with Brendon Urie, DG: 1) 6/29/2019: “You Need to Calm Down” (DG: 1) 8/31/2019: “Lover” (DG: 2) 7/31/2023: “Cruel Summer” (BB: 1, RR: 2) Miss Americana (documentary, 2020): 2/15/2020: “Only the Young” (DG: 1) Folklore (2020): For her eighth album, Swift racked up another eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard album chart, but saw a drop-off in sales. It still sold 2 million worldwide. “Cardigan” gave Swift another #1 hit and “Exile” and “The 1” reached the top 10. The album was her third to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. 8/8/2020: “Cardigan” (BB: 1, DG: 1, ST: 1) Evermore (2020): Swift’s ninth studio release gave her another 3 weeks atop the Billboard album chart. This was her first album to fail to sell a million copies. “Willow” became Swift’s seventh song to reach the pinnacle of the Billboard Hot 100. 12/26/2020: “Willow” (BB: 1, DG: 1, A40: 3) Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021): 2/27/2021: “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” (DG: 1) Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021): 11/15/2021: “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” (BB: 1, DG: 1, ST: 1, CW: 3, CN: 1, AU: 1) Midnights (2023): Swift made history with her Midnights album when she locked down the entire top ten slots on the Billboard Hot 100. The album’s lead single, “Anti-Hero,” became her biggest #1 on the chart, spending eight weeks on top. 11/5/2022: “Anti-Hero” (BB: 8, BA: 5, DG: 5, ST: 2, RR: 3, A40: 7, UK: 6, CN: 5, AU: 6) 11/5/2022: “Question…?” (DG: 1) 6/10/2023: “Hits Different” (DG: 1) 7/10/2023: “Karma” (RR: 2)

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Taylor Swift First posted 11/16/2021; last updated 10/24/2023.

Taylor Swift hit #1 with “Bad Blood”

Bad Blood Taylor Swift with Kendrick Lamar

Writer(s): Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback, Kendrick Lamar (see lyrics here) Released: May 17, 2015 First Charted: November 15, 2014 Peak: 11 US, 15 BA, 15 DG, 16 RR, 9 AC, 13 A40, 4 UK, 11 CN, 13 AU, 12 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 0.6 UK, 7.05 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1589.23 video, 826.18 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Taylor Swift’s fifth album, 1989, marked her completed transition away from country to mainstream pop. She enlisted producers Max Martin and Shellback to give the album its 1980s snyth-pop sound. The result was five top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. “Bad Blood” charted briefly when the album was released in October 2014, but was officially released as the album’s fourth single – in a remixed version featuring Kendrick Lamar – in May 2015. It was the third song from the album to hit #1. It was speculated the song was about Katy Perry, with whom Swift had a widely reported feud. Swift claimed that a female singer had tried to sabotage her concert tour by hiring away people who had worked for her. Others simply thought the song was about lost romance, the central theme of the album. Swift told GQ, “It was not a song about heartbreak. It was about the loss of friendship.” SF She told Rolling Stone, “Sometimes the lines in a song are lines you wish you could text-message somebody in real life…like, ‘Burn. That would really get her…but…my intent was not to create some gossip-fest. I wanted people to apply it to a situation where they felt betrayed in their own lives.” SF Either way, it fit with an established tendency for Swift to play victim and call others out publicly. Critics gave the song mixed reviews, some saying the lyrics were repetitive and the production was generic. WK Mike Diver from Clash called it “a litany of diary-page break up clichés set to directionless thumps and fuzzes.” WK Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times said it was “a generic song where Swift fails to showcase herself as a distinctive artist.” WK On the flip side, Sasha Geffen of Consequence of Sound applaued it as a defiant tune with heavy, hip-hop beats. Andy Pettifier of The Quietus said the song was “crammed with merit…all sass and bile.” WK A high-budget video directed by Joseph Kahn featured a cast of singers and models whom the media called Swift’s “squad.” The group included Jessica Alba, Cindy Crawford, Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding, Gigi Hadid, Hailee Steinfeld, and Zendaya. The video was premiered at the Billboard Music Awards. It set a then-record for most views (20.1 million) in its first day. SF It won MTV’s Video of the Year and Best Collaboration. It also won a Grammy for Best Music Video and was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Performance. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Taylor Swift DMDB encyclopedia entry for Kendrick Lamar SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 8/9/2023.

2014: Top 25 Albums

First posted 12/31/2014; updated 1/8/2021.

Dave’s Music Database: Top Albums of 2014

Based on a combination of year-end lists (see resources at bottom of page) and overall status in Dave’s Music Database, these are the top 25 albums of 2014. Be sure to also check out the DMDB post of the top 50 songs of 2014. Taylor Swift 1989 D’Angelo Black Messiah Ed Sheeran X (Multiply) Sam Smith In the Lonely Hour The War on Drugs Lost in the Dream U2 Songs of Innocence Beck Morning Phase St. Vincent St. Vincent Miranda Lambert Platinum Run the Jewels Run the Jewels 2 FKA Twigs LP1 Lana Del Rey Ultraviolence The Black Keys Turn Blue Aphex Twin Syro Sturgill Simpson Metamodern Sounds in Country Music Sam Hunt Montevallo Bruce Springsteen High Hopes Eric Church The Outsiders Jack White Lazaretto J. Cole 2014 Forest Hills Drive Pharrell Williams Girl Spoon They Want My Soul Nicki Minaj The Pinkprint Ariana Grande My Everything Maroon 5 V Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Year-End Album Awards” Album of the Year All Music Guide Amazon American Songwriter AV Club BBC Best Ever Albums Billboard (charts) Billboard (critics) Bleep Clash Consequence of Sound Daily Beast Entertainment Weekly Guardian (critics’ picks) Guardian (readers’ picks) Huffington Post Metacritic Mojo Newsweek New Musical Express (NME) New York Times NPR Paste Magazine Pitchfork Pop Crush Pretty Much Amazing Q Magazine Rate Your Music Rolling Stone Rolling Stone (pop albums) Slant Magazine Spin Sputnik Music Taste of Country Telegraph Time Timeout UK Official Charts Uncut XFM

Taylor Swift dethrones herself at #1 with “Blank Space”

Blank Space Taylor Swift

Writer(s): Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback (see lyrics here) Released: November 10, 2014 First Charted: November 2, 2014 Peak: 17 US, 16 BA, 17 DG, 17 ST, 15 RR, 14 AC, 16 A40, 4 UK, 16 CN, 13 AU, 11 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 1.63 UK, 11.68 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 3301.3 video, 1336.73 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Blank Space” was the second single from Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album 1989. It followed previous single, “Shake It Off,” to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, Swift knocked herself out of the top spot, becoming the first woman in the history of the chart to do so. WK So far, it has been her longest reign at #1. The “electropop song” was compared by some critics to the work of Lorde (“Royals”). WK Lyrically, it “satirizes the media’s perception of Swift and her relationships.” WK She is portrayed as “an overly attached maneater who dates for songwriting material.” WK She sings that she’s “got a long list of ex-lovers, they’ll tell you I’m insane” and that she has “a blank space, baby, and I’ll write your name.” Swift wrote the song with Max Martin and Shellback, who also produced. PopMatters called the song “likely the best of Swift’s career.” WK The New York Times said “This is Ms. Swift at her peak.” WK The song was nominated for Gramys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. She also took home an iHeart Radio Music Award for Best Lyrics for the song. SF For the video, Swift wanted to continue with the jokes about how she included her ex-boyfriends in her songs. Joseph Kahn, who’d done Eminem’s “Without Me” and Katy Perry’s “Waking Up in Vegas,” was tapped to direct the video. Swift is depicted as “an unhinged lovelorn woman who lives alone in a giant mansion.” SF In July 2015, the video became the fourth to reach one billion views on Vevo. WK It won the MTV awards for Best Pop Video and Best Female Video. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Taylor Swift DMDB encyclopedia entry for Max Martin SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 7/25/2023.