Taylor Swift's 'Patient Zero' debuts at No. 1, ending Langley's run
Taylor Swift's new single "Patient Zero" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving her a 16th chart-topper. The song ends Ella Langley's record 24-week run with "Choosin' Texas." Swift now trails only the Beatles and Mariah Carey for the most No. 1 hits.
Taylor Swift is back on top of the Billboard Hot 100. Her new single, "Patient Zero," debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated Oct. 10, which Billboard posted on Tuesday, Oct. 6. It is her 16th No. 1 hit, Billboard and Variety reported.
The debut ends one of the longest runs in chart history. Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" had spent a record 24 weeks at No. 1 and now slips to No. 2, although it holds No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart for a 43rd week.
Swift's song pulled in 34.5 million U.S. streams, 28.5 million in radio audience and 65,000 copies sold in the week from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1, according to Billboard. She wrote and produced it with Max Martin and Shellback, and its music video, which stars Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, premiered at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27.
The new songs come from an expanded edition of her album The Life of a Showgirl, and they swept the top of the chart. "Cleveland!" debuted at No. 3, "Babylon" at No. 4 and "Pink Clouding" at No. 5, Billboard said.
The records keep piling up. Only the Beatles, with 20, and Mariah Carey, with 19, have more Hot 100 No. 1s than Swift, and this is her 10th song to start at No. 1, which ties Drake for the most. The Showgirl album has now produced 14 top-10 hits, a record for one album, and it spent a 13th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Swift has 74 career top 10s and 50 total weeks at No. 1.
The rest of the top 10 includes Stella Lefty's "Boston" at No. 6, Morgan Wallen's "Been by Now" at No. 7, a song by Ariana Grande at No. 8, Olivia Rodrigo's "Stupid Song" at No. 9 and "Dracula" by Tame Impala and Jennie at No. 10.
Variety noted that copies of the single ordered ahead of time are still shipping, which could help it stay on top, and that Carey's Christmas hit could pass Langley's 24-week record this December.
What we know: "Patient Zero" is No. 1, and Langley's run is over.
What we don't: Whether Swift can hold the top spot next week.
Where outlets agree Billboard and Variety both report that "Patient Zero" is Swift's 16th Hot 100 No. 1 and that it ends Ella Langley's record 24-week run with "Choosin' Texas."
Where they differ Variety suggests late-shipping preorders could give Swift a second week at No. 1, while Billboard's chart report focuses on the records she has already set.