Taylor Swift is back on top. The pop star’s latest single, “Patient Zero,” leads the Billboard Hot 100 this week, dethroning Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” following the song’s record-breaking run.
Swift’s track is the 16th chart leader of her career. It appeared on the deluxe version of her album, The Life of a Showgirl, alongside three other new songs.
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The extended LP’s other songs each debuted in the top of the chart. “Cleveland!,” “Babylon” and “Pink Clouding” landing at Nos. 3, 4, and 5, respectively.
With her latest accomplishment, Swift now boasts the third-most No. 1s in Hot 100 history. She sits behind The Beatles and Mariah Carey, who have 20 and 19 hits, respectively.
“Patient Zero” has given Swift the 10th No. 1 debut of her career, a record she shares with Drake. The rapper is the only person who has more than Swift’s 74 top 10 debuts, with 90 total.
Ella Langley’s Record-Breaking Song
While Swift finds her own name in the record books in many respects, it’s Langley who has had the blockbuster year.
“Choosin’ Texas” spent a record-breaking 24 weeks leading the Hot 100 since February. That’s the most-ever. The song edged out Mariah Carey’s long-standing record of 22, which she held thanks to the holiday hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
“I’m genuinely trying to find the words to help explain what’s going on in my brain today. I don’t know. Thank you so much,” Langley said in an Instagram video after she achieved the feat. “I feel like I just don’t even know what to say at this point. I mean, I’m running out of like hyperboles to describe how I feel.”
“It’s changing my life. It’s changing lives of the writers of this song. It’s changing lives of my family,” she added. “It is truly growing an atmosphere for something I’m going to be able to do the rest of my life. And I just today, it doesn’t feel like a real thing. It feels fake.”
Despite being dethroned by Swift, “Choosin’ Texas” fell only one spot on the chart to No. 2. It is the only non-Swift song to occupy the chart’s top five.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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