Renowned singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has accomplished a remarkable feat by surpassing the iconic Elvis Presley’s long-standing record for the most weeks spent at the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart as a solo artist.
Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ made history by securing the number one position on the chart for the fifth time during the final full tracking week of 2023, according to a report by Variety. This remarkable achievement has set a new record with Taylor Swift now having a total of 68 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, surpassing Elvis Presley’s previous record of 67 weeks.
While Taylor Swift has now established herself as the solo artiste with the most weeks at the number one position, the all-time record among all artistes is still held by the Beatles, whose albums have spent an astonishing 132 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Elvis Presley’s 67 weeks now place him in the second position among solo recording artistes and third overall among all acts.
Variety reported that ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ achieved 98,000 album-equivalent units for the week ending December 28, which coincided with the peak of the holiday buying season. This marked a 28 percent decline from the previous week, according to Luminate and Billboard. Notably, out of those 98,000 units, 61,000 were in full-album sales, driven by a last-minute surge in Christmas gift purchases.
The rest of the top 10 on the album chart featured a mix of artists and genres, including Michael Buble’s 2011 Christmas album, ‘Pink Friday’ by Nicki Minaj, Nat King Cole’s seasonal album, Morgan Wallen’s 2023 blockbuster ‘One Thing at a Time,’ and Drake’s ‘For All the Dogs.’ Phil Spector’s ‘A Christmas Gift for You‘ and Mariah Carey’s Christmas album also made appearances, along with Taylor Swift’s 2022 release ‘Midnights‘ and Pentatonix’s ‘Greatest Christmas Hits.’
Taylor Swift’s impressive achievement reflects her enduring popularity and the continued success of her music. As she solidifies her place in music history, fans and industry observers eagerly anticipate her future endeavors and chart-topping hits.
