Taylor Swift has 12 number-one albums (the most of any female artist, and fourth-most overall). She’s had nine number-one singles (“Anti-Hero,” “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” “Look What You Made Me Do,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “All Too Well [Taylor’s Version],” “Willow,” “Cardigan,” and “Bad Blood”). She’s won the Grammy for Album of the Year three times (the only female artist, and one of only four artists ever, to do so). This writer has noted many times that records seem to be invented out of thin air just for Swift to break them. Yet enough is never enough, as illustrated by the push to get “Cruel Summer” to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Cruel Summer” has had a unique path to the top. It’s an album track from the Lover album, released in 2019, and it wasn’t even a single back then despite fans and critics lauding it as a standout. It wasn’t until the summer of 2023 that the song’s rising popularity—paired with the success of Swift’s Eras Tour—prompted the pop star to promote it as a single. Since then, “Cruel Summer” has steadily climbed the charts, lately hovering just on the precipice of the top spot.
Luckily, Swift has a tried-and-true method to get a track across the finish line, disguised as a special treat for her fans. “What a truly mind blowing thing you’ve turned The Eras Tour Concert Film into. I’ve been watching videos of you guys in the theaters dancing and prancing and recreating choreography, creating inside jokes, casting spells, getting engaged, and just generally creating the exact type of joyful chaos we’re known for,” she gushed in an Instagram post on Wednesday. “One of my favorite things you’ve done was when you supported Cruel Summer SO much, I ended up starting The Eras Tour show with it. For old times sake, I’m releasing the live audio from the tour so we can all shriek it in the comfort of our homes and cars PLUS a brand new remix by @lpgiobbi. Thank you, so much, forever, wow, just thank you!!!”
Does Taylor Swift genuinely want to reward fans for their support? Sure, probably, but releasing two new versions of “Cruel Summer” is a pretty obvious way to give the song the little push it needs to overtake the number-one spot on the charts. Swift has used this method before, releasing different versions of “Willow” and “Cardigan” (“dancing witch version,” “lonely witch version,” “cabin in candlelight version”). And she’s far from the only artist to do it, either. The longest-charting number one song ever, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” was assisted to its place in history by three different remixes that included Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo, Young Thug and Mason Ramsey.
It’s just another aspect of how the industry works these days, when streaming has made it way more complicated to succeed. Some, like Swift, have learned to finesse the system to their benefit. (Swift is also one of the few who can really move physical copies of her music, for what it’s worth.) There’s no shame in the game, which is why it’s almost quaint for Swift to pretend she’s not chasing the number one with these new versions. “Cruel Summer” peaked at number three, and has currently been pushed down to the ninth spot by tracks from Drake’s album For All The Dogs. But the glow of new Drake music will likely wear off and “Cruel Summer” is expected to shoot back up next week, so the timing of these new releases can’t be ignored.
Drake, by the way, is an example of someone who is pretty transparent about chasing chart toppers. “First Person Shooter” became his 13th number one song, officially tying Michael Jackson for the male soloist with the most number ones (and fourth-most number ones overall). “Sicko Mode technically makes 14 but they didn’t count my feature so we got work to do,” the rapper posted on his Instagram Story, later posting a picture of A.I.-generated MJ in a Drake hoodie with the caption “Moooooooood.” When he broke the Beatles’ record for most top ten songs in a single year, he got a tattoo of himself waving goodbye to the group on Abbey Road.
Swift definitely won’t be breaking out the tattoo gun any time soon, but her actions indicate she’s just as competitive as Drake when it comes to dominating the charts. For All The Dogs actually marked a tiebreaker between the two, boosting Drake to the third-most number-one albums of all time (behind Jay-Z and The Beatles) and pushing Swift down to fourth-most. But with the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) imminent, the two are likely to be tied up again at a lucky 13 number ones each. May the best artist—or maybe just the savviest—win.