Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’ Tops Hot 100 for Second Week, Hits No. 1 on Streaming Songs Chart
Written by djfrosty on October 30, 2023
Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” adds a second week atop the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, a week after it became her 10th career No. 1. The song – originally released on Swift’s 2019 Republic Records album Lover before being promoted as a single and gaining new prominence as the superstar has performed it on her The Eras Tour this year – concurrently hits No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart and returns to the top of the Radio Songs survey.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Nov. 4, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 31). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
In the Oct. 20-26 tracking week, “Cruel Summer,” according to Luminate, drew 80.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 3%) and 21.3 million streams (up 14%) and sold 7,000 downloads (down 83%, a week after it benefited from the release of two new mixes).
The single surges 5-1 on Streaming Songs, becoming Swift’s seventh career leader on the list. It follows “Anti-Hero” (two weeks at No. 1, in 2022); “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” (one week, 2021); “Cardigan” (one, 2020); “Look What You Made Me Do” (two, 2017); “Blank Space” (seven, 2014-15); and “Shake It Off” (two, 2014-15). Swift breaks out of a tie with Justin Bieber for the second-most Streaming Songs No. 1s and trails only Drake, the leader with 20.
Over four years after its release, “Cruel Summer” completes the longest route, from a title’s release, to No. 1 on Streaming Songs among non-holiday hits. Only two songs, both seasonal standards, have taken longer: Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” jingled to No. 1 for the first time last holiday season following its 1958 release, while Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” spent the first of its 18 weeks at No. 1 to date in the 2018 holiday season, after it was released in 1994.
“Cruel Summer” simultaneously rebounds for a second week atop Radio Songs. Notably, it’s the first song this year to crown the Hot 100 while reigning as both the most-streamed title and most-heard hit on radio. It’s the third song to achieve the feat this decade, following Harry Syles’ “As It Was” (for one week in June 2022) and Adele’s “Easy On Me” (one, November 2021).
On the Digital Song Sales chart, “Cruel Summer” drops to No. 2, a week after it became Swift’s record-extending 27th No. 1.
As previously reported, Swift is set to storm next week’s Billboard 200 albums chart with the arrival of her latest rerecorded set, 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100, following three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in September. It adds an eighth and ninth week, respectively, atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which use the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100.
SZA’s “Snooze” is steady at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 2. It posts a 13th week atop the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart.
Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, bumps 6-4 on the Hot 100, after it led for a week upon its debut in September. It commands the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts for a ninth week each and Hot Country Songs for a fifth frame.
Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” rolls 7-5 on the Hot 100, following eight weeks at its No. 2 high; Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” lifts 9-6, following 16 weeks at No. 1 starting in March, the most ever for a non-collaboration; and Wallen’s “Thinkin’ Bout Me” advances 10-7 for a new high, as it logs a second week at No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Drake’s “IDGAF,” featuring Yeat, slides 4-8, two weeks after it debuted at No. 2; Bad Bunny’s “Monaco” drops 5-9 in its second week on the chart, as it claims a second week atop the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs ranking; and Gunna’s “Fukumean” rises 11-10 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 4.
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Nov. 4), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 31).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.