Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” is like that guest who shows up at your party and just never leaves. You know, the one still hanging around at 3 AM, sipping on a warm beer and playing their acoustic guitar in the corner.
The 34-year-old singer-songwriter’s latest opus has been squatting at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for eight weeks straight as of Sunday (June 26). That’s right, eight weeks! Apparently, Taylor’s got the musical equivalent of super glue because her album has amassed a whopping 128,000 equivalent album units in just the past week, according to the chart wizards.
This isn’t just any ordinary chart feat. No, my friends, this is the first album to stick to the No. 1 spot for its first eight weeks since Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” did its own marathon stay for 12 weeks a year ago. Taylor’s tied her own record with “Folklore” for eight weeks at the top, only bested by “1989” and “Fearless” in her collection of chart-toppers. It’s like she’s got a secret recipe for musical dominance, and it might just involve unicorn tears and the laughter of puppies.
Let’s talk stats because who doesn’t love a good number crunch? This milestone marks her 77th career week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That’s more weeks at No. 1 than you’ve probably been to the gym in your entire life. Solo artists are probably crying into their pianos everywhere.
Out of “The Tortured Poets Department’s” 128,000 equivalent album units this week, a staggering 104,000 are from SEA units, which translates to an astronomical 135.53 million on-demand streams of the deluxe edition’s 31 songs. I mean, who’s counting, right? Oh, Billboard is. The remaining 23,000 units come from album sales, and a modest 1,000 from TEA units. It’s like finding out your grandma’s still got it at bingo night. Taylor’s just that unbeatable.
Taylor Swift’s album is clinging to the No. 1 spot like a cat on a screen door, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be dislodged anytime soon. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the melodious reign of Taylor – because resistance is futile.