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Taylor Swift has unseated Ella Langley, at least for now. That means Langley's record-breaking streak on the pop charts has been interrupted, and Swift has yet another record of her own. Stephen Thompson of NPR Music has more.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" has spent 24 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. But for this week at least, in the spirit of the song, she's been overshadowed by another woman.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PATIENT ZERO")
TAYLOR SWIFT: (Singing) But if you're sick of him, I got you. I was patient zero.
THOMPSON: That is, of course, Taylor Swift, who debuts at No. 1 with her latest single, "Patient Zero." It's one of four new songs from an expanded version of her latest album, "The Life Of A Showgirl."
The addition of "Patient Zero," "Cleveland!" "Pink Clouding" and "Babylon" has kept the internet buzzing with critiques. Reviews have been especially mixed for "Cleveland!", which finds the singer performing a victory lap of sorts as she dunks on the haters and celebrates her marriage to football star Travis Kelce.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CLEVELAND!")
SWIFT: (Singing) He already took me to Cleveland.
THOMPSON: The song's haters were no match for a huge streaming audience that gobbled up all four of the new tracks. In fact, with Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" dropping to No. 2, Taylor Swift has managed to wrangle four of the week's top five songs.
The release of an expanded edition was also good news for "The Life Of A Showgirl" itself. Thanks to huge streaming numbers for its four new songs as well as a fresh round of digital sales, the album leaps from No. 21 all the way back to No. 1. It sets a new all-time record in the process. When "The Life Of A Showgirl" came out last fall, its songs filled the entire Billboard Top 10, led by "The Fate Of Ophelia" at No. 1...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE FATE OF OPHELIA")
SWIFT: (Singing) Saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia, Ophelia.
THOMPSON: ...Which means that this week, "The Life Of A Showgirl" has become the first album in history to spawn 14 Top 10 hits. Stephen Thompson, NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE FATE OF OPHELIA")
SWIFT: (Singing) 'Cause now, now you're mine. It's about to be the sleepless night you've been dreaming of. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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