The longest run at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history is over, and it took Taylor Swift to end it.
Swift’s “Patient Zero” debuts at the top of the Hot 100 chart dated Oct. 10, Billboard announced Monday, knocking Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” to No. 2 after an unprecedented 24 weeks at No. 1 since February.
A clean sweep of the top five
“Patient Zero” is the lead track from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, a deluxe edition of Swift’s 2025 album that arrived Sept. 25 with four new songs. All four landed in the top five: “Cleveland!” at No. 3, “Babylon” at No. 4 and “Pink Clouding” at No. 5, according to Billboard. The album itself, with all versions combined, jumped back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a 13th total week, its first time on top since January, Country Insider noted.
In its first tracking week, Sept. 25 through Oct. 1, “Patient Zero” drew 34.5 million official U.S. streams and 28.5 million in radio airplay audience and sold 65,000 copies, Billboard reported. Its video, directed by Swift and co-starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, premiered Sept. 27 during the MTV Video Music Awards. Thee Arizona Times covered the video’s expanded release over the weekend.
The record book
- 16 No. 1s: Swift now trails only the Beatles (20) and Mariah Carey (19) for the most Hot 100 leaders.
- 10 No. 1 debuts: That ties Drake for the most songs to enter the chart at the top.
- 50 weeks at No. 1: She becomes the sixth act to reach that career total.
- 14 top 10s from one album: The Life of a Showgirl, counting its deluxe edition, now holds the record for the most Hot 100 top 10 hits from a single album.
Swift is also the first artist with three new No. 1s in one year since Kendrick Lamar in 2024, following “Opalite” and “I Knew It, I Knew You” earlier in 2026, Billboard said. Rolling Stone noted she joins Rihanna as the only female solo artists with four Hot 100 No. 1s in the same calendar year, counting “The Fate of Ophelia.” She co-wrote and co-produced the song with longtime collaborators Max Martin and Shellback.
Elsewhere in the top 10
Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” still rules Hot Country Songs for a 43rd week. Stella Lefty’s “Boston” is No. 6, Morgan Wallen’s “Been by Now” is No. 7 and Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me” is No. 8. Olivia Rodrigo’s “Stupid Song” returns to the top 10 at No. 9 after she launched The Unraveled Tour on Sept. 25, and Tame Impala and JENNIE’s “Dracula” rounds out the list at No. 10. Billboard’s full charts update Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Photo: Paolo V via Flickr / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). File photo of Taylor Swift performing on the Eras Tour in Inglewood, Calif., Aug. 9, 2023.