Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” has blocked Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” from finally reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart for a dozen weeks now. GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY – JULY 17: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO STANDALONE PUBLICATION USE (NO SPECIAL INTEREST OR SINGLE ARTIST PUBLICATION USE; NO BOOK USE)) Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Veltins Arena on July 17, 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management )
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Typically, whenever Taylor Swift releases a new single, especially the first from a new album, it debuts at No. 1 on several Billboard charts. Radio rankings operate a bit differently, and tracks don’t launch in first place, but a song by a superstar as beloved as Swift can climb to that position in only a matter of weeks.
Of the three pop-focused airplay tallies that the company publishes every week, the Adult Contemporary roster is the slowest-moving of the bunch. Swift already ranks as one of the most successful acts of all time in terms of scoring champions, but so far, her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, has missed out on earning even one winner. While multiple singles have been promoted from the full-length, none of them have led the Adult Contemporary tally – though one has come frustratingly close more than a dozen times.
Taylor Swift Is Stuck at No. 2 With “The Fate of Ophelia”
For 12 nonconsecutive weeks now, Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” has been stuck at No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The lead single from The Life of a Showgirl has yet to rise all the way to the peak position, as nothing has been able to beat Alex Warren’s “Ordinary.” That tune has racked up 29 turns at the summit as of this period. As it holds in first place, “Ordinary” breaks out of a tie with “Drift Away” by Uncle Kracker and Dobie Gray to become the fifth-longest-running ruler of all time.
Taylor Swift Waits for Her Tenth Leader – Again
Swift has been looking to score her milestone tenth No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with “The Fate of Ophelia,” but as the song keeps at its No. 2 high, she’ll have to continue to wait her turn. If “The Fate of Ophelia” can finally vault all the way to the penthouse, Swift will break her tie with John Denver and become one of only eight artists (including herself) to rack up double-digit winners. With a milestone tenth leader, she’ll match both Olivia Newton-John and Whitney Houston – that is, if “Ordinary” will ever relent.
Taylor Swift Has Already Charted Nine No. 1s
Of Swift’s nine No. 1s on the Adult Contemporary ranking, two have ruled for double-digit periods. “You Belong With Me” remains her sturdiest smash, with 14 weeks at the top. “Delicate,” which made its way to No. 1 in September 2018 after nearly six months of climbing, went on to spend 10 frames ahead of every other single. Her 1989 smash “Shake It Off” nearly joined that group, as it held court at No. 1 for nine frames.
Here are all of Swift’s No. 1s on the Adult Contemporary chart.
- “Anti-Hero”
- “Blank Space”
- “Cruel Summer”
- “Delicate”
- “Love Story”
- “Mine”
- “Shake It Off”
- “Style”
- “You Belong with Me”
“The Fate of Ophelia” Matches “Wildest Dreams” at No. 2
Swift has seen 21 singles break into the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and a little under half of them have reached the uppermost position. “The Fate of Ophelia” is one of only two to stall in the runner-up spot, along with “Wildest Dreams,” which missed out on dominating a decade before “The Fate of Ophelia.”
Taylor Swift’s Latest Album Has Produced Four Hits
Four songs from The Life of a Showgirl have appeared on the Adult Contemporary chart, though only three have been promoted officially as singles. “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Opalite” have thus far climbed as high as Nos. 2 and 4, respectively. “Elizabeth Taylor” topped out at lucky No. 13, while the album’s title track, a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter, spent one week at No. 26 when the album debuted, and it has not returned to the ranking.