Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Becomes One of Her Longest #1 Albums

Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department has officially become her second album, having lasted 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Luminate recorded that The Tortured Poets Department raked in 114,000 equivalent album units in the United States on the week ending July 4, 2024. The album debuted atop the charts in April 2024 and has yet to bow down from the top spot.

Notably, the album marks a significant milestone as the first by a female artist to maintain its position for 11 consecutive weeks.

This is a feat not achieved ever since Whitney Houston's iconic The Bodyguard soundtrack dominated the charts for an impressive 13-week stretch from 1992 to 1993.

As for Swift, her Fearless and 1989 albums have spent 11 weeks atop but in nonconsecutive weeks. 1989 was the last album by a woman who spent 11 nonconsecutive weeks atop the genre-blending singles chart from 2014 to 2015.

Among the 114,000 units, streaming comprised 78,000, making it the No. 1 album on the Top Streaming Albums in the country for 11 weeks. Album sales remain strong with 35,000, making it the No. 1 top album for a fifth nonconsecutive week. Track units are at a meager thousand units.

The consistent album performance can be attributed to two new CD variants sold exclusively on Swift's website priced at only $7.99. Both CDs contain the standard album's 16 songs and an acoustic bonus track (one includes "Fortnight," featuring Post Malone, and one includes "Fresh Out the Slammer").

Swift is now a member of an elite circle of musicians who had three or more albums spend 11 or more weeks at the No. 1 spot. Whitney Houston had her self-titled album for 14 weeks in 1986, Whitney with 11 in 1987, and The Bodyguard soundtrack with 20 weeks from 1992 to 1993. On the other hand, The Beatles have four - Meet the Beatles! with 11 in 1964, A Hard Day's Night soundtrack with 14 in 1964, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with 15 in 1967 and Abbey Road with 11 in 1969 to 1970.

With her 11th week atop, Swift continues to widen the gap between her and Elvis Presley as the artist who has spent the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with a staggering 80 weeks. Presley comes in second with 67 weeks.

Tags

Taylor Swift, Billboard, Billboard 200