Taylor Swift Reaches 100 Weeks at No. 1 as Showgirl Tops Billboard 200

The Big Picture

Taylor Swift has reached 100 career weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming only the second act to achieve the milestone in the chart's history. Her The Life of a Showgirl held the summit for a 14th nonconsecutive week on the chart dated Oct. 17, Billboard reported.

The album earned 93,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the tracking week ending Oct. 8, according to Luminate data cited by Billboard. That total was down 46% from the prior week.

Swift now trails only the Beatles, who have accumulated 132 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Elvis Presley is next among all acts with 67 weeks, Billboard reported.

What Happened

The Life of a Showgirl returned to No. 1 the previous week after jumping from No. 21, following a Sept. 25 deluxe reissue that added four previously unreleased songs, including “Patient Zero.” Billboard describes the latest result as the album's 14th nonconsecutive week at the top.

Of the album's 93,000 equivalent units this week, streaming-equivalent units accounted for 65,000 and album sales accounted for 27,000, Billboard said. The remainder came from track-equivalent units.

Variety referred to the expanded release as The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore and described this as a second consecutive week at No. 1 after the extended edition's arrival. Both publications reported the same 14-week overall total for the album.

Why It Matters

The milestone places Swift in a category occupied only by the Beatles. She has reached 100 weeks at No. 1 across 15 chart-topping albums. The Beatles remain ahead in both measures, with 19 No. 1 albums and 132 total weeks in first place.

Swift is tied with Drake for the second-most No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, behind the Beatles. The three acts also shared the chart's top five, and top 10, for the first time, according to Billboard.

Drake's HABIBTI climbed from No. 116 to No. 2 with 71,000 equivalent album units after an Oct. 2 reissue added four tracks. Olivia Rodrigo's You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love placed third with 66,000 units.

Background

Reissues drove several of the biggest moves on this week's chart. The Beatles' Rubber Soul re-entered at No. 4 with 58,000 equivalent album units after a deluxe reissue. Billboard said it marked the album's first appearance in the Billboard 200 top 10 since April 1966, while its previous overall appearance on the chart came in January 2016.

Mac Miller's The Divine Feminine also returned to the top 10, rising from No. 159 to No. 10 after a 10th-anniversary reissue featuring three additional tracks. Billboard reported 32,000 equivalent units for the album, while Variety reported 33,000.

The Billboard 200 measures the most popular albums in the United States using equivalent album units compiled by Luminate. The total combines album sales, track-equivalent albums and streaming-equivalent albums.

What Happens Next

Swift needs 33 more weeks at No. 1 to match the Beatles' record of 132. For now, The Life of a Showgirl remains the vehicle for a milestone that further extends her lead over every other solo artist in Billboard 200 history.