Taylor Swift dominated 2020 by releasing not one, but two surprise albums. Just when the dust was settling from her pivot to indie on July’s Folklore, right before Christmas she announced another record, Evermore was coming. And even though it was released in mid-December, Evermore‘s impact is lingering into the new year. This week, the album returns to the top of the Billboard charts for a third week.
After spending the first two weeks at No. 1, Taylor was briefly unseated by Playboi Carti and his sophomore release, Whole Lotta Red. Though the Die Lit follow-up was hotly anticipated, it wasn’t quite the return to form fans were hoping for, a little too chaotic and inconsistent to be a classic record for the young rapper. After Carti’s No. 1, Evermore dropped to No. 2, but has climbed back up to the top for its fourth week on the chart. This marks 51 weeks in her career where Taylor has had the No. 1 album in the country, tying her with Michael Jackson.
Only three artists have more than 51 weeks total — Garth Brooks with 52, Elvis Presley with 56 weeks, and The Beatles with 132 weeks. Please note: Taylor is the only woman in these conversations. Critics have written about how the pair of albums helped Taylor reinvent herself, but fans seem to like the new Taylor just as much as the old one — if not more.
