Taylor Swift quickly became a superstar when she released her debut self-titled album in 2006. The set made her a darling newcomer in the country space, and it didn’t take long before her ambitions grew beyond just that one style.
After delivering several albums that fit squarely under the country label, Taylor Swift began to pivot into pop music. Her album Red straddled the line between the two, but it was 1989 that showed she had what it takes to stand out as one of the biggest hitmakers in top 40 pop history.
1989 At No. 1 on the Billboard 200
A decade ago, 1989 claimed its last week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album reigned over Billboard’s ranking of the most-consumed full-lengths and EPs for 11 nonconsecutive weeks, ending its lengthy run in first place on the chart dated February 21, 2015.
Among a catalog filled with behemoth albums and massive singles, 1989 may be remembered as perhaps Swift’s most important. It helped her rise above just one style and established her as not just a hitmaker, but one of the most successful pop musicians of all time — one who could turn herself from a successful musical act into a proper phenomenon.
1989 Ties Taylor Swift’s Fearless
As it collected its eleventh week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, 1989 tied with Fearless as Swift’s album with the most weeks in charge of the Billboard 200. That record would hold until 2024, when The Tortured Poets Department eclipsed both of those sets and racked up 17 stays in first place.
1989’s Many Hit Singles
By the time it snagged its final week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, 1989 was far from finished. In fact, only the first three of seven singles had been released from the project, and Swift would go on to promote the blockbuster for another year.
At the time, “Blank Space” was still performing well, and Swift had just chosen “Style” to be the third official single from 1989. The first two tracks, “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space,” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, while “Style” climbed into the top 10 but didn’t quite dominate. Just a few months later, in June of that year, “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar would shoot to the highest rung on the Hot 100, becoming the third champion from 1989.
Taylor Swift’s 1989 Spent Years on the Billboard 200
While its run at No. 1 may have stopped early in 2015 after beginning in November 2014, 1989 went on to perform exceptionally well on the Billboard 200 for years to come. The title remains Swift’s longest-charting album on the list, beating the follow-up longest winner, Reputation, by nearly 200 turns on the tally.
1989 Vs. 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
It looked for a while like 1989 might never fully disappear from the charts, and that is still technically the case, as it returns to the Billboard 200, though rarely. Swift seemingly ended the title’s successful run by releasing 1989 (Taylor’s Version), a slightly reworked and expanded edition that helped her claim ownership over the music after the rights to her early works were sold away from her.
Taylor Swift’s 1989 at the Grammys
11 weeks at No. 1 proved to be just the beginning for 1989. The title lived on the Billboard 200 for years and won Swift a number of Grammys, including Album of the Year for the second time. When it was named the champion during music’s biggest night, Swift became one of a very, very small group of artists to come out on top in that most competitive category more than once…but she still had a long road ahead of her. 1989 now ranks among the singer’s four Album of the Year winners, as Fearless, Folklore, and Midnights were all gifted the trophy as well.
