Taylor Swift Matches Adele With A New No. 1 Smash

Taylor Swift matches one of Adele’s most impressive chart feats as her single “The Fate of Ophelia” reaches No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart. SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – MARCH 02: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO STANDALONE PUBLICATION USE (NO SPECIAL INTEREST OR SINGLE ARTIST PUBLICATION USE; NO BOOK USE)) Taylor Swift performs during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at the National Stadium on March 02, 2024 in Singapore. (Photo by Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

For almost two months now, Taylor Swift’s new single “The Fate of Ophelia” has been climbing multiple Billboard charts. The tune launched at No. 1 on several rankings at the same time that her album The Life of a Showgirl arrived, but radio rosters move slowly, and a No. 1 debut is essentially out of the question.

“The Fate of Ophelia” was a quick win on all three of Billboard’s pop airplay tallies, and as it surges to the summit on another roster in that group, Swift makes history among women and matches one of the best vocalists of all time.

Taylor Swift Charts a New No. 1 Hit in America

“The Fate of Ophelia” climbs to No. 1 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart this week. The track only needed to ascend by one space, as it appeared in the runner-up spot just a few days ago.

Taylor Swift Pushes Alex Warren to No. 2

Swift replaces Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” in the top spot on the Adult Pop Airplay chart, which details the tunes that rack up the largest number of total audience impressions across radio stations in the U.S. that cater to a more mature, pop-music-loving crowd. “Ordinary,” which dominated multiple Billboard tallies, including the Hot 100, throughout a good portion of 2025, only slips to No. 2, 36 weeks into its time on the tally.

“The Fate of Ophelia” Helps Taylor Swift Make History

“The Fate of Ophelia,” paired with The Life of a Showgirl, helps Swift command some of Billboard’s most important rankings, including the Hot 100, Billboard 200, and both the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay charts at the same time. The chart publisher reports that such a showing is incredibly rare, and only a handful of artists have managed to lead all four of those competitive rosters at the same time.

Swift previously managed the historic display a decade ago, when her album 1989 and its smash “Blank Space” ruled for two weeks in January of 2015.

Taylor Swift Joins Adele in a Rare Chart Achievement

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: Adele attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Getty Images for The Recording Academy

As Swift accomplishes this four-peat for the second time, she becomes only the second artist to do so more than once. Adele holds the all-time record, as she has appeared at No. 1 on the Hot 100, Billboard 200, Pop Airplay, and Adult Pop Airplay charts simultaneously on three occasions.

The British singer-songwriter first managed the feat in 2011 with her album 21 and its breakout hit “Rolling in the Deep.” Then she did so twice more with her follow-up full-length 25 and its first smash “Hello” in 2015, and later with 30 and lead single “Easy on Me” in 2021.

Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles Joined Adele and Taylor Swift

Two men have also accomplished the same showing. Ed Sheeran was the first to do so when ÷ (Divide) sat at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and “Shape of You” was both the Hot 100’s leader and the biggest hit on the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay charts at the same time back in 2017.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – OCTOBER 26: Harry Styles attends the Casamigos Halloween Party on October 26, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Casamigos)

Getty Images for Casamigos

The most recent artist to join this club was Harry Styles. The former One Direction musician’s Harry’s House, as well as the smash “As It Was,” dominated back in 2022 for two consecutive frames.

Which Taylor Swift Songs Have Reached No. 1 on the Adult Pop Airplay Chart?

Swift earns her fourteenth No. 1 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart as “The Fate of Ophelia” dances to the summit. She has now led the charge with all of the following tunes:

• “Cruel Summer”
• “Anti-Hero”
• “Shake It Off”
• “Blank Space”
• “Delicate”
• “Wildest Dreams”
• “Willow”
• “Bad Blood”
• “The Fate of Ophelia”
• “Karma”
• “Style”
• “Fortnight” with Post Malone
• “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”
• “I Knew You Were Trouble”

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2025/12/01/taylor-swift-matches-adele-with-a-new-no-1-smash/