Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’ Reclaims the Throne, Toppling Eminem’s 12-Week Chart Domination
After its release in April, Swift’s 11th album topped the Billboard albums chart for 12 weeks until Eminem’s “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” overtook “Tortured Poets” in late July. Her album fell to No. 4 for two weeks.
According to Luminate, “Tortured Poets” reclaimed No. 1 on the chart with 71,000 equivalent album units sold in the United States during the week ending Aug. 1.
Billboard reported that Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” was the last album to hold the top spot for at least 13 weeks. The album spent 19 nonconsecutive weeks at the top between March 2023 and March of this year.
Swift has set the stage for a 14th week at the top of the chart with a new limited-time-only “TTPD” iteration featuring a “First Draft Phone Memo” version of “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys.”
Before Eminem’s 12th album dethroned “Tortured Poets,” Swift’s album surpassed the record held by Whitney Houston’s “Whitney” for the longest first consecutive weeks at No. 1 for an album by a female artist. Houston’s 1987 album topped the charts for 11 weeks before it fell off the chart.
In the most recent Billboard 200, Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” climbed from No. 8 to No. 4, marking its highest chart position. Meanwhile, Stray Kids fell from the top spot to No. 6 with its new album “ATE.”
Meanwhile, Zach Bryan’s “Great American Bar Scene” ranked third, while Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” climbed to No. 2. “Hit Me Hard and Soft” by Billie Eilish completed the top five.
Charli XCX’s “Brat” also returned to the top 10, moving from No. 14 to No. 9.