The original “Love Story” was released from Swift’s second LP, 2008 Fearless. The new version is from your next album re-recording, Fearless (Taylor version). (Re-recordings of older songs or albums are treated separately from their originals, with independent graphics history for each version.)
“This is the first time that I have a number 1 debut on Advertising panel Hot Country Songs chart and I am very grateful to the fans for making this a possibility, “said Swift Advertising panel. “They are the ones who encouraged me to get my music back and they really showed up this week to see it go. It surprises me that they sent a song to number 1 that had its first life more than a decade ago. I couldn’t be happier with what happened now, and this way. “
Released on February 12, the new version attracted 13.7 million broadcasts in the U.S. in the week ending February 18, according to MRC Data, and debuted first on Country Streaming Songs, rewarding Swift as its third leader.
The new track sold 25,000 downloads in its first frame and, likewise, reaches the top of the Country Digital Song Sales, marking the 15th record at. 1 from Swift, all of which debuted at its peak.
The re-recording, which is not being actively promoted on the radio, also drew 1.1 million impressions from the airplay audience in all formats in the week ending February 21 (with 9% Country Airplay reporters; most came from Adult Pop Airplay, Adult Contemporary Panelists and Pop Airplay combined).
How was the 2008 “Love Story” in the tracking week? It attracted 3.4 million streams, an increase of 34%, and sold 700 downloads, an increase of 79%, both well below the metric of the new version. The original attracted a larger radio audience, 1.9 million in the same period, as it has long been a staple of rotation on pop, adult and country stations among other big hits of its time.
Swift tops Hot Country Songs for the first time since “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” dominated for 10 weeks in 2012-13, after which she followed more completely to burst with her 2014 LP 1989.
Here is a recap of Swift’s eight Hot Country Songs No. 1s (the first six of them led when the chart reflected only country radio):
“Our Song”, six weeks, starting December 22, 2007
“I should have said no”, two, August 23, 2008
“Love Story”, two, November 22, 2008
“You Belong With Me”, two, August 22, 2009
“Sparks Fly”, one, November 26, 2011
“Wow,” um, March 31, 2012
“We will never be back together”, October 10, 20, 2012
“Love Story (Taylor’s Version)”, one so far, February 27, 2021
In addition to his honors, Swift is the first artist to lead Hot Country Songs in the 2000s, 10s and 20s.
Meanwhile, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” is only the eighth single to be released first on Hot Country Songs since the search began as a comprehensive gender classification in October 1958. It is a woman’s first and none another artist escort, and only the second by a woman in general, after Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” began their record 50-week reign in December 2017.
Swift adds his 24th Top 10 from Hot Country Songs and the third since August last year, when “Betty” reached its sixth peak. Currently, the promoted radio single “No Body, No Crime”, with Haim, reached its second place in December. The songs are from their 2020 albums Folklore and Ever, respectively.
While Swift and Parton are the only artists at the top of Hot Country Songs with multiple versions of the same song, other hits, from some of the format’s biggest icons, came close. Parton herself drew a third version of “I Will Always Love You”: in a duet with Vince Gill, it reached 15th position in 1995.
Waylon Jennings’ “Good Hearted Woman” reached third position in 1972. Updated with Willie Nelson, the duet reigned in 1976. In addition, Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” reached fourth position on the Most Played Jockeys chart in 1956 before its live version, recorded at Folsom Prison in Folsom, California, took Hot Country Songs for four weeks in 1968.
(Honorable mention: “There Stands the Glass” by Webb Pierce topped several country charts in 1953. Sam Hunt experienced the classic on his single “Hard to Forget”, which reached third place on Hot Country Songs last June and led Country Airplay in July .)
“Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” debuts concomitantly at No. 11 on the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100 of all genres. It opens as Swift’s 22nd position in digital music sales. The song is his 129th entry on the Hot 100, extending his brand to women. Contributing to the success, the original “Love Story” rose to fourth position on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2009.
Additional reporting by Tom Roland.