Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ Is Still Charting — The Reason Why Is Impressive

Once again, Taylor Swift is the queen of the Billboard 200 as the singer-songwriter dominates the company’s ranking of the most consumed albums and EPs in the United States. She’s used to managing that feat, and even when her name doesn’t appear at No. 1, Swift often occupies more spots than any other artist, as consumption of her studio efforts never dwindles much.

Swift rules with The Life of a Showgirl, which debuted at No. 1 less than a month ago with the largest opening of all time and has not stepped down yet, as millions of Americans continue to stream the 12 tracks featured on the blockbuster and sales remain impressive. One of the superstar’s re-recorded full-lengths reaches a special milestone on one of the most competitive music charts in America, as it’s now been a top performer for several years.

1989 (Taylor’s Version) Hits a Major Billboard 200 Milestone

As of this frame, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) has lived on the Billboard 200 for 104 weeks. The set reaches two full years as one of the 200 most consumed projects in the country.

Where Does 1989 (Taylor’s Version) Appear on the Billboard Charts?

Like almost all of Swift’s albums that are not named The Life of a Showgirl, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) falls from where it sat last frame as the full-length reaches its special landmark figure. The re-recorded take on her pop classic 1989 drops more than 40 spots, falling from No. 80 to No. 122.

In the most recent tracking period, which is reflected on the current Billboard lists, Luminate reports that 1989 (Taylor’s Version) moved just under 10,200 equivalent units. That’s down 19% from the period before, and the sum includes a little more than 2,100 actual purchases.

What Are Taylor Swift’s Longest-Charting Taylor’s Version Albums?

1989 (Taylor’s Version) is the third of Swift’s re-recorded releases to make it to two years on the Billboard 200. Previously, Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) also passed 104 frames on the list, and they are now up to 206 and 175 turns on the tally, respectively. The only other re-recorded album that has yet to make it to the milestone is Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). That effort is the least successful of the bunch in terms of longevity, as it has yet to crack triple-digit weeks on the Billboard 200.

Swift initially stated that she intended on re-recording and re-releasing her first half-dozen albums in an effort to regain control over her own compositions. Thus far, she has yet to deliver either her self-titled debut or a reworked update of Reputation. Based on an announcement she made months ago that she has acquired the rights to her entire discography, there’s a good chance that she may never do so.

What Are Taylor Swift’s Longest-Charting Albums on the Billboard 200?

1989 (Taylor’s Version) is Swift’s lucky thirteenth set to spend two years somewhere on the Billboard 200. Most artists — even massively successful ones — are lucky to see one or two projects reach that figure, but Swift is an outlier.

Here is a ranking of all of Swift’s albums that have lived on the Billboard 200 for at least two years, ranked from most time on the tally to least.

• 1989 – 540 weeks
• Reputation – 370 weeks
• Lover – 322 weeks
• Taylor Swift – 285 weeks
• Folklore – 274 weeks
• Fearless – 261 weeks
• Evermore – 235 weeks
• Red (Taylor’s Version) – 206 weeks
• Speak Now – 194 weeks
• Red – 185 weeks
• Fearless (Taylor’s Version) – 175 weeks
• Midnights – 157 weeks
• 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – 104 weeks

Both Versions of 1989 Chart Together

The fact that 1989 (Taylor’s Version) remains on the Billboard 200 is impressive, not solely because two years on the ranking is a milestone for any act, but because its predecessor, the original 1989, is also present. That set is Swift’s lowest-charting project at the moment, as it dips to No. 180. While Red (Taylor’s Version) also appears on the list, Red does not, nor do Fearless or Speak Now — or their re-recorded updates.

What helped make her re-releases so successful in the first place is that Swift’s legion of followers understood that by buying or streaming the original albums that helped make her a superstar, they were financially supporting outside companies that the musician herself made very clear she was against, as they owned the rights to her music and she desperately wanted to claim them for herself.

As of only a few months ago, that is no longer the case. The singer-songwriter shared with the public that it was now okay to consume all of her music, as she benefits from all of it. That makes her re-recordings somewhat obsolete, but fans are still buying and streaming both 1989 and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

What Singles Came From 1989 (Taylor’s Version)?

Swift released 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on October 27, 2023, the fourth in her re-recording series. It earned the superstar yet another No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as the project opened with 1.653 million equivalent units — a much larger sum than the original 1989, which preceded it by a little less than a decade. Two singles were pushed from the album, and both became big commercial wins. “Slut! (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” peaked at No. 3, while “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100.