The uninterrupted reign of "Poets" is rare for a streaming-era release. It's the first album ever by a female artist to spend its first 12 weeks atop the chart, surpassing a record previously held by Whitney Houston's 1987 blockbuster "Whitney." The all-time record for a consecutive streak among women is held by Carole King's masterpiece "Tapestry," which spent 15 weeks at No. 1 in 1971.
"I've spoken a lot about why I'm remaking my first six albums, but the way I've chosen to do this will hopefully help illuminate where I'm coming from," Swift explained. "Artists should own their own work for so many reasons, but the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work."
"For example, only I know which songs I wrote that almost made the 'Fearless' album," she continued. "Songs I absolutely adored, but were held back for different reasons."
Those skeptics were forced to eat their words when "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" began to outpace the original on streaming platforms. According to Billboard, "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" earned more equivalent album sales in its first week of release than "Fearless" earned over the entire next year.
7 (tie). "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)"
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for two weeks
The rerecorded version of Swift's third album featured six songs from the vault, including two duets: "Electric Touch" with Fall Out Boy and "Castles Crumbling" with Hayley Williams, one of Swift's oldest friends.
She returned with a new snake-infested aesthetic and "Look What You Made Me Do," a cheeky lead single that poked fun at her own persona.
Swift also declined to participate in interviews or media appearances while promoting her sixth album. Instead, she relied on a simple tagline: "There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation."
6 (tie). "Evermore"
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for four weeks
"Evermore" was surprise-released just five months after Swift's previous album, "Folklore." The two were billed as "sister albums," created under near-identical conditions with the same team of collaborators.
"To put it plainly, we just couldn't stop writing songs," Swift explained on social media.
Swift's third album had a lot to live up to, following the blockbuster success of "Fearless."
In response to skeptics — who questioned whether the teen phenom was relying too heavily on her collaborators — Swift decided to write "Speak Now" entirely by herself. She is the only songwriter credited on the standard tracklist.
5 (tie). "Midnights"
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for six weeks
Swift's 10th studio album sold over 1 million copies in its debut week, the first to cross that seven-figure threshold since Swift's own "Reputation." (She has now achieved the feat on seven different occasions.)
"Midnights" also won album of the year at the Grammys, joining "Fearless," "1989," and "Folklore" in the prestigious group of victors. Swift is the only artist in history to win album of the year four times.
"Red" is Swift's fourth studio album. It featured a mishmash of Max Martin-produced pop bangers ("We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," "I Knew You Were Trouble") and country-rock breakup anthems ("State of Grace," "Holy Ground").
Swift's fifth album marked her official pivot from country to pop music, a move that Swift said she had to "really fight — and I mean aggressively fight — to have happen."
In addition to its double-digit streak atop the Billboard 200, "1989" yielded several hit singles on the Hot 100, including "Shake It Off," "Blank Space," and "Bad Blood."
1. "The Tortured Poets Department"
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for 12 weeks
Swift's 11th studio album has not left the No. 1 slot since its debut in April, fending off new releases from stars like Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, and, most recently, Zach Bryan.