Phew, that was close. Last week, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” held onto the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a 16th week, tying the all-time record with Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day.” As much of a bummer it is to share such a record, I don’t even want to think of the havoc it would have wreaked on data queen Carey’s legacy and emotional well-being. And now I don’t have to.
As expected, Taylor Swift’s neo-electroclash taunt “Look What You Made Me Do” ascends to the summit on the latest Hot 100, keeping “Despacito” at bay and in all likelihood, preventing it from shattering the record with a 17th week at No. 1. Billboard reports that “Look” didn’t merely vault from No. 77 to No. 1; it broke a few (minor, not at all Mariah-level legendary) records in its own right. Its 84.4 million U.S. streams are the highest one-week tally for a female artist ever, and it had the highest weekly sales for a single in 2017 (353,000 copies).
“Look What You Made Me Do” is Swift’s fifth No. 1 on the Hot 100—13 less than Mariah so, yeah, that’s cute.