Pop icon Taylor Swift has enticed fans for months with new songs, videos, and social media teasers. The final payoff is just around the corner — Swift’s eagerly awaited seventh studio album, “Lover,” is scheduled to be released on Friday, Aug. 23.
Swift’s recent singles from the album, “ME!” and “You Need to Calm Down” reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart, and if that is any indication, her album should be just as successful. Swift has also released her fair share of No. 1 hits throughout her career, though not as many as 19 of pop music’s most successful stars. These are the artists with the most No. 1 hits.
Five of the singer’s six albums that have been released so far have reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the standard chart for popular music. The one exception — the 2006 self-titled “Taylor Swift” — peaked at No. 5 and is still considered one of the most popular country music albums, according to 24/7 Tempo ranking.
In anticipation of Taylor Swift’s seventh full-length release, 24/7 Tempo has identified the singer’s most popular albums based on their performance on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Although the highest-ranking albums are all full-length studio albums, fans have been receptive to recorded live material and extended play (EP) records, which are generally shorter than full albums. At times, Swift has also released material available exclusively at big-box retailers, including Target and Walmart. These releases have done extremely well, reflecting the additional effort that fans are willing to go to seek out the singer’s physical releases.
Click here to see the most popular Taylor Swift albums.
9. The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (EP)
> Release year: 2007
> Billboard 200 peak position: 20 (1 week)
> Total weeks on Billboard 200: 43
This six-song holiday EP was only available in Target stores upon its original release. It gained wider distribution a year later and reached its peak position on the Billboard 200 in December 2009.
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8. Speak Now: World Tour Live CD + DVD
> Release year: 2011
> Billboard 200 peak position: 11 (1 week)
> Total weeks on Billboard 200: 11
This compilation of songs and performances recorded over the course of Swift’s Speak Now World Tour in 2011 was released in both CD and DVD formats. The album features every song from the “Speak Now” album as well as covers of Train’s 2001 hit “Drops of Jupiter” and Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes,” originally released in 1981.
7. Beautiful Eyes (EP)
> Release year: 2008
> Billboard 200 peak position: 9 (1 week)
> Total weeks on Billboard 200: 21
Similar to how “The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection” was released exclusively to Target stores at first, “Beautiful Eyes” was exclusive to Walmart. The CD/DVD combo — released prior to Swift’s second full length album — reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 as well as No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.
6. Taylor Swift
> Release year: 2006
> Billboard 200 peak position: 5 (1 weeks)
> Total weeks on Billboard 200: 275
Taylor Swift was only 16 years old when she recorded her debut album. Released in 2006, the album did not reach its peak No. 5 position on the Billboard 200 until 2008. Buoyed by singles including “Tim McGraw,” “Teardrops on My Guitar,” and “Our Song,” the self-titled release spent 275 total weeks on the Billboard 200 — a record for the singer.
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5. reputation
> Release year: 2017
> Billboard 200 peak position: 1 (4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Billboard 200: 91
Three years passed between the release of “1989” and the follow-up “reputation.” The album showcases Swift’s work firmly in the genre of electronic pop, having fully abandoned her country pop roots. While the album reached No. 1, it had the shortest stay on the Billboard 200 of all of her feature length releases.
4. Speak Now
> Release year: 2010
> Billboard 200 peak position: 1 (6 weeks)
> Total weeks on Billboard 200: 137
Taylor Swift’s third album is filled with confessional country-tinged pop songs, all of which were written by the singer. Every song on the standard 14-track release charted on the Billboard Hot 100 song chart.
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3. Red
> Release year: 2012
> Billboard 200 peak position: 1 (7 weeks)
> Total weeks on Billboard 200: 153
The 2012 album “Red” features Swift working in numerous different musical styles. The chart-topping album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Country Album Grammy awards, although it failed to win either.
2. 1989
> Release year: 2014
> Billboard 200 peak position: 1 (11 weeks)
> Total weeks on Billboard 200: 243
Around the time of its release, Taylor Swift stated on a Yahoo! live stream that “1989” was her “first documented, official pop album.” Inspired by late-’80s pop, the album featured numerous infectious singles such as “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” and “Bad Blood,” all of which reached No. 1 on the Hot 100.
1. Fearless
> Release year: 2008
> Billboard 200 peak position: 1 (11 weeks)
> Total weeks on Billboard 200: 255
Taylor Swift’s sophomore album, “Fearless,” spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and won Grammy awards for Album of the Year and Best Country Album. The album was the best selling album of 2009 and solidified Swift’s position as a young superstar. Notable singles include “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.”
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