Most songs do not finally go number one on iTunes after a period of less than six hours. They amazingly do so.
But when the song in question is Taylor Swift’s hotly anticipated and immensely hyped new single “Shake it Off,” an ascent lasting even a few hours feels like an eternity.
Thanks to fierce competition from the chart’s previous title holder and perhaps slower than anticipated early sales interest, “Shake it Off” did not immediately reach the #1 spot on iTunes following its release just after 5PM ET Monday evening. But as Monday night came to a close, it ultimately charged past Meghan Trainor’s red-hot “All About That Bass” to claim the top spot on the chart.
The song should have no trouble sustaining the number one position for the next several days. Its more notable challenge will be to top the 623,000 paid download mark garnered by Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” during its first week of release in 2012.
Regardless of whether it hits that mark, it is certain to be the week’s best seller.
And because “Shake it Off” will also receive enormous doses of chart points from its music video streams and radio airplay, it stands a good chance of reaching #1 on next week’s Billboard Hot 100.
Premiered during a Yahoo! Live Stream Monday, “Shake it Off” is the lead single from Swift’s upcoming album “1989.”