When Taylor Swift’s “1989” debuts next Monday, it will do so with two confirmed top twenty hits to its credit.
According to Billboard, instant gratification release “Out of the Woods” begins its run at #18 on the all-encompassing Hot 100 chart.
The song, which was released late on the night of October 13 to promote Swift’s fifth studio album, owes its #18 rank almost entirely to digital sales. Its first-week sales total of 195,000 was the highest for any track–new or old–last week.
And if the song had been released one week earlier, its total–and Hot 100 position–would have been considerably larger. As of last week, instant downloads tied to album pre-orders no longer count as single sales. The 195,000 figure, therefore, reflects the amount of people who specifically bought “Woods” as a $1.29 single.
The introduction of the rule makes it impossible to fairly compare “Out of the Woods” to instant gratification singles from previous Swift albums.
Lead “1989” single “Shake it Off” has only appeared within the Hot 100’s top 20. It spent its first two weeks at number one before spending seven weeks (including this week) in the runner-up slot.
Last week, Headline Planet offered a rave review of Swift’s “Out of the Woods.” Read that here.