As recently as this spring, there was legitimate fear that “Cruel Summer,” a standout from Taylor Swift’s 2019 album “Lover,” would never receive a true run at mainstream radio.
As of this week, those concerns are officially put to bed — and then some. The acclaimed hit rises three places to #1 on this week’s Mediabase pop radio chart.
“Cruel Summer” claims #1 on the strength of the ~15,495 spins it received during the July 23-29 tracking period.
Given when “Cruel Summer” first emerged, one can obviously call the run to #1 a long one. On the other hand, the song rocketed up the chart once formally launching as a radio single. It spent the past several weeks as one of the greatest airplay gainers (if not THE top gainer).
Swift may also have the #2 position on this week’s chart; per the morning Mediabase update, her “Karma” narrowly holds in that runner-up spot. Rema & Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” slides two places to #3, while Miguel’s “Sure Thing” holds at #4. Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” stays in the #5 position.
