The power of the Taylor Swift brand, the buzz stemming from Sunday’s music video premiere, the enthusiasm for the new Kendrick Lamar remix and the hourly promotional airplay provided by iHeartMedia combined to thrust Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” into the Top 40 of Mediabase’s rolling pop airplay chart.
According to Mediabase, “Bad Blood (featuring Kendrick Lamar)” was the 34th-most played song during the week between May 12 and May 18. It received 1,955 spins within that seven day window.
Because the original version of “Bad Blood” was already receiving some pop airplay (72 spins between May 5 and 11), Monday, May 18 did not count as the song’s “opening day.” It did, however, represent the day on which the “Bad Blood” remix first emerged — and the day on which pop radio stations began enthusiastically spinning the track.
Based on airplay between May 17 and May 23, the next official Mediabase airplay chart will be issued on Sunday. Given that “Bad Blood” will see its weekly airplay total rise with each coming day, it is a lock to rank very highly on that chart.
— In addition to charting at #34 on the rolling pop listing, “Bad Blood” appears at #35 on the rolling hot adult contemporary chart.
