Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’ tops Billboard Hot 100

AMERICAN singer-songwriter Taylor Swift once again dominated the Billboard Hot 100 with her hit song “Cruel Summer.”

Billboard reported that “Cruel Summer,” previously ranked no. 3, became the 12-time Grammy winner’s 10th track that topped the chart, after “Anti-Hero” in 2022.

The fan-favorite song was originally part of “Lover,” the pop icon’s seventh studio album that was released in 2019, before it was promoted as a single.

Swift recently dropped two new versions of “Cruel Summer:” a live version from “The Eras Tour” and an LP Giobbi remix.

The 33-year-old singer posted an Instagram clip with producer Jack Antonoff to thank fans, collectively known as Swifties, for supporting the 4-year-old song.

“We just wanted to say thank you so much for making ‘Cruel Summer’ a Hot 100 No. 1, and it’s not even summer anymore,” she said.

“It really means the world,” Antonoff chimed in.

Swift added, “It’s deep fall, I’m wearing a sweater.”

With this feat, the singer-songwriter joined 10 other artists with 10 or more songs that topped the Hot 100. The list includes The Beatles, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Drake, and Michael Jackson.

Other Swift songs that have claimed the top spot are “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” “Willow,” “Cardigan,” “Look What You Made Me Do,” “Bad Blood,” “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

“Cruel Summer’s” prominence

“Cruel Summer” became more popular after Swift performed it in “The Eras Tour.”

“One of my favorite things you’ve done was when you supported Cruel Summer SO much, I ended up starting The Eras Tour show with it,” the singer said in an X (formerly Twitter) post when she released the two new mixes of the song.

The track was also featured in the second season of coming-of-age romantic television series “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” The release of the latest season on July 14 coincided with “The Eras Tour” in Denver, Colorado. 

In the Philippines, many TikTok users have been using “Cruel Summer” as a background music to their videos. Some are also joining in on the “Cruel Summer” hand-dance trend.

Filipino Swifties flocked to the malls when the film version of Swift’s concert kicked off in selected Philippine cinemas on October 13.