Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl has spent 15 weeks at No. 1, becoming the 30th album to log 15 or more weeks at the top in the 70-year history of the Billboard 200. It is the first album to stay on top that long by an artist who was this deep into their career. Showgirl is Swift’s 12th studio album, not counting her “Taylor’s Version” re-recordings.
Swift is the only artist to stay at No. 1 for 15 or more weeks with multiple albums. Her previous studio album, 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department, logged 17 weeks on top. Achieving this feat with back-to-back studio albums this deep into her career marks another tremendous achievement for the singer.
Three artists previously tallied 15 or more weeks on top with their 11th studio albums: Andy Williams with Days of Wine and Roses logging 16 weeks on top in 1963, Fleetwood Mac with Rumours holding 31 weeks on top in 1977-78, and Pink Floyd with The Wall spending 15 weeks on top in 1980.
Some historical nuances apply to these album counts. The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the group’s 12th studio album in the U.S., but only their eighth studio album in the U.K. This disparity exists because the group’s American label, Capitol Records, concocted several albums for the American market, including “Yesterday” … and Today.
Additionally, the Bee Gees released 14 studio albums prior to Saturday Night Fever, with 12 of those released internationally. However, Billboard regards that blockbuster 1977 soundtrack as a Various Artists release rather than a traditional studio album by the group.
