Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" reunites with the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, rebounding 2-1 for a third total week at the summit. With her return trip to No. 1,
"Never" claims the longest rule atop the Hot 100 for a country song in almost 32 years.
Not satisfied with her notable No. 1, Swift also posts the chart's highest debut, as charity single "Ronan" soars in at No. 16.
The three weeks in charge for "Never" represent the longest Hot 100 reign for a country title since Kenny Rogers' "Lady" Led for six weeks, beginning Nov. 15, 1980. The smoldering ballad had already worked its way into chart headlines this year: the song was written by Lionel Richie, who led the Country Albums chart for four weeks beginning in April with "Tuskegee," a duets album of covers of his classic R&B hits featuring country acts. The set includes an update of "Lady," featuring Rogers. In addition to topping the Hot 100 for six frames, the original "Lady" led Country Songs for one week (Nov. 22, 1980).
Not only does "Never" boast the longest Hot 100 domination for any country song since "Lady," but it also scores the longest such lead by a woman since Debby Boone arrived with her 10-week Hot 100 No. 1 "You Light Up My Life," which also rose to No. 4 on Country Songs, in 1977.
Between "Lady" and "Never," just four country songs led the Hot 100: Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" (two weeks at No. 1, 1981); Rogers' "Islands in the Stream," with Parton (two, 1983); Lonestar's "Amazed" (two, 2000); and, Carrie Underwood's "Inside Your Heaven" (one, 2005).
"Never," which Swift performed Thursday (Sept. 6) on the MTV Video Music Awards, returns to the Hot 100's apex courtesy of a fourth consecutive week atop Digital Songs (284,000 downloads sold, up 12%, according to Nielsen SoundScan) and a 10-7 rise on Radio Songs (77 million audience impressions, up 8%, according to Nielsen BDS). Among its surges on radio genre charts," Never" lifts 14-11 on Pop Songs and bullets at No. 19 on Country Songs with a 4% gain.
"Never" returns to the Hot 100 summit without the benefit of subscription streaming points. The track has not yet been made available to on-demand streaming services that also contribute to the Hot 100's data pool (and, thus, has not yet appeared on the On-Demand Songs chart).