TAYLOR SWIFT BREAKS PERSONAL RECORD AS ‘THE FATE OF OPHELIA’ BECOMES HER LONGEST-RUNNING UK NUMBER ONE

Taylor Swift has smashed yet another chart milestone as her hit single ‘The Fate Of Ophelia’ cements itself as her longest-running Number One in UK chart history. The track, taken from her latest album The Life Of A Showgirl, has now spent seven non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Official Singles Chart, overtaking the six-week run of her 2022 smash ‘Anti-Hero’.

Released on October 3 alongside the album, ‘The Fate Of Ophelia’ made an immediate impact. It debuted at the top of the charts on October 16, dethroning Olivia Dean’s ‘Man I Need’ and marking another major chart victory for the global superstar. The song held strong for three consecutive weeks before being briefly replaced by ‘Golden’, a surprise breakout hit from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, performed by the fictional K-pop group Huntr/x. But Swift’s momentum was unstoppable, and just two weeks later, ‘Ophelia’ reclaimed the crown.

Its chart domination has been driven not only by streaming figures but also by staggering first-week sales. With 132,000 units sold in its debut week, the single achieved the biggest opening of 2025 and the largest first-week total of Swift’s entire career, a remarkable feat for an artist already known for breaking industry records.

‘The Fate of Ophelia' Is Now Taylor Swift's Longest-Running No. 1 Single in the U.K. – Credit: MSN.com

Swift’s relationship with the UK charts continues to be one of the strongest in modern pop. Her previous record-holder, ‘Anti-Hero’, spent six consecutive weeks at Number One and helped her become the first woman in a decade, since Miley Cyrus in 2013, to simultaneously top both the albums and singles charts. That track also enjoyed 15 non-consecutive weeks in the Top 10, signalling Swift’s enduring power as a commercial force.

But ‘The Fate Of Ophelia’ represents a new era. Slick, shimmering and theatrical, the song encapsulates the tone of The Life Of A Showgirl, an album Swift has described as her “most cinematic” project yet. Fans have praised its dramatic production, literary references and the emotional weight of its storytelling, factors that have fuelled endless TikTok edits, lyric breakdowns and fan theories.

Industry experts say the single’s record-breaking success reflects not just Swift’s global star power but her ability to reinvent her sound while maintaining mass appeal. Its streaming numbers have remained consistent throughout its chart run, with impressive growth each time Swift performs or promotes the track through surprise acoustic versions and behind-the-scenes content.

With The Life Of A Showgirl also topping the UK Albums Chart, Swift appears poised to replicate past success by holding both Number One spots once again. As the year moves into its final stretch, many chart-watchers predict ‘Ophelia’ could remain a major contender for 2025’s biggest song.

For fans, the achievement is another victory in what has already been a landmark year, and proof that more than a decade into her career, Taylor Swift isn’t slowing down.