Taylor Swift’s ‘Patient Zero’ Holds No. 1 for a Second Week

Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” remains the biggest song in the United States for a second consecutive week. Billboard’s Hot 100 countdown for the chart dated October 17 places the single at No. 1 again, keeping Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” in the runner-up position.

The result extends a major chart run for the lead single from The Life of Showgirl: The Encore. Variety reports that the track drew 17.4 million official streams during the latest tracking period. That total was down 50% from its opening week, and the song slipped from first to second place on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, but its overall performance was still strong enough to retain the Hot 100 crown.

Swift adds another week to her chart history

With the latest ranking, Swift has now spent 51 career weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Variety places her fifth on the all-time list for total weeks at the summit, behind Mariah Carey, Rihanna, the Beatles and Drake.

“Patient Zero” is one of four new songs included on the Encore edition of The Life of Showgirl. Variety also reports that Swift’s albums have now accumulated a combined 100 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, adding another milestone to the release cycle.

Two new entries shake up the top 10

The week’s upper tier was not static. Drake and Don Toliver debuted at No. 5 with “Solar Eclipse,” while Slovakian pop singer Adéla rose from No. 12 to No. 9 with “Nicole Kidman,” earning her first Hot 100 top 10. Billboard’s countdown also lists “Boston” at No. 3 and Morgan at No. 4.

Those arrivals create fresh competition, yet Swift’s hold at the top shows that “Patient Zero” has carried momentum beyond its debut surge. The drop in weekly streams suggests the initial rush has cooled, but a second No. 1 week gives the song a sturdier chart story than a one-frame opening. Its next test will be whether it can withstand the new releases and rising tracks now crowding the top five.