History does not repeat itself so much as clear its throat when Taylor Swift appears. 'Opalite', from 'The Life of a Showgirl', climbed to the Billboards Hot 100 summit by late February 2026, buoyed by vinyl excess, compact discs, and a nostalgically loud video that overwhelmed Spotify in a single day.

Taylor Swift’s latest chart triumph only sharpens the outline of the one record that continues to stay just beyond her reach.

'Opalite' places Taylor Swift at forty-seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 throne, a neat and enviable figure. It also situates her beside Usher, on the sixth rung, another professional resident of radio dominance, which is flattering until one notices who owns the building outright.

That owner is Mariah Carey, who returns annually with festive precision and chart authority intact. One seasonal standard has done what entire discographies attempt, turning repetition into record inflation and cultural inevitability.

Carey stands at one hundred and one weeks at number one, unmoved by modern ambition. Drake, The Beatles, Rihanna, and Boyz II Men follow at respectable distances, while Swift, triumphant and prolific, continues circling the summit she has not yet claimed.

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Taylor Swift has mastered both sides of history: breaking records outright and stopping just shy of the most untouchable ones.

For an artist whose career is defined by historic dominance, the most revealing story often lies in the few towering records that still remain unconquered. Even at ninety-eight weeks atop the Billboard 200, Taylor Swift remains in pursuit rather than possession. The remaining benchmark belongs to The Beatles, whose combined one hundred thirty-two weeks represent a collective dominance still unmatched by any solo career.

Awards tell a similarly unfinished story for the Queen of Pop. Swift owns four Album of the Year trophies at the Grammy Awards, yet Song of the Year has eluded her across eight nominations, blocking a complete sweep of the prestigious Big Four categories. In addition to that, she also remains outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though recent comments from its inductee suggest that status may not last long.

On the singles front, Swift leads all women with more than two hundred seventy Billboard Hot 100 entries. The all-time record, however, remains held by Drake, whose catalog has crossed three hundred sixty charting titles, making volume itself the obstacle.

Even her sales milestones reveal limits. Swift holds two Diamond-certified albums, but the female record belongs to Whitney Houston with three, leaving another towering standard intact for now.

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Do you think Taylor Swift has it in her to beat Mariah Carey or Usher any time soon? Let us know in the comments!