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Is 4 Minutes the Perfect Length for a Pop Hit?
"American Pie" has crumbled. The Don McLean hit from 1972 held the record for longest pop song to top the Billboard Hot 100 for decades, but Taylor Swift has usurped it. Swift's “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” from 2021 is now the longest No. 1 single of all time. "American Pie" lasts 8 minutes 42 seconds, while Swift's hit is an impressive 10 minutes 13 seconds.
When told that he had lost the record, McLean told Billboard: “There is something to be said for a great song that has staying power. Let’s face it, nobody ever wants to lose that #1 spot, but if I had to lose it to somebody, I sure am glad it was another great singer/songwriter such as Taylor.”
As for Swift, she seemed surprised that such a lengthy title could top the charts, tweeting to her fans, "You truly chose this one and now you did THIS?! I’m floored. A ten minute song is at the top of the Hot 100."
Triumphant Taylor:
- Taylor Swift's eponymous first album was released in 2006 when she was just 16 years old. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard album charts.
- Swift was only 20 years old when she won the Grammy for Album of the Year for Fearless in 2010.
- Between the ages of 5 and 10, Taylor Swift lived in Pennsylvania on a farm that grew Christmas trees.
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![Taylor Swift's "All Too Well" is now the longest song to top the Billboard Hot 100, at 10 minutes, 13 seconds.]()
By: Eva RinaldiTaylor Swift's "All Too Well" is now the longest song to top the Billboard Hot 100, at 10 minutes, 13 seconds.
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