Taylor Swift and Gwen Stefani both score new top-10 country hits

Beth GarrabrantTaylor Swift started out as a country artist, until she switched to pop in 2014.  But now she’s back in the country top 10 with her highest-ranking song there in seven years. That’s thanks to the folklore track “betty,” which tel…

By ABC Audio on August 5, 2020

Beth GarrabrantTaylor Swift started out as a country artist, until she switched to pop in 2014.  But now she’s back in the country top 10 with her highest-ranking song there in seven years.

That’s thanks to the folklore track “betty,” which tells the story of a 17-year-old named James who’s in love with a girl named Betty.  He cheats on her and then tries to win her back.  The song has debuted at number six on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, which measures airplay, streaming and sales.

This is the highest Taylor’s gotten on that chart since 2013, when she and country superstar Tim McGraw reached number four with their collaboration “Highway Don’t Care.”

Last September, Taylor hit number 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart with “Soon You’ll Get Better,” her song from Lover that’s a collaboration with the group formerly known as The Dixie Chicks, now renamed The Chicks.

“betty” is the highest debut on the Country Songs chart by a female artist since “Meant to Be,” by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, hit number one in 2017.

And in other “pop stars scoring country hits” news, Gwen Stefani has hit number 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart with “Happy Anywhere,” her new duet with boyfriend Blake Shelton.  The couple last hit the chart last December with “Nobody but You,” which eventually climbed to number two this past May.

By Andrea Dresdale
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