In another victory for the Republic superstar, Taylor Swift returns to #1 on the HITS Top 50 with Fearless (Taylor’s Version). She armed her loyal fanbase with signed CDs and an injection of fresh vinyl, which made up the bulk of her 154k units, vaulting her to the top of the chart for the fifth time this year. Tay can now claim 2021’s top-two pure-sales leaders with evermore and Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the former having just crossed 1m in YTD activity.
This week’s #1 marks the 18th chart-topper for Monte and Avery Lipman’s Republic this year—which works out to a #1 nearly every other week—thanks to blockbuster bows by Morgan Wallen, Swift, Drake and Pop Smoke.
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga’s second full-length collaboration, Love for Sale (Interscope/Columbia), opens at #7 with 42k, making it the week’s second-biggest debut. At 95, Bennett becomes the oldest person to release an album of new material.
Steadfast at #2, Drake’s Certified Lover Boy (OVO/Republic) posts an impressive 111k in its fifth week. Columbia’s Lil Nas X moves to #5 with MONTERO, followed by Doja Cat’s Planet Her (Kemosabe/RCA). For the first time since its release on 5/21, Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR (Geffen) lands outside the Top 5, at #8—not a bad run for a rookie.
In other news, Steve Bannon is starting to wish he’d never left the music biz. See the full chart here. 
