Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift Out-'Shake's Mariah Carey

COUNTRY GIRL, 'SHAKE' IT FOR ME

Hi Gary,

I have a question regarding "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift. Over the past 15-20 years, a few high-profile female country stars have made their crossovers to pop.

By conquering the Hot 100's summit for the second time, however (after first doing so with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" in 2012), Taylor distances herself from three outstanding ladies who almost managed to hit the top with crossover smashes: LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" (1997), Shania Twain's "You're Still the One" (1998) and Faith Hill's "Breathe" (2000), all of which peaked at No. 2.

Meanwhile, Carrie Underwood hit No. 1 with her American Idol-crowning song, "Inside Your Heaven" (2005), although that was, like "Shake," a hit geared at pop, not country, audiences.

The last female star who hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 twice after scoring a slew of country hits? Dolly Parton. She ruled both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs with her early '80s hits "9 to 5" and "Islands in the Stream," the latter with Kenny Rogers.

Are Parton and Swift the country crossover stars with the most Hot 100 No. 1s?

Thanks,

Luis Manuel Acosta
Barcelona, Spain

Hi Luis,

It's beginning to look like we are never, ever going to stop finding superlatives for Swift's current run of success.

What a great way to consider just how prominently Swift has won over both pop and country worlds, even if "Shake" is, by her own admission, an all-out pop song and country is largely avoiding her new single.

With seven No. 1s on Hot Country Songs and now two on the Hot 100, what other artists, along with Parton, have tallied multiple No. 1s on each chart? Swift joins an incredibly select group of now just seven acts with more than one No. 1 on both Hot Country Songs and the Hot 100.

The repeat pop/country crossover kings and queens (ranked by combined Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 No. 1s):

Dolly Parton (26: 24, Hot Country Songs; two, Hot 100)
Kenny Rogers (20: 18, Hot Country Songs; two, Hot 100)
Elvis Presley (10: three, Hot Country Songs; seven, Hot 100)
Taylor Swift (nine: seven, Hot Country Songs; two, Hot 100)
Glen Campbell (seven: five, Hot Country Songs; two, Hot 100)
John Denver (seven: four, Hot Country Songs; three, Hot 100)
B.J. Thomas (five: three, Hot Country Songs; two, Hot 100)

Parton, meanwhile, has been busy lately lending her support to the battle against ALS. Rogers, too. "A lot of people challenged me [to the Ice Bucket Challenge] … Kenny Rogers dared me," Parton says in her Challenge video. "Kenny said, 'You'll never do it with your false hair, your false eyelashes, your false nails …' "

Challenge ultimately accepted, as Parton's nieces Rebecca and Hannah doused their aunt.

"Kenny," Parton ribbed, "You'd be surprised at what I do with my … falseness."