3 of the Longest-Charting Albums in Music History That I Still Have in Rotation

To have an album on the charts is a rite of passage, a validation of talent, and a memorable moment for all musicians. However, a chart placement is rare and fleeting and for some, unlikely to happen more than once. Which, there is no shame in, as it is one of the most difficult feats in music, particularly when talking about the Billboard 200. Despite the difficulty, a handful of musicians have completely owned the chart. Thus, they have debunked the epic nature of the list and made appearing on it seem as easy as breathing.

The musicians who can consistently make chart appearances and not have their placement be fleeting are larger-than-life talents and ones that seemingly have a thumb on the musical public pulse. That being so, their album chart runs are almost too good to be true. They not only reached the top of the chart but remained on it for well over five years. So, here are a few of the musicians and their albums to make some of the longest chart runs in history.

1. ‘Dark Side of The Moon’ by Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon is without question one of the most famous albums of all time. The beginning of the album’s long chart journey is when it reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 in 1973. Though, that is far from its most impressive accomplishment. Following its No. 1 success, the album has been on the chart for a total of 917 weeks. The bulk of those weeks were between 1973 and 1988.

Given Billboard’s rules about older albums on the chart, they removed Floyd’s album from future placements. However, in 2009, after the redrafting of that rule, the album made its epic return and has been on the chart on and off ever since. Thanks to its chart history, the album is one of the best-selling of all time with over 45 million copies sold internationally.

2. ‘Rumours’ by Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac’s longevity can be heavily attributed to this album and this album alone. In addition to reaching No. 1 for 31 non-consecutive weeks, Rumours has spent a total of 600 weeks on the Billboard 200. For perspective, that is nearly 11 years that the album has consistently remained on the chart.

Following its 600 weeks, the song reappeared in 2011 and again in 2020 due to “Dreams” becoming viral on TikTok. Matter of fact, that album is currently on the chart at No. 37. Since releasing in 1977, the album has also sold 40 million units worldwide as of 2023.

3. ’21’ by Adele

Thanks to it only being 13-years-old, Adele’s 2011 album has had arguably the most incredible run to date. Since its release, the album has spent a total of 583 weeks on the chart as of 2023. Furthermore, it graced the No. 1 spot for 23 weeks. Not only is this highly impressive given its relatively short life span, but it also marks a major moment in music history.

The moment in question is that the album’s success resulted in it becoming the longest-charting album to ever be released by a woman since Carole King’s Tapestry. Given the album’s historical influence and success, 21 became the highest-selling album of the 21st century by selling over 32 million copies worldwide.

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