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The Best-Selling Pop Albums of All Time

The Best-Selling Pop Albums of All Time

From the 1950s through the late ‘60s, pop music was synonymous with rock ‘n’ roll. After Billboard began listing the 200 top-selling albums in 1967, rock bands like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin had some of the earliest record-breakers. (Here’s a list of the most popular album every year since 1960.)

In the ‘70s and ‘80s, soul, disco, R&B, and funk began to influence the charts, with multiple hit albums from Michael Jackson, as well as chart-toppers from Prince, the Bee Gees, and Lionel Richie. The ‘90s brought both rap and country into the mainstream, including four top albums from pop country star Garth Brooks — well-represented among the 40 most popular country music albums of all time.

24/7 Tempo has compiled the 50 best-selling pop albums since Billboard started keeping track. Of the top 100, a quarter are by female musicians (counting bands with a female lead singer). Country crossover stars Shania Twain and Taylor Swift each boast three on the list. The sub-genres of pop represented in the list span the spectrum from country to rock to rap to R&B. An outlier on the list is the 1994 soundtrack to Disney’s “The Lion King,” featuring multiple songs written and performed by Elton John.

To determine the 50 best pop albums of all time, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on three metrics: the number of weeks an album spent on the Billboard 200; its positions on the chart (one week at No. 1, for instance, being worth 200 times more than a week spent at No. 200); and total certified U.S. album sales according to the Recording Industry Association of America. All metrics were evenly weighted.

Source: Scott Gries / Getty Images

50. CrazySexyCool (1994)
> Artist: TLC
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 119

Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

49. 25 (2015)
> Artist: Adele
> Certification: 11X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 183

Source: Al Bello / Getty Images

48. The Woman In Me (1995)
> Artist: Shania Twain
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 107

Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

47. Come Away With Me (2002)
> Artist: Norah Jones
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 164

Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

46. Pieces Of You (1996)
> Artist: Jewel
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 114

Source: Elsa / Getty Images

45. No Jacket Required (1985)
> Artist: Phil Collins
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 123

Source: mil8 / Flickr

44. Yourself Or Someone Like You (1997)
> Artist: matchbox 20
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 121

Source: Nicholas Hunt / Getty Images

43. Millennium (1999)
> Artist: Backstreet Boys
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 93

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

42. Falling Into You (1996)
> Artist: Celine Dion
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 113

Source: Courtesy of Amazon

41. Purple Rain (Soundtrack) (1984)
> Artist: Prince and the Revolution
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 143

Source: Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images

40. Fearless (2008)
> Artist: Taylor Swift
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 261

Source: Buda Mendes / Getty Images

39. All The Right Reasons (2005)
> Artist: Nickelback
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 206

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

38. Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
> Artist: Bruno Mars
> Certification: 6X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 519

Source: Central Press / Getty Images

37. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
> Artist: The Beatles
> Certification: 11X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 232

Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

36. Hysteria (1987)
> Artist: Def Leppard
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 136

Source: Evening Standard / Getty Images

35. Physical Graffiti (1975)
> Artist: Led Zeppelin
> Certification: 16X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 48

Source: Frank Micelotta / Getty Images

34. Wide Open Spaces (1998)
> Artist: Dixie Chicks
> Certification: 4X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 134

Source: Theo Wargo / Getty Images

33. Breathless (1992)
> Artist: Kenny G
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 214

Source: Dooley Productions / Shutterstock.com

32. …Baby One More Time (1999)
> Artist: Britney Spears
> Certification: 14X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 103

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

31. Take Care (2011)
> Artist: Drake
> Certification: 6X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 427

Source: Rich Fury / Getty Images

30. 1989 (2014)
> Artist: Taylor Swift
> Certification: 9X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 334

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

29. [Hybrid Theory] (2000)
> Artist: Linkin Park
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 256

Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images

28. Ropin’ The Wind (1991)
> Artist: Garth Brooks
> Certification: 14X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 132

Source: P.B. Rage / Wikimedia Commons

27. Nevermind (1991)
> Artist: Nirvana
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 523

Source: Tucker Ranson / Getty Images

26. Supernatural (1999)
> Artist: Santana
> Certification: 15X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 103

Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

25. Whitney Houston (1985)
> Artist: Whitney Houston
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 176

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

24. Backstreet Boys (1997)
> Artist: Backstreet Boys
> Certification: 14X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 133

Source: Matt King / Getty Images

23. Tapestry (1971)
> Artist: Carole King
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 318

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

22. The Eminem Show (2002)
> Artist: Eminem
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 396

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

21. Saturday Night Fever (1976)
> Artist: Bee Gees
> Certification: 16X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 137

Source: John Pratt / Getty Images

20. Abbey Road (1969)
> Artist: The Beatles
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 409

Source: Rob Loud / Getty Images

19. Ten (1992)
> Artist: Pearl Jam
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 264

Source: Jamie Squire / Getty Images

18. Born In The U.S.A. (1984)
> Artist: Bruce Springsteen
> Certification: 15X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 143

Source: Courtesy of Boston

17. Boston (1976)
> Artist: Boston
> Certification: 17X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 138

Source: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

16. Jagged Little Pill (1995)
> Artist: Alanis Morissette
> Certification: 16X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 127

Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images

15. Double Live (1998)
> Artist: Garth Brooks
> Certification: 21X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 56

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

14. Appetite For Destruction (1987)
> Artist: Guns N’ Roses
> Certification: 18X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 249

Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

13. No Fences (1990)
> Artist: Garth Brooks
> Certification: 18X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 224

Source: Paul Hawthorne / Getty Images

12. Cracked Rear View (1994)
> Artist: Hootie & The Blowfish
> Certification: 21X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 129

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images

11. The Wall (1979)
> Artist: Pink Floyd
> Certification: 23X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 157

Source: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images

10. Come On Over (1997)
> Artist: Shania Twain
> Certification: 20X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 151

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

9. 21 (2011)
> Artist: Adele
> Certification: 14X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 507

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

8. The Beatles [White Album] (1968)
> Artist: The Beatles
> Certification: 24X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 215

Source: MJ Kim / Getty Images

7. The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
> Artist: Pink Floyd
> Certification: 15X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 957

Source: Larry Busacca / Getty Images

6. Hotel California (1976)
> Artist: Eagles
> Certification: 26X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 132

Source: Evening Standard / Getty Images

5. Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
> Artist: Led Zeppelin
> Certification: 23X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 283

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

4. Metallica (1991)
> Artist: Metallica
> Certification: 16X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 606

Source: Noam Galai / Getty Images

3. Rumours (1977)
> Artist: Fleetwood Mac
> Certification: 20X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 423

Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images

2. Back In Black (1980)
> Artist: AC/DC
> Certification: 25X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 462

Source: Phil Walter / Getty Images

1. Thriller (1982)
> Artist: Michael Jackson
> Certification: 33X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 469

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