On December 16, 1999, Canadian singer Selion Dion joined the ranks of the most popular musicians in the world. On this day, she received an award for selling 100 million albums within a decade. “RG” decided to recall the ten most “selling” musicians in the world of all time.
Elvis Presley - 1 billion copies
Even 36 years after his death, Elvis Aaron Presley continues to be one of the most popular singers in the world. For this, the name of the “King of Rock and Roll” was even included in the Guinness Book of Records. World fame came to the artist in 1956 after the release of the song "Heartbreak Hotel". In a short time, the single sold a million copies. The following first album, "Elvis Presley", also surpassed the million mark for the first time in the history of recording. And in the 21st century, Presley continues to regularly top the charts with re-released original songs and remixes.
The Beatles - 1 billion copies
There is probably not a single person in the world who has never heard a single song by The Beatles. Beatlemania, of course, did not embrace everyone, but this phenomenon revolutionized world music. The Fab Four gained worldwide recognition by releasing the single Please Please Me / Ask Me Why in 1963. Well, the best-selling album of the British group was “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
Michael Jackson - 750 million copies
This is the minimum number of copies of the legendary pop singer's records sold out. The data varies. According to reputable music companies, the number of copies of his albums sold has long exceeded a billion. It is known for sure that the album "Thriller", which became the singer's sixth studio work and was released on November 30, 1982, received the title of the best-selling music album of all time in its first year alone. The album is included in the Guinness Book, and so far no one has managed to beat this achievement.
Madonna - 300 million copies
Music experts attribute this number of album copies purchased to the singer. Although Madonna was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most commercially successful performer in history with 275 million confirmed sales. What cannot be taken away from her is the unofficial title of “the best-selling rock artist of the 20th century.” This is confirmed by numerous Grammy awards and first places in the most authoritative charts since 1984.
Elton John - 300 million copies
Sir Elton Hercules John is rightfully considered one of the world's greatest performers. During his almost 50-year creative career, the British singer has sold about 300 million copies of his albums. One of his singles alone, such as "Candle in the Wind" - a version dedicated to Princess Diana - has sold 37 million copies. By the way, the singer gave about $1 billion of his fortune to charity.
Led Zeppelin - 300 million copies
The founders of "heavy metal", owners of piercing vocals and deafening guitar drive, remain one of the most successful rock bands in the world. In 1995, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2005 the rockers received a Grammy for outstanding contribution to music, and a year later the Polar Music Prize, which is called the musical equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
Queen - 300 million copies
“We Will Rock You”, “We Are the Champions”, “The Show Must Go On” - these and other songs made Freddie Mercury’s team truly iconic. The group has released 15 studio and five live albums, as well as numerous compilations. 18 albums remained confidently at the top of the charts for a long time different countries. 13 years ago, the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was named the best song of the millennium, ahead of John Lennon's "Imagine" in the poll. In 2002, the same composition was recognized as the best UK single for half a century.
Pink Floyd - 250 million copies
The members of this British rock band were, perhaps, the only foreign musicians allowed into Baikonur at the start of the USSR spaceship"Union". In 1988 Soviet cosmonauts took Pink Floyd's live album "Delicate Sound of Thunder" with them on the flight, which became the first rock record to be played in space. The group remains one of the most successful rock bands today. Their most popular album can be called The Wall.
Mariah Carey - 200 million copies
The five-time Grammy winner's debut album, released in 1990 under the name Mariah Carey, was certified quadruple platinum. The largest recording studios signed contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars with the singer. The single "We Belong Together" became the most successful single of the 2000s and was named "Song of the Decade". In 2008, her song “Touch My Body” topped the American Billboard Hot 100 chart, after which Carrie became the only musician in history whose songs took first place on this chart 18 times.
Celine Dion - 200 million copies
If in 1999 she could be proud of the 100 million mark, today the number of her albums sold has exceeded two hundred million copies of records. She retained her title as Canada's best-selling artist. Three years ago, according to the results of one of the most popular US publications, Dion was recognized as the most popular musician in the United States, ahead of U2, Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
The year before last, using Nielsen SoundScan data, we learned that the coolest artist, based on sales results in the US and Canada in the period 1991-2011, was Garth Brooks, and the coolest album was Metallica METALLICA (twentieth anniversary statistics). What kind of picture will you get if you display a chart of the best-selling full-length albums of all time and throughout the world? What place will hard rockers and metalists take in it, and who will still come out on top? Let's see!
#1: Michael Jackson Thriller(1982) 65 million
#2: AC/DC Back In Black(1980) 50 million
#3: PINK FLOYD The Dark Side Of The Moon(1973) 50 million
#4: Whitney Houston The Bodyguard(1992) 45 million
#5: Michael Jackson Bad(1987) 45 million
#6: Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell(1977) 43 million
#7: EAGLES Their Greatest Hits(1976) 42 million
#8: BEE GEES Saturday Night Fever(1977) 40 million
#9: FLEETWOOD MAC Rumors(1977) 40 million
#10: Shania Twain Come On Over(1997) 40 million
LED ZEPPELIN Led Zeppelin IV(1971) 37 million
Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill(1995) 33 million
Michael Jackson Dangerous(1991) 32 million
THE BEATLES Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band(1967) 32 million
Celine Dion Falling Into You(1996) 32 million
Mariah Carey Music Box(1993) 32 million
"Dirty Dancing" Soundtrack(1987) 32 million
THE BEATLES 1
(2000) 31 million
Celine Dion Let's Talk About Love(1997) 31 million
THE BEATLES Abbey Road
(1969) 30 million
Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time(1999) 30 million
Bruce Springsteen Born In The U.S.A.(1984) 30 million
DIRE STRAITS Brothers In Arms(1985) 30 million
GUNS N' ROSES Appetite For Destruction(1987) 30 million
IRON BUTTERFLY In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida(1968) 30 million
"Titanic" Music From The Motion Picture(1997) 30 million
Madonna The Immaculate Collection(1990) 30 million
METALLICA Metallica(1991) 30 million
NIRVANA Nevermind(1991) 30 million
PINK FLOYD The Wall(1979) 30 million
Santana Supernatural(1999) 30 million
ABBA ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits(1992) 28 million
BACKSTREET BOYS Backstreet's Back(1997) 28 million
BACKSTREET BOYS Millennium(1999) 28 million
BON JOVI Slippery When Wet(1986) 28 million
SPICE GIRLS Spice(1996) 28 million
"Grease" Soundtrack(1978) 28 million
Norah Jones Come Away With Me(2002) 26 million
Adele 21
(2011) 25 million
Bob Marley & THE WAILERS Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley & The Wailers(1984) 25 million
Carole King Tapestry(1971) 25 million
George Michael Faith(1987) 25 million
JOURNEY Greatest Hits(1988) 25 million
Madonna True Blue(1986) 25 million
Mariah Carey Daydream(1995) 25 million
QUEEN Greatest Hits(1981) 25 million
SIMON & GARFUNKEL Bridge over Troubled Water(1970) 25 million
U2 The Joshua Tree(1987) 25 million
Whitney Houston Whitney Houston(1985) 25 million
Whitney Houston Whitney(1987) 25 million
Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits(1980) 24 million
LINKIN PARK Hybrid Theory(2000) 24 million
ACE OF BASE The Sign(1993) 23 million
TLC CrazySexyCool(1994) 23 million
OASIS (What's The Story) Morning Glory?(1995) 22 million
BON JOVI Cross Road(1994) 21 million
Madonna Like a Virgin(1984) 21 million
Andrea Bocelli Romanza(1997) 20 million
Barbra Streisand Guilty(1980) 20 million
BLONDIE Parallel Lines(1978) 20 million
BOSTON Boston(1976) 20 million
Britney Spears Oops!...I Did It Again(2000) 20 million
DEF LEPPARD Hysteria(1987) 20 million
Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP(2000) 20 million
Eric Clapton Unplugged(1992) 20 million
Lionel Richie Can't Slow Down(1983) 20 million
Michael Jackson HIStory: Past, Present And Future, Book I(1995) 20 million
Michael Jackson Off the Wall(1979) 20 million
Phil Collins No Jacket Required(1985) 20 million
Prince & THE REVOLUTION Purple Rain(1984) 20 million
Shania Twain The Woman In Me(1995) 20 million
SUPERTRAMP Breakfast In America(1979) 20 million
Tina Turner Private Dancer(1984) 20 million
Usher Confessions(2004) 20 million
The only objective criterion for a musician's popularity is how well his works sell. Music blogger soullaway decided to analyze the top most successful albums in human history. The only limitation on this list is the number of sales: anything below 30 million units is simply not considered.
Our first place is taken by Michael Jackson with the album “Thriller” of 1982. It has officially sold more than 110 million copies. It is almost impossible to beat this result. Truly the King of Pop. Just think about this fantastic figure. This is almost the entire population Russian Federation.
Second place goes to Pink Floyd with the album The Dark Side of the Moon. 1973, more than 50 million copies. Seriously too.
AC/DC and the album Back in Black are in third place. 1980 and 49 million copies.
Meat Loaf's 1977 album Bat Out of Hell rounds out the top five. 43 million copies sold.
In sixth place is not an album, but a compilation of the Eagles' greatest hits. The 1976 collection sold approximately 42 million copies worldwide.
The soundtrack takes seventh place again. This time for the movie "Dirty Dancing". 1987 and 42 million copies. To be honest, I'm surprised by the two soundtracks that made it into the top ten. I would choose completely different ones to buy. Anyway. That's why it's a mass product.
I probably don’t need to tell you what “The Phantom of the Opera” is. Let me just note that the musical, released in 1986, has sold over 40 million copies.
Ninth place is taken by the 1999 album Millennium from the Backstreet Boys. 40 million copies. Of course, I remember that this group enjoyed some popularity at that time, but I never expected that it would be among the top best-selling groups.
And the top ten is completed by another soundtrack. This time for the movie "Saturday Night Fever". 1977 and 40 million copies.
Interestingly, in the same 1977, the album Rumors by Fleetwood Mac was released, and it also sold 40 million copies. Actually, this is where the albums sold in such quantities end. Everything else is less than 40 million.
Shania Twain released the album Come on Over in 1997. Sales - 39 million. To be honest, I haven’t even heard her name, and yet her brainchild ranks twelfth on the list of the most successful discs.
Alanis Morissette is a Canadian citizen. Do you know this one? I personally don't. Meanwhile, her 1995 album sold 33 million copies. The album, by the way, is called Jagged Little Pill.
Well. I hope everyone has noticed that the most famous group in the history of mankind is only 15th in terms of album sales? Yes. We're talking about The Beatles. Their 1967 album sold approximately 32 million copies. I won't even rewrite the title. You know it from the cover.
Mariah Carey and 1993's Music Box, with sales of about 32 million, lands at No. 17.
A compilation of The Beatles songs under the sign “1” was released in 2000. Naturally, this is a collection. Circulation - 31 million. For a group that had ceased to exist 30 years before the release of the collection, this is a very serious result.
I’ve come across an opinion here that it’s illogical to release albums in the 21st century. They no longer sell in large quantities. Adele and her 2011 album 21 easily refutes this thesis. 31 million copies, if that. Billions of views on YouTube included. And this is not a typo. Billions, not millions.
The Bee Gees and their 1979 creation Spirits Having Flown also sold 30 million copies worldwide.
This, in my opinion, is one of the most recognizable covers of American artists. Bruce Springsteen and his 1984 Born in the USA comes in at number 25. Also more than 30 million copies.
Dire Straits released Brothers in Arms in 1985. Since then, the album has managed to take 26th position in the ranking. 30 million copies.
To be honest, I expected to see Elton John in the rankings much earlier. And certainly not with this cover. So, his most successful album is called Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. 1973 and again 30 million copies.
Pink Floyd and 1979's The Wall come in at number 30. I held this record in my hands. So is The Dark Side of the Moon. My father loved this group. Copies of multi-million circulations reached the USSR. It’s hard to imagine how many pirated copies there were.
Madonna. I also expected to see her higher on this list. And I didn’t think that the collection of hits would end up in 31st place. It seemed to me that this should be a full album. Overall, The Immaculate Collection, released in 1990, ranks 31st.
I never expected to see Metallica with their 1991 self-titled album on the list of guys who pushed 30 million copies. They are in 32nd place. And, in general, I will finish the selection of covers with them. Everything else was sold in smaller quantities. That is, of course, I understand that 29 million is serious, but it’s less interesting.
What's interestnig? It's amazing that The Doors aren't on the list at all. That is, they did not release albums that they pushed with a circulation of more than 20 million. True, there is Nirvana with a circulation of 26 million album Nevermind.
Sex Pistols are missing. There are no famous The Rolling Stones either. Black Sabbath is also on the rise. What is there to say? Elvis Presley is gone. That's what's truly fantastic. For some reason I was sure that his sales were off the charts. That is, perhaps all these guys are in the top, but it is below the 20 million mark. For me personally, this is all unexpected.
Several performers received the greatest recognition and fame, but still the greatest, the real king of pop music was Michael Jackson. His compositions have been listened to for decades, they will probably sound forever. Even as a performer, he still has a large number of loyal fans.
Not very good for mine long life, Michael Jackson won the most prestigious Grammy Award in the music world 15 times, sold approximately 1 billion copies of his albums and was mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records 13 times. He deservedly received the title of the best of all times.
On June 25, 2009, the pop idol left the stage forever. He died from an overdose of the drug propofol. After this, his albums began to be sold out with even greater fanaticism.
The best singers of all time
Michael Jackson became the most popular singer in the world and the best performer of pop music. But, as for rock, one of the greatest musicians of this genre is Freddie Mercury.
The lead singer of Queen had a rare gift - a unique voice that was in perfect harmony with his appearance. He was irresistible on stage, so the group quickly became famous throughout the world.
Freddie Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991. He died in London from bronchial pneumonia, which he developed due to AIDS. In 1992, a grand concert was held in his honor with the participation of many rock stars.
The British singer, musician, and producer Sir James Paul McCartney has also forever won the love and vocation of a huge number of people. He is one of the founders of The Beatles. Paul McCartney has been awarded a Grammy Award 16 times and has been included in the Guinness Book of Records more than once. His duet with John Lennon, another greatest singer of all time, became one of music's most successful collaborations.
The Italian singer, actor, TV presenter, composer, director and comedian Adriano Celentano has become a legend of world music. He has his own unique style, special facial expressions and gait. His albums have always sold out in huge quantities. Now Adriano lives near Milan and repairs watches.
Joe Cocker is considered one of the best blues and rock performers. His blues ballads are sung in a low, hoarse baritone, making them unique in their own way. Joe Cocker is also an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Sir Elton John has become one of the most successful singers, pianists and composers of British pop, rock, piano rock and glam rock. During his 40-year career as a musician, Elton John has sold more than 550 million copies of his albums. On the list of the 100 greatest musicians in history, he ranks 49th.
