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Entertainment
Callie Ahlgrim
Updated
- Nielsen Music started tracking point-of-sales data for US music releases in 1991.
- In the 30+ years since then, only 24 albums have sold at least 1 million copies in one week.
- Taylor Swift has the most entries on this list (seven). She is the only artist to achieve the feat since 2017.
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1. "The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album" by Whitney Houston and various artists
"The Bodyguard" soundtrack — co-executive produced by Clive Davis and Whitney Houston, who starred in the film — became the first album verified by Nielsen to move more than 1 million units in the US in a single week.
According to Billboard, the album sold 1,061,000 copies in the week ending January 3, 1993, six weeks after its release. It has since sold more than 12 million copiesin the US and remains the best-selling soundtrack of all time.
2. "Double Live" by Garth Brooks
"Double Live," the first live album from country star Garth Brooks, sold 1,085,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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3. "Millennium" by Backstreet Boys
"Millennium," the third album by Backstreet Boys, sold 1,134,000 copies in the first week after its release.
4. "No Strings Attached" by *NSYNC
"No Strings Attached," the third album by *NSYNC, sold 2,416,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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5. "Oops!…I Did It Again" by Britney Spears
"Oops!... I Did It Again," the second album by Britney Spears, sold 1,319,000 copies in the first week after its release.
6. "The Marshall Mathers LP" by Eminem
"The Marshall Mathers LP," Eminem's third album, sold 1,760,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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7. "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" by Limp Bizkit
"Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water," Limp Bizkit's third album, sold 1,055,000 copies in the first week after its release.
8. "Black & Blue" by Backstreet Boys
"Black & Blue," the fourth album by Backstreet Boys, sold 1,591,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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9. "1" by The Beatles
"1," a post-breakup compilation album by The Beatles, sold 1,259,000 copies in the week ending December 24, 2000, six weeks after its release.
10. "Celebrity" by *NSYNC
"Celebrity," the fourth and final album by *NSYNC, sold 1,880,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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11. "The Eminem Show" by Eminem
"The Eminem Show," Eminem's fourth album, sold 1,322,000 copies in the first week after its release.
12. "Feels Like Home" by Norah Jones
"Feels Like Home," Norah Jones' sophom*ore album, sold 1,022,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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13. "Confessions" by Usher
"Confessions," Usher's fourth album, sold 1,096,000 copies in the first week after its release.
14. "The Massacre" by 50 Cent
"The Massacre," 50 Cent's sophom*ore album, sold 1,141,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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15. "Tha Carter III" by Lil Wayne
"Tha Carter III," Lil Wayne's sixth album, sold 1,006,000 copies in the first week after its release.
16. "Speak Now" by Taylor Swift
"Speak Now," Taylor Swift's third album, sold 1,047,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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17. "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga
"Born This Way," the second album by Lady Gaga, sold 1,108,000 copies in the first week after its release.
18. "Red" by Taylor Swift
"Red," Swift's fourth album, sold 1,208,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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19. "1989" by Taylor Swift
"1989," Swift's fifth album, sold 1,287,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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20. "25" by Adele
"25," the third album by Adele, sold 3,378,000 copies in the first week after its release — handily breaking a single-week record that was previously set by *NSYNC in 2000.
"25" went on to sell 1,160,000 copies in its second week and 1,190,000 in its fifth week.
It remains the only album in history to sell one million copies in at least two different weeks.
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21. "Reputation" by Taylor Swift
"Reputation," Swift's sixth album, sold 1,238,000 equivalent album units in the first week after its release.
Swift broke her tie with Adele as the artist with the most million-selling weeks overall (four). Adele's three were all achieved with the same album ("25").
22. "Midnights" by Taylor Swift
"Midnights," Swift's 10th studio album, sold 1,578,000 copies in the first week after its release.
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23. "1989 (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift
"1989 (Taylor's Version)," Swift's fourth rerecorded release and 14th album in total, sold 1,653,000 copies in its first week — surpassing the original.
It's the only album in history to debut with more than 1 million sales on two separate occasions.
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24. "The Tortured Poets Department" by Taylor Swift
"The Tortured Poets Department" blew past the 1 million mark and sold 2.61 million equivalent album units in its first week.
Swift's 11th studio album broke the record for the biggest streaming week ever, according to Billboard, and the second-biggest sales week for any album in history (after Adele's "25").
Swift is also the only artist in history to have seven different albums with million-selling weeks. Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and Eminem trail with two apiece.
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