The Billboard magazine publishes a weekly chart that ranks the best-selling albums in the United States. The chart nowadays known as the Billboard 200 was titled Best Selling Pop Albums in 1951. Starting with the issue dated July 22, 1950, Billboard decided to split the popular albums chart between the two common album formats at the time–33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm, because the versions of the albums were often not released simultaneously and larger retailers had issues filling out Billboards questionnaire.
The cast recording of the 1949 musical South Pacific , composed by Richard Rodgers and mainly recorded by Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin, spent nineteen combined weeks on top between January and April. The most dominant individual artist in 1951 was Mario Lanza. Three albums recorded by Lanza topped the charts for thirty combined weeks. The first of which, the soundtrack to the 1950 film The Toast of New Orleans , in which Lanza starred in topped the 45 rpm chart for six weeks in February and March. [1] The soundtrack to his follow-up film The Great Caruso reigned atop each of the charts for ten consecutive weeks. The album sold more than 100,000 copies before the film was released and became the first LP to sell more than one million copies in the US. [2] Finally, Lanza's christmas album Mario Lanza Sings Christmas Songs was number one for the final two weeks of the year on both charts. This made 1951 the first year since the charts inception in 1945, that Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas did not reach number one in December. [upper-alpha 1] Billboard did not issue a year-end chart for albums in 1951. The women's album that reigned at the top of the Billboard was The Voice of Xtabay of Yma Sumac in which she remained at the top for 6 weeks.
Issue date | 33 1/3 R.P.M. | 45 R.P.M. | Ref. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Album | Artist(s) | Label | Album | Artist(s) | Label | ||
January 6 | Merry Christmas | Bing Crosby | Decca | Merry Christmas | Bing Crosby | Decca | [5] |
January 13 | South Pacific | Original Cast | Columbia | [6] | |||
January 20 | South Pacific | Original Cast | Columbia | [7] | |||
January 27 | [8] | ||||||
February 3 | [9] | ||||||
February 10 | [10] | ||||||
February 17 | [11] | ||||||
February 24 | The Toast of New Orleans | Mario Lanza | RCA Victor | [12] | |||
March 3 | [13] | ||||||
March 10 | [14] | ||||||
March 17 | Guys and Dolls | Original Cast | Decca | [15] | |||
March 24 | South Pacific | Original Cast | Columbia | [16] | |||
March 31 | [17] | ||||||
April 7 | Voice of the Xtabay | Yma Sumac | Capitol | [18] | |||
April 14 | [19] | ||||||
April 21 | Lullaby of Broadway | Doris Day / Soundtrack | Columbia | [20] | |||
April 28 | Voice of the Xtabay | Yma Sumac | Capitol Records | Voice of the Xtabay | Yma Sumac | Capitol | [21] |
May 5 | [22] | ||||||
May 12 | Lullaby of Broadway | Doris Day / Soundtrack | Columbia | [23] | |||
May 19 | Voice of the Xtabay & Lullaby of Broadwaytied | Yma Sumac & Doris Day tied | Capitol & Columbia tied | [24] | |||
May 26 | Voice of the Xtabay | Yma Sumac | Capitol | [25] | |||
June 2 | Mario Lanza Sings Selections from The Great Caruso | Mario Lanza | RCA Victor | [26] | |||
June 9 | Mario Lanza Sings Selections from the Great Caruso | Mario Lanza | RCA Victor | [27] | |||
June 16 | [28] | ||||||
June 23 | [29] | ||||||
June 30 | [30] | ||||||
July 7 | [31] | ||||||
July 14 | [32] | ||||||
July 21 | [33] | ||||||
July 28 | [34] | ||||||
August 4 | [35] | ||||||
August 11 | Show Boat | Soundtrack | MGM | [36] | |||
August 18 | Show Boat | Soundtrack | MGM | [37] | |||
August 25 | [38] | ||||||
September 1 | [39] | ||||||
September 8 | [40] | ||||||
September 15 | [41] | ||||||
September 22 | [42] | ||||||
September 29 | [43] | ||||||
October 6 | [44] | ||||||
October 13 | [45] | ||||||
October 20 | [46] | ||||||
October 27 | [47] | ||||||
November 3 | [48] | ||||||
November 10 | [49] | ||||||
November 17 | [50] | ||||||
November 24 | [51] | ||||||
December 1 | [52] | ||||||
December 8 | [53] | ||||||
December 15 | [54] | ||||||
December 22 | Mario Lanza Sings Christmas Songs | Mario Lanza | RCA Victor | Mario Lanza Sings Christmas Songs | Mario Lanza | RCA Victor | [55] |
December 29 | [4] |
Whitney is the second studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released on June 2, 1987, by Arista Records as the follow-up to her debut album. Whitney is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with sales of over 20 million copies worldwide. The album features five top 10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, which also became international hits. The album's first four singles—"I Wanna Dance with Somebody ", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"—all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100, making her the first female act to achieve four number-one hits from one album.
"Iris" is a song by the American alternative rock band Goo Goo Dolls. Written for the soundtrack of the 1998 film City of Angels, it was included on the sixth Goo Goo Dolls album, Dizzy Up the Girl, and released as a single on April 1, 1998. No character named Iris appears in the film, and the title never appears in the lyrics.
American girl group The Supremes have released 29 studio albums, four live albums, two soundtrack albums, 32 compilation albums, four box sets, 66 singles and three promotional singles. The Supremes are the most successful American group of all time, and the 26th greatest artist of all time on the US Billboard charts; with 12 number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and three number-one albums on the Billboard 200. The Supremes were the first artist to accumulate five consecutive number-one singles on the US Hot 100 and the first female group to top the Billboard 200 albums chart with The Supremes A' Go-Go (1966). In 2017, Billboard ranked The Supremes as the number-one girl group of all time, publishing, 'although there have been many girl group smashes in the decades since the Supremes ruled the Billboard charts, no collective has yet to challenge their, for lack of a better word, supremacy.' In 2019, the UK Official Charts Company placed 7 Supremes songs—"You Can't Hurry Love" (16), "Baby Love" (23), "Stop! In the Name of Love" (56), "Where Did Our Love Go?" (59), "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (78), "Come See About Me" (94) and "Stoned Love" (99)—on The Official Top 100 Motown songs of the Millennium chart, which ranks Motown releases by their all-time UK downloads and streams.
The Immaculate Collection is the first greatest hits album by American singer Madonna, released on November 13, 1990, by Sire Records. It contains fifteen of her hit singles recorded throughout the 1980s, as well as two brand new tracks, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". All the previously released material were reworked through the QSound audio technology, becoming the first ever album to use it. Meanwhile, the new material saw Madonna working with Lenny Kravitz and Shep Pettibone. The album's title is a pun on the Immaculate Conception, a Marian dogma of the Catholic Church.
"The Sign" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base from their first North American studio album, The Sign (1993), and their re-released debut studio album, Happy Nation (1992), titled Happy Nation . The song was released by Arista and Mega as a single in Europe on 1 November 1993 and the US on 14 December 1993. It was written by band member Jonas Berggren, who also produced the song with Denniz Pop and Douglas Carr. "The Sign" is a techno-reggae, Europop, and pop ballad with lyrics describing a couple contemplating the state of their relationship.
The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album is a soundtrack album from the film of the same name, released on November 17, 1992, by Arista Records. The album's first side features songs recorded by American singer Whitney Houston, who starred in the film, while side two features the work of various artists. Houston and Clive Davis were co-executive producers of the record.
"Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a song by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind". It was released on 13 September 1997 as a tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales, with the global proceeds from the song going towards Diana's charities. In many countries, it was pressed as a double A-side with "Something About the Way You Look Tonight". It was produced by Sir George Martin.
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career, the country single was released in 1974. The song was a commercial success for Parton, twice reaching the top spot of the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: first in June 1974, then again in October 1982, with a re-recording for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack.
"Too Young" is a popular song, with music written by Sidney Lippman and lyrics by Sylvia Dee. A recording of the song was released by Nat King Cole in 1951, which reached No. 1 in the United States and became the best-selling song of the year. The song was an early attempt by music labels to appeal to the younger demographics and its success later led to a boom in music that catered to the young. Another successful version was released by Donny Osmond in 1972.
American singer Mariah Carey has released fifteen studio albums, two soundtrack albums, eight compilation albums, four extended plays, and one remix album. Carey is one of the best-selling music artists of all-time, having sold over 220 million records globally. She was presented with the Millennium Award at the 2000 World Music Awards for becoming the best-selling female artist of the millennium. According to the RIAA, she is the highest-certified female artist and tenth overall recording artist with shipments of 75 million albums in the US. She is also ranked as the best-selling female artist of the US Nielsen SoundScan era (1991–present) with album sales of 55.5 million.
"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" is a song by English musician Elton John, taken from his 25th studio album, The Big Picture. It was written by John and Bernie Taupin, and produced by Chris Thomas. It was released as the album's first single on 8 September 1997 by Mercury Records and the Rocket Record Company.
American vocalist Frank Sinatra recorded 59 studio albums and 297 singles in his solo career, spanning 54 years.
These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by Columbia Records. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through Epic Records. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs and original material, including "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer". Dion worked with David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the album. These Are Special Times was released after two of Dion's most successful albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).
"Diana" is a song written and first performed by Paul Anka, who recorded it in May 1957 at Don Costa’s studio in New York City. Anka stated in his autobiography that the song was inspired by a girl named Diana Ayoub, whom he had met at his church and community events, and had developed a crush on. Session musicians on the record included George Barnes playing lead guitar, Bucky Pizzarelli playing the "Calypso" riff on guitar, Irving Wexler on piano, Jerry Bruno on bass, and Panama Francis on drums. The song was recorded in May 1957 at RCA Victor Studios in New York. Backup singers included Artie Ripp.
"Torn" is a song written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley. It was first recorded in 1993 in Danish by Danish singer Lis Sørensen, then in English in 1995 by Cutler and Preven's American rock band Ednaswap, and in 1996 by American-Norwegian singer Trine Rein.
"Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable,” however, the music publishing company asked Gordon to change it to "Unforgettable.” The song was published in 1951.
"Don't Turn Around" is a popular song written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by American singer Tina Turner and released as the B-side to her 1986 hit single "Typical Male". It has since been included on Turner's compilation album The Collected Recordings: Sixties to Nineties (1994), as well as featuring in the Tina musical since 2018.
"It's Now or Never" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and released as a single in 1960. The song is one of the best-selling singles by Presley, and one of the best-selling physical singles of all time. It was recorded by Bill Porter at RCA Studio B in Nashville. It is written in E major and has a tempo of 80 BPM.
"I Can Love You Like That" is a song written by Steve Diamond, Jennifer Kimball and Maribeth Derry, and recorded by American country music singer John Michael Montgomery. It was released in February 1995 as the first single from his self-titled CD (1995). The song reached the top of the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
The Sign is a 1993 album by Swedish pop group Ace of Base, released as the band's debut album in North America and some Latin American countries by Arista Records. The Sign contains songs from Ace of Base's debut album, Happy Nation (1992) and the new songs "Don't Turn Around", "The Sign", and "Living in Danger" as well as revised versions of "Voulez-Vous Danser" and "Waiting for Magic".