Adele's 21 and 10 other albums that have sold 10 million copies
The British songstress reaches yet another milestone — but she has a long way to go before she can catch up to 'N Sync, Shania Twain, and Metallica
British crooner Adele is still rolling in the dough from "Rolling in the Deep" and the other 10 songs from her smash hit sophomore album 21. The album's latest milestone? 10 million copies sold, which serendipitously makes 21 the 21st album to reach those rarified heights since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking album sales in 1991. But Adele still has a long climb up the charts if she plans to crack the top 10, which spans an impressive, incongruous list of artists that includes Metallica, Shania Twain, The Beatles, and N 'Sync. Which albums have sold even better than Adele's ubiquitous 21? Here, the 10 bestselling albums in Nielsen SoundScan history:
1. Metallica (Metallica, 1991) — 15.8 million
2. Come On Over (Shania Twain, 1997) — 15.5 million
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Jagged Little Pill (Alanis Morisette, 1995) — 14.8 million
4. Millennium (Backstreet Boys, 1999) — 12.2 million
5. 1 (The Beatles, 2000) — 12.1 million
6. The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (Whitney Houston, 1992) — 12 million
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
7. Supernatural (Santana, 1999) — 11.7 million
8. Human Clay (Creed, 1999) — 11.6 million
9. Legend (Bob Marley and the Wailers, 1984) — 11.2 million (Note: This only counts Legend sales from 1991 onward, when Nielsen began tracking album sales.)
10. No Strings Attached ('N Sync, 2000)— 11.1 million
Listen to "Rolling in the Deep," the first single from Adele's 21:
Sources: Billboard, USA Today, Rolling Stone, Vintage Vinyl News
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
-
Post Office's Capture software to be reviewed over 'glitches'
Speed Read Solicitor representing accused postmasters says flaws in the IT system follow 'very similar pattern' to Horizon
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
How would we know if World War Three had started?
Today's Big Question With conflicts in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the 'spark' that could ignite all-out war 'already exists'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Death Cafe: where people talk mortality over tea and cake
Why everyone's talking about The meet-ups are intended to offer a judgement-free and respectful space to discuss the end of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published