Adele's "phenomenal" success shows no sign of ebbing. A full 12 months after its release, Adele's Grammy-winning 21 is still smashing records and topping the Billboard charts. Want proof? Read on:
7.3 million
Copies of 21 sold in the U.S.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
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.
2.34
Percent of the U.S. population that owns a copy of 21, as per the U.S. Census Bureau's estimate of the current population
18 million
Copies of 21 sold worldwide
2 million
Digital copies of 21 sold on iTunes, making it the first album to hit that milestone
3
Adele singles currently occupying the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart: "Set Fire to the Rain" (2), "Rolling in the Deep" (5), and "Someone Like You" (7). She's the first artist in Hot 100 history to accomplish the feat. All three tracks have previously hit number one.
52
Weeks that Adele's 21 has been out in the U.S. "The album has never left the Top 10 in its entire chart run," says Keith Caulfield at Billboard. Its low-point came in December 2011, when it fell to number 7.
21
Weeks that 21 spent at number one, a new record for an album by a female artist
20
Weeks that Whitney Houston's soundtrack to The Bodyguard spent at number one, the previous record for a female artist
20
Years that Houston held the record
7
Albums in Billboard history to have spent more weeks at number one than 21
54
Weeks that the West Side Story soundtrack topped the chart, the record for any album
37
Weeks that Michael Jackson's Thriller spent at number one, the record for an album by a male artist
730,000
Copies of 21 that were sold last week following Adele's performance and six-trophy sweep at the Grammy Awards
207
Increase, in percent, of 21's weekly sales after the Grammys. "That's the largest post-show boost in the 54-year history of the awards," says Jim Farber at New York's Daily News.
114
Increase, in percent, in sales of Adele's debut album, 19, following the singer's Grammy domination. The 87,000 copies sold gave 19 its best week ever, and put it in fourth place on this week's chart. "Don't be surprised if both 21 and 19 end up outselling many high-profile new releases in 2012," says Grady Smith at Entertainment Weekly.
Sources: Billboard (2, 3), Daily News, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Music Week, Reuters, Wrap
