On the Billboard 200 chart for the week ending March 12th, 2011, Adele’s second album, 21, debuted in the top spot. Ever since then, the 14-times platinum record in the US has had a remarkable run on the chart: Only just now, for the first time in nearly seven years, 21 has fallen out of the Billboard 200, after spending an astounding 353 weeks on it.
Adele's '21' is not listed on the Billboard 200 for the first time since its release, leaving the chart after 353 weeks.
— chart data (@chartdata) December 5, 2017
This is just the latest example of how monumental this album really was. For instance, in 12 months, the album helped boost her label XL’s profits from about $4 million to about $43 million. It was the best selling album in the US and Canada for both 2011 and 2012. In February 2013, it was announced that the album had never fallen below the 35th spot in two whole years.
21 still has a long way to go to catch Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon for the most time spent on the chart, considering that that record is miles ahead at 933 weeks. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising to see 21 re-enter the chart following the news that it fell out. Even if it doesn’t, Adele’s next album, 25, is making some noise of its own: In October, that album hit 100 weeks spent on the Billboard 200.
Revisit the classic “Rolling In The Deep” below.
