The Best-Selling Solo Albums of All Time
From the Eagles to The Beatles, records by pop music groups dominate the all-time list of best-selling albums. So in the interest of learning which artists didn't have to share beaucoup album royalties with pesky, undeserving bandmates (we see you, no-name bassist of Hootie & the Blowfish), we've narrowed the focus and shone a spotlight on the twenty best-selling solo albums ever.
Worldwide album sales are notoriously tough to track accurately. Instead we've gone with U.S. sales only and consulted the tried-and-true Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and its Gold & Platinum Certification Program. The criteria (includes both physical and digital albums):
- Gold — 500,000 Units
- Platinum — 1,000,000 Units
- Multi-Platinum — 2,000,000 Units (increments of 1,000,000 thereafter)
- Diamond — 10,000,000 Units (increments of 1,000,000 thereafter)
In addition, note that when it comes to double albums and multi-disc box sets, the RIAA counts each individual disc as a unit sold.
With the particulars out of the way, let's kick out the jams.
20. Phil Collins 'No Jacket Required'
Year: 1985
RIAA certification: 12X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "One More Night," "Sussudio," "Take Me Home"
In MTV's 1980s' heyday, you'd struggle to find another artist who looked less hip than a balding Collins aged in his mid-30s. Yet no matter the era, catchy pop tunes sell records. And Phil moved a ton of 'em, not to mention winning the Album of the Year Grammy. Take that, Genesis!
19. Kenny Rogers 'Greatest Hits'
Year: 1980
RIAA certification: 12X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "The Gambler," "Lucille," "Ruby," "Coward of the County"
Throughout Rogers' career he's released several compilations titled "Greatest Hits," but this 1980 mega-selling LP is the OG. Drop a needle on this parade of classics to hear Kenny spin yarns about gamblers too tired to sleep; two-timing Ruby; and Tommy, Becky and them evil Gatlin boys.
18. Kenny G 'Breathless'
Year: 1992
RIAA certification: 12X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Forever in Love," "By the Time This Night Is Over"
What does jazz guitarist/composer Pat Metheny think of Kenny G? In a late-'90s' interview, Metheny says, "That's the dumbest music there ever could possibly be in the history of human beings. There could never be music any worse than that." Dammit, Pat, don't you dare you dis the G-Man! Kenny's curly coif? Way cool. His elevator muzak? Smokin'! And G's bank account? You only wish one of your tedious jazz fusion albums sold as many copies as the masterful "Breathless."
17. Jewel 'Pieces of You'
Year: 1995
RIAA certification: 12X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Who Will Save Your Soul," "You Were Meant for Me," "Foolish Games"
Partially recorded at a San Diego, California, coffeehouse, Jewel's debut album dropped with a thud. Two years later, Bob Dylan invited the singer/songwriter on tour as his opening act. People took notice. "Pieces of You" was re-released and began climbing the charts to massive sales. If this list has a one-hit wonder (relatively speaking), it's Jewel, who hasn't sold more than 4-million copies of an album since.
16. Whitney Houston 'Whitney Houston'
Year: 1985
RIAA certification: 13X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Greatest Love of All," "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know"
One of R&B/pop history's most powerful vocalists debuted with this album that spawned three No. 1 singles. "The Voice," as Houston was known, passed in 2012. But if you're into creepy CGI resurrections, "The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour" will travel the globe in 2020. Um, thanks, but we'll stay home and play our old copy of this record instead.
15. Prince and the Revolution 'Purple Rain' (Soundtrack)
Year: 1984
RIAA certification: 13X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy," "Purple Rain"
Though the Purple One's peak album is co-credited to his backing band, the Revolution, curiously the RIAA classifies it as a solo effort. In another bit of trivia, "Purple Rain," which doubled as the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, marked only the third time that an artist (after Elvis Presley and The Beatles) simultaneously had the No. 1 album, film and single ("When Doves Cry") in the U.S.
14. Bruce Springsteen 'Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live/1975-85'
Year: 1986
RIAA certification: 13X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Born to Run," "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
Springsteen concerts are legendary, marathon affairs. So it took a set of five vinyl records (or three CDs) to convey even a small taste of "The Boss" as a live performer. "Bruce Tramps," as hardcore fans are known, gripe that the compilation contains a sole pre-1978 performance (an outstanding "Thunder Road" from '75), but for the rest of us it's a good launch pad into the geeky realm of Springsteen live recordings.
13. Meat Loaf 'Bat Out of Hell'
Year: 1977
RIAA certification: 14X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Bat Out of Hell," "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"
Embodying 1970s' rock 'n' roll bombast, the Loaf let rip his operatic howl on this collection of mini epics, three of which have become classic rock staples for the ages. As for sales, we can't be sure, but have to believe at least some teens back in '77 bought the record for the badass cover art alone.
12. Garth Brooks 'Ropin' the Wind'
Year: 1991
RIAA certification: 14X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "The River," "What She's Doing Now"
The best-selling solo artist in history (topping even Elvis Presley) lassoes this spot with his third studio album — a collection of tunes that Garth's rabid fans routinely rank among his top-three efforts. A major crossover success, Ropin' was the first-ever LP to debut at number one on both Billboard's country and pop album charts.
11. Britney Spears '...Baby One More Time'
Year: 1999
RIAA certification: 14X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "...Baby One More Time," "Sometimes"
Years before K-Fed drama and bald-rage umbrella attacks, Spears hit the studio for a smash debut album that Rolling Stone magazine panned as a collection of "kiddie-funk jams" and "shameless schlock slowies." While high-minded critics had their snarky fun, Brit rode a tidal wave of sales to superstardom and tabloid immortality.
10. Adele '21'
Year: 2011
RIAA certification: 14X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Rolling in the Deep," "Someone Like You," "Set Fire to the Rain"
Unless you were rolling in Siberia for all of 2011, there was no escaping Adele's soulful "Rolling in the Deep" — the mega-hit single kicking off this mega-selling LP that won the Grammy trophy for Album of the Year. At the cash register, "21" ranks as the best-selling album of the 2010s — incredibly lodging more than 440 non-consecutive weeks (as of late 2019) on the Billboard 200 album chart.
9. Bruce Springsteen 'Born in the U.S.A.'
Year: 1984
RIAA certification: 15X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Born in the U.S.A.," "Dancing in the Dark," "Glory Days"
Remember the cheesy MTV video for the album's lead single, "Dancing in the Dark"? Armed with Rambo muscles and doing his best Tom Jones impression, Bruce cut a rug with a then-unknown Courteney Cox. Even funnier, the bitterly ironic lyrics to "Born in the U.S.A." were lost on President Ronald Reagan, who in a 1984 campaign speech called the song "a message of hope." On second thought, maybe it is hopeful? Only "The Boss" knows for sure.
8. Alanis Morissette 'Jagged Little Pill'
Year: 1995
RIAA certification: 16X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "You Oughta Know," "Hand in My Pocket," "Ironic"
Morissette's iconic '90s' album is currently enjoying a moment. A musical inspired by "Jagged Little Pill" recently opened on Broadway. And in 2020, Alanis hits the road for a North American tour to celebrate the album's 25th anniversary. To promote both shows, Alanis teamed with "The Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon to busk on a New York City subway platform and belt out a tune you oughta know.
7. Garth Brooks 'No Fences'
Year: 1990
RIAA certification: 17X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Friends in Low Places," "The Thunder Rolls"
Like Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again," Brooks' signature song "Friends in Low Places" is one of those rare country tunes that transcends the genre. Released as the lead single from "No Fences," the barroom anthem played a major, boozy part in making this Garth's best-selling studio album ever.
6. Elton John 'Greatest Hits'
Year: 1974
RIAA certification: 17X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Rocket Man," "Bennie and the Jets," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
This list's oldest album showcases the chart-topping singles of Sir Elton's early career. On original vinyl, 8-track and cassette copies, one notable omission is the song "Candle in the Wind," which was later added to CD reissues in the 1990s.
5. Whitney Houston 'The Bodyguard' (Soundtrack)
Year: 1992
RIAA certification: 18X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "I Will Always Love You," "I'm Every Woman," "I Have Nothing"
While roughly half the album's tracks are performed by other artists, it's Houston's stellar songs that propelled this movie soundtrack into the sales stratosphere. In a single record-breaking week alone (in December 1992), the album sold 1.061-million copies.
4. Shania Twain 'Come On Over'
Year: 1997
RIAA certification: 20X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "That Don't Impress Me Much," "You're Still the One," "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"
Shania hit the lottery with her third studio disc, the best-selling album by a female solo act in history. Helping to keep the cash registers ringing, 12 of the 16 tracks were released as singles — several scoring big on both country and pop radio.
Besides playing Las Vegas and counting money, what's Shania up to lately? In late 2019, the star brought the American Music Awards crowd to its feet by performing a medley of hits, including three tunes from "Come On Over."
3. Garth Brooks 'Double Live'
Year: 1998
RIAA certification: 21X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Friends in Low Places (The Long Version)," "The Dance"
Brooks may be country, but he's no clueless bumpkin when it comes to making bank. So, naturally, the tape recorders were rolling for his marathon 1996-'98 world tour, which spawned the best-selling live album in U.S. history. Naysayers argue the 21X multi-platinum certification is misleading as the two-CD set shipped only 10.5-million copies (the RIAA counts each disc as its own, equaling 21 million), but hey, that's the way the RIAA cookie crumbles.
2. Billy Joel 'Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume 2'
Year: 1985
RIAA certification: 23X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Piano Man," "New York State of Mind," "My Life"
The Piano Man hasn't released an album of original pop/rock material since 1993, nor has he needed to when this greatest hits parade is still selling copies today. And Joel isn't shy about cashing in on his past. In a 2019 interview, he told Rolling Stone magazine, "I've gone onstage and said, 'I don’t have anything new for you, so we’re just going to play the old sh*t,' and the audience goes, 'Yeah!'"
1. Michael Jackson 'Thriller'
Year: 1982
RIAA certification: 33X multi-platinum
Songs you should know: "Thriller," "Billie Jean," "Beat It"
In an Ebony magazine interview, the "King of Pop" said that in '82 he set out to make an album on which "every song is a killer." And kill it did. Ranking all-time U.S. album sales, "Thriller" is runner-up to The Eagles' "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" (a group album rather than solo). But if we're talking global sales, Jacko's estimated 66-million copies beats Don Henley and company by a moonwalk mile.
Fun Fact: If not for "Thriller" producer Quincy Jones, the biggest-selling album in world history might've been named "Starlight." The title track's songwriter, Rod Temperton, originally submitted a demo called "Starlight," with the chorus lyric "Give me some starlight / Starlight sun." Jones suggested he change the lyric to something more macabre, and a monster album was born.