U2 broke records today as they achieved their 8th #1 album in the USA, with Songs of experience selling over 180,000 copies in its first week of release. U2 becomes the first group to record number one albums in four separate decades, as they tied Madonna and Kenny Chesney for 8th place in the list of artists with most number one albums in the USA. They also recorded the largest selling week by a rock artist in 2017. It’s U2’s first traditional release since 2009’s No line on the horizon, which sold 480,000 copies in its first week.
U2 has hit #1 on the Billboard album charts with:
The Joshua tree (1987)
Rattle and hum (1988)
Achtung, Baby (1991)
Zooropa (1993)
POP (1997)
How to dismantle an atomic bomb (2004)
No line on the horizon (2009)
Songs of experience (2017)
A handful of U2 albums missed the top spot. 2000’s All that you can’t leave behind peaked at #3 in the USA, and 2014’s Songs of innocence was ineligible for charting on week one due to its release method. It eventually peaked at #9. Their two main compilation albums, Best of 1980-1990 and Best of 1990-2000 reached #2 and #3 respectively.
Meanwhile, around the world, other chart performances are coming in, and the results are mixed.
Ireland: U2 records a record-extending 12th number 1 album since the charts were reconstituted in the late 1980’s.
Netherlands: U2 has recorded their 12th #1 album.
Belgium: #1
Brazil: #1 (Digital only album chart)
Sweden: #2
Germany: #2
Mexico: #5
UK: #5
Australia: #5
New Zealand: #9
Chart data is not yet available in many of the other markets in which U2 would be expected to chart, including Canada, Argentina, South Africa, Spain and France.
