Adele already knows that she did some “pretty cool stuff” when she was 21, and she has a new stat to prove it.
This week, her album “21,” which debuted in 2011, surpassed Carole King’s 1971 “Tapestry” for time spent on the Billboard 200 by a woman, Billboard reported. “21” just completed its 319th week on the chart where King’s album spent a nonconsecutive 318 weeks.
That’s over six years. That’s over 73 months. That’s 2,233 days.
That’s a long time.
Billboard notes that while Adele’s album has appeared on the chart every week since its debut, King’s dipped out of the ranking in 1977 after 302 weeks, and reappeared in 2010. That year’s Troubadour Reunion tour reuniting King with James Taylor for performances around the world is likely a factor in her renewed popularity; “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” made its debut three years later.
Overall, Adele’s “21” is the 11th longest-charting album on the Billboard chart, seeing as the list is unsurprisingly dominated by male-led bands.
Billboard states that Pink Floyd’s 1973 “The Dark Side of the Moon” holds the top spot with 927 weeks on the chart, followed by Johnny Mathis’ 1958 “Johnny’s Greatest Hits” with 490, the 1956 “My Fair Lady” original cast recording with 480 and Bob Marley & The Wailers’ 1984 “Legend” with 463.
If “21” keeps charting, it might break some other records, too.
