14.09.2020 – L.dK Weekly

TAYLOR SWIFT CROWNS TOP 50 FOR SEVENTH WEEK!

AS FOLKLORE PASSES 1 MILLION SALES, DECLAN MCKENNA’S ZEROS LANDS AT NO.6.

Taylor Swift’s folklore nabs a seventh consecutive week atop the L.dK Top 50, becoming the year’s second longest running number one record, as it also becomes the sixth album of 2020 to surpass 1 million copies sold.

With 133,000 sold this week (up 5 percent) folklore’s total sales figure rises to 1.014 million after just seven weeks on sale.

Seven Weeks at No.1: folklore is just the third album in history to spend its first seven weeks at No.1 on L.dK Weekly, as it joins Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia which ruled for its first eight weeks, and Lana Del Rey’s Norman Fucking Rockwell! which debuted at No.1 and held there for fourteen consecutive weeks (a number it has since upped to a record-breaking 17 weeks).

Sixth Album of 2020 to sell 1 million: With total sales of 1.014 million copies, folklore is currently the sixth bestselling album of 2020, and the sixth to sell more than 1 million copies since January. This marks the most million-selling albums in a calendar year since 2019, which also saw six albums hit the milestone (Del Rey’s Norman Fucking Rockwell! is included in both lists).

Carole King’s A Beautiful Collection bullets at No.2 with 56,000 sold (up 16 percent), earning a seventh week in second place; it now trails Alanis Morissette’s The Collection record for the most weeks in the runner-up position by just one week.

Lana Del Rey hits a new peak this week with Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass as it shoots 5-3 (44,000 – up 7 percent), passing its prior peak of No.4. Del Rey’s Norman Fucking Rockwell! simultaneously lifts 8-7 (30,000 – up 11 percent) in its record-extending 53rd week in the Top Ten!

Back in the Top Five: Troye Sivan sits for a second week at No.4 with his No.2 peaking In a Dream EP (38,000 – down 11 percent), and Alanis Morisette’s The Collection ascends 6-5 (36,000 – down 8 percent) nabbing a 19th week in the Top Five. The longest-running Top Five albums ever are as follows:

1. Norman Fucking Rockwell! , Lana Del Rey – 33 weeks
2. A Star is Born , Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – 31 weeks
3. Lust for Life , Lana Del Rey – 28 weeks
4. Rumours , Fleetwood Mac – 26 weeks
5. 25 , Adele – 21 weeks
6. Crystal Visions , Stevie Nicks – 19 weeks
7. The Collection , Alanis Morissette – 19 weeks
8. Sweetener , Ariana Grande – 18 weeks
9. Medusa , Annie Lennox – 18 weeks
10. Love + Fear , MARINA – 18 weeks

Bowing at No.6 this week, Declan McKenna earns his first Top Ten hit with Zeros, arriving with 32,000 units.

Bouncing back into the Top Ten for the first time this year: Kate Bush’s The Whole Story rushing 14-8 with 24,000 units (up 41 percent). The compilation album has now spent a total of 12 weeks in the Top Ten, of its 62-week chart tenure. Story peaked at No.4 in 2018 and has since been certified 2 x Platinum.

Capping the Top Ten: Lady Gaga’s Chromatica holds at No.9 (23,000 – down 8 percent) as Dua Lipa slides 7-10 with Future Nostalgia (22,000 – down 18 percent).

Industry Sales: This week, industry sales fell by 4.5 percent to 739,000 albums sold overall.

Onto Next Week: With no releases forecast for the coming week, Taylor Swift should be clear to nab an eighth week at the top spot with folklore.

Notable Moves in the Top 50

No.25 – The Lion King: The Gift / Beyonce’s Lion-King-inspired album falls 24-25 this week (7,000) after hitting No.8 earlier this year. Gift passes 100,000 sold this week, becoming Beyonce’s third album to be certified Gold following 2013’s Beyonce (Gold) and 2016’s Lemonade (Platinum).

No.26 – Bella Donna / Stevie Nicks’ 1981 debut solo project makes history this week as it becomes the first album ever to rack up a whole 104 weeks (2 years) on the L.dK Top 50! This week it lifts 28-26 with sales of 7,000 copies. Bella Donna has moved 1.3 million units to date, and as of 2020’s Mid-Year Chart, ranked as one of the year’s Top 40 biggest records.

No.35 – In Isolation / Elle King’s EP released back in July to a No.13 debut on the Top 50, beneath King’s two full-length studio albums which reached No.1 (Love Stuff in 2017) and No.2 (Shake the Spirit in 2018). This week the EP recovers two spots to No.35 (5,000) and earns a Silver certification (60,000). The previously mentioned Love and Shake have been certified Platinum and 2 x Platinum respectively.

No.37 – Smile / In the wake of its No.3 debut last week, Katy Perry’s fifth studio record Smile plummets to No.37, recording an 89 percent sales drop off, moving just 5,000 units compared to 46,000 in its opening week. Smile marks the largest drop in Top 50 history to date, sliding 34 positions in a single week.

No.50 – 21 / Adele’s 21 – originally released before the inception of L.dk Weekly – slips 49-50 this week with 1,000 units. The sophomore set is now Adele’s second release to be certified Platinum (denoting sales of 300,000 units). Impressively, Adele has yet to release an album since the launch of the L.dK Top 50, yet her three records (19, 21 & 25) have moved in excess of 1.9 million copies, led by 25 on sales of 1.41 million. All three albums have received sales certifications: 19 (Gold), 21 (Platinum) and 25 (4 x Platinum) likewise all rank among the Top 50 longest-charting albums of all time on L.dk. 25 sits at No.3 on 90 weeks, 21 is at No.30 with 45 frames, and 19 sneaks in at No.50 having racked up 31 turns on the chart.

The Top 50

1. [=/7] folklore – Taylor Swift (7)
2. [=/7] A Beautiful Collection – Carole King (12)
3. [+2] Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass – Lana Del Rey (7)
4. [=] In a Dream – Troye Sivan (3)
5. [+1] The Collection – Alanis Morissette (22)
6. [NEW] Zeros – Declan McKenna (1)
7. [+1] Norman Fucking Rockwell! – Lana Del Rey (54)
8. [+6] The Whole Story – Kate Bush (62)
9. [=] Chromatica – Lady Gaga (14)
10. [-3] Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa (24)
11. [+5] Timespace: the Best of Stevie Nicks – Stevie Nicks (40)
12. [+3] Fine Line – Harry Styles (39)
13. [-3] Petals for Armor – Hayley Williams (18)
14. [+4] Ungodly Hour – Chloe x Halle (13)
15. [+2] Such Pretty Forks in the Road – Alanis Morissette (6)
16. [-4] What’s Your Pleasure? – Jessie Ware (11)
17. [-4] Brightest Blue – Ellie Goulding (8)
18. [+5] Fetch the Bolt Cutters – Fiona Apple (20)
19. [=] True Colors – Cyndi Lauper (11)
20. [-9] BADLANDS: Live at Webster Hall – Halsey (2)
21. [+1] Diva – Annie Lennox (84)
22. [-1] She’s so Unusual – Cyndi Lauper (66)
23. [-3] After Hours – The Weeknd (25)
24. [+1] Medusa – Annie Lennox (58)
25. [-1] The Lion King: the Gift – Beyonce (6)
26. [+2] Bella Donna – Stevie Nicks (104)
27. [+6] Little Earthquakes – Tori Amos (39)
28. [+6] 25 – Adele (90)
29. [+7] Sweetener – Ariana Grande (86)
30. [-4] Shake the Spirit – Elle King (38)
31. [+1] Glasshouse – Jessie Ware (78)
32. [-5] A Star is Born – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper (79)
33. [-2] Greatest Hits – Fleetwood Mac (42)
34. [+1] Back to Black – Amy Winehouse (68)
35. [+2] In Isolation – Elle King (9)
36. [+2] Heart – HEART (28)
37. [-34] Smile – Katy Perry (2)
38. [-9] Bloom – Troye Sivan (51)
39. [+2] Dancing Queen – Cher (77)
40. [-1] K Bye for Now – Ariana Grande (33)
41. [-1] Map of the Soul: 7 – BTS (29)
42. [+3] Love Stuff – Elle King (30)
43. [-1] Tusk – Fleetwood Mac (18)
44. [-1] Love + Fear – MARINA (47)
45. [+5] Bad Animals – HEART (62)
46. [-2] Dedicated Side B – Carly Rae Jepsen (17)
47. [-1] Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (91)
48. [-1] How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – Florence + the Machine (33)
49. [re] Rock a Little – Stevie Nicks (68)
50. [-1] 21 – Adele (45)