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#10: “Whitney” (1987)

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Whitney Houston This iconic singer’s debut and eponymous album sold extraordinarily well, being certified 13x platinum in the United States. But she made music history with Whitney. The album debuted at #1, preceded by the #1 single “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”. This made Houston the first female artist in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200. The single was also the first of four consecutive #1 hits, followed by “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”, “So Emotional”, and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”. This set another record, as Houston became the first female artist to achieve four consecutive number one singles from the same album. The fifth single, “Love Will Save the Day”, peaked at #9, giving Whitney five top ten hits.

#9: “Legends Never Die” (2020)

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Juice Wrld This next album couldn’t be more aptly titled. Released seven months after Juice Wrld’s death, Legends Never Die received positive reviews and peaked atop the Billboard 200. It also proved an enormous success in terms of singles - and even non-single songs. “Smile”, “Life’s a Mess”, “Wishing Well”, and “Come & Go” all peaked within the top ten, with the latter two reaching the top five. Two of the albums songs - “Conversations” and “Hate the Other Side” - also managed to sneak into the Hot 100 top ten, despite not being released as singles. This is a rare feat, and spoke to the emotional impact of Jarad Higgins music, as well as his tragic passing.

#8: “Janet” (1993)

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Janet Jackson Prior to Janet’s release, Janet Jackson became the highest-paid musical act in the world, signing with Virgin Records for approximately $40 million. The investment paid off and then some, with Janet proving one of the most successful albums in the history of music. Its debut single, “That’s the Way Love Goes”, peaked at #1, as did the third single “Again”. The album also contained the top five singles “If” and “Any Time, Any Place”, and the top ten singles “You Want This” and “Because of Love”. All told, Janet contained six top ten singles, making it just one of seven albums to accomplish this feat. The album’s success solidified Janet Jackson as a solo artist, and it went on to sell over 14 million copies.

George Michael An enormous late ‘80s success, Faith spent twelve weeks at #1 and 51 weeks inside the top ten. All told, Faith moved over 20 million units, making it one of the best-selling records of all time. Albums are sold with the help of good singles, and Faith had many. In fact, it contains four number one songs, making Michael the only British male solo artist to produce four number one singles from the same album. Those singles are “Father Figure”, “One More Try”, “Monkey”, and of course the titular “Faith”, which is easily one of the most famous songs of the ‘80s. Both “Kissing a Fool” and “I Want Your Sex” also peaked within the top five, giving Faith six top five singles. The late ‘80s were dominated by the sounds of George Michael’s pop R&B.

Katy Perry You couldn’t turn on the radio in the early 2010s without hearing a song from Teenage Dream. In fact, Teenage Dream was so successful that it made Katy Perry the first female artist, and only the second artist in history, to produce five number one singles from the same album. These were “California Gurls”, “Teenage Dream”, “Firework”, “E.T.”, and “Last Friday Night”. “Firework” was the biggest seller, being certified 12x platinum in the United States. The sixth single, “The One That Got Away”, peaked at #3, missing history by just two placements. But by reaching #3, “The One That Got Away” made Teenage Dream just the seventh album in Billboard Hot 100 history to generate at least six top ten hits.

#5: “Bad” (1987)

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Michael Jackson Katy Perry was the second artist in history to produce five number one singles from the same album. Michael Jackson was the first, and he did it with Bad. Serving as the final collaboration between Jackson and producer Quincy Jones, Bad had a darker sound than its iconic predecessor, but that didn’t stop it from being successful. It was preceded by the #1 single “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and was followed by “Bad”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Man in the Mirror”, and “Dirty Diana” - all of which reached #1. The album’s seventh single, “Smooth Criminal”, reached #7, giving Bad six top ten hits. The album went on to sell 35 million copies, including 25 million in its first four years.

Drake A double album running 25 songs and 90 minutes, Scorpion received 132 million Spotify streams on its first day of release, breaking the service’s one-day record. It also debuted at #1 and has been certified 5x platinum. Scorpion produced three #1 singles in “God’s Plan”, “Nice for What”, and “In My Feelings”, with “God’s Plan” being Spotify’s most streamed song of 2018. “I’m Upset”, “Don’t Matter to Me”, “Emotionless”, and “Nonstop” also charted within the top ten (with “Nonstop peaking at #2), giving Scorpion seven top ten singles. The album would end up being Drake’s fifth number one, and fourth consecutive multi-platinum release.

Bruce Springsteen Having sold approximately 30 million copies, Born in the U.S.A. is one of the greatest-selling albums of all time and arguably Bruce Springsteen’s masterpiece. It also produced seven top ten singles. The debut single, “Dancing in the Dark”, peaked at #2 and would prove the highest-charting song from the album. “Glory Days” was the second highest at #5, and “I’m on Fire” reached #6. Rounding out the list are “Cover Me”, “Born in the U.S.A.”, “I’m Goin’ Down”, and “My Hometown”, all of which peaked within the top ten. The success of the singles resulted in Born in the U.S.A. being certified 15x platinum, and the accompanying tour grossed upwards of $90 million. #

2: “Rhythm Nation 1814” (1989)

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Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 is widely thought to be Janet Jackson’s greatest album, as it’s filled with experimental production, mixing disparate genres like industrial and swing, and socially conscious lyrics that touched on hot button topics. The attire that Jackson wore throughout this era also made her a fashion icon of the time. To this day, Rhythm Nation 1814 remains the only album in history to have produced seven top five singles. The debut single, “Miss You Much”, peaked at #1, as did “Escapade”, “Black Cat”, and “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”. Rounding out the list is “Alright”, which reached #4, and “Rhythm Nation” and “Come Back to Me”, both which peaked at #2.

#1: “Thriller” (1982)

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Michael Jackson Arguably the most important album ever made, Thriller proved a worldwide phenomenon. It spent a record 37 weeks at #1, won a record eight Grammy Awards, popularized the concept of music videos, and remains the best selling album in the world with over 66 million copies sold. And at the time, it also set the record for the most top ten singles to come from the same album. Both “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” reached the top of the charts, and “Thriller”, “The Girl Is Mine”, and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” peaked within the top five. Reaching #7 and #10 were “Human Nature” and “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”, respectively, accounting for all seven top ten singles.