Looking back at rare records on the Billboard charts

For more than six decades, the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts have been considered the measure of global music power.

To date, world music history has recorded nine artists achieving that rare feat.

Topping a Billboard chart is an honor, but to simultaneously dominate both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 for multiple consecutive weeks, especially six weeks or more, is a feat reserved for the legends of the world music scene.

Artists who have 'dominated' the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 at the same time

The two artists holding the absolute record are The Beatles and Whitney Houston, who both spent 12 consecutive weeks at the top of both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, an achievement that has not been surpassed in over 60 years.

During that period, America almost "surrendered" to the pop wave coming from England, and the four Liverpool boys officially opened a new era for popular music.

In 1964, amid the "Beatlemania" fever that swept across America, The Beatles became a global cultural phenomenon.

The songs I Want to Hold Your Hand , She Loves You and Can't Buy Me Love took turns topping the Hot 100.

While the albums Meet the Beatles! and The Beatles' Second Album simultaneously topped the Billboard 200.

Nearly three decades later, Whitney Houston recreated the same feat, but with a more emotional melody.

In late 1992, the legendary ballad I Will Always Love You , the theme song from the movie The Bodyguard , became a global phenomenon, helping the soundtrack album of the same name dominate the Billboard 200 for 20 weeks, including 12 weeks coinciding with the song's time at #1 on the Hot 100.

It was not only a commercial milestone, but also a moment that marked the "golden voice" of Whitney Houston - Photo: The Guardian

Right behind were the Bee Gees with 8 weeks of "monopoly" in 1978 thanks to the legendary disco song Night Fever and the album Saturday Night Fever .

The disco craze spread globally, from New York dance floors to London, turning the Bee Gees into pop culture icons and helping make the soundtrack one of the best-selling albums in history.

Bee Gees - Photo: REX FEATURES

In the group that held the #1 spot for seven consecutive weeks, there were artists from different eras: The Monkees, Michael Jackson, and Drake.

In 1966-1967, The Monkees, a group created from a television show, suddenly stepped into real life with the success of I'm a Believer , making them the pioneer "boy band" in American pop history.

The Monkees - Photo: Getty Images.

By 1983, Michael Jackson with Billie Jean and the album Thriller took pop music to unprecedented heights.

The album Thriller not only topped the Billboard 200 but also became the best-selling album of all time, cementing his position as the "king of pop" - Photo: rollingstone

Three decades later, Drake continued his legendary streak with One Dance and the album Views (2016), proving that the streaming era can still create records equivalent to the golden age of physical discs - Photo: REX

The other three cases to top two charts simultaneously for six consecutive weeks are The Police with Every Breath You Take (1983), 50 Cent with Candy Shop (2005) and Adele with Hello (2015 - 2016)

Each comes from a different genre of music, from new wave, hip hop to soul pop, but they all have one thing in common: they have a global hit with a hugely successful album, enough to "lock down" the top two spots on Billboard for more than a month and a half.

From The Police's Synchronicity , 50 Cent's The Massacre to Adele's 25 , they all reflect the rare power of an artist when their work reaches the public on a global scale.

It's not just a personal achievement, but also a milestone that reflects the change of the times from cassette tapes, CDs to digital platforms.

To date, no 21st-century artist has surpassed the seven-week mark of simultaneously holding the top spot on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200.

In an age of music governed by algorithms, short-term trends, and platform fragmentation, it's increasingly rare for a song and an album to have such overwhelming impact.

MAI NGUYET

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhin-lai-nhung-ky-luc-hiem-hoi-tren-bang-xep-hang-billboard-20251023103000043.htm