Ten Movie Soundtracks that Spent Months at Number One

Last week was a big one for movie soundtracks. With its blockbuster film taking the world by storm this weekend, the ‘Black Panther’ soundtrack has been breaking records of its own. Set to hit the number one spot on the Billboard 200 this week, it will become the second soundtrack to take that spot so far this year. According to Billboard, the album’s 154,000 equivalent album sales also give it the best opening week for a soundtrack since 2016. The soundtrack’s number one placement also means that there will be three soundtracks in the top five this week (‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ come in at 3 and 5, respectively), only the second time this has happened in the last 10 years and tenth time in the last 50.

Movie soundtracks have always been an important part of musical culture, with many topping the charts in the same way one expects a band or solo album to do.  Sometimes these albums exceed expectations, leading to some pretty long stays on the chart.

Inspired by this week’s chart news, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at movie soundtracks that have had long stays atop the Billboard 200. Here are 10 that became just as iconic on the charts as their film counterparts.

1.       ‘Saturday Night Fever’: One of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ spent a total of 24 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 45 million copies. Featuring some of the Bee Gees’ most beloved disco-period hits, including “Stayin’ Alive,” “Night Fever” and “How Deep is Your Love,” the album was not only a soundtrack for the film, but also for the disco genre that was becoming popular at the time.

2.       ‘The Bodyguard’: With Whitney Houston at the top of her popularity in 1992, it’s no surprise that ‘The Bodyguard’ did well both in theaters and on the charts. The film’s soundtrack stayed at number one for 20 weeks and housed some of Houston’s biggest hits, including “I Have Nothing,” “I’m Every Woman” and her cover of “I Will Always Love You.” It also remains one of the best-selling albums of all time as well, moving more than 42 million units.

3.       ‘Frozen’: Disney had a huge hit on their hands when the studio released the computer animated film ‘Frozen’ in 2013. But it wasn’t only the film that was popular. “Let It Go” became one of the biggest songs of the year as well, picking up both Grammys and Oscars and making film star Idina Menzel becoming the first person with a Tony to have a top 10 pop hit. The popularity of the song led it’s soundtrack to top the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks.

4.       ‘Titanic’: The biggest film of 1998, ‘Titanic’ did everything but sink at theaters, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. Its soundtrack didn’t slouch either. Anchored by the mega-hit “My Heart Will Go On,” the only vocal track on the album, the ‘Titanic’ soundtrack spent 16 weeks on the Billboard 200 and launched the career of Celine Dion.

5.       ‘The Lion King’: Disney has had a long history of best-selling soundtracks accompanying their films. Back in the 1990s, the studio released several soundtracks featuring popular artists that did very well. That especially went for ‘The Lion King.’ The songwriting team of Elton John and Tim Rice worked on the album, which produced two hits for John, including “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Circle of Life.” With that kind of star-power, the soundtrack spent 10 weeks at the top spot on the Billboard 200.

6.       ‘Dirty Dancing’: ‘Dirty Dancing’ produced several hits upon its release in 1987, including Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes,” Patrick Swayze’s “She’s Like the Wind” and “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, which soundtracked the penultimate scene where Swayze lifts Jennifer Grey above his head. “The Time of My Life” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Adult Contemporary charts, leading the soundtrack itself to spend time atop the Billboard 200. It stayed there for 18 weeks.

7.        ‘Purple Rain’: In 1984, Prince released his first movie, ‘Purple Rain,’ to praise from both fans and critics alike. The only thing more popular than the film was its soundtrack. More of a Prince album than a soundtrack, the album featured nine new Prince originals that included the hits “Purple Rain,” “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy.” The album hit number one on the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks (tying ‘Saturday Night Fever’) and becoming Prince’s only album to achieve Diamond certification (more than 10 Million units sold).

8.       ‘Blue Hawaii’: Elvis Presley released several film and soundtrack pairs. And while many of these produced hits for him, none was more successful on the charts than ‘Blue Hawaii.’ The film’s soundtrack spent 20 weeks at number one and led to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Rock-A-Hula Baby” becoming big hits.

9.       ‘Mary Poppins’: An early live-action hit for Disney, 1965’s ‘Mary Poppins’ was a wildly popular vehicle for stars Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, earning the former a Best Actress Oscar. The film’s soundtrack did well too. Featuring several songs that have become standards in the musical lexicon, including “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” the album earned Oscars for Best Original Music Score and Best Song. That’s not to mention its popularity with fans young and old, which got the album to number one on the Billboard 200 and kept it there for 14 weeks.

10.   ‘West Side Story’: Not only did the ‘West Side Story’ soundtrack reach number one, but it broke all the records when it did. Upon release in 1961, the album spent 54 weeks in the top spot, a record that has not been broken by any album, soundtrack or not.

There are many cases where a film’s soundtrack will do just as well on the charts as its corresponding film does in the theaters. The above soundtracks have been able to stay on the charts longer than most solo or band albums. While the continued chart success of ‘Black Panther: The Album’ remains to be seen, its current place on the Billboard 200 proves that soundtracks remain an important part of music culture.

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Find many of these high-charting soundtracks and more amazing titles at Vinyl Bay 777. Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop has thousands to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.