Metallica’s Black Album Has Now Spent 500 Weeks on the Billboard 200

Who the hell just bought Metallica’s 1991 eponymous release? A lot of people: The Black Album still sells 5,000 copies a week, and was the first release of the Nielsen SoundScan era to sell sixteen million copies (actually, it’s now closer to seventeen million). Now, Billboard reports, the record has reached another milestone:

“— Metallica, Metallica – No. 137 — Metallica’s self-titled 1991 album (often referred to as The Black Album, due to its stark, black album cover) scores its 500th nonconsecutive week on the Billboard 200 chart. It is now one of only four albums with 500 weeks or more on the tally.

“Among all albums — since the chart began publishing on a regular weekly basis in 1956 — Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ holds the record for the most weeks on the chart: 937. It’s followed by Bob Marley and The Wailers’ ‘Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ (539), Journey’s ‘Greatest Hits’ (539) and Metallica’s ‘Metallica’ (500).”

On the one hand, this seems totally fucking bonkers. On the other hand, The Black Album is catchy as fuqqqqqqqq from start to finish; there’s not a bad song on it. If any metal album is going to appear in this very elite club, it makes sense, and is not infuriating, that it’s Metallica’s Metallica. Really, we should all just thank Dio that it’s not a Disturbed album.