By hitting No. 1 this week, KPop Demon Hunters drops off our list of albums that spent seven or more weeks in the runner-up spot without going all the way. Who remains?
Chynna Phillips, Carnie & Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips on May 3, 1990.
Rob Kinmonth/Getty Images
UPDATE (Sept. 14): The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack finally jumps to No. 1 on this week’s Billboard 200, after spending seven nonconsecutive weeks at No. 2. It ranked second behind Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem for five weeks, behind Stray Kids‘ debuting Karma for one and behind Sabrina Carpenter‘s debuting Man’s Best Friend for one.
By hitting No. 1, we can remove KPop Demon Hunters from our list of albums that spent seven or more weeks in the runner-up spot without going all the way. We did include a parenthetical disclaimer that this could happen: “(Of course, it’s possible that KPop will make it to No. 1 eventually. No one would bet against the pop-culture juggernaut at this point.)”
The list, which covers the entire history of the Billboard 200, from March 1956 to the present, is still valid — just one entry shorter. If you missed it last week, you have another chance to read it this week.
PREVIOUSLY (Sept. 8): The artists with albums that logged seven or more weeks at No. 2 without reaching No. 1 are a varied bunch, running the gamut from mellow instrumentalist Kenny G to English glam metal band Whitesnake. Our list includes debut albums by Sonny & Cher, Wilson Phillips and C&C Music Factory. There’s also a label sampler from RCA Records that featured many of its biggest stars.
The Beatles kept Sonny & Cher’s debut album from reaching No. 1; they also kept two of their own albums from the top spot. Michael Jackson never blocked one of his own albums from the No. 1 spot, but he kept albums by Stray Cats, Journey and Whitesnake from making No. 1.
Here are all the albums that have logged seven or more weeks at No. 2 without reaching No. 1. They are ranked from least to most weeks at No. 2, with ties shown in chronological order.
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Various Artists, 60 Years of Music America Loves Best (7 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: March 7, 1960
Blocked From No. 1 by: The Sound of Music original cast album (six weeks), Billy Vaughn’s Theme From a Summer Place (one week)
Notes: As the title suggests, this was a compilation of music from 1900-1960. The double-album set was released on RCA Records and included such label stalwarts as Benny Goodman, Harry Belafonte, Mario Lanza, Artie Shaw and Eddy Arnold. RCA released two more volumes in this franchise, both of which also made the top 10.
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Johnny Mathis, Portrait of Johnny (7 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: Sept. 25, 1961
Blocked From No. 1 by: Judy Garland’s Judy at Carnegie Hall (all seven weeks)
Notes: Portrait of Johnny was Mathis’ third compilation album, following Johnny’s Greatest Hits (three weeks at No. 1 in 1958) and More Johnny’s Greatest Hits (two weeks at No. 2 in 1959). With so many compilations, you might assume Mathis was veteran artist at that point. Nope: He was just 25 when Portrait of Johnny was released. The best-known song on the album is “How to Handle a Woman” from Lerner & Loewe’s score for Camelot. Mathis and Garland both received lifetime achievement awards from the Recording Academy.
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The Mamas & the Papas, The Mamas & the Papas Deliver (7 weeks)
Image Credit: Wood/Getty Images First Reached No. 2: April 8, 1967
Blocked From No. 1 by: The Monkees’ More of the Monkees (all seven weeks)
Notes: This was the Mamas & the Papas’ third studio album and nearly became their second to reach No. 1. If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears achieved the feat in 1966. Two singles from Deliver reached the top 10 on the Hot 100: a remake of The Shirelles’ 1961 smash “Dedicated to the One I Love” that climbed even higher than the original and “Creeque Alley.”
The Mamas & the Papas and The Monkees would have been surefire Grammy nominees for best new artist of 1966, but the Recording Academy dropped the category that year. Go figure.
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Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Damn the Torpedoes (7 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: Feb. 9, 1980
Blocked From No. 1 by: Pink Floyd’s The Wall (all seven weeks)
Notes: This was Petty & the Heartbreakers’ third studio album and remained their highest-charting album for more than 34 years, until Hypnotic Eye hit No. 1 in August 2014. Two singles from Damn the Torpedoes reached the top 15 on the Hot 100: “Don’t Do Me Like That” and “Refugee.” Petty & the Heartbreakers and Pink Floyd are both in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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C&C Music Factory, Gonna Make You Sweat (7 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: March 30, 1991
Blocked From No. 1 by: Mariah Carey’s Mariah Carey (all seven weeks)
Notes: C&C Music Factory’s debut album was kept out of the top spot by Carey’s debut album.Three singles from Gonna Make You Sweat made the top five on the Hot 100: “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” (which spent two weeks at No. 1), “Here We Go” and “Things That Make You Go Hmmmm…” All featured Freedom Williams.
Carey recruited C&C Music Factory’s David Cole and Robert Clivilles to work on her sophomore album, Emotions. They co-wrote and co-produced the title track, which topped the Billboard Hot 100, and “Make It Happen.”
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Peter, Paul & Mary, (Moving) (8 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: March 30, 1963
Blocked From No. 1 by: Frank Fontaine’s Songs I Sing on the Jackie Gleason Show (one week); Andy Williams’ Days of Wine and Roses (seven weeks)
Notes: This was the vocal trio’s second studio album. Their previous studio album, Peter, Paul & Mary, and their next, In the Wind, both reached No. 1. (Moving) included “Puff (The Magic Dragon),” which became the act’s first song to climb as high as No. 2 on the Hot 100. Was it a cute song for kids or a sneaky allusion to getting high? That’s up to the listener.
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Sonny & Cher, Look at Us (8 weeks)
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive First Reached No. 2: Sept. 11, 1965
Blocked From No. 1 by: The Beatles’ Help! soundtrack (all eight weeks)
Notes: This was the debut album by the duo, who made a huge impact across pop culture in both music and television. The duo received a Grammy nod for best new artist for their work on this album, which included the Hot 100-topping single “I Got You Babe.”
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The Beatles, Introducing…the Beatles (9 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: Feb. 29, 1964
Blocked From No. 1 by: The Beatles’ Meet the Beatles! (all nine weeks)
Notes: Introducing…the Beatles, released on Vee-Jay Records, was the group’s first album to be released in the U.S. Issued 10 days before their Capitol debut, Meet the Beatles!, it included four songs that made the top 10 on the Hot 100: “Love Me Do,” “P.S. I Love You,” “Do You Want to Know a Secret” and “Twist and Shout.”
In addition to holding the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for 30 total weeks in 1964, the Fab Four held the No. 2 spot for 20 total weeks. Now you know why they called it Beatlemania.
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The Beatles, Something New (9 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: Aug. 22, 1964
Blocked From No. 1 by: The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack (all nine weeks)
Notes: Something New was The Beatles’ fifth U.S. album. It included a curiosity – “Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand,” a German-language version of their breakthrough blockbuster “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”
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Journey, Frontiers (9 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: March 12, 1983
Blocked From No. 1 by: Michael Jackson’s Thriller (all nine weeks)
Notes: This was Journey’s eighth studio album. It spawned two top 15 hits on the Hot 100, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and “Faithfully.” The band’s previous studio album, Escape, hit No. 1. Journey and Jackson are both in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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Whitesnake, Whitesnake (10 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: June 13, 1987
Blocked From No. 1 by: U2’s The Joshua Tree (two weeks), Whitney Houston’s Whitney (three weeks), Michael Jackson’s Bad (five weeks)
Notes: This was Whitesnake’s seventh studio album. “Here I Go Again” reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. “Is This Love” nearly equaled that feat, peaking at No. 2. All three of the albums that kept Whitesnake out of the No. 1 spot received Grammy nominations for album of the year. U2 won.
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Wilson Phillips, Wilson Phillips (10 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: Aug. 4, 1990
Blocked From No. 1 by: M.C. Hammer’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ’Em (all 10 weeks)
Notes: This was Wilson Phillips’ debut album. Both their album and M.C. Hammer’s album received Grammy nods for album of the year. Wilson Phillips received four Grammy nods over a two-year period, including best new artist. Their debut album spawned three No. 1 Hot 100 hits: “Hold On,” “Release Me” and “You’re in Love.”
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Kenny G, Breathless (11 weeks)
Image Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images First Reached No. 2: Jan. 30, 1993
Blocked From No. 1 by: Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard soundtrack (all 11 weeks)
Notes: This was Kenny G’s sixth studio album. The album spawned two top 30 hits on the Hot 100: “Forever in Love” and “By the Time This Night Is Over” (featuring Peabo Bryson). “Even If My Heart Would Break” (with Aaron Neville) appeared on both the Kenny G and Houston albums. The saxophonist reached No. 1 with his very next album, Miracles – The Holiday Album.
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Stray Cats, Built for Speed (15 weeks)
First Reached No. 2: Nov. 27, 1982
Blocked From No. 1 by: Men at Work’s Business as Usual (13 weeks); Michael Jackson’s Thriller (two weeks)
Notes: This compilation album, drawn from the band’s first two U.K. albums, was the band’s first U.S. album release. Two songs from the album reached the top 10 on the Hot 100: “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut.” Stray Cats and Men at Work both received Grammy nods for best new artist at the 1983 ceremony. Men at Work won.
