Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Press

Pink Floyd‘s The Dark Side of the Moon has set a new record.

Re-entering the US charts 47 years after its release, The Dark Side of the Moon has become the first album to spend 950 weeks in the Billboard 200.

While stopping considerably short of the No. 1 place the album occupied on April 21, 1973, The Dark Side of the Moon currently sits at No. 193.

First arriving in March 1973, The Dark Side of the Moon spent 724 consecutive weeks in the Top 200 before dropping off of them on April 30, 1988.

Climbing into the charts sporadically throughout the following years, the album has clocked up more than 200 additional weeks.

By way of comparison, the second-longest charting album, Bob Marley‘s greatest hits compilation Legend sits at 625 weeks.

Though it is not uncommon for an older album to re-enter the charts, the exact reason for The Dark Side of the Moon‘s re-entry is unknown.

One possible explanation is that with a lack of new album releases and live performances due to coronavirus pandemic, consistent streaming of the older classic has pushed it back into the Top 200.

Released just over 47 years ago by a band which has not performed live since 2005, Pink Floyd’s 8th album continues to grow in popularity.

In 2019 Neilson statistics revealed the album was the second highest-selling vinyl record of the decade, moving more than 376,000 units.

(It was also the second highest-selling vinyl of the year, shifting 92,000 units in 2019 alone.)

In 2004 biography Inside Out Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason speculated on the factors giving rise to The Dark Side of the Moon‘s continual success, suggesting that strong songwriting, timeless themes, solid musicianship, state of the art production, and eye-catching cover all contributed to the album’s longevity.

“And last,” he also noted, “but possibly not the least, one music critic commented that it was a great album to make love to.”