Morgan Wallen’s ‘One Thing at a Time’ Rules Billboard 200 for Ninth Week
Written by djfrosty on May 8, 2023
Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time continues to lead the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated May 13) for a ninth consecutive, and total, week on top. The set earned 138,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending May 4 (down 8%), according to Luminate. The album bowed at No. 1 on the chart dated March 18 and has yet to depart the top slot.
The last album to spend nine weeks in a row at No. 1 was Wallen’s last release, Dangerous: The Double Album, which spent its first 10 weeks at No. 1 (its total run atop the list), from the Jan. 23-March 27, 2021-dated charts.
Meanwhile, thanks to extended runs at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in recent months by both One Thing at a Time and SZA’s SOS, there have only been four No. 1 albums in the 21 weeks since the Dec. 24, 2022-dated list.
For the seven weeks from the Dec. 24, 2022, through Feb. 4 charts, SOS was No. 1. Then, on the Feb. 11, 2023 chart, TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s The Name Chapter: Temptation debuted at No. 1 and spent one week on top. SOS returned to No. 1 for three weeks (Feb. 18-March 3) and then Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito debuted at No. 1 and spent one week in the lead (March 11). From March 18 onwards, One Thing at a Time has been No. 1.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, SEVENTEEN, Eslabon Armado and Jack Harlow all see their latest releases debut.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new May 13, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on May 9. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of One Thing at a Time’s 138,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 13, SEA units comprise 130,000 (down 8%, equaling 174.18 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 5,500 (down 7%) and TEA units comprise 2,500 (down 10%).
SEVENTEEN notches its highest charting album yet on the Billboard 200, as 10th Mini Album FML debuts at No. 2. It’s the third top 10, all earned consecutively, for the 13-member Korean pop ensemble. The set bows with 135,000 equivalent album units earned, of which album sales comprise 132,000 (it’s the top-selling album of the week, with the fourth-largest sales week of 2023), SEA units comprise 3,000 (equaling 4.36 million on-demand official streams of the set’s six tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of FML was issued in collectible CD packages (14 total, including exclusives for Barnes & Noble, Target and the Weverse webstore), each containing a standard set of items and randomized elements (postcards, mini posters, bookmarks and stickers). It was also available as a standard digital download album, as well as via 17 digital download variants that were sold exclusively through the act’s official webstore, each with alternate cover art. Four of them have two bonus tracks — one instrumental track and a voice memo from certain group members — that are different on each album. The remaining 13 alternate digital albums all have the album’s standard tracklist, just with a different cover (one for each of the group members). Of FML’s first-week album sales, 98% were CDs, while the remaining 2% were digital album downloads. The set was not available in any other retail format (such as vinyl or cassette).
Taylor Swift’s chart-topping Midnights rises 4-3 on the Billboard 200 with 57,000 equivalent album units (though down 7%), while SOS climbs 6-4 (56,000; down 5%) and Dangerous skips 7-5 (47,000; down 2%).
Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado debuts at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest charting regional Mexican album ever on the list. It’s only the second regional Mexican set to reach the top 10, following the act’s No. 9 debut and peak of Nostalgia on the May 21, 2022-dated list. (Regional Mexican albums are defined as those that are eligible for, or have charted on, Billboard’s Regional Mexican Albums chart.)
Desvelado bows with 44,000 equivalent album units earned, with 43,500 of that sum in SEA units (equaling 63.51 million on-demand streams of the set’s 16 tracks) and album sales and TEA units comprise the remaining 500 units.
The album contains the hit single “Ella Baila Sola,” a co-billed collaboration with Peso Pluma, which ranked at No. 4 on the most recently published all-genre Billboard Hot 100 songs chart (dated May 6). The track — which initially garnered notoriety because of its popularity on TikTok — marks the first regional Mexican song to reach the top 10 on the Hot 100.
Luke Combs’ Gettin’ Old bumps 8-7 on the Billboard 200 with 37,000 equivalent album units earned (down 5%).
Jack Harlow achieves his third top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 albums chart as Jackman. enters at No. 8. The set starts with 35,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 33,500 (equaling 43.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 10 tracks), album sales comprise 1,500 and TEA units comprise 500.
Jackman. was released with little warning, as it was announced on April 25, just before its April 28 release.
Two former No. 1s round out the top 10 on the new Billboard 200, as Metro Boomin’ Heroes & Villains is a non-mover at No. 9 (34,500 units; down 6%) and Swift’s Lover is stationary at No. 10 (just over 34,000; down 5%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.