Drake’s ‘For All the Dogs’ Back at No. 1 on Billboard 200 After ‘Scary Hours’ Deluxe Release
Written by djfrosty on November 26, 2023
Drake’s For All the Dogs jumps back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated Dec. 2), for a second week atop the list, rising 4-1 with 145,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 23 (up 102%), according to Luminate. Nearly all of its units were driven by streaming activity. The album’s return to the top is fueled largely by its deluxe reissue on Nov. 17 with six new songs, dubbed For All the Dogs Scary Hours Edition. All versions of the album are combined for tracking and charting purposes.
For All the Dogs debuted atop the chart dated Oct. 21.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Dolly Parton achieves her highest-charting album ever — and third top 10 — as Rockstar opens at No. 3, while ENHYPEN logs its third top 10 with the No. 4 arrival of Orange Blood.
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 Dec. 2, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Nov. 28). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of For All the Dogs’ 145,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Nov. 23, SEA units comprise 141,500 (up 99%, equaling 190.23 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 29 tracks, inclusive of its six added songs), album sales comprise 2,000 (up 884%) and TEA units comprise 1,500 (up 456%).
Taylor Swift’s chart-topping 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is a non-mover at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, earning 138,000 equivalent album units (down 14%).
Parton’s Rockstar makes a splashy debut at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, scoring the legend her highest-charting album ever and her third top 10. She previously visited the region with Blue Smoke (No. 6 in 2014) and Trio (her collaborative set with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris; No. 6 in 1987).
Rockstar launches with 128,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Nov. 23. Of that sum, album sales comprise 118,500, SEA units comprise 8,000 and TEA units comprise 1,500. The arrival marks Parton’s biggest week, by units earned, since the chart began measuring by units in December 2014. Further, with 118,500 copies sold, Parton achieves her biggest sales week for an album in the modern era, since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991. She more than doubles her previous biggest week, notched in 1993 when Slow Dancing With the Moon sold 50,500 copies in its second week on the chart (rising 54-19 on the March 20, 1993-dated list).
The star-studded Rockstar was promoted as Parton’s first rock album (she’s primarily released country music in her nearly 60-year career), and its recording was sparked by Parton’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. The 30-song set has a mix of original songs and covers, and boasts a cavalcade of guest stars — 40 in all. Among them are Pat Benatar, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton, Ringo Starr, Sting and Steven Tyler.
Rockstar’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across a variety of editions and formats, in addition to some non-traditional music retailers including Cracker Barrel, Dollar General and HSN. The album’s CD edition was available in four editions — a standard version and three variants, each with alternative cover art: for HSN, with three bonus tracks; a Dallas Cowboys version, and a Tennessee Volunteers edition with a bonus track. The latter two were tied to a pair of high-profile live TV performances from Parton: during the Georgia Bulldogs vs. Tennessee Volunteers football game on Nov. 19, and during halftime of the Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys football game on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23).
Rockstar was pressed on more than 10 vinyl variants, including exclusive editions (all in different colors, some with different cover art) for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, independent record stores, Parton’s webstore, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame store, Target and Walmart. Parton’s webstore also carried a deluxe digital download version of the album with three exclusive bonus tracks. Rockstar was also offered in multiple deluxe boxed sets, sold through Parton’s webstore, containing either a vinyl or CD version of the album with a branded T-shirt of various designs.
ENHYPEN nabs its third top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as Orange Blood bows at No. 4 with 90,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 87,000, SEA units comprise 3,000 (equaling 4.68 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The Korean pop ensemble previously hit the top 10 with Dark Blood (No. 4, in June) and Manifesto: Day 1 (No. 6, 2022). Nearly all of Orange Blood’s first-week activity was generated by CD sales (86,000), enhanced by the album’s availability across a dozen collectible CD packages (including exclusive versions sold by Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart; all with branded merchandise inside, some with randomized elements).
The top 10 of the Billboard 200 is rounded out by six former No. 1s, as Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time is steady at No. 5 (68,000 equivalent album units earned; down less than 1%); Swift’s Midnights rises 7-6 (56,000; up 9%); Stray Kids’ ROCK-STAR falls 1-7 in its second week (51,000; down 77%); Swift’s Lover bolts 14-8 (nearly 51,000; up 16%); Swift’s Folklore climbs 18-9 (45,000; up 22%); and SZA’s SOS bumps 12-10 (44,000; up less than 1%). (Many albums on the chart, including Swift’s Midnights, Lover and Folklore, see sizable sales gains owed to holiday shopping promotions and early Black Friday campaigns that kicked in during the tracking week.)
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.