Music legends come and go, but Bob Dylan is forever. With his "Rough and Rowdy Ways" debuting at No. 2, he is the first artist to post at least one top 40 albums in each decade starting from the 1960s.
Bob Dylan, "The Voice of a Generation" pictured here in the Azkena Rock Festival, has recently posted a new record in music history. He is now the only artist to have at least one album break through the Billboard 200's Top 40 for seven decades now, starting in the 1960s.
According to reports by Billboard, Dylan has been putting out at least one album that has entered the Billboard 200's Top 40 since 1960. His 2020 album, "Rough Rowdy Ways," marks the seventh decade since then. From the recent Nielsen Music/ MRC Data, Bob Dylan's latest album has 53,000 equivalent album sales in the United States alone, for the week ending last Thursday, June 25.
Bob Dylan's Charting History
Before "Rough," his last album to enjoy a similar chart performance was 2012's "Tempest." From the previous decade, 2009s "Together Through Life" debuted right at the top of the May edition of the Billboard 200. "Rough and Rowdy Ways," Bob Dylan's 39th studio album, is also his 50th Top 40 charting album. It is also his 23rd album to break into the Top 10 album.
Bob Dylan first entered the US album charts 57 years ago with his second album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan." It debuted in September 1963 at No. 125, peaking at No. 22 a month later. His fifth album, "Bringing It All Back Home," was his first Top 10 entry in October 1965.
All in all, "The Voice of a Generation" has released eight Top 40 albums in the 1960s and fourteen in the 70s. He would continue with seven in the 80s, four in the 90s, seven in the 2000s, and nine in the last decade.
Bob Dylan would have a string of chart-topping albums in the 1970s. He earned his first No. 1 album, "Planet Waves," which peaked in February 1974. It was followed by "Blood on the Tracks" (March 1975) and "Desire" (February 1976).
Rough and Rowdy Ways
Bob Dylan's latest album, "Rough and Rowdy Ways," was released earlier this month. It was preceded and supported by surprise-released singles. Last March, Dylan released the 17-minute epic "Murder Most Foul." The lengthy single narrates the infamous assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
It has uncanny references such as "Play me that 'Only the Good Die Young.'" While the song refers to a 1977 song by Billy Joel, it also points out that JFK is the youngest US President to die in office. He was only 46 on the day of the assassination.
Three weeks later, on April 17, Dylan returned without warning as he released his second track, "I Contain Multitudes." His shorter ballad, clocking at 4:38, compares himself to a variety of historical and musical references. The song includes nods to Edgar Allan Poe, Anne Frank, Indiana Jones, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones.
Bob Dylan announced his new album together with the release of his third single, "False Prophet." He posted the cover art for his latest single on his Twitter and posted the track on his YouTube channel.
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