The discography of Rufus Wainwright, a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, consists of eleven studio albums, seven live albums, three compilations, three extended plays (EPs), three video albums, twenty-two singles, and nine music videos. Wainwright's self-titled debut album was released through DreamWorks Records in May 1998. Wainwright reached number 24 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart, and Rolling Stone named him 1998's Best New Artist. Wainwright's second album, Poses, was released through the same label in June 2001, resulting in a number one on the Heatseekers Chart and number 117 on the Billboard 200. With material recorded from the same session, Want One was released through DreamWorks in September 2003, and Want Two was released through Geffen Records in November 2004.
Wainwright's first EP, Waiting for a Want, was released through DreamWorks in June 2004, previewing songs that later appear on Want Two. His first music DVD, Live at the Fillmore, accompanied Want Two and features live concert footage from a March 2004 performance at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California. Wainwright's second EP, Alright, Already: Live in Montréal, was released by Geffen via iTunes in the United States and Canada on March 15, 2005. All I Want, released through Geffen in April 2005, contains various pieces of work, including a documentary (A Portrait of Rufus Wainwright), live performances, and music videos. Want, a repackaging of Want One and Want Two as one album, was released through DreamWorks/Geffen in November 2005, and contains two extra tracks.
Release the Stars, Wainwright's self-produced fifth studio album, was released through Geffen in May 2007. His most successful album to date, Release the Stars charted in 12 countries and was certified gold in both the United Kingdom and Canada. To promote the album, Tiergarten was distributed digitally and in limited vinyl format as Wainwright's third EP. Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall became Wainwright's sixth album, a live recording released through Geffen in December 2007. The album earned Wainwright his first Grammy Award nomination, the 2009 award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Coinciding with the album, Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live from the London Palladium is a DVD release of Wainwright's tribute concert to Judy Garland recorded in London in February 2007. Wainwright's August 27, 2007, performance at Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was released in September 2009 as a live CD and video album titled Milwaukee at Last!!!. Wainwright's sixth studio album, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, was first released in Canada through Decca on March 23, 2010. House of Rufus, a career-spanning box set, was released on July 18, 2011. Wainwright's seventh studio album, Out of the Game was released in May 2012. In 2014, Wainwright released the compilation album Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright and live album Rufus Wainwright: Live from the Artists Den.
Albums Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications(sales thresholds) US AUT BEL CAN DEN FRA GER NLD NOR UK Rufus WainwrightReleased: May 19, 1998 Label: DreamWorks Formats: CD, LP — — — — — — — — — 171BPI: Silver PosesReleased: June 5, 2001 Label: DreamWorks Format: CD 117 — — — — — — — — 132BPI: Silver MC: Gold Want OneReleased: September 23, 2003 Label: DreamWorks Formats: CD, LP 60 — — — — 130 — 77 — 88BPI: Gold Want TwoReleased: November 16, 2004 Label: Geffen Formats: CD, LP 103 — 69 — — 160 — 68 — 21BPI: Silver Release the StarsReleased: May 15, 2007 Label: Geffen Format: CD 23 72 22 7 8 53 45 27 4 2BPI: Gold MC: Gold All Days Are Nights: Songs for LuluReleased: March 23, 2010 Label: Decca Formats: CD, LP 75 75 52 4 31 160 — 38 27 21 Out of the GameReleased: May 1, 2012 Label: Decca, Polydor Format: CD, LP 35 32 26 11 5 — 22 12 29 5 Prima DonnaReleased: October 2, 2015 Label: Deutsche Grammophon Formats: CD, LP — — — — — — — — — — Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare SonnetsReleased: April 22, 2016 Label: Deutsche Grammophon Formats: CD — — 89 — — — — 53 — — Unfollow the RulesReleased: July 10, 2020 Label: BMG Formats: CD, LP — 29 45 — — 176 28 28 — 27 Folkocracy Released: June 2, 2023 Label: BMG Formats: CD, LP, DD — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Live albums Year Album details Peak chartpositions US BEL NLD UK Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie HallReleased: December 4, 2007 Label: Geffen Format: CD 171 84 88 171 Milwaukee at Last!!!Released: September 22, 2009 Label: Decca Format: CD — — — — Rufus Wainwright: Live from the Artists DenReleased: March 4, 2014 Label: Artists Den/Universal Music Format: CD — — — — Unfollow the Rules: The Paramour SessionReleased: September 10, 2021 Label: BMG, Modern Recordings Format: LP, digital — — — — Rufus Wainwright and Amsterdam Sinfonietta LiveReleased: November 26, 2021 Label: BMG, Modern Recordings Format: CD, LP, digital — — — — Rufus Does Judy at Capitol StudiosReleased: June 10, 2022 Label: BMG Formats: CD, LP, DD — — — — I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Wainwright Does Weill(with Pacific Jazz Orchestra)Released: November 21, 2025 Label: Rock & Roll Credit Card Inc Format: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming — — — —
Compilation albums TitleAlbum detailsNotes Want Released: November 27, 2005 Label: DreamWorks/Geffen Format: CD Want One and Want Two re-packaged as one album in the UK Two new tracks: "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" and "In with the Ladies" Yellow Lounge compiled by Rufus Wainwright Released: May 25, 2007 Label: Universal Music Classics & Jazz Format: CD Mix Tape of Classical Music compiled by Rufus Wainwright Tracks 1 and 19 written by Rufus Wainwright House of Rufus Released: July 18, 2011 Label: Universal Music Format: CD, DVD 19-disc box set featuring six studio albums, two live albums, DVDs and unreleased material Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright Released: March 3, 2014 Label: Universal Music Format: CD One-disc standard edition and deluxe edition with a bonus disc of rarities and live recordings Two new tracks: "Me & Liza", "Chic and Pointless" (deluxe version) First release of "WWIII" on CD
Extended plays Title EP details Notes Waiting for a Want Released: June 29, 2004 Label: DreamWorks Format: Digital download Contains four songs that later appeared on Want Two Alright, Already: Live in MontréalReleased: March 15, 2005 Label: Geffen Format: Digital download Available only on iTunes in the US, Canada, and Germany Contains six live tracks, recorded in Montreal TiergartenReleased: October 29, 2007 (UK) Label: Geffen Formats: Digital download, vinyl Contains one track: "Supermayer Lost in Tiergarten" remix Available digitally and in limited vinyl release (500 copies) TechnoperaReleased: 2021 (UK) Label: BMG Management Formats: Digital download Contains four tracks with Ampersounds
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album USRock BEL(FL) JPN NLD UK "I Don't Know What It Is" 2004 — — — — 74 Want One "Oh What a World" — — — — — "The One You Love" 2005 — — — — — Want Two "Crumb by Crumb" — — — — — "Hallelujah" 2007 16 — — — 97 Shrek soundtrack "Going to a Town" — — — — 54 Release the Stars "Rules and Regulations" — — — — — "Tiergarten" — — — — — "Hallelujah" (re-release) 2009 — — — — — "Out of the Game" 2012 — 31 55 99 182 Out of the Game "Jericho" — 38 — — — "Me and Liza" 2014 — 59 — — — Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright "A Woman's Face Reprise (Sonnet 20)" 2016 — — — — — Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets "Sword of Damocles" 2018 — — — — — "Trouble in Paradise" 2019 — 40 — — —Unfollow the Rules "Damsel in Distress" 2020 — — — — — "Dear World" 2023 — — — — — "Down in the Willow Garden" — — — — — Folkocracy "Heading Home" — — — — —"Dream Requiem: Sequentia V. Confutatis"(with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Chœur de Radio France & Meryl Streep)2024 — — — — — Dream Requiem"Dream Requiem: Offertorium"(with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France) — — — — —"Mack the Knife"(with Pacific Jazz Orchestra) 2025 — — — — — I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Wainwright Does Weill "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
a Released in a 12-inch single format, limited to 500 copies; features the "Supermayer Lost in Tiergarten" remix
As featured performer TitleYearAlbum "To America" (Joan as Police Woman duet)2008 To Survive "Wolves" 2020 align="center" "Just a Bend" (Crane Like The Bird featuring Rufus Wainwright) 2021 "A Wanderer in the Sleeping City" 2022 L'Après-midi d'un faune "The Loneliest Time" The Loneliest Time
Video albums TitleVideo detailsNotesUSVideoCertifications Live at the Fillmore Released: November 16, 2004 Label: Geffen Format: DVD Accompanied the release of Want Two 20 songs performed live; recorded at The Fillmore in March 20048 All I Want Released: April 8, 2005 Label: Geffen Format: DVD Features documentary, live concert footage, and music videos—CAN: Gold Rufus! Does Judy!... Released: December 4, 2007 Label: Geffen Format: DVD Wainwright's tribute concert to Judy Garland Recorded in London in February 2007— Milwaukee at Last!!! Released: September 22, 2009 Label: Decca Format: DVD 23 songs performed live; filmed August 27, 2007, by Albert Maysles at Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin— "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Music videos YearTitleAlbumDirector1998 "April Fools" Rufus Wainwright Sophie Muller2001 "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk"PosesGiles Dunning "California"2002 "Across the Universe" I Am Sam Len Wisemen2005 "The One You Love" Want Two George Scott2006 "The Maker Makes" Brokeback Mountain Doug Biro2007 "Going to a Town"Release the Stars Sophie Muller "Rules and Regulations" Petro Papahadjopoulos2008 "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" Rufus! Does Judy!... Russell Thomas2012 "Out of the Game" Out of the Game Philip Andelman2014"Bitter Tears"Charly Braun2017"Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)"Stand-alone singleAndrew Ondrejcak2018"Sword of Damocles"2019"Trouble in Paradise"Unfollow the RulesMia Donovan"Damsel in Distress"Josh Shaffner2020"Alone Time""Devils & Angels (Hatred)"Jorn Weisbrodt"Haine"2022"The Man That Got Away"Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studiosunknown2023"Down In The Willow Garden"Folkocracy"Heading For Home""Twelve-Thirty"
Note: Promotional music videos consisting of live concert footage exist for "Beautiful Child", "Hallelujah", "Vibrate", and "Want".
Other contributions Soundtracks YearAlbumSong(s)LabelRef.1988 Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (Les Aventuriers du Timbre Perdu) "I'm a-Runnin'" Les éditions La Fête1997 The Myth of Fingerprints "Le Roi D'Ys" "Banks of the Wabash" Velvel Records1999 Big Daddy "Instant Pleasure" Sony2001 Moulin Rouge! "Complainte de la Butte" Interscope Shrek Original Soundtrack "Hallelujah" DreamWorks Zoolander "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" Hollywood Records2002 I Am Sam "Across the Universe" V2/BMG2003 Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen "It's Only a Paper Moon""I Wonder What Became of Me" Sony2004 Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason "I Eat Dinner (When the Hunger's Gone)" (with Dido) Geffen Records The Aviator "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" Sony2005 Prime "Peach Trees" Varèse Sarabande Brokeback Mountain "King of the Road" (duet with Teddy Thompson)"The Maker Makes" Verve Forecast2006 Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man "Chelsea Hotel No. 2""Everybody Knows" Verve Forecast The History Boys: The Original Soundtrack "Bewitched" Rhino/Wea2007 Meet the Robinsons "Another Believer""The Motion Waltz (Emotional Commotion)" Walt Disney Records2012 Any Day Now "Metaphorical Blanket" Lakeshore Records2013 Boardwalk Empire Volume 2: Music from the HBO Original Series "Jimbo Jambo" ABKCO
Compilations