The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom. Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical albums and digital downloads. This list shows albums that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart during 2009, as well as albums which peaked in 2008 and 2010 but were in the top 10 in 2009. The entry date is when the album appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
One-hundred and forty-seven albums were in the top ten this year. One album from 2007 and seventeen albums from 2008 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while Crazy Love by Michael Bublé, Lungs by Florence + the Machine, Only Revolutions by Biffy Clyro and The Hits by Will Young were all released in 2009 but did not reach their peak until 2010. I Am... Sasha Fierce by Beyoncé was the only album from 2008 to reach its peak in 2009. Thirteen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2009. Florence + the Machine, Flo Rida, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Tinchy Stryder were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 album in 2009.
The 2008 Christmas number-one album, The Circus by Take That, remained at the top spot for the first two weeks of 2009. Only by the Night by Kings of Leon and the self titled album by The Script both returned for single weeks at number-one after first topping the chart in September and August 2008 respectively. The first new number-one album of the year was To Lose My Life... by White Lies. Overall, twenty-nine different albums peaked at number-one in 2009, with twenty-nine unique artists hitting that position.
Background
Vera Lynn becomes oldest living artist to achieve UK number-one album On 13 September 2009 (19 September 2009, week ending), Vera Lynn, known as "The Forces Sweetheart", made chart history when, at 92 years and 6 months old, she became the oldest living artist to achieve a UK number-one album when her compilation We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn, topped the UK Albums Chart, having entered the top 10 at number two the previous week. The album is a selection of her recordings made for Decca Records, for whom Lynn recorded between 1936 and 1959.
Multiple entries One-hundred and forty-seven albums charted in the top 10 in 2009, with one-hundred and twenty-six albums reaching their peak this year (including Abbey Road, Bad, Hits Out of Hell, Number Ones, Off the Wall, Revolver, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Essential Michael Jackson, The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits, The Stone Roses, The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac and Thriller, which charted in previous years but reached a peak on their latest chart run).
Thirteen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2009. Michael Jackson had nine albums reaching the top ten. George Harrison had five entries, four of which were with The Beatles. Cheryl had one solo album and two with her group Girls Aloud. Bruce Springsteen, Ian Brown, Katherine Jenkins, Leona Lewis, Pink, The Saturdays, Seasick Steve and Take That were the other acts who had two top 10 albums this year. Katherine Jenkins and The Saturdays' two entries were both released this year.
Chart debuts Twenty-six artists achieved their first top 10 album in 2009 as a lead artist.
The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo album, or featured appearances on compilations or other artists recordings.
Artist Number of top 10s First entry Chart position Other entriesMGMT1Oracular Spectacular8—Lady Gaga1The Fame1—White Lies1To Lose My Life...1—Jason Mraz1We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.8—2Chasing Lights9Wordshaker (9)Fleet Foxes1Fleet Foxes3—Taylor Swift1Fearless5—Faryl Smith1Faryl4—Flo Rida1R.O.O.T.S.5—Bat for Lashes1Two Suns5—1Wild Young Hearts7—Ciara1Fantasy Ride9—Escala1Escala2—Daniel Merriweather1Love & War2—Little Boots1Hands5—La Roux1La Roux2—Florence + the Machine1Lungs1—Tinchy Stryder1Catch 222—Pixie Lott1Turn It Up6—Paramore1Brand New Eyes1—Chipmunk1I Am Chipmunk2—Alexandra Burke1Overcome1—Paloma Faith1Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?9—1Coming Home4—JLS1JLS1—N-Dubz1Against All Odds6—Susan Boyle1I Dreamed a Dream1—
Notes Girl group The Saturdays included among its members Rochelle Humes and Frankie Sandford, who had previously been a part of S Club Juniors (later S Club 8). Their debut album Together reached number five in 2002. Yusuf was formerly known as Yusuf Islam and Cat Stevens - Roadsinger was his first charting album under this shortened name.
E Street Band had their first top 10 album officially credited by the Official Charts Company this year, although they had featured on much of Bruce Springsteen's back-catalogue. Cheryl launched a solo career in 2009 with her debut 3 Words. She was still an active part of the group Girls Aloud, who had reached the album chart top 10 on five occasions by this point.
Best-selling albums Susan Boyle had the best-selling album of the year with I Dreamed a Dream. The album spent seven weeks in the top 10 (including four weeks at number one), sold almost 1.633 million copies and was certified 7× platinum by the BPI. The Fame by Lady Gaga came in second place. Michael Bublé's Crazy Love, The E.N.D. from The Black Eyed Peas and Only by the Night by Kings of Leon made up the top five. Albums by JLS, Beyoncé, Paolo Nutini, Lily Allen and Robbie Williams were also in the top ten best-selling albums of the year.
Top-ten albums Key SymbolMeaning‡Album peaked in 2007 or 2008 but still in chart in 2009.♦Album released in 2009 but peaked in 2010.(#)Year-end top-ten album position and rankEnteredThe date that the album first appeared in the chart.PeakHighest position that the album reached in the UK Albums Chart.
Entered (week ending)Weeksintop10 Album ArtistPeak Peakreached (week ending)WeeksatpeakAlbums in 2007 26Spirit ‡Leona Lewis 1 8Albums in 2008 7Thriller 25 ‡Michael Jackson 3 1 42Rockferry ‡Duffy 1 5 8The Seldom Seen Kid ‡Elbow 5 2 14We Started Nothing ‡ 1 1 12The Script ‡ 1 3 4King of Pop ‡Michael Jackson 3 1 40Only By the Night ‡ (#5)Kings of Leon 1 4 6The Best Bette ‡Bette Midler 6 2 13Songs for You, Truths for Me ‡James Morrison 3 1 2I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left ‡Seasick Steve 9 2 14Funhouse ‡Pink 1 1 9Out of Control ‡Girls Aloud 1 1 6The Promise ‡Il Divo 1 1 8Decade in the Sun: Best of Stereophonics ‡Stereophonics 2 1 22I Am... Sasha Fierce (#7)Beyoncé 2 1 13Day & Age ‡ 1 1 12The Circus ‡Take That 1 5Albums in 2009 2The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest HitsGirls Aloud 6 1 2Oracular SpectacularMGMT 8 1 71The Fame (#2)Lady Gaga 1 7 2To Lose My Life...White Lies 1 1 2We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.Jason Mraz 8 1 1Chasing Lights 9 1 3Working on a DreamBruce Springsteen 1 2 1Tonight: Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand 2 1 4Fleet FoxesFleet Foxes 3 1 1Which Bitch? 4 1 17It's Not Me, It's You (#9)Lily Allen 1 1 1Love SongsUB40 3 1 1LovesongsLuther Vandross 4 1 1The Fray 8 1 1The DuetsLuciano Pavarotti 10 1 1Years of RefusalMorrissey 3 1 13Invaders Must Die 1 1 4No Line on the HorizonU2 1 2 7The Annie Lennox CollectionAnnie Lennox 2 2 3All I Ever WantedKelly Clarkson 3 1 1FearlessTaylor Swift 5 1 2FarylFaryl Smith 4 1 4Songs for My MotherRonan Keating 1 2 1Just GoLionel Richie 10 1 1YesPet Shop Boys 4 1 6FreedomAkon 6 1 1R.O.O.T.S. (Route of Overcoming the Struggle)Flo Rida 5 1 2Kingdom of RustDoves 2 1 1Two SunsBat for Lashes 5 1 1It's Blitz!Yeah Yeah Yeahs 9 1 1FootstepsChris de Burgh 4 1 1Sounds of the UniverseDepeche Mode 2 1 4Wild Young Hearts 7 1 3Together Through LifeBob Dylan 1 2 2Music for the People 2 1 1Doll Domination – The Mini Collection (EP) 9 1 1Fantasy RideCiara 9 1 1RoadsingerYusuf 10 1 421st Century BreakdownGreen Day 1 1 1Quicken the HeartMaxïmo Park 6 1 4The Very Best of Jim ReevesJim Reeves 7 1 4RelapseEminem 1 2 1Journal for Plague LoversManic Street Preachers 3 1 1The Liberty of Norton FolgateMadness 5 1 2EscalaEscala 2 1 2Pink BoxPink 7 1 1Graffiti SoulSimple Minds 10 1 38Sunny Side Up (#8)Paolo Nutini 1 4 4Love & WarDaniel Merriweather 2 1 1PassionePaul Potts 5 1 9West Ryder Pauper Lunatic AsylumKasabian 1 2 26The E.N.D. (#4) 3 8 1HandsLittle Boots 5 1 4Greatest HitsBruce Springsteen & E Street Band 3 1 1Battle for the SunPlacebo 8 1 1Let It Roll: Songs by George HarrisonGeorge Harrison 4 1 1Lines, Vines and Trying TimesJonas Brothers 9 1 1Hits Out of HellMeat Loaf 10 1 4Number OnesMichael Jackson 1 1 5Thriller 3 1 10The Essential Michael Jackson 1 7 8La RouxLa Roux 2 1 3Off the WallMichael Jackson 3 1 33Lungs ♦Florence + the Machine 1 2 2The Motown Years Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5 4 1 2Evacuate the DancefloorCascada 8 1 1Foot of the MountainA-ha 5 1 1BadMichael Jackson 9 1 1The Best of Chicane: 1996–2008Chicane 10 1 1The Stone Roses 5 1 3Ready for the WeekendCalvin Harris 1 1 2Catch 22Tinchy Stryder 2 1 3HumbugArctic Monkeys 1 2 5One LoveDavid Guetta 2 1 8We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera LynnVera Lynn 1 1 1Kings & QueensJamie T 2 1 1Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 5 1 1Abbey Road 6 1 1Ignore the Ignorant 8 1 1Revolver 9 1 1Rubber Soul 10 1 6The ResistanceMuse 1 1 2RevelationPeter Andre 3 1 6The Blueprint 3Jay-Z 4 1 1Draw the LineDavid Gray 5 1 6Turn It UpPixie Lott 6 1 1Get LuckyMark Knopfler 9 1 4CelebrationMadonna 1 1 4Tongue n' CheekDizzee Rascal 3 1 1The Boy Who Knew Too MuchMika 4 1 3Reunited – Cliff Richard and The ShadowsCliff Richard & The Shadows 4 1 1BackspacerPearl Jam 9 1 2Brand New EyesParamore 1 1 1Rebuilt by HumansNewton Faulkner 3 1 3Love Is the AnswerBarbra Streisand 1 1 1My WayIan Brown 8 1 1Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris ReaChris Rea 8 1 1The Very Best of Andy WilliamsAndy Williams 10 1 1In This Light and on This EveningEditors 1 1 2I Am ChipmunkChipmunk 2 1 1She WolfShakira 4 1 1Wordshaker 9 1 3OvercomeAlexandra Burke 1 1 36Crazy Love ♦ (#3)Michael Bublé 1 1 2I Look to YouWhitney Houston 3 1 1Man from Another TimeSeasick Steve 4 1 2The Very Best of Fleetwood MacFleetwood Mac 6 1 1Once MoreSpandau Ballet 7 1 1Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?Paloma Faith 9 1 43 WordsCheryl 1 2 2Michael Jackson's This Is ItMichael Jackson 3 1 4Coming Home 4 2 1BelieveKatherine Jenkins 6 1 1Peace in the ValleyDaniel O'Donnell 8 1 1The CircleBon Jovi 2 1 2Greatest HitsFoo Fighters 4 1 1The Ultimate CollectionKatherine Jenkins 9 1 9JLS (#6)JLS 1 1 7Reality Killed the Video Star (#10)Robbie Williams 2 1 8Up to NowSnow Patrol 3 1 4Only Revolutions ♦Biffy Clyro 3 1 2SoulbookRod Stewart 9 1 4EchoLeona Lewis 1 1 4Absolute GreatestQueen 3 1 1Against All OddsN-Dubz 6 1 5The Hits ♦Will Young 7 1 7I Dreamed a Dream (#1)Susan Boyle 1 4 3Where We AreWestlife 2 1 4The Greatest Day – Take That Present: The Circus LiveTake That 3 1
Entries by artist The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2009, including albums that reached their peak in 2008. The figures only include main artists, with featured artists and appearances on compilation albums not counted individually for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 2009 is also shown.