Bruce Springsteen First to Have Top-5 Album in Six Different Decades

Bruce Springsteen’s new album Letter to You has debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, and as Billboard points out, that means he makes history as the first artist to have a new album in the Top 5 in six different decades.

The Boss has now had albums reach the Top 5 on the charts in the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s, the 2000s, the 2010s and the 2020s. By moving 96,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 29, Letter to You also gives him his biggest sales week since 2014 when High Hopes debuted with 99,000 copies sold.

Letter to You is Springsteen’s 21st Top 10 and Top 5 album of his career. (All 21 of his Top 10 albums also eventually climbed their way to the Top 5.) He had two albums reach the Top 5 in the ’70s (Born to Run, No. 3 in 1975 and Darkness on the Edge of Town, No. 5 in 1978), five in the ‘80s (The River, No. 1 in 1980; Nebraska, No. 3 in 1982; Born in the U.S.A., No. 1 in 1984; Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 1975-1985, No. 1 in 1986; and Tunnel of Love, No. 1 in 1987), three in the ’90s (Human Touch, No. 2 in 1992; Lucky Town, No. 3 in 1992; and Greatest Hits, No. 1 in 1995), six in the ‘00s (Live in New York City, No. 5 in 2001; The Rising, No. 1 in 2002; Devils & Dust, No. 1 in 2005; We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, No. 3 in 2006; Magic, No. 1 in 2007; and Working On a Dream, No. 1 in 2009), four in the ‘10s (Wrecking Ball, No. 1 in 2012; High Hopes, No. 1 in 2014; Chapter and Verse, No. 5 in 2016; and Western Stars, No. 2 in 2019) and now one in the ‘20s (Letter to You, No. 2).