The surprise album we didn't know we needed is the top album of 2020.
It's no question 2020 was not the year we dreamed it would be. But Taylor Swift lifted our spirits with not one but two surprise albums for us to enjoy. Folklore was already named the best album of the year, but Rolling Stone has officially named it the biggest album of the year from its Rolling Stone Top 200 Albums chart.
According to Rolling Stone, Folklore had 1.1 billion on-demand audio streams and made nearly 1.2 million sales. The album finished the year with almost 2.3 album units.
Released on July 24, Folklore features a new style for Swift: alternative indie. Her surprise drop of the album shocked fans worldwide and had many listening in on her new songs written and recorded during the pandemic. Filled with folky love songs and unique storytelling through lyrics, it's a unique album that had every listener feeling all the feels. Swift's second surprise album, released in December, Evermore, brought even more tears to our eyes as haunting tunes and meditative lyrics brought Swift's stories to life.
Folklore is joined by four of Swift's other albums on the RS 200 chart:
- Number 28: Lover
- Number 63: Evermore
- Number 116: 1989
- Number 165: Reputation
The RS 200 chart tracks streams and sales from January 3 to December 31. Each album is ranked by album units, which combines sales, digital song sales, and audio streams into a weighted score.
Lil Baby's sophomore album, My Turn, took the No. 2 spot, followed by Pop Smoke's Shoot For the Stars Aim for the Moon. The Weeknd's After Hours and Juice WRLD's Legends Never Die took fourth and fifth, respectively.
Click here to view Rolling Stone's Top 200 Albums of 2020.
What was your favorite song on Folklore? Let us know in the comments below.
