53 Years Ago, Pink Floyd’s Most Legendary Album Hit No. 1—Staying on the Charts for a Record-Breaking 996 Weeks (And Counting)

Roger Waters was not playing around when he wrote the lyrics on The Dark Side Of The Moon. And the rest of Pink Floyd was not playing around when they recorded the album in 1972. Released in 1973, The Dark Side Of The Moon could easily be seen as the greatest progressive rock record of all time. Maybe from its record-breaking chart success alone.

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On this day in 1973, mere weeks after it was released on March 1, The Dark Side Of The Moon reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It stayed at No. 1 for just one week. However, it would break records with how long it remained on the coveted chart. Per Billboard, the album stayed on the chart (originally titled the Top LPs & Tape chart) for a non-consecutive 996 weeks as of early 2026. The album has sold over a whopping 45 million copies around the world. Today, it is considered the best-selling recording of the 1970s.

The Record-Breaking Prog-Rock Legacy of ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ by Pink Floyd

Also today, The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd is considered the fourth best-selling record in modern music history. It’s right under the soundtrack for The Bodyguard from 1992, which features Whitney Houston’s legendary rendition of “I Will Always Love You”.

With hundreds of weeks on a major chart and a legacy that has crossed the boundaries of generations, one can’t help but wonder what exactly it is about this record that so many people resonate with. Give it just one spin, and you’ll see why.

Pink Floyd diverged in a big way from the big sweeping instrumentals of their previous records with this legendary work. Instead, they focused on previous ideas and innovative recording techniques like tape loops, analog synths, and more. We can thank the band for putting it together. But Alan Parsons’ engineering work made a huge difference on the album as a whole. He was the one to get Clare Torry to sing that legendary run in “The Great Gig In The Sky”, after all. And considering the album touches on themes of human conflict, death, and time, there’s something that anyone with or without ears can connect to on The Dark Side Of The Moon.

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