The Rolling Stones' Longest Billboard 200 No. 1 Streak: Tattoo You's 9-Week Run

The longest the Rolling Stones ever held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 was nine consecutive weeks, set by their 1981 album Tattoo You. That double-platinum blockbuster—a collection of leftover studio tracks from the ’70s—became their biggest commercial hit in the U.S., riding on the strength of singles like “Start Me Up” and “Waiting on a Friend.”

No other Stones album came close. Some Girls (1978) topped the chart for two weeks, while Emotional Rescue (1980) managed one. Tattoo You’s nine-week run also made it the longest No. 1 tenure of any album released in 1981, beating out Double Fantasy (John Lennon/Yoko Ono) and 4 by Foreigner. The album eventually spent a total of 58 weeks on the chart.