‘WHAM,’ ‘The Game’ & More Cases Where a Hit Album Title Was the Same as the Name of a Hit Recording Act
Lil Baby’s WHAM enters the Billboard 200 at No. 1 this week (chart dated Jan. 18), just shy of 40 years after Wham!’s Make It Big topped the chart for three consecutive weeks in March 1985. It’s very rare for an album to top the Billboard 200 with a title that’s the same as the name of an act that also reached No. 1 on that chart. (These two aren’t exactly the same because of that pesky exclamation point on the U.K. duo’s name, but close enough.)
One time, there was an exact match: In September/October 1980, Queen topped the chart for five consecutive weeks with The Game. The rapper The Game had three No. 1 albums – The Documentary (2005), Doctor’s Advocate (2005) and The R.E.D. Album (2011).
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And there have been a lot of close (and not-so-close) calls. In March 2017, Future’s HNDRXX debuted at No. 1. In November 1968, the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Electric Ladyland spent two weeks on top. Future altered the spelling, but the title was clearly a nod to the rock legend.
The Sting soundtrack logged five consecutive weeks at No. 1 in 1974, following the film’s seven-Oscar sweep. Sting reached No. 1 with The Police in 1983 and peaked at No. 2 with three of his first four solo albums.
There are numerous cases where a Billboard 200-topping act’s name was part of the title of somebody else’s No. 1 album. P!nk’s Hurts 2B Human debuted at No. 1 in 2019. Nicki Minaj has hit No. 1 with three Pink Friday releases. Blackpink debuted at No. 1 in 2022 with Born Pink. Lil Uzi Vert debuted at No. 1 the following year with Pink Tape.
An eponymous album by Blind Faith hit No. 1 in 1969. George Michael and Pop Smoke both hit No. 1 with albums titled Faith. Faith Hill’s Faith debuted at No. 7, but the country star reached No. 1 with three other albums. And Depeche Mode debuted at No. 1 in 1993 with Songs of Faith and Devotion.
America’s eponymous debut album, which featured the Hot 100 No. 1 “A Horse With No Name,” reached No. 1 in 1972. Wings’ Wings Over America hit No. 1 in 1977, followed by Supertramp’s Breakfast in America in 1979 and the all-star God Bless America compilation in 2001.
Heart’s eponymous album hit No. 1 in 1985. Linda Ronstadt’s Heart Like a Wheel hit No. 1 in 1975, while Bonnie Raitt’s Longing in Their Heart followed suit in 1994.
Other Billboard 200-topping acts whose name is embedded in the title of someone else’s No. 1 album include: Tiffany (Breakfast at Tiffany’s soundtrack), Frank Ocean (Eric Clapton’s 461 Ocean Boulevard), Donna Summer (Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna), George Harrison (Jack Johnson’s Curious George soundtrack), and Lil Wayne (the Wayne’s World soundtrack).
Looking beyond cases where both acts reached No. 1, Destiny’s Child’s Survivor spent its first two weeks on top in May 2001. Survivor just missed No. 1 in 1982 when Eye of the Tiger logged four weeks at No. 2. The title track topped the Hot 100 for six weeks.
Maroon 5’s V debuted at No. 1 in 2014. V, of BTS, opened at No. 2 in 2023 with his debut album, Layover.
Asia’s eponymous debut album logged nine nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 1982. Steely Dan’s Aja (different spelling, but same pronunciation) peaked at No. 3 in 1977.
Drake’s Scorpion spent its first five weeks at No. 1 in 2018. The German hard rock band Scorpions climbed as high as No. 5 with Savage Amusement in 1988.
Bruce Springsteen’s Magic spent two of its first three weeks at No. 1 in 2007. A male rapper with that name reached No. 15 in 1998 with Skys the Limit. A Canadian reggae band named MAGIC! debuted at No. 6 in 2014 with Don’t Kill the Magic.
SZA’s SOS has spent 12 weeks at No. 1 across 2022, 2023 and 2025. The S.O.S. Band’s S.O.S., which contained the hit “Take Your Time (Do It Right),” reached No. 12 in 1980.
The Descendants TV soundtrack debuted at No. 1 in 2015. A punk band with the same name hit No. 20 in 2016 with Hypercaffium Spazzinate.
Leona Lewis’ Spirit debuted at No. 1 in 2008. The California rock band Spirit climbed as high as No. 22 with The Family That Plays Together in 1969.
Kesha’s Rainbow debuted at No. 1 in 2017. The hard rock band Rainbow climbed as high as No. 30 with two albums, Ritchie Blackmore’s R-A-I-N-B-O-W (1975) and Straight Between the Eyes (1982).
Travis Scott’s Utopia spent its first four weeks at No. 1 in 2023. The band Utopia, which featured Todd Rundgren, climbed as high as No. 32 with Adventures in Utopia in 1980.
Faith Hill’s Breathe debuted at No. 1 in 1999. The English pop group Breathe climbed as high as No. 34 with All That Jazz in 1988.
Eric Church’s The Outsiders debuted at No. 1 in 2014. A rock band from Cleveland reached No. 37 in 1965 with Time Won’t Let Me. The title track was a top five hit on the Hot 100.
Justin Bieber’s Justice debuted at No. 1 in 2021. An electronic duo from France of the same name hit No. 37 in 2011 with Audio, Video, Disco.
The Exodus soundtrack logged nonconsecutive 14 weeks at No. 1 in 1961. A hard-rock band by the same name reached No. 38 in 2014 with Blood In Blood Out.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance debuted at No. 1 in 2022. An English rock band of the same name climbed as high as No. 46 with Novella in 1977.
Stray Kids’ 5-Star debuted at No. 1 in 2023. The R&B dance vocal group Five Star reached No. 47 with Luxury of Life in 1985.
And here’s my favorite, just for fun: Bon Jovi’s The Circle debuted at No. 1 in 2009. The pop group The Cyrkle climbed as high as No. 47 on the Billboard 200 with Red Rubber Ball in 1966. The title song (co-written by Paul Simon) was a No. 2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
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