(January 12, 2025). For the past several days, Billboard has been unveiling its quarter-century rankings of the top artists, songs and albums — based strictly on cumulative chart performance from January 2000 through December 2024.
As an older guy, it’s been interesting to see which music and artists from the previous century have dotted these lists because, well, that music still matters, right?
For instance, it was intriguing that Carlos Santana, 77, and his namesake band snuck into the Top 100 artists list at No. 98 on the strength of his 1999 album and its two successful singles, which did just enough damage in 2000 to qualify them. Both “Smooth” and “Maria, Maria” — as well as their parent album, Supernatural — made Billboard’s respective singles and albums recaps for the current century.
But there’s an album even older than Supernatural on Billboard’s Top 200 albums of the 21st Century ranking, one released more than 40 years ago and one that is among the biggest selling albums of all time… in fact, the biggest for its genre.
That album is Bob Marley & the Wailers’ Legend — the 1984 posthumous compilation of Marley’s 14 biggest (and arguably most accessible) songs and an album that has sustained an entire genre by its mere existence.
So, what did it take for an album released in 1984 to stand among the heavyweights of the 21st century? Billboard’s recently unveiled list features modern iconic releases like Adele’s 21, Taylor Swift’s 1989, and Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city. Yet, nestled among these contemporary juggernauts at No. 187 is Bob Marley’s Legend, the oldest album on the list and the only one released before 1999 to make it.
Marley’s journey to being the 20th century’s oldest rep here was far from a foregone conclusion. Albums like Michael Jackson’s Thriller (1982), Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) (1976), and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) seemed equally primed for the current list. Those records have continued to chart to the present day and are legendary in their own right. Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time based on worldwide sales (an estimated 70 million now). Eagles’ Greatest Hits is the highest-certified album in the U.S., and Dark Side of the Moon continues to extend its record as the longest-charting album in Billboard 200 history. Each has defied the odds in the streaming era, continuing to be consumed by millions and influencing new generations.
Released in 1982, Thriller is not just the best-selling album of all time — it’s a pop culture phenomenon. Every Halloween, Thriller’s iconic title track reclaims its place on playlists, proving that its eerie, irresistible dance groove transcends generations. Over the past 25 years, Thriller has maintained its legendary status, selling millions of physical and digital copies while dominating streaming charts every October. It’s a reminder that the King of Pop didn’t just create great music; he created a moment that refuses to fade.
The Eagles have also checked in and may never leave. Their first Greatest Hits album has been certified by the RIAA at 41-times platinum (U.S. sales only) and counting. Its blend of smooth harmonies and quintessential ’70s rock has kept it relevant for decades. While streaming may favor fresh releases, Their Greatest Hits (1971-75) — with iconic tunes like “Take It Easy,” “Take It To The Limit,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Desperado,” and “One of These Nights,” — continues to find new audiences and prove that their brand of classic rock never goes out of style.
Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon is the epitome of longevity. Released in 1973, the album’s philosophical musings and sonic innovations struck a chord that has resonated for over 50 years. It holds the record as the longest-charting album in Billboard 200 history, with a jaw-dropping 990 weeks (and counting). Even in the streaming era, Dark Side continues to captivate listeners, reminding us that its themes of mortality, money, and madness — on songs like “Breathe (In The Air),” “The Great Gig In The Sky,” “Brain Damage,” “Money,” and “Us and Them” — are as impactful today as they were upon its debut. It’s proof that true artistry transcends trends.
So why Legend? What made Bob Marley’s iconic compilation the lone survivor of the 20th century to make this list (excluding two 1999 releases — Supernatural and Creed’s Human Clay)? What made it the only reggae album people decided to carry from the last century to this one? The answer may lie in its ability to connect across time and across demographics — a true testament to the timelessness of its messages and the enduring power of reggae, or at least Marley’s brand of it.
Unlike Michael Jackson, whose Thriller came at the peak of his career and redefined pop on a global scale, or the Eagles, whose breezy pop/rock harmonies became the soundtrack of America while the band was still active, Marley’s biggest seller came posthumously through a careful packaging of songs he likely would have never compiled this way in his lifetime. His global recognition was already intact, but it was built on his ability to equally deliver messages of unity and love as well as more directly point out the evils of the world.
Legend stripped away much of his more politically charged and deeply Rastafarian material, presenting a carefully filtered selection of his most accessible songs to a broader audience. Tracks like “One Love,” “Three Little Birds,” and “Could You Be Loved” carried Marley’s core messages of unity and resilience but were packaged for the mainstream, smoothing the edges of his countercultural ethos carried through deeper, omitted tunes like “Slave Driver,” “War,” and “Concrete Jungle.” Still, no one in 1984 could have predicted that a Marley album — no matter the song selection — would be listed among this century’s biggest albums 25 years in.
And yet, Legend has achieved the improbable. Not only has it introduced countless listeners to reggae, but it has also transcended its time, space, and genre to become a symbol of timeless artistry. At 868 weeks and counting, the album now stands as the second-longest charting album on the Billboard 200 behind only Dark Side of the Moon. While Thriller claims Halloween, Legend remains a perpetual year-round perennial. While Dark Side charts endlessly, Marley’s also does, but his message of “One Love” reverberates from coast to coast and across every corner of the globe, offering universal anthems of hope at times when they may be most needed.
For all their otherworldly achievements, the enduring strength of Thriller, Eagles:Their Greatest Hits, and The Dark Side of the Moon couldn’t join Bob Marley’s Legend on the 21st century’s Top 200 albums list. Yes, each of these records carries an undeniable legacy, defined by stratospheric sales, cultural ubiquity, and musical innovation. Yet it was Marley, a reggae artist whose mainstream breakthrough came posthumously through this very compilation, who claimed the sole honor of representing the 20th century on the 21st century’s ranking.
In the end, Legend’s triumph over these titans is a testament to its enduring relevance. And in a list dominated by modern powerhouses, its presence is a quiet but profound reminder: timeless music isn’t defined by when it was made, but by how it makes us feel, even decades later.
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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