Stats: Adele’s Rolling in the Deep sells 8 million copies in the US

"Adele’s "Rolling In The Deep" this week becomes the second song in digital history to sell 8 million copies. It follows the Black Eyed Peas’ "I Gotta Feeling," which is up to 8,402,000. You don’t need me to tell you that both of these songs were blockbuster hits. "I Gotta Feeling" logged 14 weeks at #1 in 2009 and received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. "Rolling In The Deep" logged seven weeks at #1 in 2011 and won Grammys for Record and Song of the Year.

"Rolling In The Deep" sold 8 million copies in two years and 10 months. (It entered Hot Digital Songs in the week ending Dec. 5, 2010.) That’s faster than "I Gotta Feeling," which sold 8 million copies in three years and 10 days.
I Gotta Feeling" was an out-of-the-box smash; "Rolling In The Deep," a sleeper hit. "I Gotta Feeling" entered Hot Digital Songs at #1 and remained there for nine consecutive weeks. "Rolling In The Deep" entered the digital sales chart at #94. It finally reached #1 in its 18th week.

Just one physical single has sold 8 million copies since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking U.S. music sales in 1991: Elton John’s "Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight," which has sold 8,839,000 physical copies since its release in 1997. CD singles account for two-thirds of that tally; cassette singles for one-third. (Physical singles were a meaningful configuration through about 2000.)

"Candle In The Wind 1997" sold 8 million copies in just 15 weeks. That, of course, reflected the extraordinary circumstances that made that song a hit—the shocking, early death of one of the world’s most famous people. The song sold 3,446,000 singles in its peak week (yes, week).

In addition to having the second best-selling digital song, Adele has the #1 best-selling digital album. 21 has sold 2,988,000 digital copies. That’s slightly more than the next two digital best-sellers combined. Mumford & Sons has both the #2 and #3 best-selling digital albums, Sigh No More (1,658,000) and Babel (1,308,000).