Apple Music has announced their list of the 100 greatest albums ever made. This special ‘100 Best Albums’ list was created by Apple Music’s team of experts along with several popular artists, songwriters, and music professionals.
The list is not based just on streaming numbers. It is meant to honor the albums that have had a major influence on music and music fans over time.
Lauryn Hill’s groundbreaking 1998 album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” claims the top spot, beating out iconic works like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (No. 2), The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” (No. 3), and Prince’s “Purple Rain” (No. 4).
The top 10 is rounded out by modern classics such as Frank Ocean’s “Blonde,” Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” and Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.”
While canonical albums by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye and others make the list, Apple Music’s picks skew toward contemporary and alternative sounds. Recent releases like Billie Eilish’s “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” (No. 30) and Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” (No. 18) rank highly.
The list has already sparked intense online debate, with fans arguing over omissions, rankings, and which albums deserve recognition as the greatest of all time. Music scholars are analyzing the cultural significance of Apple’s choices.
Apple Music 100 Best Albums of All Time Full List:
100. Body Talk – Robyn
99. Hotel California – Eagles
98. ASTROWORLD – Travis Scott
97. Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine
96. Pure Heroine – Lorde
95. Confessions – USHER
94. Untrue – Burial
93. A Seat at the Table – Solange
92. Flower Boy, Tyler – The Creator
91. Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1- George Michael
90. Back in Black – AC/DC
89. The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition) – Lady Gaga
88. I Put a Spell on You – Nina Simone
87. Blue Lines – Massive Attack
86. My Life – Mary J. Blige
85. Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
84. Doggystyle – Snoop Dogg
83. Horses – Patti Smith
82. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ – 50 Cent
81. After the Gold Rush – Neil Young
80. The Marshall Mathers LP – Eminem
79. Norman F*****g Rockwell! – Lana Del Rey
78. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
77. Like a Prayer – Madonna
76. Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny
75. Supa Dupa Fly – Missy Elliott
74. The Downward Spiral – Nine Inch Nails
73. Aja – Steely Dan
72. SOS – SZA
71. Trans-Europe Express – Kraftwerk
70. Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A.
69. Master of Puppets – Metallica
68. Is This It – The Strokes
67. Dummy – Portishead
66. The Queen Is Dead – The Smiths
65. 3 Feet High and Rising – De La Soul
64. Baduizm – Erykah Badu
63. Are You Experienced? – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
62. All Eyez on Me – 2Pac
61. Love Deluxe – Sade
60. ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’ – Velvet Underground & Nico
59. AM – Arctic Monkeys
58. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory – Oasis
57. Voodoo – D’Angelo
56. Disintegration – The Cure
55. ANTI – Rihanna
54. A Love Supreme – John Coltrane
53. Exile on Main Street – Rolling Stones
52. Appetite for Destruction – Guns N Roses
51. Sign O’ the Times – Prince
50. Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
49. The Joshua Tree – U2
48. Paul’s Boutique – Beastie Boys
47. Take Care – Drake
46. Exodus – Bob Marley & The Wailers
45. Homogenic – Björk
44. Innervisions – Stevie Wonder
43. Remain in Light – Talking Heads
42. Control – Janet Jackson
41. Aquemini – Outkast
40. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You – Aretha Franklin
39. Illmatic – Nas
38. Tapestry – Carole King
37. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) – Wu-Tang Clan
36. BEYONCÉ – Beyoncé
35. London Calling – The Clash
34. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back – Public Enemy
33. Kid A – Radiohead
32. Ready to Die – The Notorious B.I.G.
31. Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette
30. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? – Billie Eilish
29. The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest
28. The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
27. Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin
26. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West
25. Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
24. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars – David Bowie
23. Discovery – Daft Punk
22. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
21. Revolver – The Beatles
20. Pet Sounds – Beach Boys
19. The Chronic – Dr. Dre
18. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift
17. What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
16. Blue – Joni Mitchell
15. 21 – Adele
14. Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan
13. The Blueprint – Jay Z
12. OK Computer – Radiohead
11. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
10. Lemonade – Beyoncé
9. Nevermind – Nirvana
8. Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
7. good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe Version) – Kendrick Lamar
6. Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder
5. Blonde – Frank Ocean
4. Purple Rain – Prince & The Revolution
3. Abbey Road – The Beatles
2. Thriller – Michael Jackson
1. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill
During the countdown, Apple Music will share details about each album on a special website at 100best.music.apple.com. They will also have radio shows discussing the albums.
On the final day, May 22nd, Apple Music will host a roundtable discussion revealing the top 10 albums. Guest artists like Nile Rodgers and Maggie Rogers will join to talk about the list.
After the full 100 Best Albums list is revealed, Apple Music plans to continue celebrating the greatest albums with more special radio shows and content.
