Coldplay’s ‘Ghost Stories’ Scores Biggest Album Release of 2014, Best Since Beyonce

Chris Martin-Gwyneth Paltrow breakup album is band’s fourth straight No. 1 debut

Coldplay’s “Ghost Stories” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, bumping the Black Keys out of the top spot and securing the highest selling album debut of 2014 thus far.

Also read: Coldplay’s Chris Martin Named ‘The Voice’ Guest Mentor

The downtempo album, which chronicles lead singer Chris Martin‘s breakup with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, is Coldplay’s fourth straight chart-topping release. “Mylo Xyloto” (2011), “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends” (2008) and “X&Y” (2005) previously took the top spot.

At 383,000 units sold, the debut of “Ghost Stories” was enough to overtake the Black Keys’ “Turn Blue,” but that figure pales in comparison to Coldplay’s earlier #1 releases. “Mylo” moved 447,000 copies, and the other two albums each sold upwards of 700,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

See video: Coldplay Announces New Album ‘Ghost Stories,’ Releases Second Single (Audio & Video)

The latest Coldplay effort is also the highest selling debut album since Beyonce’s self-titled surprise was released in December. That album, an iTunes exclusive that was accompanied by YouTube videos for each song, sold 617,000 copies.

Watch the video for “Magic” the second single from “Ghost Stories,” directed by Jonas Akerlund and featuring actress Zhang Ziyi:

Comments