CSPC: Billy Joel Popularity Analysis

Digital Singles Sales

Apart from looking at the old physical singles sales, in order to have a more complete perspective of what those songs’ appeal is, we also need to further inspect in his digital downloads sales, a format now in decline but which was significant from about 2006 to 2013 and is worth getting into.

This isn’t one of his biggest avenues. But he still sold around 21 million units worldwide.

As a reminder, the weighting is done with a 10 to 1 ratio between one album and one digital single.

Cold Spring Harbor (1972) – 60,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 400,000

Piano Man (1973) – 600,000 equivalent albums

Piano Man – 3,200,000
Remaining tracks – 800,000

Streetlife Serenade (1974) – 135,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 900,000

Turnstiles (1976) – 150,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 1,000,000

The Stranger (1977) – 675,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 4,500,000

52nd Street (1978) – 150,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 1,000,000

Glass Houses (1980) – 180,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 1,200,000

The Nylon Curtain (1982) – 75,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 500,000

An Innocent Man (1983) – 510,000 equivalent albums

Uptown Girl – 2,000,000
Remaining tracks – 1,400,000

The Bridge (1986) – 45,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 300,000

Storm Front (1989) – 360,000 equivalent albums

We Didn’t Start The Fire – 1,750,000
Remaining tracks – 650,000

River Of Dreams (1993) – 135,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 900,000

Orphan Album – 75,000 equivalent albums

Total tracks – 500,000