CSPC: Elvis Presley Popularity Analysis

Original Album Sales – Comments

1956 Elvis Presley – 1,510,000
1956 Elvis – 1,690,000
1957 Loving You – 1,270,000
1957 Elvis’ Christmas Album – 3,850,000
1958 King Creole – 1,050,000
1959 A Date with Elvis – 460,000
1960 Elvis Is Back! – 1,160,000
1960 G.I. Blues – 2,780,000
1960 His Hand in Mine – 1,870,000
1961 Something for Everybody – 900,000
1961 Blue Hawaii – 4,650,000
1962 Pot Luck – 870,000
1962 Girls! Girls! Girls! – 1,140,000
1963 It Happened at the World’s Fair – 600,000
1963 Fun in Acapulco – 720,000
1964 Kissin’ Cousins – 590,000
1964 Roustabout – 820,000
1965 Girl Happy – 760,000
1965 Elvis For Everyone – 620,000
1965 Harum Scarum – 550,000
1966 Frankie and Johnny – 1,210,000
1966 Paradise, Hawaiian Style – 430,000
1966 Spinout – 570,000
1967 How Great Thou Art – 3,510,000
1967 Double Trouble – 230,000
1967 Clambake – 290,000
1968 Speedway – 200,000
1969 From Elvis in Memphis – 1,310,000
1969 Back In Memphis – 260,000
1970 That’s the Way It Is – 2,420,000
1971 Elvis Country (I’m 10,000 Years Old) – 1,060,000
1971 Love Letters from Elvis – 660,000
1971 Elvis sings The Wonderful World of Christmas – 3,900,000
1972 Elvis Now – 750,000
1972 He Touched Me – 1,400,000
1973 Elvis (1973) – 480,000
1973 Raised on Rock / For Ol’ Times Sake – 400,000
1974 Good Times – 350,000
1975 Promised Land – 620,000
1975 Today – 540,000
1976 From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee – 880,000
1977 Moody Blue – 3,820,000

Presley‘s album discography of original material is made of 17 soundtracks, 2 Christmas albums, 3 gospel LPs and 20 studio efforts. That’s a simplified way of seeing it. An album like A Date with Elvis mostly repackages former hits, although they had never been part of albums before. In the other side, several compilations, EPs and singles involved new songs that haven’t been included into studio albums. To get the complete picture, one has to check his entire catalog.

That’s exactly how these figures must be considered, as partial figures. At 53,15 million units sold across 42 LPs, one may not be impressed. But it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Back in the 50s, album sales were still dreadful. The fact that Blue Hawaii sold 4,65 million units while being issued in 1961 is already amazing enough. The two Christmas efforts, How Great Though Art and Moody Blue all moved over 3,5 million too.

Obviously, these numbers refer only to the original albums and their reissues. Elvis’ Christmas Album from 1970 isn’t added to the original 1957 album for example. Now you are left wondering how much all these sets repackaging original material sold to see the real impact of Presley. You aren’t left for long though since all answers are listed in upcoming sections!