There are only a handful of artists in the history of ever whose careers can even be mentioned in the same sentence with diva supreme Whitney Houston. Her illustrious Hot 100 and Billboard 200 resume read of almost untouchable heights and more records set than can be adequately mentioned in one article (“first female to debut at #1 on Billboard 200,” “first artist to sell 1 million albums in one week,” “first and only artist to have 7 consecutive #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100” merely touch the tip the iceberg).
But, as the age old adage goes: ‘records are made to be broken.’
For, just two weeks ago, Adele said ‘Hello’ to the Hot 100 and history books as her long-awaited return brought with it a massive 1.1 million sold in just one week. Seeing her name penciled atop the list of ‘most singles sold in one week’ tally, the song’s performance was nearly double that of former record-holder Flo-Rida‘s 636,000 sold for his 2009 single ‘Right Round.’ The impressive chart triumph was widely celebrated, that is, until some outlets began pitting its success against Houston’s signature hit ‘I Will Always Love You’ – which held the overall record for most singles sold in one week at 632,000.
Then, Nippy fans cried foul. The premise of their argument is simple: Billboard records should have context…