The Best-Selling Albums and Songs of 2005
50 Cent swept the artist titles for the second time in three years and The Massacre was the biggest album — but the song of the year was Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together.”
Artists of the Year
Top 10 Albums of 2005 Billboard 200
- 1The Massacre50 Cent
- 2EncoreEminem
- 3American IdiotGreen Day
- 4The Emancipation of MimiMariah Carey
- 5BreakawayKelly Clarkson
- 6Love. Angel. Music. Baby.Gwen Stefani
- 7Destiny FulfilledDestiny’s Child
- 8How to Dismantle an Atomic BombU2
- 9Greatest HitsShania Twain
- 10Feels Like TodayRascal Flatts
Top 10 Songs of 2005 Hot 100
- 1We Belong TogetherMariah Carey
- 2Hollaback GirlGwen Stefani
- 3Let Me Love YouMario
- 4Since U Been GoneKelly Clarkson
- 51, 2 StepCiara ft. Missy Elliott
- 6Gold DiggerKanye West ft. Jamie Foxx
- 7Boulevard of Broken DreamsGreen Day
- 8Candy Shop50 Cent ft. Olivia
- 9Don’t ChaThe Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes
- 10Behind These Hazel EyesKelly Clarkson
What the 2005 Charts Show
- 50 Cent swept all three artist titles in 2005: combined, albums and singles.
How the 2005 charts were compiled
Every position here is a chart placement — measured sales, radio airplay and, in the years Billboard counted it, streaming across its tracking year — not an editorial ranking. Albums come from the year-end Billboard 200, songs from the year-end Hot 100.
Billboard’s tracking year runs from roughly late October to mid-October rather than January to December, which is why a late-autumn release can win the following year and why a song can appear on two consecutive year-end lists.
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