This morning, Apple Music culminated their ranking of the 100 Best Albums of All Time by announcing their top 10 picks.
The list is Apple’s “definitive list of the greatest albums ever made,” curated by experts and artists to celebrate the best work ever. The full list features iconic artists including Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan, Adele, and Amy Winehouse.
Lists are fun, there’s no denying it, but there’s also no denying the drama that comes with them. (“Apple’s 100 best albums list is ridiculous and exists almost expressly to make you mad,” as Variety wrote.)
With just 100 spots up for grabs, many deserving artists unfortunately missed out (the list didn’t include any Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey albums, for example), but that’s the magic of list-making like this.
While your timeline inevitably erupts in the heat of the moment, here are five of the most surprising inclusions from the top 20 of Apple Music’s list. View the full Apple Music list here.
7) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
We’re all for a Kendrick Lamar album to be included in the top 10 albums of all time – he’s one of the greatest rappers. But is it even his personal best? DAMN. won him a Pulitzer Prize, after all. It also stands alone as the only full-length rap album in Apple Music’s top 10, which means the likes of Nas, Tupac, and Jay-Z were nowhere to be seen.
5) Frank Ocean – Blonde
We all basically agree in unison that Blonde is a great album. It’s incredible, there’s no denying it, and Frank Ocean created one of the defining albums of the 2010s. However, does it warrant a fifth place ranking against every other album to ever exist? That might be pushing the praise.
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6) Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life
There’s no debating that Stevie Wonder’s finest album deserves to be in the top 10 – it’s a soulful masterpiece. What we’re saying is that Songs in the Key of Life is so wonderful, it could easily have made the top two.
10) Beyoncé – Lemonade
Many fans were surprised that Beyoncé ranked above Taylor Swift in Apple Music’s list, with the latter’s album 1989 reaching #18. But it’s cool to see the list acknowledge modern cultural shifts too, because Beyoncé’s masterful 2016 album defined its era. Is it the 10th best album of all time though? That’s another question.
11) Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
Just missing out on the top 10, Fleetwood Mac’s finest hour could easily be in the conversation for the top five, top three, or even first place; it’s that timeless. But making it 11th place feels like a surprise given its classic status. And shouldn’t Rumours really be #1 for giving us the greatest TikTok of all time?
