Over his near-40-year career, Tom Petty has never had a number one album. Until now, that is. With Hypnotic Eye, his 16th overall album and 13th with the Heartbreakers, Petty has finally landed the top spot on the Billboard 200.
Selling 131,000 copies in its first week, Hypnotic Eye is the best performing Tom Petty record since his 1994 solo album Wildflowers, which sold 161,000. While Petty almost topped the charts in 2010 with Mojo, it peaked at the number two slot, moving 125,000 copies in its first week.
(Read: The Very Best of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
Part of the reason for Hypnotic Eye’s impressive performance is due to a concert ticket promotion for Petty’s ongoing summer tour. Those customers who purchased tickets through agents like Ticketmaster were presented with the option to also buy Hypnotic Eye. Though many declined the option, all redeemed copies were counted in Billboard’s official sales.
(Read: FACES: Tom Petty)
However, if you thought Petty had to wait long for a number one album, think again. It took Tony Bennett 54 years to finally reign over the charts, which he finally did with 2011’s Duets II.
Below, listen to “Red River”.
