Sade’s Best Of compilation becomes the group’s second project to spend a full year — 52 weeks — on the U.K.’s Official Albums chart. Sade on stage during the Live Aid concert held in London. The 1985 concert was held simultaneously at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and at Wembley Stadium in London, and raised over $70 million for Ethiopian famine relief. (Photo by Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)
Jacques Langevin
Sade, the band led by the singer of the same name, which is known for producing some of the sexiest jazz/pop/R&B hybrids of all time, is technically still active, even if the outfit has not released a new album in more than a decade and a half. No music is expected from the Grammy-winning group, but Sade’s catalog remains immensely popular, especially in the United Kingdom, as the band hails from London.
These days, Sade’s simply-titled compilation The Best Of appears more often than not as a top-performing album in the U.K. As that proves true once more, Sade sees the collection reach a special milestone on the most competitive albums ranking – one that the outfit has only climbed to once before, and quite some time ago.
Sade Rises With The Best Of
The Best Of by Sade sits in the lowest reaches of the Official Albums chart, which ranks the most-consumed full-lengths and EPs in the nation. This time around, The Best Of climbs one space to No. 96 thanks to continued plays on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, as well as at least a small number of purchases.
Sade’s The Best Of Reaches One Year on the Albums Chart
As of this period, Sade’s The Best Of has found space on the Official Albums chart in 52 distinct weeks. The set has racked up that many stays on the tally across decades.
The compilation opened on the Official Albums tally back in November 1994, more than three decades ago. The hits-packed project arrived at No. 6, which has turned out to be its loftiest placement yet. The Best Of enjoyed a months-long run on the Official Albums chart that stretched into 1995. Then, the compilation disappeared and didn’t return until 2001.
After The Best Of spent one week on the roster that year, it then slipped off the tally and found its way back in 2010. It would be 15 years before The Best Of was once again counted as one of the 100 most popular albums in the U.K. Since it reappeared in late 2025, Sade has largely managed to remain on the Official Albums chart.
Sade Has Seen Two Albums Hit This Milestone
The Best Of is Sade’s second release to make it to a year on the Official Albums chart. The group’s first to do so was, fittingly, its initial win on the rundown, Diamond Life. That traditional studio LP launched on the Official Albums roster at No. 2 in the summer of 1984, more than 40 years ago. The introductory full-length returned to second place multiple times, but never managed to soar any higher.
Throughout 1984, 1985 and 1986, Diamond Life rose and fell on the Official Albums rundown, even disappearing and then returning multiple times. The set has not managed to make a home on the consumption-based tally since September 1986.
Sade Has Charted Nine Albums in the U.K.
Since Diamond Life brought Sade to the Official Albums chart for the first time in the summer of 1984, the group has seen nine projects land on the ranking. Only two of those releases – Lovers Rock and Lovers Live – have missed out on the top 10. Those sets peaked at Nos. 18 and 51, respectively. The Best Of topped out at No. 6. Only Promise, which arrived a year after Diamond Life, brought Sade to the summit, where it held for two frames during its initial promotional period.