Pink Floyd Album 'The Dark Side of the Moon' Hit No. 1 53 Years Ago Today

One of the world's premier progressive rock bands unleashed their magnum opus 53 years ago. Yes, that's right -- Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon took the world by storm with a concept album that pushed the musical and philosophical envelope. Released on March 1, 1973, the psychedelic record delved into themes of time, death, conflict, mental illness, and greed. It particularly explored the mental health issues of former co-founder, singer-songwriter, and guitarist Syd Barrett.

On April 28, 1973, The Dark Side of the Moon hit No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It also took the top spot on five other weekly global charts, including the US Top 100 Albums. The record achieved Platinum certification in 19 regions. It even went 15x Platinum in the US and 16x Platinum in the UK, making it Pink Floyd's best-selling album.

While it peaked at No. 1 on several charts over half a century ago, The Dark Side of the Moon still resonates with music lovers today. It shaped the modern music landscape, and it marked a crucial turning point in rock, in particular. In 2013, the Library of Congress selected the album for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Publications like Rolling Stone and Q have called The Dark Side of the Moon "the best progressive rock album," with the former ranking the record consistently on iterations of its "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" lists. Rhythm readers also voted the album as "the seventh most influential progressive drumming album."

If you were alive to recall, listeners in the '90s discovered that playing The Dark Side of the Moon alongside The Wizard of Oz resulted in perfect synchronicity. Was this intentional? Band members have denied the connection between the two works over the years. Perhaps give The Dark Side of the Rainbow a watch -- a 2000 film that pairs The Dark Side of the Moon with The Wizard of Oz -- and report back.

Regardless, this Pink Floyd record is a pop culture staple and a piece of progressive rock brilliance that deserves a place in the annals of music history.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 7:42 AM.