# List of UK top-ten albums in 2003

The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical albums. This list shows albums that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart during 2003, as well as albums which peaked in 2002 and 2004 but were in the top 10 in 2003. The entry date is when the album appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
One-hundred and twenty-two albums were in the top ten this year. Sixteen albums from 2002 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while Elephunk by The Black Eyed Peas and Twentysomething by Jamie Cullum were both released in 2003 but did not reach their peak until 2004. Come Away with Me by Norah Jones, Justified by Justin Timberlake, Let Go by Avril Lavigne and Missundaztood by Pink were the albums from 2002 to reach their peak in 2003. Eleven artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2003. 50 Cent, Busted, Girls Aloud, Michael Bublé and Sean Paul were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 album in 2003.
The first number-one album of the year was Let Go by Avril Lavigne. Overall, twenty-five different albums peaked at number-one in 2003, with twenty-five unique artists hitting that position.

## Background
### Multiple entries

One-hundred and twenty-two albums charted in the top 10 in 2003, with one-hundred and eight albums reaching their peak this year (including Their Greatest Hits: The Record and The Very Best of Cat Stevens, which both charted in previous years but reached a peak on their latest chart run).
Eleven artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2003. Blue, Busted, Elvis Presley, Pink, Rachel Stevens, Red Hot Chili Peppers, R. Kelly, Robbie Williams, Sugababes and Westlife were the acts who had two top 10 albums this year. Busted and R. Kelly's two entries were both released this year.

### Chart debuts

Twenty-nine artists achieved their first top 10 album in 2003 as a lead artist. Busted and R. Kelly both had one more entry in their breakthrough year.
The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo album, or featured appearances on compilations or other artists recordings.
| Artist | Number of top 10s | First entry | Chart position | Other entries |
| Daniel Bedingfield | 1 | Gotta Get Thru This | 2 | — |
| Busted | 2 | Busted | 2 | A Present for Everyone (2) |
| Christina Aguilera | 1 | Stripped | 2 | — |
| 50 Cent | 1 | Get Rich or Die Tryin' | 2 | — |
| Appleton | 1 | Everything's Eventual | 9 | — |
| Turin Brakes | 1 | Ether Song | 4 | — |
| The White Stripes | 1 | Elephant | 1 | — |
| David Sneddon | 1 | Seven Years – Ten Weeks | 5 | — |
| Evanescence | 1 | Fallen | 1 | — |
| R. Kelly | 2 | Chocolate Factory | 10 | The R. in R&B Collection, Vol. 1 (4) |
| Big Brovaz | 1 | Nu-Flow | 6 | — |
| Deftones | 1 | Deftones | 7 | — |
| Girls Aloud | 1 | Sound of the Underground | 2 | — |
| Delta Goodrem | 1 | Innocent Eyes | 2 | — |
| The Thrills | 1 | So Much for the City | 3 | — |
| Electric Six | 1 | Fire | 7 | — |
| The Darkness | 1 | Permission to Land | 1 | — |
| Kings of Leon | 1 | Youth & Young Manhood | 3 | — |
| Sean Paul | 1 | Dutty Rock | 2 | — |
| Elbow | 1 | Cast of Thousands | 7 | — |
| Black Rebel Motorcycle Club | 1 | Take Them On, On Your Own | 3 | — |
| The Cooper Temple Clause | 1 | Kick Up the Fire, and Let the Flames Break Loose | 5 | — |
| DMX | 1 | Grand Champ | 6 | — |
| Hayley Westenra | 1 | Pure | 7 | — |
| The Black Eyed Peas | 1 | Elephunk | 3 | — |
| Michael Bublé | 1 | Michael Bublé | 6 | — |
| Jamie Cullum | 1 | Twentysomething | 3 | — |
| Bryn Terfel | 1 | Bryn | 6 | — |
| Alex Parks | 1 | Introduction | 5 | — |

#### Notes

As members of Destiny's Child, Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé had two top 10 albums to their name (The Writing's on the Wall in 1999 and Survivor two years later). Both had debut solo albums in 2003 that reached high positions - Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love and Kelly Rowland's Simply Deep topped the chart.
Ex Hear'Say singer Kym Marsh peaked at number 9 with her first and only solo album Standing Tall. Rachel Stevens broke out on her own after S Club went on hiatus and she made the top 10 with Funky Dory, her debut album.

### Best-selling albums

Dido had the best-selling album of the year with Life for Rent. The album spent 21 weeks in the top 10 (including ten weeks at number one), sold over 2.168 million copies and was certified 6× platinum by the BPI. Justified by Justin Timberlake came in second place. Christina Aguilera's Stripped, Gotta Get Thru This from Daniel Bedingfield and Come Away with Me by Norah Jones made up the top five. Albums by The Darkness, Coldplay, Michael Jackson, Busted and R.E.M. were also in the top ten best-selling albums of the year.

## Top-ten albums
### Key

| Symbol | Meaning |
| ‡ | Album peaked in 2002 but still in chart in 2003. |
| ♦ | Album released in 2003 but peaked in 2004. |
| (#) | Year-end top-ten album position and rank |
| Entered | The date that the album first appeared in the chart. |
| Peak | Highest position that the album reached in the UK Albums Chart. |
| Entered (week ending) | Weeks in top 10 | Single | Artist | Peak | Peak reached (week ending) | Weeks at peak |
| Albums in 2002 |||||||
| 9 February 2002 | 31 | Missundaztood | Pink | 2 | 18 January 2003 | 1 |
| 8 June 2002 | 14 | The Eminem Show ‡ | Eminem | 1 | 8 June 2002 | 5 |
| 8 June 2002 | 29 | Come Away with Me (#5) | Norah Jones | 1 | 8 March 2003 | 4 |
| 20 July 2002 | 28 | By the Way ‡ | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 1 | 20 July 2002 | 5 |
| 24 August 2002 | 2 | Melody AM ‡ | Röyksopp | 9 | 24 August 2002 | 1 |
| 7 September 2002 | 31 | A Rush of Blood to the Head ‡ (#7) | Coldplay | 1 | 7 September 2002 | 3 |
| 7 September 2002 | 7 | Angels with Dirty Faces ‡ | Sugababes | 2 | 7 September 2002 | 1 |
| 5 October 2002 | 9 | ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits ‡ | Elvis Presley | 1 | 5 October 2002 | 2 |
| 5 October 2002 | 28 | Let Go | Avril Lavigne | 1 | 11 January 2003 | 3 |
| 2 November 2002 | 4 | One by One ‡ | Foo Fighters | 1 | 2 November 2002 | 1 |
| 9 November 2002 | 10 | A New Day at Midnight ‡ | David Gray | 1 | 9 November 2002 | 1 |
| 16 November 2002 | 10 | One Love ‡ | Blue | 1 | 16 November 2002 | 1 |
| 16 November 2002 | 24 | Justified (#2) | Justin Timberlake | 1 | 1 February 2003 | 7 |
| 23 November 2002 | 9 | Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1 ‡ | Westlife | 1 | 23 November 2002 | 1 |
| 23 November 2002 | 11 | Greatest Hits 1970–2002 ‡ | Elton John | 3 | 23 November 2002 | 2 |
| 30 November 2002 | 14 | Escapology ‡ | Robbie Williams | 1 | 30 November 2002 | 7 |
| Albums in 2003 |||||||
| 18 January 2003 | 17 | Gotta Get Thru This (#4) | Daniel Bedingfield | 2 | 2 August 2003 | 1 |
| 25 January 2003 | 17 | Busted | Busted | 2 | 8 February 2003 | 2 |
| 1 February 2003 | 21 | Stripped (#3) | Christina Aguilera | 2 | 15 March 2003 | 1 |
| 1 February 2003 | 3 | Their Greatest Hits: The Record | Bee Gees | 5 | 8 February 2003 | 1 |
| 15 February 2003 | 4 | Simply Deep | Kelly Rowland | 1 | 15 February 2003 | 1 |
| 15 February 2003 | 2 | Biography: The Greatest Hits | Lisa Stansfield | 3 | 15 February 2003 | 1 |
| 15 February 2003 | 2 | I Care 4 U | Aaliyah | 4 | 15 February 2003 | 1 |
| 22 February 2003 | 2 | 100th Window | Massive Attack | 1 | 22 February 2003 | 1 |
| 1 March 2003 | 8 | Get Rich or Die Tryin' | 50 Cent | 2 | 1 March 2003 | 1 |
| 1 March 2003 | 5 | Greatest Hits | Tom Jones | 2 | 8 March 2003 | 1 |
| 8 March 2003 | 1 | Everything's Eventual | Appleton | 9 | 8 March 2003 | 1 |
| 15 March 2003 | 1 | Ether Song | Turin Brakes | 4 | 15 March 2003 | 1 |
| 22 March 2003 | 1 | Reason | Melanie C | 5 | 22 March 2003 | 1 |
| 22 March 2003 | 5 | Daniel in Blue Jeans: 20 Great Rock 'N' Roll Love Songs | Daniel O'Donnell | 3 | 29 March 2003 | 1 |
| 29 March 2003 | 1 | Back in the World Live | Paul McCartney | 5 | 29 March 2003 | 1 |
| 29 March 2003 | 2 | Ballads – The Love Song Collection | Boyzone | 6 | 29 March 2003 | 2 |
| 29 March 2003 | 1 | Neon Nights | Dannii Minogue | 8 | 29 March 2003 | 1 |
| 5 April 2003 | 4 | Meteora | Linkin Park | 1 | 5 April 2003 | 1 |
| 5 April 2003 | 5 | Home | Simply Red | 2 | 5 April 2003 | 1 |
| 5 April 2003 | 1 | One Heart | Celine Dion | 4 | 5 April 2003 | 1 |
| 12 April 2003 | 10 | Elephant | The White Stripes | 1 | 12 April 2003 | 2 |
| 12 April 2003 | 1 | Eye Candy | Mis-Teeq | 6 | 12 April 2003 | 1 |
| 19 April 2003 | 1 | The Very Best Of | Lighthouse Family | 9 | 19 April 2003 | 1 |
| 3 May 2003 | 4 | American Life | Madonna | 1 | 3 May 2003 | 1 |
| 3 May 2003 | 1 | Couldn't Have Said It Better | Meat Loaf | 4 | 3 May 2003 | 1 |
| 10 May 2003 | 1 | Seven Years – Ten Weeks | David Sneddon | 5 | 10 May 2003 | 1 |
| 10 May 2003 | 2 | Say You Will | Fleetwood Mac | 6 | 10 May 2003 | 1 |
| 17 May 2003 | 3 | Think Tank | Blur | 1 | 17 May 2003 | 1 |
| 24 May 2003 | 1 | The Golden Age of Grotesque | Marilyn Manson | 4 | 24 May 2003 | 1 |
| 24 May 2003 | 16 | Fallen | Evanescence | 1 | 28 June 2003 | 1 |
| 24 May 2003 | 3 | Chocolate Factory | R. Kelly | 10 | 24 May 2003 | 3 |
| 31 May 2003 | 3 | Nu-Flow | Big Brovaz | 6 | 31 May 2003 | 1 |
| 31 May 2003 | 1 | Deftones | Deftones | 7 | 31 May 2003 | 1 |
| 31 May 2003 | 4 | The Definitive | The Drifters | 8 | 31 May 2003 | 2 |
| 7 June 2003 | 1 | Sound of the Underground | Girls Aloud | 2 | 7 June 2003 | 1 |
| 7 June 2003 | 3 | How the West Was Won | Led Zeppelin | 5 | 7 June 2003 | 1 |
| 14 June 2003 | 10 | You Gotta Go There to Come Back | Stereophonics | 1 | 14 June 2003 | 1 |
| 14 June 2003 | 4 | Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7 | S Club 7 | 2 | 14 June 2003 | 1 |
| 14 June 2003 | 3 | St. Anger | Metallica | 3 | 14 June 2003 | 1 |
| 14 June 2003 | 3 | Labour of Love, Vols. I, II & III: The Platinum Collection | UB40 | 7 | 21 June 2003 | 1 |
| 21 June 2003 | 3 | Hail to the Thief | Radiohead | 1 | 21 June 2003 | 1 |
| 21 June 2003 | 3 | Bare | Annie Lennox | 3 | 21 June 2003 | 1 |
| 5 July 2003 | 9 | Dangerously in Love | Beyoncé | 1 | 5 July 2003 | 5 |
| 5 July 2003 | 6 | The Greatest Hits of George Benson | George Benson | 4 | 5 July 2003 | 1 |
| 12 July 2003 | 9 | Innocent Eyes | Delta Goodrem | 2 | 12 July 2003 | 2 |
| 12 July 2003 | 4 | So Much for the City | The Thrills | 3 | 12 July 2003 | 1 |
| 12 July 2003 | 1 | Chapter II | Ashanti | 5 | 12 July 2003 | 1 |
| 12 July 2003 | 3 | Parts of the Process (The Very Best of Morcheeba) | Morcheeba | 6 | 12 July 2003 | 1 |
| 12 July 2003 | 1 | Fire | Electric Six | 7 | 12 July 2003 | 1 |
| 19 July 2003 | 22 | Permission to Land (#6) | The Darkness | 1 | 6 September 2003 | 4 |
| 19 July 2003 | 2 | Ultimate Collection | The Osmonds | 4 | 19 July 2003 | 1 |
| 19 July 2003 | 7 | Youth & Young Manhood | Kings of Leon | 3 | 26 July 2003 | 1 |
| 2 August 2003 | 1 | Phantom Power | Super Furry Animals | 4 | 2 August 2003 | 1 |
| 2 August 2003 | 1 | Standing Tall | Kym Marsh | 9 | 2 August 2003 | 1 |
| 9 August 2003 | 4 | Magic and Medicine | The Coral | 1 | 9 August 2003 | 1 |
| 9 August 2003 | 9 | Dutty Rock | Sean Paul | 2 | 13 September 2003 | 1 |
| 9 August 2003 | 1 | The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection | Yes | 10 | 9 August 2003 | 1 |
| 23 August 2003 | 5 | American Tune | Eva Cassidy | 1 | 23 August 2003 | 2 |
| 23 August 2003 | 1 | Kokopelli | Kosheen | 7 | 23 August 2003 | 1 |
| 30 August 2003 | 1 | Cast of Thousands | Elbow | 7 | 30 August 2003 | 1 |
| 6 September 2003 | 1 | Take Them On, On Your Own | Black Rebel Motorcycle Club | 3 | 6 September 2003 | 1 |
| 6 September 2003 | 1 | Love & Life | Mary J. Blige | 8 | 6 September 2003 | 1 |
| 13 September 2003 | 2 | You've Got a Friend: The Best of James Taylor | James Taylor | 4 | 13 September 2003 | 1 |
| 20 September 2003 | 1 | Dance of Death | Iron Maiden | 2 | 20 September 2003 | 1 |
| 20 September 2003 | 1 | Kick Up the Fire, and Let the Flames Break Loose | The Cooper Temple Clause | 5 | 20 September 2003 | 1 |
| 27 September 2003 | 2 | Silence Is Easy | Starsailor | 2 | 27 September 2003 | 1 |
| 27 September 2003 | 1 | Reality | David Bowie | 3 | 27 September 2003 | 1 |
| 27 September 2003 | 1 | Seal IV | Seal | 4 | 27 September 2003 | 1 |
| 27 September 2003 | 1 | Grand Champ | DMX | 6 | 27 September 2003 | 1 |
| 27 September 2003 | 8 | Pure | Hayley Westenra | 7 | 22 November 2003 | 1 |
| 27 September 2003 | 17 | Elephunk ♦ | The Black Eyed Peas | 3 | 17 January 2004 | 4 |
| 4 October 2003 | 2 | Absolution | Muse | 1 | 4 October 2003 | 1 |
| 4 October 2003 | 2 | Sacred Love | Sting | 3 | 4 October 2003 | 1 |
| 4 October 2003 | 7 | The R. in R&B Collection, Vol. 1 | R. Kelly | 4 | 4 October 2003 | 2 |
| 4 October 2003 | 2 | The Long Road | Nickelback | 5 | 4 October 2003 | 1 |
| 4 October 2003 | 1 | Results May Vary | Limp Bizkit | 7 | 4 October 2003 | 1 |
| 4 October 2003 | 1 | Singles 93–03 | The Chemical Brothers | 9 | 4 October 2003 | 1 |
| 11 October 2003 | 21 | Life for Rent (#1) | Dido | 1 | 11 October 2003 | 10 |
| 11 October 2003 | 4 | Live at Knebworth | Robbie Williams | 2 | 11 October 2003 | 2 |
| 11 October 2003 | 1 | Funky Dory | Rachel Stevens | 9 | 11 October 2003 | 1 |
| 18 October 2003 | 2 | ELVIIS: 2nd to None | Elvis Presley | 4 | 18 October 2003 | 1 |
| 18 October 2003 | 2 | Michael Bublé | Michael Bublé | 6 | 18 October 2003 | 1 |
| 25 October 2003 | 5 | The Very Best of Sheryl Crow | Sheryl Crow | 2 | 25 October 2003 | 1 |
| 25 October 2003 | 2 | 12 Memories | Travis | 3 | 25 October 2003 | 1 |
| 25 October 2003 | 3 | The Very Best of Cat Stevens | Cat Stevens | 6 | 1 November 2003 | 1 |
| 1 November 2003 | 2 | Room on Fire | The Strokes | 2 | 1 November 2003 | 1 |
| 1 November 2003 | 4 | As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II | Rod Stewart | 4 | 1 November 2003 | 1 |
| 1 November 2003 | 1 | Careful What You Wish For | Texas | 5 | 1 November 2003 | 1 |
| 8 November 2003 | 12 | In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 (#10) | R.E.M. | 1 | 8 November 2003 | 1 |
| 8 November 2003 | 5 | Three | Sugababes | 3 | 8 November 2003 | 1 |
| 8 November 2003 | 6 | Twentysomething ♦ | Jamie Cullum | 3 | 6 March 2004 | 1 |
| 15 November 2003 | 4 | Guilty | Blue | 1 | 15 November 2003 | 1 |
| 15 November 2003 | 1 | This Left Feels Right | Bon Jovi | 4 | 15 November 2003 | 1 |
| 22 November 2003 | 1 | Try This | Pink | 3 | 22 November 2003 | 1 |
| 22 November 2003 | 1 | Ladies Night | Atomic Kitten | 5 | 22 November 2003 | 1 |
| 22 November 2003 | 2 | Bryn | Bryn Terfel | 6 | 22 November 2003 | 1 |
| 22 November 2003 | 1 | The Definitive Collection | Lionel Richie & The Commodores | 10 | 22 November 2003 | 1 |
| 29 November 2003 | 10 | Number Ones (#8) | Michael Jackson | 1 | 29 November 2003 | 1 |
| 29 November 2003 | 7 | A Present for Everyone (#9) | Busted | 2 | 29 November 2003 | 1 |
| 29 November 2003 | 9 | Greatest Hits | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 4 | 29 November 2003 | 1 |
| 29 November 2003 | 1 | Body Language | Kylie Minogue | 6 | 29 November 2003 | 1 |
| 29 November 2003 | 1 | Let It Be... Naked | The Beatles | 7 | 29 November 2003 | 1 |
| 6 December 2003 | 5 | Turnaround | Westlife | 1 | 6 December 2003 | 1 |
| 6 December 2003 | 2 | Introduction | Alex Parks | 5 | 6 December 2003 | 1 |
| 13 December 2003 | 15 | Friday's Child | Will Young | 1 | 13 December 2003 | 2 |
| 13 December 2003 | 2 | Cliff at Christmas | Cliff Richard | 9 | 20 December 2003 | 1 |

## Entries by artist

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2003, including albums that reached their peak in 2002. The figures only include main artists, with featured artists and appearances on compilation albums not counted individually for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 2003 is also shown.
| Entries | Artist | Weeks | Albums |
| 2 | Blue | 7 | Guilty, One Love |
| 2 | Busted | 22 | A Present for Everyone, Busted |
| 2 | Elvis Presley | 3 | ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits, ELVIIS: 2nd to None |
| 2 | Pink | 7 | Missundaztood, Try This |
| 2 | Rachel Stevens | 5 | Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7, Funky Dory |
| 2 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 20 | By the Way, Greatest Hits |
| 2 | R. Kelly | 10 | Chocolate Factory, The R. in R&B Collection, Vol. 1 |
| 2 | Robbie Williams | 13 | Escapology, Live at Knebworth |
| 2 | Sugababes | 7 | Angels with Dirty Faces, Three |
| 2 | Westlife | 7 | Turnaround, Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1 |