Most songs from a soundtrack album simultaneously on the US Hot 100

On 11 February 2006, nine tracks from the Disney Channel movie High School Musical (USA, 2006) were simultaneously on the US Hot 100 singles chart: “Breaking Free” (Zac Efron, Andrew Seeley & Vanessa Anne Hudgens, No.4); “Get’cha Head in the Game” (Andrew Seeley, No.23); “Start of Something New” (Zac Efron, Andrew Seeley & Vanessa Anne Hudgens, No.29); “We’re All in this Together” (High School Musical Cast, No.34); “What I’ve Been Looking For” (Lucas Grabeel & Ashley Tisdale, No.35); “Stick to the Status Quo” (High School Musical Cast, No.43); “Bop to the Top” (Lucas Grabeel & Ashley Tisdale, No.62); “What I’ve Been Looking For (Reprise)” (Andrew Seeley & Vanessa Anne Hudgens, No.67); and “When there was Me and You” (Vanessa Anne Hudgens, No.72).

The tracks’ US chart success coincided with the 20 January release of the movie. All nine songs appeared on the soundtrack album, which topped the Billboard 200 on 11 March 2006 after seven weeks on the chart, and again on 1 April 2006. It went on to become the USA’s biggest-selling album of 2006, with 3.7 million copies sold.

For eight months in 2006, “Breaking Free” reigned as the highest climber in Hot 100 history, completing an 82-position jump to No.4 on 11 February, in its second week on the countdown. “Smack That” by Akon feat. Eminem beat it with an 88-position leap from No.95 to No.7 on 14 October 2006.

All nine High School Musical tracks landed in the Top 40 of Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart on 11 February 2006, including “Breaking Free” at No.1, racking up combined digital sales of 341,000 (82,000 for “Breaking Free” alone).

On 8 September 2007, songs from the follow-up movie High School Musical 2 (Disney Channel, 2007) stormed the Hot 100, with eight tracks between No.31 (“You Are the Music in Me” by Zac Efron and Vanessa Anne Hudgens) and No.98. One week earlier, the High School Musical 2 soundtrack had debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 after selling 615,000 copies.