Media consumers have seemingly always associated collectible items in the music industry with album covers and record covers, and while not all are equally beloved, even the most controversial album covers have often rocketed to iconic status, becoming symbols of past decades’ musical scenes. These top five album covers from different eras combine a sense of nostalgia and empowerment with enticing artistic features and are sure to convince listeners to give each album a try.
No. 5: Anti by Rihanna (2016)
Rihanna, a top name in the pop and R&B industry, has dominated the music scene since she released her first album, Music of the Sun, in 2005. Without fail, Rihanna’s album covers continually stun listeners, and combined with her talented vocals, her albums and records have flown off the shelves. Rihanna’s 2016 album cover for her eighth studio album, Anti, is both visually appealing and full of an overarching deeper meaning.
Rihanna entrusted the cover of Anti to Israeli artist Roy Nachum, who took an image of Rihanna as a child and placed a gold crown over her head, covering her eyes to highlight the main sense she’s relying on in the album: her voice. Nachum layered the photo with red paint and placed a black balloon in Rihanna’s hand, representing the possibility of escape and transcendence. Laid over the image is a poem written by poet Chloe Mitchell in Braille. Shrouded in red paint and full of personal meaning, Anti‘s cover is magnificent, matching the songs on the album, earning four out of five feathers.
No. 4: Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (1973)
This simple yet powerful album cover from the band Pink Floyd is packed with deeper, compelling meanings, showing that there is always more than what meets the eye. Coming from the band’s eighth studio album, Dark Side of the Moon, this album brought an impactful and profound layer to Pink Floyd’s already blooming musical career. Designed by Storm Thorgerson and drawn by George Hardie, this cover features a glass prism layered over a black background with white light shining through on one side and a rainbow emerging from the other.
This design has been theorized by fans to symbolize the emotional complexity of life, touching on themes of life and death, bringing a darker mindset to light. While the band has never officially released a statement revealing the meaning of this album cover, fans have come to this conclusion by focusing on the album’s lyrical themes. This thought-provoking album cover asks viewers to look past their first impressions of what they see to uncover their own deeper, and perhaps darker, understanding of life, earning the cover four out of five feathers.
No.3: HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish (2024)
Billie Eilish rose to the music scene in 2015 after releasing her first hit, Ocean Eyes. Since then, she has continued experimenting and stepping outside of the box, expanding her unique genre and amassing millions of fans along the way. This album, in particular, strayed away from her usual style, conveying her true thoughts and feelings and showing her more vulnerable side, and this album’s cover is no different. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT features Eilish floating submerged under water, reaching towards an open door at the water’s surface as she sinks deeper into the darkness below. This cover’s optical illusions aim to draw viewers in, encouraging them to analyze and remember the image rather than quickly skimming over it and disregarding this captivating piece of photography.
Not only were her mental fears addressed and conquered in this album, but her physical fears as well. During the photo shoot, Eilish was required to be submerged under water for two minutes as photographer William Drumm captured the final shot. During this time, Eilish was attached to a weight and did not have any goggles or nose plugs, forcing her to face her fear of swimming and drowning.
The cover’s tone is purposely conflicting, mirroring that of the album’s title. Its juxtaposition of pain and calm, as well as the feeling of being trapped yet free, brings more complicated and real feelings to the forefront, showing that someone can feel multiple ways in a single moment. Through a single photograph, Eilish seamlessly conveyed the exact thoughts and feelings that inspired this incredibly powerful and moving album, creating a piece of art that was truly deserving of four and a half out of five feathers.
No.2: Norman F*cking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey (2019)
Lana Del Rey, who entered the music scene in 2010 with the release of her self-titled debut album, Lana Del Rey, reigns supreme over the alternative pop and indie genres, continuing to resonate with the souls of many wistful Californians. One of Del Rey’s most well-known album covers, however, is a more recent album, Norman F*cking Rockwell! Released in 2019, the album cover features Del Rey with one of her arms wrapped around “The Shining” actor Jack Nicholson’s grandson, Duke Nicholson (a niche choice, but very Del Rey), and the other outstretched towards the camera. The pair is depicted on a sailboat with Los Angeles aflame in the background and an American flag perched atop the edge of the boat. Above in the sky, soft, baby blue and white acrylic brushstrokes complement the cover’s composition, drawing attention to the pop art, comic book-like typography in the album’s corners.
This album cover shies away from minimalism and incorporates an eclectic Americana feel. The title of the album Norman Fucking Rockwell! and perhaps some of the choices for the album art is a direct nod to mid 20th-century American painter Norman Rockwell who is well known for his paintings that are heavy on nostalgia and commentary on American societal and political standards. Del Rey draws on themes of the American Dream to add deeper meaning to the album’s cover while also hinting at the thematic message of the 14 tracks of the album which have clear commentary on American masculinity, idealized romance, and subtle hints at climate change which may be hinted at with the burning LA in the cover’s background. To match the masterpiece that is Norman Fucking Rockwell!’s lyricism, Del Rey’s album cover is equally well thought-out and reflective of the album’s sound, and the amount of symbolism incorporated within the cover makes it not only one of Del Rey’s best album covers but some of the best album art to date getting a perfect five out of five feathers.
No.1: Abbey Road by The Beatles (1969)
Perhaps one of the most widely known and iconic album covers comes from the Beatles; their eleventh studio album, Abbey Road, has never gone out of style. The cover features the four band members, from right to left, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, in their final album together before the band broke up in 1970.
Taken by photographer Iain MacMillan, in front of what was then the EMI Studios, which was later renamed Abbey Road Studios following the release of this legendary album, Abbey Road sold over 29 million copies. From the mind of McCartney, this shoot took only ten minutes and six shots. The team chose the final photo due to its perfect symmetry and unison, adding to the flawless nature of the Beatles’ album. Other creators are constantly emulating this classic cover in the music world, keeping the past in the present. Abbey Road will never be forgotten as it goes down as one of the most remarkable covers in the music industry, deserving of five out of five feathers.
