List of most-streamed songs in the United Kingdom

Last updated

Having been streamed over 562 million times, "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi is the UK's most-streamed song ever. Lewis Capaldi-8116.jpg
Having been streamed over 562 million times, "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi is the UK's most-streamed song ever.

In June 2014, the Official Charts Company (OCC) started including audio streams in the official UK Singles Chart, recognising their importance as an indicator of current popular trends and tastes in music. From this point onward, the popularity of a single or album track can be measured by both sales (which include paid downloads) and streams on officially recognised subscription and ad-funded on-demand services. [1] [2] Although the OCC added these figures to the chart in July 2014, they started compiling them in May 2012 through the Official Audio Streaming Chart. They are taken from on-demand audio streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer and Tidal, all of which are members of the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA). [3] Video streams were also added in June 2018, with a new weighting system applied to "premium" streams (those on paid subscription services) and "free" streams (those on ad-supported services like YouTube and the free tier of Spotify). [4]

Contents

In June 2016, "Sorry" by Justin Bieber became the first song to pass 100 million streams. [5] By September 2016, it had been joined by two other Bieber songs: "Love Yourself" and "What Do You Mean?" as well as "One Dance" by Drake (the first song to achieve 100 million streams in a calendar year). [6]

As of November 2022, the most-streamed song in the UK is "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi, with over 562 million streams. [7] The song with the most streams in a single chart week is "Easy on Me" by Adele in the week ending 28 October 2021 with 24 million streams, [8] whilst Little Mix hold the record for the most streamed girl group single, "Shout Out to My Ex". [9]

History

"Sorry" by Justin Bieber (pictured) was the first song with over 100 million streams in the UK. Justin Bieber in 2015.jpg
"Sorry" by Justin Bieber (pictured) was the first song with over 100 million streams in the UK.

In July 2014, the OCC announced that "Pompeii" by Bastille was the most-streamed song in the UK with 26.6 million streams. [3] "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne was the most-streamed song in 2014 with just short of 40 million streams, [10] whilst "Cheerleader" by OMI was the most-streamed song of 2015 with 71.7 million. [11]

The record for most streams in a week has been broken many times since 2012 when the OCC started measuring it as streaming levels have continued to grow. In 2013, "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk was the first song to achieve 1 million streams in a week, [12] "Uptown Funk" broke the 2 million streams barrier at the end of 2014 [13] and in April 2015, "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth passed 3 million streams. [14] In November 2015, "Hello" by Adele almost doubled the record to 7.32 million streams and, in the same week, Bieber also passed 4 million with "Sorry". [15]

In the week ending 4 October 2014, "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor became the first single ever to reach the UK top 40 on streams alone before it was available to buy [12] and in the week ending 13 December 2014, "Thinking Out Loud" became the first song to reach number one despite selling less than Union J's "You Got It All", the number-two song, due to streaming. [16] [17]

During 2015, streaming grew with an 80 per cent increase in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2014, with 59 songs being streamed more than 10 million times [18] and 17 more than 20 million times. [19] In total 53.7 billion songs were streamed in the UK in 2015, equating to almost 2,000 songs played in each UK household. [20]

In December 2016, the OCC announced that streaming had grown from 275 million per week in 2014 to 990 million and, consequently, the formula for converting streams to sale equivalents in the singles chart would be changed from 100:1 to 150:1 from January 2017. [21] Additionally, in June 2017, it was decided that after a record has spent at least 10 weeks on the chart, any track which has declined for three consecutive weeks will see its streams:sales ratio change from 150:1 to 300:1, in an attempt to accelerate their disappearance from the chart. [22]

"Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran was the UK's most streamed song from July 2017 [23] until November 2022, when it was overtaken by Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved". [24]

Most-streamed songs

These are the UK's 50 most-streamed songs using data from January 2014 onwards. [7]

PositionSong nameArtistReleased
1."Someone You Loved" Lewis Capaldi November 2018
2."Shape of You" Ed Sheeran January 2017
3."Perfect" / "Perfect Duet" / "Perfect Symphony"Ed Sheeran /
Ed Sheeran featuring Beyoncé /
Ed Sheeran featuring Andrea Bocelli
January 2017
December 2017
December 2017
4."Shotgun" George Ezra May 2018
5."Dance Monkey" Tones and I May 2019
6."Blinding Lights" The Weeknd November 2019
7."Mr. Brightside" The Killers May 2004
8."Baby Shark" Pinkfong August 2018
9."Despacito" /
"Despacito (Remix)"
Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee /
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
January 2017
April 2017
10."Shallow" Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper September 2018
11."Old Town Road" Lil Nas X March 2019
12."Say You Won't Let Go" James Arthur September 2016
13."Thinking Out Loud"Ed SheeranJune 2014
14."Bad Habits"Ed SheeranJune 2021
15."One Dance" Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla April 2016
16."Unforgettable" French Montana featuring Swae Lee April 2017
17."Sunflower" Post Malone and Swae LeeOctober 2018
18."Castle on the Hill"Ed SheeranJanuary 2017
19."One Kiss" Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa April 2018
20."Bad Guy" Billie Eilish March 2019
21."All I Want for Christmas Is You" Mariah Carey October 1994
22."I Don't Care"Ed Sheeran and Justin BieberMay 2019
23."New Rules"Dua LipaJuly 2017
24."Riptide" Vance Joy November 2013
25."Head & Heart" Joel Corry featuring MNEK July 2020
26."Girls Like You" Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B May 2018
27."Sweet but Psycho" Ava Max July 2018
28."Wonderwall" Oasis October 1995
29."This Is Me" Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman EnsembleDecember 2017
30."Bruises"Lewis CapaldiMarch 2017
31."Last Christmas" Wham! December 1984
32."These Days" Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen January 2018
33."Location" Dave featuring Burna Boy March 2019
34."Eastside" Benny Blanco, Halsey and Khalid July 2018
35."God's Plan"DrakeJanuary 2018
36."All of Me" John Legend February 2014
37."Cheap Thrills" Sia featuring Sean Paul March 2016
38."Rockstar"Post MaloneSeptember 2017
39."Uptown Funk" Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars December 2014
40."Don't Start Now"Dua LipaDecember 2019
41."Havana" Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug August 2017
42."Before You Go"Lewis CapaldiNovember 2019
43."Lucid Dreams"Juice WrldMay 2018
44."Take Me to Church" Hozier January 2014
45."Can't Stop the Feeling!" Justin Timberlake May 2016
46."Vossi Bop" Stormzy April 2019
47."Photograph"Ed SheeranJune 2014
48."Sorry"Justin BieberOctober 2015
49."Closer" The Chainsmokers featuring HalseyJuly 2016
50."Do I Wanna Know?" Arctic Monkeys June 2013
As of November 2022

See also

Related Research Articles

The UK Singles Chart was first compiled in 1969. However the records and statistics listed here date back to 1952 because the Official Charts Company counts a selected period of the New Musical Express chart and the Record Retailer chart from 1960 to 1969 as predecessors for the period prior to 11 February 1969, where multiples of competing charts coexisted side by side. For example, the BBC compiled its own chart based on an average of the music papers of the time; many songs announced as having reached number one on BBC Radio and Top of the Pops prior to 1969 may not be listed here as chart-toppers since they do not meet the legacy criteria of the Charts Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK Singles Downloads Chart</span> British music chart

The UK Singles Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday.

The Official Charts Company is a British inter-professional organisation that compiles various official record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adele discography</span>

English singer-songwriter Adele has released four studio albums, one video album, two extended plays, 17 singles and eleven music videos. Adele has sold over 70 million in pure album sales and over 100 million in album equivalent units worldwide over four studio albums and one video album as of December 2021. She was named the best-selling album artist of the 2010s decade in the US and worldwide. She has also sold over 100 million in single sales with total sales records over 170 million as of December 2021. She also became the best-selling female artist of the 21st century in the UK. Her album 21 became the best-selling album of the 21st century.

The UK music charts are a collection of charts that reflect the music-buying habits of people within the United Kingdom. Most of them are produced by the Official Charts Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Official Classical Singles Chart</span> Song chart in the United Kingdom

The Official Classical Singles Chart was a record chart based on downloads and streaming of classical music in the United Kingdom. Each week's chart was compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) and was first published on Monday afternoon on their official website. The chart ran for 140 weeks from 2012 to 2015, during which time a total of 23 singles by 22 artists reached number one. The most successful artist was the Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi, who topped the chart with three singles for a total of 54 weeks, while the most successful record label was Decca Records, which spent 89 weeks at number one with six singles. Einaudi's track "I Giorni" from his album of the same name spent 51 weeks at number one, longer than any other single. In January 2013, following the release of Einaudi's album In a Time Lapse, singles by the pianist accounted for 13 of the Top 20 on the Official Classical Singles Chart. Martin Talbot, managing director of the OCC, described him as one of the chart's "biggest and most consistent stars".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What Do You Mean?</span> 2015 single by Justin Bieber

"What Do You Mean?" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on August 28, 2015 by Def Jam as the lead single from his fourth studio album Purpose (2015). The song was produced by MdL and co-produced by Bieber. It was featured in several year-end lists of best songs of 2015. Commercially, the song topped the charts in several countries, including Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway. In Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, "What Do You Mean?" was Bieber's first number-one single. The song's music video features Bieber in bed with a young woman, Xenia Deli, and masked men kidnapping them, as well as an appearance from actor John Leguizamo. Since its release Bieber has mentioned that the song is about his relationship with Selena Gomez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorry (Justin Bieber song)</span> 2015 single by Justin Bieber

"Sorry" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album, Purpose (2015). Written by Bieber, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Skrillex, and BloodPop; the song was produced by the latter two. It was released on October 22, 2015, as the second single from the album. A dancehall pop, tropical house and moombahton song, "Sorry" contains in its instrumentation "brassy horn bleats", warm island rhythms and a bouncy dembow riddim drum beat. Lyrically, "Sorry" is a plea for a chance to apologize to a lover, with Bieber asking forgiveness and a second chance to redeem himself. Bieber has since said that the lover was Selena Gomez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hello (Adele song)</span> 2015 single by Adele

"Hello" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 23 October 2015 by XL Recordings as the lead single from her third studio album, 25 (2015). Written by Adele and the album's producer, Greg Kurstin, "Hello" is a piano ballad with soul influences, and lyrics that discuss themes of nostalgia and regret. Upon release, the song garnered critical acclaim, with reviewers comparing it favourably to Adele's previous works and praised its lyrics, production and Adele's vocal performance. It was recorded in Metropolis Studios, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Yourself</span> 2015 single by Justin Bieber

"Love Yourself" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album Purpose (2015). The song was released as a promotional single on November 9, 2015, and as the album's third official single on December 7, 2015. It was written by Bieber, Ed Sheeran and Benjamin Levin, and produced by the latter. A pop song, "Love Yourself" features an electric guitar and a brief flurry of trumpets as its main instrumentation. During the song, Bieber uses a husky tone in the lower registers. Lyrically, the song is a kiss-off to a narcissistic ex-lover.

References

  1. Lane, Dan (23 June 2014). "Streaming and the Official Singles Chart: Everything you need to know!". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  2. Lane, Dan (23 June 2014). "Infographic: The growth of music streaming in the UK". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 Lane, Dan (23 July 2014). "The top 10 most-streamed songs and artists of all time revealed". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  4. Forde, Eamonn (25 June 2018). "UK Top 40 singles chart to include video streaming figures". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  5. Kreisler, Lauren (10 June 2016). "Justin Bieber breaks massive all-time UK streaming record". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  6. Copsey, Rob (1 September 2016). "The Official Top 40 biggest songs of Summer 2016 revealed". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  7. 1 2 Griffiths, George (22 November 2022). "The UK's Official Most-Streamed songs of all time". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  8. Ainsley, Helen (22 October 2021). "Adele's Easy on Me makes record-breaking Number 1 debut on the Official Singles Chart". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  9. Griffiths, George (25 March 2021). "Little Mix return to the studio with hitmakers behind Number 1 single Sweet Melody". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  10. Copsey, Rob (1 January 2015). "The Official Top 40 Most Streamed Songs of 2014". Official Charts Company.
  11. Copsey, Rob (6 January 2016). "The Official Top 40 most-streamed songs of 2015 revealed". Official Charts Company.
  12. 1 2 Kreisler, Lauren (28 September 2014). "Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass becomes first song to chart on streams alone". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  13. Kreisler, Lauren (21 December 2014). "Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk breaks all-time streaming record!". Official Charts Company.
  14. Hooper, Ryan (20 April 2015). "Wiz Khalifa Fast & Furious 7 tribute 'See You Again' tops UK chart to become fastest-selling single of 2015". The Independent . Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  15. Copsey, Rob (30 October 2015). "Adele smashes Official Chart records with comeback single Hello". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  16. "UK Singles Chart 13 December 2014". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  17. "Top 40 UK Single Sales". Official Charts . 13 December 2014.
  18. Copsey, Rob (3 July 2015). "The Official Top 40 Most Streamed Songs of 2015 so far". Official Charts Company.
  19. British Phonographic Industry [@bpi_music] (3 July 2015). "Here are the singles that have gone past the 20 million streams mark this year in the UK!" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 July 2015 via Twitter.
  20. "Only 14% of the UK pays to stream music". BBC News. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  21. Homewood, Ben (19 December 2016). "Official Charts Company changes conversion rate to reflect rise in streaming". Music Week.
  22. Sutherland, Mark (27 June 2017). "Official Charts Company introduces singles chart revamp". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  23. McIntyre, Hugh (5 July 2017). "Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You' Is Now The Most-Streamed Song in U.K. History". Forbes. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  24. Griffiths, George (14 November 2022). "World Exclusive: Lewis Capaldi has the UK's most-streamed song of all time". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 January 2023.