DavesMusicDatabase.com is devoted to ranking, rating, and reviewing music of all genres and eras. The DMDB blog serves up music history snapshots, best-of lists, and music-related essays.
September 18, 1982. I can peg my fascination with music charts to that date. After listening to a local radio station’s countdown of the hits of the summer, I decided to make my own list of favorites (see original list here). I ended up revising it every few days, eventually developing my own charts which I maintained into the ‘90s.
I’ve made some adjustments to those original charts. First, the charts I did from 1982 to 1994 mixed current songs with classics. I’ve revised this list to put songs in their proper place chronologically. Second, since I didn’t do charts prior to 1982 or after 1994, I’ve speculated what would have been my #1’s.
Of course, I realize no one really cares about any of this but me. That’s fine. It’s my website so alongside content which (hopefully) matters to others, I get to stroke my own ego and post some content which is only important to an audience of one. In any event, you can check out the lists here if you wish:
In 2018, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Hot 100, Billboard magazine published a list of the top 600 songs in the history of the chart (see here). However, that ignored the 60+ years of charts the magazine had done prior to that. This rectifies that situation by offering a list of the top songs from the pre-Hot 100 era.
11. Ben Selvin “Dardanella” (1920)
12. Vernon Dalhart “The Prisoner’s Song” (1925)
13. Francis Craig with Bob Lamm “Near You” (1947)
14. The Weavers with Gordon Jenkins’ Orchestra “Goodnight Irene” (1950)
15. Jo Stafford “You Belong to Me” (1952)
16. Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra “I’ll Never Smile Again” (1940)
17. Artie Shaw “Frenesi” (1940)
18. Glenn Miller “In the Mood” (1939)
19. Henry Burr with Albert Campbell “Till We Meet Again” (1919)
20. George J. Gaskin “On the Banks of the Wabash” (1897)
21. Byron Harlan “School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids)” (1907)
22. Johnnie Ray & the Four Lads “Cry” (1951)
23. Harry James with Helen Forrest “I’ve Heard That Song Before” (1943)
24. Vaughn Monroe “Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)” (1949)
25. Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra “Whispering” (1920)
26. Frankie Carle & Marjorie Hughes “Oh What It Seemed to Be” (1946)
27. Dinah Shore & Her Harper Valley Boys “Buttons and Bows” (1948)
28. Ted Weems with Elmo Tanner “Heartaches” (1947)
29. George J. Gaskin “After the Ball” (1893)
30. Les Paul with Mary Ford “Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)” (1953)
31. The Harmonicats “Peg O’ My Heart” (1947)
32. Al Jolson “Sonny Boy” (1928)
33. Byron Harlan “My Gal Sal” (1907)
34. Henry Burr “Beautiful Ohio” (1919)
35. American Quartet “Over There” (1917)
36. Perry Como “Till the End of Time” (1945)
37. Percy Faith with Felicia Sanders “Where Is Your Heart (Song from “Moulin Rouge”)” (1953)
38. American Quartet with Billy Murray “Casey Jones” (1910)
39. Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb & His Orchestra “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938)
40. Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra with Bob Eberly & Helen O’Connell “Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)” (1941)
41. Tony Bennett “Because of You” (1951)
42. Arthur Collins “The Preacher and the Bear” (1905)
43. Henry Burr “Just a Baby’s Prayer at Twilight (For Her Daddy Over There)” (1918)
44. The Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen’s Orchestra “Rum and Coca-Cola” (1945)
45. Guy Lombardo “The Third Man Theme” (1950)
46. Leo Reisman & His Orchestra with Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers “Cheek to Cheek” (1935)
47. Al Jolson “April Showers” (1922)
48. Leo Reisman’s Orchestra with Fred Astaire “Night and Day” (1932)
49. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954)
50. Haydn Quartet “Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet” (1909)
51. Billy Murray “You’re a Grand Old Flag (aka “The Grand Old Rag”)” (1906)
52. Bing Crosby with George Stoll’s Orchestra “Pennies from Heaven” (1936)
53. Harry MacDonough with Elise Stevenson (as Miss Walton) “Shine on, Harvest Moon” (1909)
54. Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra with Franklyn Baur “Valencia (A Song of Spain)” (1926)
55. Elvis Presley “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
56. Bing Crosby with Lani McIntire & His Hawaiians “Sweet Leilani” (1937)
57. Nick Lucas “Tip-Toe Thru the Tulips with Me” (1929)
58. Vaughn Monroe’s Orchestra “Ballerina” (1947)
59. Elvis Presley “All Shook Up” (1957)
60. George Olsen with Joe Morrison “The Last Round-Up” (1933)
61. Larry Clinton with Bea Wain “Deep Purple” (1939)
62. Byron Harlan “Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie” (1906)
63. Ted Lewis & His Band “In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town” (1932)
64. Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees “Stein Song (University of Maine)” (1930)
65. Len Spencer “Arkansaw Traveler” (1902)
66. Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock” (1957)
67. Glenn Miller Orchestra with Ray Eberle & The Modernaires “Moonlight Cocktail” (1942)
68. Tennessee Ernie Ford “Sixteen Tons” (1955)
69. Kay Starr “Wheel of Fortune” (1952)
70. Dan Quinn “The Band Played On” (1895)
71. Eddy Howard “To Each His Own” (1946)
72. Dan Quinn “The Sidewalks of New York” (1895)
73. The McGuire Sisters “Sincerely” (1955)
74. Elvis Presley “Love Me Tender” (1956)
75. George W. Johnson “The Laughing Song” (1891)
76. Perez “Prez” Prado “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” (1955)
77. Pat Boone “Love Letters in the Sand” (1957)
78. Danny & The Juniors “At the Hop” (1957)
79. Elvis Presley “Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear” (1957)
80. Mitch Miller “The Yellow Rose of Texas” (1955)
81. Haydn Quartet “In the Good Old Summertime” (1903)
82. Haydn Quartet “Bedelia” (1904)
83. Tab Hunter “Young Love” (1956)
84. Victor Orchestra “The Glow-Worm” (1908)
85. Eileen Barton “If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake” (1950)
86. George J. Gaskin “My Old New Hampshire Home” (1898)
87. John McCormack “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary” (1915)
88. Dinah Shore “The Gypsy” (1946)
89. J.W. Myer “In the Good Old Summertime” (1902)
90. The Four Aces “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” (1955)
91. George J. Gaskin “When You Were Sweet Sixteen” (1900)
92. Gogi Grant “The Wayward Wind” (1956)
93. Blue Baron & His Orchestra “Cruising Down the River on a Sunday Afternoon” (1949)
94. Gene Austin “Ramona” (1928)
95. Dean Martin “Memories Are Made of This” (1955)
96. John Philip Sousa “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (1897)
97. The Everly Brothers “Wake Up Little Susie” (1957)
98. Nat “King” Cole “Mona Lisa” (1950)
99. Al Jolson “Swanee” (1920)
100. Harry MacDonough “Down by the Old Mill Stream” (1911)
101. Harry MacDonough & Grace Spencer “Tell Me Pretty Maiden” (1901)
102. Steve Porter “A Bird in a Gilded Cage” (1900)
103. Henry Burr “Love Me and the World Is Mine” (1906)
104. Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters “Don’t Fence Me In” (1944)
105. Vaughn Monroe “There! I’ve Said It Again” (1945)
106. Charles Harrison “Peg O’ My Heart” (1913)
107. Roger Williams “Autumn Leaves” (1955)
108. Leo Reisman & Harold Arlen “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933)
109. Lucy Isabelle Marsh “The Glow-Worm” (1908)
110. Bing Crosby with John Scottt Trotter’s Orchestra “Swinging on a Star” (1944)
111. Kitty Kallen “Little Things Mean a Lot” (1954)
112. Sam Cooke “You Send Me” (1957)
113. Vera Lynn with Ronald Shaw’s Orchestra “Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart” (1952)
114. American Quartet “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary” (1914)
115. The Platters “My Prayer (Avant de Mourir)” (19560
116. John Philip Sousa with Harry MacDonough & S.H. Dudley “In the Good Old Summertime” (1903)
117. Buddy Clark “Peg O’ My Heart” (1947)
118. Al Dexter & His Troopers “Pistol Packin’ Mama” (1943)
119. Perry Como “Wanted” (1954)
120. Les Brown with Doris Day “Sentimental Journey” (1945)
121. Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke & the Four Modernaires “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (1941)
122. Billy Murray with the Haydn Quartet “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” (1910)
123. Billy Murray “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” (1904)
124. Ada Jones & Billy Murray “Shine on, Harvest Moon” (1909)
125. Frank Sinatra “Oh, What It Seemed to Be” (1946)
126. Patti Page “The Doggie in the Window” (1953)
127. Billy Murray “Harrigan” (1907)
128. Russ Morgan & Skylarks “Cruising Down the River on a Sunday Afternoon” (1949)
129. Kay Starr & the Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra “Rock and Roll Waltz” (1955)
130. Pee Wee Hunt “Twelfth Street Rag” (1948)
131. Bert Williams “Nobody” (1906)
132. Arthur Collins “Hello Ma Baby” (1899)
133. Glenn Miller “Tuxedo Junction” (1940)
134. Peggy Lee “Manana Is Soon Enough for Me” (1948)
135. Dan Quinn “A Hot Time in the Old Town” (1896)
136. The Andrews Sisters “Shoo-Shoo Baby” (1943)
137. Frankie Laine with Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires “That Lucky Old Sun” (1949)
138. Paul Anka “Diana” (1957)
139. Dan Quinn “Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two)” (1893)
140. Wayne King “Goodnight Sweetheart” (1931)
141. Eddy Howard “Sin (It’s No Sin)” (1951)
142. Peerless Quartet “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” (1911)
143. The Crew-Cuts “Sh-Boom” (1954)
144. Ethel Waters “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933)
145. The Three Suns “Peg O’ My Heart” (1947)
146. Len Spencer “Hello Ma Baby” (1899)
147. Les Baxter “The Poor People of Paris” (1956)
148. Heidelberg Quintet “By the Beautiful Sea” (1914)
149. Paul Whiteman “Three O’Clock in the Morning” (1922)
150. Frankie Masters “Scatter-Brain” (1939)
151. Bing Crosby “Only Forever” (1940)
152. Jere Mahoney “When You Were Sweet Sixteen” (1900)
153. Jere Mahoney “A Bird in a Gilded Cage” (1900)
154. Frankie Carle & Marjorie Hughes “Rumors Are Flying” (1946)
155. The Platters “The Great Pretender” (1955)
156. Billy Jones “Yes! We Have No Bananas” (1923)
157. Debbie Reynolds “Tammy” (1957)
158. The Ames Brothers “You, You, You” (1953)
159. Henry Burr “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” (1909)
160. Ed Gallagher & Al Shean “Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean” (1922)
161. Perry Como “If (They Made Me King)” (1951)
162. Pat Boone “April Love” (1957)
163. Tony Bennett “Rags to Riches” (1953)
164. Nat “King” Cole “Nature Boy” (1948)
165. Freddy Martin & Jack Fina “Piano Concerto in B Flat” (1941)
166. The Chordettes “Mr. Sandman” (1954)
167. Dick Haymes & the Song Spinners “You’ll Never Know” (1943)
168. Nicholas Orlando’s Orchestra “Till We Meet Again” (1919)
169. Jimmy Dorsey with Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen “Besame Mucho (Kiss Me Much)” (1944)
170. Sonny James “Young Love” (1956)
171. Len Spencer “The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)” (1892)
172. John York Atlee “Listen to the Mocking Bird (aka “The Mocking Bird”)” (1891)
173. Charles Hart & Lewis James “Till We Meet Again” (1919)
174. Enrico Caruso “Over There” (1918)
175. The Victor Military Band “Poor Butterfly” (1917)
176. Red Foley “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy” (1950)
177. Patti Page “I Went to Your Wedding” (1952)
178. The Mills Brothers “The Glow-Worm” (1952)
179. Ben Selvin “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” (1919)
180. Peerless Quartet “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier” (1915)
181. Steve Porter “On the Banks of the Wabash” (1898)
182. J.W. Myers “The Sidewalks of New York” (1895)
184. Tex Williams “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! That Cigarette” (1947)
185. Mina Hickman “Come Down Ma Evening Star” (1903)
186. Tommy Dorsey with Edythe Wrightt “The Music Goes ‘Round and ‘Round” (1935)
187. Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers “Sunday, Monday or Always” (1943)
188. Les Paul & Mary Ford “How High the Moon” (1951)
189. Rosemary Clooney “Hey There” (1954)
190. Len Spencer “A Hot Time in the Old Town” (1897)
191. American Quartet “Moonlight Bay” (1912)
192. Artthur Collins “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home” (1902)
193. Al Jolson “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” (1918)
194. Billy Murray “Yankee Doodle Boy” (1905)
195. Guy Lombardo & Carmen Lombardo “Red Sails in the Sunset” (1935)
196. Glenn Miller & Marion Hutton “The Woodpecker Song” (1940)
197. Jimmie Rodgers “Honeycomb” (1957)
198. Billy Murray with the Haydn Quartet “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1908)
199. Al Jolson “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” (1913)
200. Byron Harlan & Frank Stanley “Blue Bell” (1904)
These are the biggest hits for Canada each year from 1967 to present. 1967 to 1999 are based on Year-End RPM charts. 2008 to 2019 are based on Billboard Canadian Hot 100 year-end charts. Other years are determined by selecting the song which spent the most weeks at #1 that year.
2019: Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”
The top songs from 1988 on are based on the Australian (ARIA) charts’ actual year-end lists (link at bottom of page). Year-end #1 songs prior to 1988 are based on which song had the most weeks at #1 that year.
2019: Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”
In 1996, Billboard magazine lanched the adult album alternative (AAA) chart. The radio format is a spinoff of the album-oriented radio stations focused on classic rock from the ‘60s and ‘70s. While artists like Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen are staples of classic rock, their current material was largely neglected by those stations. Alongside these heritage acts, AAA played mainstream-rock-oriented alternative acts like the Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls, Hootie & the Blowfish, Matchbox 20, Dave Matthews Band, and Alanis Morissette.
As is usually the case with a new chart, though, the format was already well established before Billboard started tracking. This list, therefore, is an effort to represent those songs preceded the chart. Eligibilty for this list was determined by acts who had later AAA chart hits, but songs from 1990 to 1996 which didn’t make that chart.
1. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991)
2. Oasis “Wonderwall” (1995)
3. U2 “One” (1992)
4. No Doubt “Don’t Speak” (1995)
5. Radiohead “Creep” (1993)
6. Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (1994)
7. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992)
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Under the Bridge” (1991)
9. Beck “Loser” (1993)
10. Sheryl Crow “All I Wanna Do” (1994)
11. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” (1995)
12. Bruce Springsteen “Streets of Philadelphia” (1994)
13. Pearl Jam “Jeremy” (1991)
14. R.E.M. “Everybody Hurts’ (1992)
15. Alanis Morissette “Ironic” (1995)
16. Oasis “Live Forever” (1994)
17. Eric Clapton “Change the World” (1996)
18. Jewel “You Were Meant for Me” (1995)
19. Oasis “Don’t Look Back in Anger” (1995)
20. Smashing Pumpkins “1979” (1995)
21. Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories “Stay (I Missed You)” (1994)
22. Tracy Chapman “Give Me One Reason” (1995)
23. Shawn Colvin “Sunny Came Home” (1996)
24. Alanis Morissette “You Learn” (1995)
25. Oasis “Champagne Supernova” (1995)
26. Green Day “Basket Case” (1994)
27. The Rembrandts “I’ll Be There for You” (1995)
28. Joan Osborne “One of Us” (1995)
29. Jewel “Foolish Games” (1995)
30. Pearl Jam “Alive” (1991)
31. Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun” (1994)
32. Sting “Fields of Gold” (1993)
33. The Cranberries “Zombie” (1994)
34. Radiohead “Fake Plastic Trees” (1995)
35. Soul Asylum “Runaway Train” (1992)
36. Eric Clapton ““Layla” (Unplugged version, 1992)
37. Green Day “Longview” (1994)
38. Hootie & the Blowfish “Only Wanna Be with You” (1994)
39. Counting Crows “Mr. Jones” (1993)
40. Alanis Morissette “Head Over Feet” (1995)
41. Sting “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” (1993)
42. Pearl Jam “Daughter” (1993)
43. U2 “Night and Day” (1990)
44. Weezer “Buddy Holly” (1994)
45. The Black Crowes “Hard to Handle” (1990)
46. Live “Lightning Crashes” (1994)
47. R.E.M. “Man on the Moon” (1992)
48. Bonnie Raitt “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (1991)
49. U2 “Mysterious Ways” (1991)
50. The Cranberries “Linger” (1993)
51. Green Day “When I Come Around” (1994)
52. Beck “Where It’s At” (1996)
53. Bonnie Raitt “Something to Talk About” (1991)
54. Collective Soul “Shine” (1993)
55. Smashing Pumpkins “Disarm” (1993)
56. Lenny Kravitz “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” (1993)
57. Stone Temple Pilots “Interstate Love Song” (1994)
58. Dave Matthews Band “Crash into Me” (1996)
59. Spin Doctors “Two Princes” (1991)
60. Collective Soul “December” (1995)
61. Smashing Pumpkins “Tonight Tonight” (1995)
62. Stone Temple Pilot “Plush” (1992)
63. R.E.M. “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” (1994)
64. Seal “Crazy” (1990)
65. Blues Traveler “Run Around” (1994)
66. Sting “All This Time” (1990)
67. Smashing Pumpkins “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” (1995)
68. Sheryl Crow “Everyday Is a Winding Road” (1996)
69. Crowded House “Weather with You” (1991)
70. Collective Soul “the World I Know” (1995)
71. Goo Goo Dolls “Name” (1995)
72. R.E.M. “Drive” (1992)
73. Bruce Springsteen “Human Touch” (1992)
74. Gin Blossoms “‘Til I Hear It from You” (1995)
75. U2 “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” (1995)
76. INXS “Suicide Blonde” (1990)
77. U2 “Even Better Than the Real Thing” (1991)
78. R.E.M. “Shiny Happy People” (1991)
79. Alanis Morissette “Hand in My Pocket” (1995)
80. Radiohead “High and Dry” (1995)
81. Bonnie Raitt “Love Sneakin’ Up on You” (1994)
82. Hootie & the Blowfish “Let Her Cry” (1994)
83. Sheryl Crow “If It Makes You Happy” (1996)
84. Live “Selling the Drama” (1994)
85. Hootie & the Blowfish “Time” (1994)
86. Paula Cole “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” (1996)
87. The Cranberries “Dreams” (1992)
88. Pearl Jam “Better Man” (1994)
89. Jewel “Who Will Save Your Soul?” (1995)
90. Paula Cole “I Don’t Want to Wait” (1996)
91. Silverchair “Tomorrow” (1994)
92. Pearl Jam “Black” (1991)
93. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” (1993)
94. Bruce Springsteen “Secret Garden” (1995)
95. Sheryl Crow “Strong Enough” (1993)
96. John Mellencamp & Me’Shell Ndegeocello “Wild Night” (1994)
97. Sarah McLachlan “I Will Remember You” (1995)
98. Hootie & the Blowfish “Hold My Hand” (1994)
99. Matchbox 20 “Push” (1996)
100. Melissa Etheridge “I’m the Only One” (1993)
11. Hello…Adele (2015)
12. Umbrella…Rihanna with Jay-Z (2007)
13. Crazy in Love… Beyoncé with Jay-Z (2003)
14. Blurred Lines…Robin Thicke with T.I. & Pharrell Williams (2013)
15. Crazy…Gnarls Barkley (2006)
16. We Belong Together…Mariah Carey (2005)
17. See You Again …Wiz Khalifa with Charlie Puth (2015)
18. Old Town Road…Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus (2018)
19. Closer…The Chainsmokers with Halsey (2016)
20. Low…Flo Rida with T-Pain (2007)
This list is a compiled from a variety of sources for sales figures (see complete source list here), but they are generally estimates since there is no official agency to track worldwide sales. As such, it is highly possible that some of these sales figures have been inflated by record companies or other vested parties, but this list does at least offer some idea of the world’s best-selling songs.
On top of that, these figures don’t always strictly represent sales. Especially in the 21st century, additional figures – such as the number of times songs were streamed via Spotify, YouTube or other services – have been factored into official certifications. That means a song certified for 10 million in sales may not have actually “sold” that many copies.
If you have your doubts about some of these songs belonging on this list, you’re not alone. I realize my knowledge of music beyond U.S. shores is limited, but if songs like Thelma Aoyama’s “Soba ni lur ne”, Utada Hikaru’s “Flavor of Life”, Kiseki’s “Greeeen”, Andre Brasseur’s “Early Bird”, and Machiko Soga’s “Oba-Q Ondo” are truly that monstrous in sales, shouldn’t I have at least heard of them? Oh well. I just report the lists. I don’t make these figures up (even if someone else does).
Note: in the event of ties, songs are ranked according to overall DMDB points.
The World’s All-Time Best-Selling Songs (6 million +)
The Tokens “The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)” (1961)
Lou Bega “Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…)” (1999)
Pitbull with Ke$ha “Timber” (2013)
Pussycat Dolls with Busta Rhymes “Don’t Cha” (2005)
Jeannie C. Riley “Harper Valley P.T.A.” (1968)
Britney Spears “Oops! I Did It Again” (2000)
Beyoncé “Halo” (2008)
SSgt Barry Sadler “The Ballad of the Green Berets” (1966)
Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters “Jingle Bells” (1943)
Elvis Presley “Surrender/Lonely Man” (1961)
Abba “Waterloo” (1974)
Drake with Majid Jordan “Hold on, We’re Going Home” (2013)
Neil Diamond “Cracklin’ Rosie” (1970)
The Brotherhood of Man “Save Your Kisses for Me” (1976)
Bonnie Tyler “It’s a Heartache” (1977)
French Montana with Swae Lee “Unforgettable” (2017)
New Seekers “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” (1971)
Janet Jackson “Together Again” (1997)
Kanye West “Heartless” (2008)
AWOL Nation “Sail” (2011)
George Baker Selection “Una Paloma Blanca” (1975)
Zac Brown Band “Chicken Fried” (2008)
Drake with Kanye West, Lil Wayne, & Eminem “Forever” (2009)
Khalid “Young, Dumb & Broke” (2017)
Luke Bryan “Country Girl (Shake It for Me)” (2011)
Tee Set “Ma Belle Amie” (1969)
Chris Stapleton “Tennessee Whiskey” (2015)
Andre Brasseur “Early Bird” (1965)
Machiko Soga “Oba-Q Ondo” (1966)
* Sales exclusively from sheet music sales. No particular artist identified.
** Includes sheet music sales
Resources and Related Links:
Edward Foote Gardner (2000). Popular Songs of the Twentieth Century: Volume I – Chart Detail & Encyclopedia 1900-1949 St. Paul, MN: Paragon House
This resource, also listed in the “Charts” section, is also included here because this and Whitburn’s Pop Memories 1890-1954, are the most dominant sources for sheet music sales figures.
This list, which obviously focuses on the 2000-2009 decade, offers an insight into more recent sales. It has been posted many times, but without indication of the original source.
List of all-time best-selling songs (8 million+) globally. No indication of source or year of list. Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” is the top seller with 37 million sold. Also includes 2005 list of UK’s “All-Time Best Selling Singles,” which is more detailed at UKcharts.20m.com.
List of the top 100 selling singles in the U.K. with commentary on the top 10 by Theo Morgan-Gan. Includes sales figures from The Official Chart Company.
Appears to be an older version of the same list posted at PhilBrodieBand.com. However, this one lists 24 songs topping 4 million in sales. “Candle in the Wind” tops the list with 26 million +. Appears to be a blog post with no original reference or date cited. Also includes a 2003 list of 100+ songs selling more than 5 million.
PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, WI; Record Research, Inc.
This resource, also listed in the “Charts” section, is listed here as well because this and Gardner’s Popular Songs of the Twentieth Century, Volume 1, noted above, are the most dominant sources for sheet music sales figures. A list on page 634 offers up the sheet music from 1890-1954 that sold in execess of 3 million.
While there is no official tracking company to record global sales, data from multiple sources can be compiled to get a good idea of the all-time best-selling songs in the world. This lists all songs to have reportedly gained 5 million + in sales. Each song is referenced with an additional footnote for the source.
Unfortunately, there are no references to confirm any of these, but some of the 21 songs on this list have been verified by other sources, including “White Christmas” selling at the 50 million mark and “Candle in the Wind 1997” at 37 million.
