What is the Most Popular Song in the World?

What is the most popular song in the world? It's a question that has been often debated, and it seems that there is no definitive answer.

Different sources have different opinions on the matter, and various factors must be considered, such as sales, critical acclaim, and popularity.

So we’re going to break it down for you!

Remember - not all songs are on all music streaming services, so it's worth checking new options out!

The Most Recognized Song in the World: "Happy Birthday to You"

In terms of sheer recognition and global familiarity, the most famous song is: "Happy Birthday to You."

According to the 1998 Guinness World Records, "Happy Birthday” is the most recognized song in the English language. Its simple yet joyful melody has been sung in countless celebrations worldwide, making it a universally known tune.

YouTube's Impact on Music: The Rise of Digital Popularity

However, if we consider the current landscape of music and its digital impact, we can't ignore platforms like YouTube.

As the most visited website after Google, it has become the go-to platform for music consumption worldwide.

YouTube is far ahead of other platforms, with two billion active users who listen to music. In stark contrast, Spotify, while undoubtedly popular in its own right, trails behind with a user count of (only) 381 million.

The colossal gap in user numbers further highlights YouTube's unparalleled reach and influence when it comes to music consumption.

You can check the list of the top most popular songs on YouTube here. And if you’re curious about Spotify all-time charts, this article is for you.

Billboard's Record: The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" Takes the Crown

One widely recognized source for measuring the popularity of songs is also Billboard. With its Top 100 chart dating back to 1958, Billboard has a comprehensive record of the most successful songs in terms of sales and chart performance.

According to Billboard, The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” holds the title for the most famous song for the period 1960-2021.

If you’re interested in songs that appeared on "all-time top" lists compiled by well-known music publications, check this study from 2015 that resulted in 50 iconic songs of all time.

What are the top 100 songs of all time?

Even though new tracks are constantly released, the top 100 tracks of all time are quite steady.

Ranking of songs is much easier than it used to be because we have data from the music streaming companies to find the top one hundred songs on any given day.

But as of right now, the top 100 songs are:

Blinding Lights - The Weeknd
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Smooth - Santana Featuring Rob Thomas
Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin
Uptown Funk! - Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars
How Do I Live - LeAnn Rimes
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO Featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) - Los Del Rio
Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Closer - The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey
We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton
Yeah! - Usher Featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris
Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
Circles - Post Malone
Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
Foolish Games/You Were Meant For Me - Jewel
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams
I'll Make Love To You - Boyz II Men
The Theme From "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith And His Orchestra
Le Freak - Chic
How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor
We Found Love - Rihanna Featuring Calvin Harris
Girls Like You - Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B
Low - Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain
Levitating - Dua Lipa
I Just Want To Be Your Everything - Andy Gibb
Too Close - Next
Every Breath You Take - The Police
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra
Despacito - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara
Rolling In The Deep - Adele
Tossin' And Turnin' - Bobby Lewis
Old Town Road - Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
The Battle Of New Orleans - Johnny Horton
One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden
Silly Love Songs - Wings
Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
Night Fever - Bee Gees
Another One Bites The Dust - Queen
Mood - 24kGoldn Featuring iann dior
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney And Michael Jackson
How You Remind Me - Nickelback
Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando
It's All In The Game - Tommy Edwards
I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
Shadow Dancing - Andy Gibb
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. + Pharrell
Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight - Elton John
No One - Alicia Keys
I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
End Of The Road - Boyz II Men
Perfect - Ed Sheeran
Boom Boom Pow - The Black Eyed Peas
Call Me - Blondie
Let Me Love You - Mario
Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees
Lady - Kenny Rogers
Tik Tok - Ke$ha
I'm A Believer - The Monkees
Gold Digger - Kanye West Featuring Jamie Foxx
Apologize - Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic
The Sign - Ace Of Base
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor
Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse) - Post Malone & Swae Lee
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Royals - Lorde
The Boy Is Mine - Brandy & Monica
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
I Love Rock 'N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures) - The 5th Dimension
Whoomp! (There It Is) - Tag Team
God's Plan - Drake
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 Featuring Christina Aguilera
Ebony And Ivory - Paul McCartney And Stevie Wonder
Rush Rush - Paula Abdul
That's What Friends Are For - Dionne & Friends Featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight And Stevie Wonder
Happy - Pharrell Williams
Upside Down - Diana Ross
Sugar, Sugar - The Archies
Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars
Dilemma - Nelly Featuring Kelly Rowland
I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
Rockstar - Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage
Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio Featuring L.V.
Abracadabra - The Steve Miller Band
You're So Vain - Carly Simon

According to Billboard's ‘Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs,’ those are the top 100 hit songs.

What are the top 5 singles of all time?

The list for the top 5 singles changes based on criteria like being a physical copy or stream.

First up, according to Chartmasters, here are the top 5 most streamed singles of all time and the daily stream figure (correct at the time of publishing).

And here are the top 5 best physical single sales.

Chartmasters disclaimer: All figures reflect the value as collected at the time of the artist’s respective articles.

What is the most popular song in the world?

That is a tough one! We each have a personal preference for what we believe is the world's most popular song. As we mentioned above, The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” holds the top spot for the world's most famous song.

However, according to YouTube, the top song is Despacito—Luis Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee, with an enormous 8.5 billion views (as of August 2024).

When it comes to the most ‘liked’ song in the world, or at least with a trackable metric, YouTube has Despacito with 53.46 million likes, not to mention a massive 4,268,483 million comments!

What is the best song in the world?

Another tough question! According to a Rolling Stone poll asking 250 musicians, artists, critics, producers, and industry figures, they had “Like a Rolling Stone” - Bob Dylan in the top 10 songs for 2004.

But by 2021, “Respect” - Aretha Franklin was sitting at number one.

All are classics, and most likely, when the next poll is done, there will be another best-song-in-the-world title holder.

What are the biggest songs in 2024?

2024 has had some incredible releases, and while the real song of the year might not have been released yet, these tracks are making a big splash.

Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter
Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan
von Dutch - Charli CXC
LUNCH - Billie Eilish
TEXAS HOLD ‘EM - Beyoncé

Of course, you can’t really talk about 2024 music without mentioning Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar. It's one of the biggest songs we’ve seen in a while, claiming a phenomenal amount of streams. But it turns out, that 2024 is the year of outstanding female vocal talent. With smash hits from Taylor Swift in the mix too.

How are the most popular songs in the world decided?

The lists factor in a couple of things: physical sales, such as CDs and vinyl.

Digital downloads and streaming data are gathered and totaled up. And metrics like people ‘liking’ and watching a video on YouTube are also included.

Other methods of finding the top singles or 100 most popular songs often include polls and surveys.

How do I become the most popular artist?

While the music industry is constantly developing and social media lets our content go viral in a lot of aspects. There isn't one gold piece of advice on how to become famous, as it depends on various factors, including algorithms and current trends.

But if TikTok love you, you'll get the high rate of streams you need to break into the charts.

Since TikTok is super visual, put out visuals to please Check out the music mixing software that will help you make the best music mix to go viral!

Summary

While determining the most famous song is subjective and open to interpretation, these examples provide a glimpse into the diverse range of songs that have captured the hearts and minds of people worldwide. "Happy Birthday to You" stands out as the most recognized song in the English language, capturing the essence of celebration worldwide.

"Despacito" emerges as a commercial powerhouse with billions of views on YouTube, the biggest music consumption platform. Finally, The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” holds the title based on sales and chart performance.