Printable version of thread
Click here to view this topic in its original format
BuzzJack Music Forum _ UK Charts _ The UK's most streamed songs in 2017 by year of release
Posted by: ben08 2nd May 2018, 12:42 PM
OCC 01 May 2018
The UK's most streamed songs in 2017 by year of release
With streaming now firmly established in music – accounting for over half of music consumption in the UK – it’s not just new songs that are racking up millions of plays, many classics are now finding a sizeable audience. Tracks released before 2016 (what can loosely be defined as ‘catalogue’ songs) made up 55% of music streaming in 2017, despite the Top 10 most played tracks of the year all being released in 2017.
The seasonal appeal of Christmas classics are the obvious choice for popular catalogue songs on streaming, and last year saw Wham’s Last Christmas become the most popular song on streaming released in the 1980s with 24 million plays in 2017, closely followed by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s Fairytale Of New York on 20.5m.
Behind the festive favourites, not completely unsurprisingly, is Toto’s Africa, which notched up just under 18m plays in the UK last year. The soft rock classic, released in 1982, has found a new audience in the streaming era thanks in part to nostalgic Millennials revisiting the song as well as countless memes and essays about the song online. The same goes for Earth Wind & Fire's September, which also featured in the hit film Trolls and was the most popular single of the 1970s last year with 17.5m streams.
More surprising is Train’s Hey Soul Sister, which was the most streamed track of 2017 released in 2009, with 11.7 million plays. The folk-pop number was a huge radio hit but only a moderate UK chart success at the time, peaking at Number 18 on the Official Singles Chart in 2010 and finishing as the 84th best-seller of that year.
Meanwhile, the most streamed track of the 1990s last year was Oasis’ 1995 hit Wonderwall with just over 27m plays, narrowly beating Mariah Carey’s 1994 yuletide favourite All I Want For Christmas Is You with 26m streams. Elsewhere, the enduring appeal of The Killers’ Mr Brightside makes 2003 the golden song of the Noughties, acquiring 42m plays in 2017 alone, while The Jackson 5’s 1969 single I Want You Back was the most popular track of the 1960s last year.
Take a look at the complete list of the most streamed songs of 2017 by year of release below, compiled by the BPI using Official Charts Company data:
YEAR TITLE ARTIST
2017 SHAPE OF YOU - ED SHEERAN
2016 YOU DON'T KNOW ME - JAX JONES FT RAYE
2015 BE THE ONE - DUA LIPA
2014 ONE LAST TIME - ARIANA GRANDE
2013 POMPEII - BASTILLE
2012 RADIOACTIVE - IMAGINE DRAGONS
2011 THE A TEAM - ED SHEERAN
2010 WHAT YOU KNOW - TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB
2009 HEY SOUL SISTER - TRAIN
2008 VIVA LA VIDA - COLDPLAY
2007 FLOURESCENT ADOLESCENT - ARCTIC MONKEYS
2006 NAÏVE - THE KOOKS
2005 GOLD DIGGER - KANYE WEST FT JAMIE FOXX
2004 NUMB/ENCORE - JAY-Z & LINKIN PARK
2003 MR BRIGHTSIDE - THE KILLERS
2002 IGNITION REMIX - R KELLY
2001 LAST NITE - STROKES
2000 IN THE END - LINKIN PARK
1999 NO SCRUBS - TLC
1998 IRIS - GOO GOO DOLLS
1997 BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY - VERVE
1996 NO DIGGITY - BLACKSTREET FT DR DRE
1995 WONDERWALL - OASIS
1994 ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU - MARIAH CAREY
1993 LAID - JAMES
1992 CREEP - RADIOHEAD
1991 SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT - NIRVANA
1990 THUNDERSTRICK - AC/DC
1989 I WANNA BE ADORED - STONE ROSES
1988 FAST CAR - TRACY CHAPMAN
1987 FAIRTYALE OF NEW YORK - THE POGUES FT KIRSTY MACCOLL
1986 YOU CAN CALL ME AL - PAUL SIMON
1985 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE - SHAKIN' STEVENS
1984 LAST CHRISTMAS - WHAM!
1983 SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) - EURYTHMICS
1982 AFRICA - TOTO
1981 DON'T STOP BELIVIN' - JOURNEY
1980 MY MAKE MY DREAMS - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES
1979 HIGHWAY TO HELL - AC/DC
1978 SEPTEMBER - EARTH WIND & FIRE
1977 MR BLUE SKY - ELO
1976 GO YOU OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC
1975 BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN
1974 SWEET HOME ALABAMA - LYNYRD SKYNYRD
1973 STEP INTO CHRISTMAS - ELTON JOHN
1972 SUPERSTITION - STEVIE WONDER
1971 TINY DANCER - ELTON JOHN
1970 SIGNED SEALED DELIVERED (I'M YOURS) - STEVIE WONDER
1969 I WANT YOU BACK - JACKSON 5
1968 ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER - JIMI HENDRIX
1967 AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH - MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL
1966 PAINT IT BLACK - ROLLING STONES
1965 I CAN'T HELP MYSELF - FOUR TOPS
1964 MY GIRL - THE TEMPTATIONS
1963 IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR - ANDY WILLIAMS
1962 BRING IT ON HOME TO ME - SAM COOKE
1961 STAND BY ME - BEN E KING
1960 AT LAST - ETTA JAMES
©2018 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
Why was the BPI involved?
Posted by: Suedehead2 2nd May 2018, 12:51 PM
Some unexpected entries there with several songs that have never been big hits. Good to see Two Door Cinema Club getting belated recognition.
Posted by: Brett-Butler 2nd May 2018, 12:57 PM
Laid by James is a big surprise on that list. It wasn't a massive hit at the time, and I haven't really seen it become a massive popular culture song, featuring in American Pie aside. Not complaining, of course.
Obviously delighted that "Africa" by Toto is on the list, and quite surprising that no Beatles song made the cut in the 60s.
Posted by: No Sleeep 2nd May 2018, 01:08 PM
What the hell? I’ve never heard the songs from 2001, 2006, 2007 or 2010
Posted by: Cremey 2nd May 2018, 01:15 PM
Surprised to see Fluorescent Adolescent there!
I’ve always thought it wasn’t that well remembered.
Posted by: Midge 2nd May 2018, 01:15 PM
Really surprised at Two Door Cinema Club there!
There are also some incorrectly dated tracks there - in terms of them coming out in the UK, Linkin Park's "In The End" was 2001; R. Kelly's "Ignition Remix" was 2003; The Killers "Mr Brightside" was 2004 and so on. But still very interesting nonetheless.
Posted by: FleetSeb 2nd May 2018, 01:25 PM
2010 wasn't really a hit at the time but 2001, 2006 and 2007 are all songs that were definitely massive when released.
Posted by: Bré 2nd May 2018, 01:26 PM
'What You Know' is a pretty bizarre one, is there really no bigger enduring hit from 2010? I can kind of understand some of the strange 'choices' from older years as it just comes down to what is on the most playlists for the most part I guess but I would have thought a year as recent as 2010 would be represented by something a little more mainstream. It's cool to see Two Door Cinema Club on here I guess but 'What You Know' is one of their weaker singles imo! Also why 'Fluorescent Adolescent' over 'Brianstorm'?? A bigger hit, a better song and one I've heard far more over the years. Strange ~ (ultimately I guess it's still the power of playlists even for these more recent years).
Yasss for 'Africa' apparently being the most streamed 80s song apart from Christmas songs. 
Posted by: liamk97 2nd May 2018, 01:35 PM
'Fluorescent Adolescent' I'd say was second only to 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor' in terms of most popular Arctic Monkeys songs.
Agreed about the surprise of 'What You Know' being most streamed of the year 2010. It is hugely popular on streaming playlists but I'd have thought something like 'Love the Way You Lie', 'Only Girl' or 'Pass Out' would be more streamed.
Posted by: danG 2nd May 2018, 01:39 PM
Its high position on certain playlists is definitely why 'What You Know' is the most streamed of 2010, though it does seem to have become a big sleeper hit. It makes the Spotify top 200 fairly regularly because of playlists. Same with 'Africa', 'Fluorescent Adolescent', 'Mr. Brightside', 'No Scrubs', 'Naive'.
Posted by: Hayzayy 2nd May 2018, 02:12 PM
SO interesting !
Funny to see what songs people listen to/remember the most from previous years !
Nice surprises for Arctic Monkeys and The Kooks, both classics
I'd love to see the whole lists though !
Posted by: ben08 2nd May 2018, 02:58 PM
More information from BPI can be found https://www.bpi.co.uk/news-analysis/what-the-uk-streamed-in-2017/.
Posted by: Suedehead2 2nd May 2018, 03:05 PM
I suspect you'd recognise some of them if you gave them a listen.
Posted by: Chez Wombat 2nd May 2018, 04:29 PM
Landfill indie is the best, you should give them a listen~
Very interesting list! Bizarre to see Two Door Cinema Club for 2010 (although Hey Soul Sister didn't chart in the UK until 2010 so I'd put that as an incorrect listing), I suppose that really speaks for how few modern classics came from that year. The Kooks are quite surprising too, especially with a year like 2006 which had huge hits from many genres, it's a great song but I didn't think it was still holding up as well as that.
Posted by: T Boy 2nd May 2018, 07:55 PM
Yasss for 'Africa' apparently being the most streamed 80s song apart from Christmas songs.
Fluorescent Adolescent wasn’t as big as Brianstorm in the charts in 2007 but it was regarded as the best song on the album. It was a post album single which meant it didn’t chart as highly but it was the track everyone was talking about. Brianstorm peaked high but was pretty forgotten outside the fandom.
Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 2nd May 2018, 08:06 PM
Yeah, exactly. I never hear 'Brianstorm' anywhere anymore, yet hear 'Fluorescent Adolescent' regularly.
Posted by: Doctor Blind 2nd May 2018, 08:21 PM
Actually it was first released in 2003.
https://www.discogs.com/The-Killers-Mr-Brightside/release/1384958
Posted by: liamk97 2nd May 2018, 08:50 PM
I imagine You Don't Know me was lucky being last years most streamed 2016 track by being released at the tail end of 2016. I imagine One Dance would still comfortably be most streamed otherwise. Same goes for 2015 with Be the One over Sorry.
Posted by: GTH 2nd May 2018, 10:34 PM
Would be interesting to see a list like this done annually. Certain tracks are more influenced by things they have been linked to in the last year, most obvious being One Last Time. As far as a long term gauge of popularity, this list alone isn’t sufficient
2010’s one is definitely the strangest one to me. Seems to have built up a following in the streaming age that wasn’t there on official release.
Posted by: vibe 3rd May 2018, 06:09 AM
I’m surprised no scrubs and no diggity made it ! No diggity was not even a big hit .
Posted by: vidcapper 3rd May 2018, 07:00 AM
Very interesting, and sometimes surprising, list. 
Posted by: JCM20 3rd May 2018, 08:25 AM
You've never heard of Naïve?
Posted by: JCM20 3rd May 2018, 08:33 AM
Amazed by some of the songs on this list. Hey, Soul Sister is the biggest shock for me. If you'd asked me what 2009's most streamed song was last year, I'd have said I Gotta Feeling with no hesitation.
Last Nite is another surprise for me too, actually. It Wasn't Me would've been my guess.
Posted by: JCM20 3rd May 2018, 08:35 AM
And even though Ed Sheeran is the biggest artist on Spotify by a mile, I'd have still put money on We Found Love being higher up than The A Team.
Posted by: Bjork 3rd May 2018, 03:18 PM
What would be interesting is to see this list but excluding playlists
Cos this is not an indication of popularity but of playlists
No surprises in the list if one follows spotify, fluorescent adolescent or naive chart on a regular basis but its cos of playlists
Its not cos suddenly 100,000 people search for Naive on a given Thursday
Its cos its song @1 on a promoted playlist
The only real surprise for me is James as i dont recall ever seeing it top 200
Posted by: Gambo 3rd May 2018, 03:55 PM
As regards 'What You Know', although only a modest (no 64) sales hit in February 2011, it has tended to feature around the Top 200 or not-far-below echelon of the charts for some years, as have a couple of Two-Door Cinema Club singles. It has hovered around that sort of level for a long period, trickle-selling consistently on download. I don't know the OCC tallies, but I suspect it has probably proven to be one of the act's biggest sellers overall - if not the biggest. So perhaps the fact that the steady drip of understated but enduring interest now seen in recent streaming of the track isn't quite so surprising, as its appeal in the sales-only arena has been unusually persistent for a song that was never a major hit at any time.
Saying that, when one considers the likely saturation on streaming of some of the really big hitters released in each calendar year - particularly those issued in the 2010s contemporaneous to the rise of streaming as a mode of consuming music - it is notable that some much-more minor songs were apparently streamed more during last year than those were. I think the point made above about the time of year some of these were released is important, though it only partially-explains the unexpectedly-weaker showing of the megahits for some years in 2017 streaming terms. An interesting list and one I hope they repeat next year; the comparison will be intriguing and year-on-year will help to build a longer-term view on what the truly most-enduring songs on streaming actually are. I suspect that tracks like 'Africa', 'Wonderwall', 'Mr Brightside' and 'Shape Of You' will likely cling-on to their crowns as most-streamed release of their respective years for quite some time to come.
Posted by: Colm 4th May 2018, 07:55 PM
Did not expect to see Laid.
Posted by: SevenSeize 4th May 2018, 09:30 PM
!! @ What You Know, the success it deserves <3
Posted by: Riser 7th May 2018, 01:50 AM
It'd also be interesting to see the equivalent list for airplay, i.e. the songs with the most radio spins in 2017 by year of release, and see how much it overlaps with this one.
Posted by: Eric_Blob 7th May 2018, 10:07 AM
I actually think such a list would be VERY different (except One Last Time and perhaps a few of the older ones).
Powered by Invision Power Board
© Invision Power Services