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Hayley Williams and Paramore's Official Top 10 biggest songs
08 May 2020 | By Rob Copsey

To celebrate the release of Paramore's new album After Laughter, Official Charts reveals their most popular songs so far.

After a decade of success with Paramore, frontwoman Hayley Williams has gone solo and releases her debut album, Petals For Amor, this week.

On the surface it sounds nothing like a Paramore album, despite making the record with guitarist Taylor York and touring bassist Joey Howard - though the powerhouse rock-pop that was in the band's DNA can occasionally be heard deep below the surface.

To celebrate the album's release, we're revealing Hayley's Official Top 10 biggest songs to date, combining her Paramore and solo tracks, based on Official Charts Company sales and streaming data. Let's look at some highlights:

8. Ain't It Fun
Released: 2014
Official Chart peak: N/A
Chart sales: 291,000

The winner of Best Rock Song at the Grammys in 2015, Ain't It Fun was the fourth and final single taken from the group's self-titled, fourth album. Despite becoming the band's first Top 10 single in America, Ain't It Fun somehow missed the UK Top 40, though it remains one of their most popular, ranking as their fourth most-streamed song with 25.5 million plays.

7. The Only Exception
Released: 2010
Official Chart peak: 31
Chart sales: 318,000

Another song taken from Brand New Eyes, The Only Exception is in fact the only exception on the list - it's the only ballad to be featured. Believed to be about Hayley's husband, New Found Glory's lead guitarist Chad Gilbert, The Only Exception reached Number 31 to become Paramore's third UK Top 40 hit in 2010.

4. Stay The Night with Zedd
Released: 2014
Official Chart peak: 2
Chart sales: 434,000

Six years ago, when EDM-pop was taking over the charts, Hayley took a short break from Paramore to jump on this electro house banger by Russian-German producer Zedd. The track was a massive hit on radio, sending it to Number 2 on the Official Chart, and proved there was more to Hayley than emo-pop.

2. Misery Business
Released: 2013
Official Chart peak: 17
Chart sales: 635,000

A staple on the playlist in any sticky-floored rock club, Misery Business was Paramore's breakout tune and a song that newer fans have seemingly gone back and connected with. It's their second most-streamed song with 40.7 million plays, behind Hard Times (41.8 million), and the band's biggest song overall.

1. Airplanes with B.o.B
Released: 2010
Official Chart peak: 1
Chart sales: 1.24 million

Hayley's guest spot on B.o.B's lighter-waving rap rock song was her first solo venture, recorded by the singer while Paramore were on tour. The result was a huge success, reaching Number 1 on the Official Chart and topping out at 2 in the US. In the UK it's shifted over one million chart sales, including 51.4 million streams.

Hayley Williams and Paramore's Official Top 10 biggest songs

POS TITLE ARTIST PEAK YEAR
1 AIRPLANES BOB FT HAYLEY WILLIAMS 1 2010 1,240,000
2 MISERY BUSINESS PARAMORE 17 2007 635,000
3 STILL INTO YOU PARAMORE 15 2013
4 STAY THE NIGHT ZEDD FT HAYLEY WILLIAMS 2 2014 434,000
5 HARD TIMES PARAMORE 34 2017 400,000+
6 IGNORANCE PARAMORE 14 2009
7 THE ONLY EXCEPTION PARAMORE 31 2010 318,000
8 AIN'T IT FUN PARAMORE NA 2013 291,000
9 DECODE PARAMORE 52 2008 200,000+
10 CRUSH CRUSH CRUSH PARAMORE 61 2007

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