Halfway through 2013, I wanted a good list of the top-selling songs in America for the first 6 months, so I made it and wanted to share!

I got most of the sales from the weekly Digital Songs threads posted here, with some supplementary info from Yahoo

 

Some sales numbers are slightly inexact and thus have an asterisk for one of two reasons, either

1) Song's sales came from Yahoo where sales are always rounded, or

2) I don't know how much they sold in 2012 and couldn't subtract, but in each case it's a minimal amount

 

Apparently 51 songs sold 1 million downloads by the end of June, so I'm missing one but it's surely toward the bottom of the list. Feel free to help me identify it!

 

Lastly, I included UK mid-year positions for comparison--hopefully those are correct!

 

(see next post)

1 MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS FEAT. WANZ THRIFT SHOP 5,557,942 (#3 UK)

2 P!NK FEAT. NATE RUESS JUST GIVE ME A REASON 3,524,000* (#4 UK)

3 BRUNO MARS WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN 3,424,240 (#11 UK)

4 RIHANNA FEAT. MIKKY EKKO STAY 3,298,000* (#14 UK)

5 IMAGINE DRAGONS RADIOACTIVE 3,246,061 (#25 UK)

6 MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS FEAT. RAY DALTON CAN'T HOLD US 3,129,000* (#13 UK)

7 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE CRUISE 3,111,537

8 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FEAT. JAY-Z SUIT & TIE 2,574,351 (#28 UK)

9 TAYLOR SWIFT I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE 2,454,521 (#10 UK)

10 ROBIN THICKE FEAT. T.I. & PHARRELL BLURRED LINES 2,405,516 (#2 UK)

11 WILL.I.AM & BRITNEY SPEARS SCREAM & SHOUT 2,270,439 (#12 UK)

12 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE MIRRORS 2,242,924 (#5 UK)

13 ICONA POP FEAT. CHARLI XCX I LOVE IT 2,082,274*

14 THE LUMINEERS HO HEY 1,971,029 (#18 UK)

15 FALL OUT BOY MY SONGS KNOW WHAT YOU DID IN THE DARK (LIGHT EM UP) 1,966,508

16 PITBULL FEAT. CHRISTINA AGUILERA FEEL THIS MOMENT 1,885,256* (#32 UK)

17 BRUNO MARS LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN 1,845,513 (#27 UK)

18 DARIUS RUCKER WAGON WHEEL 1,767,546

19 BAAUER HARLEM SHAKE 1,743,888* (#35 UK)

20 DRAKE STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM 1,703,341

21 DAFT PUNK FEAT. PHARRELL WILLIAMS GET LUCKY 1,619,088 (#1 UK)

22 MAROON 5 DAYLIGHT 1,603,399

23 LIL WAYNE FEAT. DRAKE & FUTURE LOVE ME 1,600,096

24 SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA FEAT. JOHN MARTIN DON'T YOU WORRY CHILD 1,594,639 (#39 UK)

25 DEMI LOVATO HEART ATTACK 1,582,052

26 SELENA GOMEZ COME & GET IT 1,543,019

27 ALICIA KEYS GIRL ON FIRE 1,446,544

28 BLAKE SHELTON FEAT. PISTOL ANNIES & FRIENDS BOYS 'ROUND HERE 1,445,033

29 TIM MCGRAW WITH TAYLOR SWIFT HIGHWAY DON'T CARE 1,352,251

30 BLAKE SHELTON SURE BE COOL IF YOU DID 1,344,019

31 MUMFORD & SONS I WILL WAIT 1,341,873

32 FUN. CARRY ON 1,337,443

33 PHILLIP PHILLIPS HOME 1,328,838

34 ARIANA GRANDE FEAT. MAC MILLER THE WAY 1,315,035

35 MIRANDA LAMBERT MAMA'S BROKEN HEART 1,273,249*

36 OLLY MURS FEAT. FLO RIDA TROUBLEMAKER 1,270,161* (#40 UK)

37 ANNA KENDRICK CUPS (PITCH PERFECT'S WHEN I'M GONE) 1,248,926

38 A$AP ROCKY FEAT. DRAKE, 2 CHAINZ, & KENDRICK LAMAR F**KIN PROBLEMS 1,236,038

39 OF MONSTERS AND MEN LITTLE TALKS 1,228,650

40 CALVIN HARRIS FEAT. FLORENCE WELCH SWEET NOTHING 1,215,734

41 IMAGINE DRAGONS IT'S TIME 1,200,503

42 AWOLNATION SAIL 1,180,321

43 TAYLOR SWIFT 22 1,170,199

44 P!NK TRY 1,167,874

45 THE SCRIPT FEAT. WILL.I.AM HALL OF FAME 1,162,414

46 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE GET YOUR SHINE ON 1,139,257

47 PSY GANGNAM STYLE 1,103,867 (#31 UK)

48 RIHANNA POUR IT UP 1,092,565

49 EMELI SANDE NEXT TO ME 1,090,523*

50 KELLY CLARKSON CATCH MY BREATH 1,020,803

Cruise is the best-selling song that hasn't done anything in the UK. I wonder if it ever will. It's sometimes been in the top 1000, but it can't be getting any airplay. I could imagine Heart FM or Radio 2 jumping on it though.

Cruise is the best-selling song that hasn't done anything in the UK. I wonder if it ever will. It's sometimes been in the top 1000, but it can't be getting any airplay. I could imagine Heart FM or Radio 2 jumping on it though.

 

Which version has been in the top 1000? With Nelly or without?

Which version has been in the top 1000? With Nelly or without?

 

It was the Nelly version.