Posted September 9, 201410 yr Pharrell’s Happy now the UK’s most downloaded track of all time 09/09/2014 By Rob Copsey http://c0903002.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/11123-pharrell_number_1_awards_420x250.jpg Pharrell claims 3 of the UK’sTop 10 biggest selling downloads ever, on 10th anniversary of the Official Download Chart. Hats off to Pharrell Williams, as Happy is revealed as the UK’s most downloaded track of all time as the Official Download Chart celebrates its tenth anniversary this month. OfficialCharts.com can confirm that Pharrell Williams’ Happy is the most downloaded track of all time, having now overtaken Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines, according to a new countdown compiled by the Official Charts Company. Happy has sold 1.62 million copies since it was released in June last year as part of the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, and later as the lead single from the star’s second solo album G I R L. The news comes exactly 10 years after the UK’s Official Download Chart launched back in September 2004. Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of the Official Charts Company comments: "Immense congratulations to Pharrell Williams. To have a staggering three tracks among the all-time Official Download Chart Top 10 plus the biggest-selling download of all time with the much-loved Happy, is quite remarkable. Few artists have ever dominated an era as he has done over the past 18 months – he is a true phenomenon of our times." Colin Barlow, MD RCA Label Group UK, adds: "It is so refreshing that a song that can create such joy can go on to become the biggest-selling download of all time. Happy is the perfect song to restore positivity. We congratulate Pharrell on this milestone achievement." Happy overtakes the previous biggest-selling download, Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines, which has sold 1.59 million copies to date and also features Pharrell, who co-wrote and produced the track. In fact, prolific Pharrell has played a role in an astonishing three of the UK’s Top 10 biggest selling downloads, having collaborated on Daft Punk’s Get Lucky also which sits at Number 6 in the list with digital sales of 1.4 million. Happy has become a genuine phenomenon since its release, shifting over one million copies in less than 12 months, it was Pharrell’s third hit to cross the mark in the same 12-month period, The Beatles are the only other act in chart history to have managed this. And the chart records don’t stop there, Happy has topped the charts on three separate occasions – making Pharrell only the third act to achieve such a feat! Speaking to OfficialCharts.com earlier this year, Pharrell said: "I am beyond grateful for the amount of love and support I've received in response to Happy – it is overwhelming. I've always respected the great taste of the UK, and I'm honoured to have my music embraced in such a positive way. I am so thankful." Meanwhile, the third biggest-selling download of all time is Adele’s Someone Like You with 1.53 million downloads, and Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger - one of only a handful of million-sellers not to top the chart - is fourth with sales of 1.47 million. Completing the Top 5 is Gotye and Kimbra’s 2011 hit Somebody That I Used To Know, which topped the Official Singles Chart in February 2012 and has sold 1.45 million copies to date. The legitimate digital music market took off 10 years ago this year, with the launch of a number of download stores including iTunes Europe, 7Digital Music and MyCokeMusic (a service launched as part of Coca Cola’s sponsorship of the Official Singles Chart). The Official Download Chart was subsequently introduced shortly after, in September 2004, and is published weekly here. Since then, 1.13 billion single track downloads have and 144 million album downloads have been bought in the UK. Check out the all-time Official Download Chart Top 100 below: 1 HAPPY PHARRELL WILLIAMS 2 BLURRED LINES ROBIN THICKE/TI/PHARRELL 3 SOMEONE LIKE YOU ADELE 4 MOVES LIKE JAGGER MAROON 5 FT CHRISTINA AGUILERA 5 SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW GOTYE FT KIMBRA 6 GET LUCKY DAFT PUNK FT PHARRELL WILLIAMS 7 I GOTTA FEELING BLACK EYED PEAS 8 WAKE ME UP AVICII 9 WE FOUND LOVE RIHANNA FT CALVIN HARRIS 10 SEX ON FIRE KINGS OF LEON 11 CALL ME MAYBE CARLY RAE JEPSEN 12 JUST THE WAY YOU ARE (AMAZING) BRUNO MARS 13 GANGNAM STYLE PSY 14 PARTY ROCK ANTHEM LMFAO/LAUREN BENNETT/GOONROCK 15 PRICE TAG JESSIE J FT BOB 16 LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE EMINEM FT RIHANNA 17 TITANIUM DAVID GUETTA FT SIA 18 LET HER GO PASSENGER 19 POKER FACE LADY GAGA 20 ONLY GIRL (IN THE WORLD) RIHANNA 21 WE ARE YOUNG FUN FT JANELLE MONAE 22 USE SOMEBODY KINGS OF LEON 23 IMPOSSIBLE JAMES ARTHUR 24 THE A TEAM ED SHEERAN 25 RATHER BE CLEAN BANDIT FT JESS GLYNNE 26 CHASING CARS SNOW PATROL 27 DIAMONDS RIHANNA 28 LA LA LA NAUGHTY BOY FT SAM SMITH 29 FIREWORK KATY PERRY 30 GIVE ME EVERYTHING PITBULL/NE-YO/AFROJACK/NAYER 31 ROLLING IN THE DEEP ADELE 32 DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' JOURNEY 33 BAD ROMANCE LADY GAGA 34 COUNTING STARS ONEREPUBLIC 35 ROAR KATY PERRY 36 DON'T YOU WORRY CHILD SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA/MARTIN 37 SEXY AND I KNOW IT LMFAO 38 STARSHIPS NICKI MINAJ 39 FORGET YOU CEE LO GREEN 40 GRENADE BRUNO MARS 41 JAR OF HEARTS CHRISTINA PERRI 42 FIGHT FOR THIS LOVE CHERYL COLE 43 JUST DANCE LADY GAGA 44 PARADISE COLDPLAY 45 MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE ADELE 46 WHAT MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL ONE DIRECTION 47 EARTHQUAKE LABRINTH FT TINIE TEMPAH 48 BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL LABRINTH FT EMELI SANDE 49 ON THE FLOOR JENNIFER LOPEZ FT PITBULL 50 PASS OUT TINIE TEMPAH 51 RULE THE WORLD TAKE THAT 52 IRIS GOO GOO DOLLS 53 FEEL THE LOVE RUDIMENTAL FT JOHN NEWMAN 54 IN FOR THE KILL LA ROUX 55 ALL OF ME JOHN LEGEND 56 DOMINO JESSIE J 57 SCREAM & SHOUT WILL I AM FT BRITNEY SPEARS 58 POMPEII BASTILLE 59 RUN LEONA LEWIS 60 WHAT'S MY NAME RIHANNA FT DRAKE 61 MEET ME HALFWAY BLACK EYED PEAS 62 HO HEY LUMINEERS 63 WE NO SPEAK AMERICANO YOLANDA BE COOL VS D CUP 64 PAYPHONE MAROON 5 FT WIZ KHALIFA 65 LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN BRUNO MARS 66 FIREFLIES OWL CITY 67 THRIFT SHOP MACKLEMORE/RYAN LEWIS/WANZ 68 JUST GIVE ME A REASON PINK FT NATE RUESS 69 I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE TAYLOR SWIFT 70 YOUR SONG ELLIE GOULDING 71 CALIFORNIA GURLS KATY PERRY FT SNOOP DOGG 72 OMG USHER FT WILL I AM 73 SKYFALL ADELE 74 FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK POGUES FT KIRSTY MACCOLL 75 AIRPLANES BOB FT HAYLEY WILLIAMS 76 EMPIRE STATE OF MIND (PART II) ALICIA KEYS 77 GOOD FEELING FLO RIDA 78 VIVA LA VIDA COLDPLAY 79 MR BRIGHTSIDE KILLERS 80 EMPIRE STATE OF MIND JAY-Z FT ALICIA KEYS 81 DYNAMITE TAIO CRUZ 82 I'M YOURS JASON MRAZ 83 KILLING IN THE NAME RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE 84 DANCE WITH ME TONIGHT OLLY MURS 85 HALL OF FAME SCRIPT FT WILL I AM 86 HUMAN KILLERS 87 S&M RIHANNA 88 IF I WERE A BOY BEYONCE 89 SEXY CHICK DAVID GUETTA FT AKON 90 WILD ONES FLO RIDA FT SIA 91 MIRRORS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE 92 LEGO HOUSE ED SHEERAN 93 LOVE ME AGAIN JOHN NEWMAN 94 MAMA DO THE HUMP RIZZLE KICKS 95 WAITING ALL NIGHT RUDIMENTAL FT ELLA EYRE 96 BROKEN STRINGS JAMES MORRISON/NELLY FURTADO 97 TROUBLEMAKER OLLY MURS FT FLO RIDA 98 BURN ELLIE GOULDING 99 BOOM BOOM POW BLACK EYED PEAS 100 THE MAN WHO CAN'T BE MOVED SCRIPT © 2014 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
September 10, 201410 yr Worst track in his entire discography. :sick: "Come Get It Bae" is far worse.
September 10, 201410 yr "Come Get It Bae" is far worse. It's trash too, but I'd prefer it too "Happy" at any time.
September 10, 201410 yr lol at the top two being R&B songs. A few years ago I thought I Gotta Feeling would be #1 forever, I think its chart success was more impressive.
September 10, 201410 yr Compared to the one broadcast on BBC in April, Rather Be (#25), All Of Me (#55) & Love Me Again (#93) have replaced Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), The Lazy Song & Bad Boys which have fallen out of the top 100, I think.
September 10, 201410 yr Compared to the one broadcast on BBC in April, Rather Be (#25), All Of Me (#55) & Love Me Again (#93) have replaced Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), The Lazy Song & Bad Boys which have fallen out of the top 100, I think. A very pleasing set of trades. 'All Of Me' is nothing special but the other two entries are great songs and the leaving songs are all no great losses (2/3 are appalling, 'The Lazy Song' is tolerable though). all imo obvz ~~ Gotye being in the top 5 seems a little odd now, it was obviously a monster hit at the time but it seems a little forgotten in comparison to the other monster hits of recent years - perhaps because he was a one hit wonder.
September 10, 201410 yr Author Gotye being in the top 5 seems a little odd now, it was obviously a monster hit at the time but it seems a little forgotten in comparison to the other monster hits of recent years - perhaps because he was a one hit wonder. The rest of the Top 10 seems to get a fair amount of radio airplay still whereas I'm always surprised if Gotye gets a play. Whether that's because he's a one-hit-wonder and radio have forgotten about him or because radio have stopped playing it so the public forget, I don't know. Odd though as it definitely sounds like the type of track radio would hammer for years after.
September 11, 201410 yr Worst track in his entire discography. :sick: It's one of the worst tracks in anyone's discography... :lol:
September 11, 201410 yr The rest of the Top 10 seems to get a fair amount of radio airplay still whereas I'm always surprised if Gotye gets a play. Whether that's because he's a one-hit-wonder and radio have forgotten about him or because radio have stopped playing it so the public forget, I don't know. Odd though as it definitely sounds like the type of track radio would hammer for years after. it was on radio 2 yesterday - maybe it's the type of radio format that chooses to play it or not. It'll be back cos it's timeless not of its age - it's never likely to sound dated because it never sounded like anything else anyway :yahoo:
September 11, 201410 yr I think I'm starting to accept that I will never truly understand why Happy is the big seller that it is. I can't blame it on being for charity, or the X Factor, or used in a major film (fair enough it was in Despicable Me 2 but I'd only say a small percentage of buyers have actually seen that). It's just, so...bland. Generic, inoffensive, it's a nothing of a song. But it's been played and appreciated like the biggest three minutes of genius in the history of the universe. 'Someone Like You', while not a huge fan, I could understand its success. 'I Gotta Feeling' as well. The only positive thing I can find about Happy being at the top is that it's kept Blurred Lines away from it.
September 11, 201410 yr "Come Get It Bae" is far worse. It's trash too, but I'd prefer it too "Happy" at any time. I just listened to Come Get It Bae - it's like a really rubbish version of Give It To Me
September 11, 201410 yr It's versatile. Suitable for any radio station, TV show/advert, backing music in shops/public, crossover widespread appeal. Its exposure has been astronomic hence why it's had such longevity. The only reason it's at the top of the list is due to its longevity as it wasn't particularly massive in one or two weeks like some of those others which faded away rapidly after.
September 13, 201410 yr I did really like 'Happy' about January/February sort of time but now it's just too much. :( I'd gladly have it encased in concrete and thrown to the bottom of the ocean never to be heard again now. Also yes, 'Come Get It Bae' is an abomination. Such a shame 'Marilyn Monroe' didn't get a proper chance to shine.
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