Hello and welcome to my ranking of the 161 million sellers!

 

Over the last few months, I made it my mission to listen to every single song which sold over a million copies in the UK, and then rank them by preference. And, as the growth of the list comes to an indefinite halt, I think now is the time to start the countdown.

 

Also, songs which have a million chart sales won't appear.

So just to be clear, it's actual sales not strea combinations and all that mess?

Great idea anyway Taylor, look forward to this :dance:

#161: PSY - Gangnam Style

 

 

61-37-3-1-2-3-3-5-7-6-7-6-8-9-9-6-3-3-9-12-16-22-24-29-30-38-38-37-39-50-46-54-58-63-64-62-71-67-55-70-51-57-63-67-67-70-73-71-66-50R(20)-59 | 51 weeks

Sales: 1,020,000

 

Where do I start?

When I originally made the review for this it was still, by a long distance, my least favourite song of all-time and I expected it to remain that way for years to come. But of course, last month Silento's Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) came and knocked this off the perch within 10 days of me for having the displeasure of hearing that horror. But back to GS...

 

Until the arrival of Silento, PSY had occupied the top two positions of my all-time hate chart, with third place changing hands a few times, held by the likes of "Anaconda" and "I'm An Albatraoz". I stand by that Gangnam Style (and Gentleman, which I thankfully won't need to cover here) and one of the worst songs ever recorded and should both be thrown in a trash bag, set fire to and thrown off a cliff. But here I am associated with hating a song which isn't even in my hate chart top 50.

Not surprised at that being last at all :lol: I actually quite like it, hearing it at parties helped it grow for me! Yay for Silento hatred though :cheer: Utterly horrifying and offensive tbh!

 

Looking forward to the rest of this :heart:

Not surprised at that being last at all :lol: I actually quite like it, hearing it at parties helped it grow for me! Yay for Silento hatred though :cheer: Utterly horrifying and offensive tbh!

 

Looking forward to the rest of this :heart:

I never thought in a million years you could bare PSY tbh UV! :o

 

I approve of your distaste for Watch Me Whip and Anaconda though. I guess Gangnam Style being everywhere didn't help you like it any more :heehee:

 

#160: Robin Thicke feat T.I. & Pharrell Williams - Blurred Lines

 

 

Sales: 1,570,000

 

Another song that apparently defined its year, Blurred Lines was a huge comedown from Pharrell's then six week old Get Lucky (which will appear much later), unfairly blocked a fellow million seller (which also will appear much later) from being number one for a month, and Robin's Flo Rida collab was good at first, but now I Don't Like It, it's gotten annoying. And of course the theme of the song and video make it worse. But for all this was bad, it couldn't be the worst on Now 85, playing second fiddle to PSY's (again) Gentleman. Well, fourth fiddle, actually, since Iggy Azalea's Bounce and Breach's "Jack" were also worse. Both those two later redeemed themselves (if only briefly for the former) with "Black Widow" and "Everything You Never Had (We Had It All)".

 

 

I can't say it's been a forum favourite either tbh. I used to not like Blurred Lines but I got into it and it's rather catchy :music:

They had a countdown on August bank holiday 2010 on BBC Radio 2 of the best selling singles of all time. I think there were just under 100 million sellers then. I made some great discoveries .... Engelbert's "Last Waltz" and Simon Park Orchestra's "eye level". There is some right rubbish in there as well.... David Soul, Seekers, Julie Covington.

#159: Teletubbies - Teletubbies say Eh-oh!

 

 

Sales: 1,110,000

 

It's kind of unbelievable that this was one of the biggest sellers of the 1990s. I mean, I know the British public haven't always made the right call but how the theme of a kids show sold over one million copies baffles me.

 

Still, unlike the comparable Mr. Blobby and Can We Fix It?, at least this didn't beat a far superior song to Christmas number one (saying that, Too Much is a bit of a disappointment compared to Spice Up Your Life).

oh god this was a million seller? Why even would adults buy a toddler's theme song that they're going to hear every day anyway? :wacko:

#158: Bob the Builder - Can We Fix It?

 

 

Sales: 1,020,000

 

Another kids show theme tune, Can We Fix It? was the best-selling song of 2000. Yes, you heard me right: the theme tune to a children's program which airs on Cbeebies (previously CBBC) was the best-selling song of the year 2000.

 

Why? (Pure Shores was robbed) Frankly, what was our problem? Making the Teletubbies and Bob the Builder theme tunes into two of the biggest-selling songs of all-time?

Most people look back on this slightly embarrassed. Technically, the Bob the Builder theme tune is better than the Teletubbies one, but the fact this denied "Stan" from being the Christmas number one and the biggest seller of 2000 overall (counting sales from beyond December 31, 2000, as only including 2000 Pure Shores is the year's next-biggest seller) is infuriating. Still, that song does the accolade of creating a word. Bob the Builder did have another number one single, a cover of Mambo No°5, which was number one for the week in which 9/11 happened.

 

Although, this wasn't as bad as Mr. Blobby. That's scary just to think about. At least Bob the Builder was a good kids show in the day. Not keen on the reboot though, Bob looks strange in it.

Teletubbies and Bob The Builder *__* what kind of iconicness?

 

it is quite laughable that they sold so much but I think people must have bought them as a joke anyway

#157: Band Aid 20 - Do They Know It's Christmas?

 

 

Sales: 1,170,000

 

Last year's Band Aid 30 fell victim to "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" saying. Selling over a third of its total sales in its 24 hours, its second week sales barely a fifth of its first week, and was largely met frostily. But for all that last year's Do They Know It's Christmas? wasn't spectacular, it seems to be forgotten that this fall was actually a lot worse.

 

This was really dull, most vocals fell flat, and this simply a mess. The original deserved so much better.

I agree there. Quite a disappointing version that year :(

#156: Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song

 

 

Sales: 1,380,000

 

Vastly overrated is definitely an apt qualification for this. The vocals irritate me, and frankly, I haven't liked any Fugees material I've heard anyway.

I don't see why The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is considered the holy grail of albums either.

The title and artist look quite familiar but when I gave it a listen I didn't really recognise it. Not a fan of it either :lol:

#155: UB40 - Red Red Wine

 

 

Sales: 1,000,000

 

Whoever is singing those vocals, especially in the chorus, has a highly whiny voice and it's not enjoyable.

Why this was such a big hit I have no idea. It's a song about red wine, just dragged out endlessly.