Streaming continues to rise in the UK with audio streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer seeing over 90 billion plays in the UK last year - an increase of 34% on 2017’s total. The UK now regularly sees over 2 billion streams per week, spanning brand new hits and lots of classics.

 

Last year’s releases make up just under a quarter of the total, while 2017 tracks like This Is Me from the Greatest Showman and Perfect by Ed Sheeran accounted for 20% of the total streams last year.

 

Unsurprisingly, Christmas songs have huge appeal to the streaming masses; half of the most played songs this decade from between 1940-present were festive songs including Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You, released in 1994 and racking up 39m listens last year – the most of any Christmas song.

 

57% of music streaming last year came from tracks released before 2016. More than 500 songs released in this time picked up over 10m plays. Bruno Mars’ 2016 single Finesse clocked up the most listens of any song from 2010-2016 with 54.7m plays, thanks to a remix featuring rapper Cardi B released in January 2018.

 

Meanwhile, tracks like Naive by The Kooks - ranked the 2006's most-streamed single for a third year now - show signs of being potential cult classics.

 

Other singles that hold the title as the most streamed song of their year of release are TLC's No Scrubs (1999), Toto by Africa (1982) and Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991).

 

Meanwhile, film soundtracks are proving more popular than ever with rock legends Queen in particular feeling the benefits. Following the release of their biopic Bohemian Rhapsody the band saw a huge lift in streams, with nine of the band's songs reaching the Top 1000 in 2018 compared to just four in 2017.

 

Don’t Stop Me Now was the most streamed single released in 1978 with 25.4 million listens, and Bohemian Rhapsody was the most played track from the 1970s overall with 29.8m.

 

Mr Brightside by The Killers continues to be the biggest track released in the 2000s, placing at Number 75 overall. The 2003 single peaked at Number 10 on the Official Singles Chart following its re-release in 2004, but thanks to its cult status still regularly dips in and out of the Singles Chart Top 100.

 

Check out the complete list of the most streamed songs of 2018 by year of release, compiled by the BPI using Official Charts Company data:

 

YEAR TITLE ARTIST

2018 GOD'S PLAN DRAKE

2017 THIS IS ME KEALA SETTLE/GREATEST SHOWMAN CAST

2016 FINESSE BRUNO MARS

2015 CHEAP THRILLS SIA

2014 THINKING OUT LOUD ED SHEERAN

2013 BUDAPEST GEORGE EZRA

2012 LET HER GO PASSENGER

2011 CAN'T HOLD US MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS

2010 PUMPED UP KICKS FOSTER THE PEOPLE

2009 PARTY IN THE USA MILEY CYRUS

2008 I'M YOURS JASON MRAZ

2007 FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT ARCTIC MONKEYS

2006 NAIVE THE KOOKS

2005 GOLD DIGGER KANYE WEST FT JAMIE FOXX

2004 LET ME LOVE YOU MARIO

2003 MR BRIGHTSIDE THE KILLERS

2002 LOSE YOURSELF EMINEM

2001 HOW YOU REMIND ME NICKELBACK

2000 IN THE END LINKIN PARK

1999 NO SCRUBS TLC

1998 IRIS GOO GOO DOLLS

1997 BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY THE VERVE

1996 NO DIGGITY BLACKSTREET FT DR DRE

1995 WONDERWALL OASIS

1994 ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU MARIAH CAREY

1993 LINGER THE CRANBERRIES

1992 CREEP RADIOHEAD

1991 SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT NIRVANA

1990 THUNDERSTRUCK AC/DC

1989 WATERFALL THE STONE ROSES

1988 FAST CAR TRACY CHAPMAN

1987 FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK THE POGUES FT KIRSTY MACCOLL

1986 DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS CHRIS REA

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 BELIEVIN' JOURNEY

1980 YOU MAKE MY DREAMS DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES

1979 WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME PAUL MCCARTNEY

1978 DON'T STOP ME NOW QUEEN

1977 MR BLUE SKY ELO

1976 GO YOUR 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 TAKE ME HOME COUNTRY ROADS JOHN DENVER

1970 YOUR SONG ELTON JOHN

1969 I WANT YOU BACK THE JACKSON 5

1968 (SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY OTIS REDDING

1967 AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL

1966 PAINT IT BLACK THE ROLLING STONES

1965 I CAN'T HELP MYSELF THE FOUR TOPS

1964 MY GIRL THE TEMPTATIONS

1963 IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME ANDY WILLIAMS

1962 BRING IT ON HOME TO ME SAM COOKE

1961 STAND BY ME BEN E KING

1960 AT LAST ETTA JAMES

 

©2019 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Just a few changes from last time, e.g. "Party in the USA" replaces "Hey, Soul Sister" and "How You Remind Me" replaces "Last Nite".

2017 list:

 

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

Highlighted the ones that have changed this year.

Very indie heavy with the odd rnb hit .

22 changes overall then

WTH at James having the biggest hit of 1993 in streaming!

 

EDIT oh that was 2017, well interesting anyway

Edited April 12, 20196 yr by SKOB

I thought Mario Let Me Love You was 2005? Didn’t realise it was out elsewhere before then if so?

I thought Mario Let Me Love You was 2005? Didn’t realise it was out elsewhere before then if so?

It was released physically in 2005 but his album was released in 2004 so it will have started picking up downloads since then.

no diggity from 1996? woulda thought wannabe or killing me softly woulda been streamed more since (or even three lions after last yr..)

It was released physically in 2005 but his album was released in 2004 so it will have started picking up downloads since then.

 

It's actually based on when the song was first available anywhere. If a song appeared on an album before being released as a single the following year, then its release year will be when the album first came out. Same thing with "In the End" (came out as a single in 2001 but appeared on Hybrid Theory in 2000).