Jump to content

Featured Replies

  • Replies 358
  • Views 26k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I don’t think New Rules is anything that special, but what’s been great is how she’s grown as an artist since.

Mariah I knew would be here. Crazy how huge it’s been and how eventually it’ll be the biggest song ever bc of streams it gets every year and this year might even be its biggest year yet :lol: A 90s song managing to sell more copies than every other female song bar four songs across a decade two decades after its original release is legendary.

 

Chandelier was the song I didn’t work out on the list! I had no idea it was as big as this at all! I just looked at it’s OCC chart run though and wow at the amount of weeks it spent on there. I completely overlooked this one. I think because of its peak and it’s initial chart performance I always thought it’s success was more moderate and that Cheap Thrills was the bigger hit. I was so wrong!

 

 

New Rules was gigantic at the time. That viral video release was such a spectacle. I agree why did it not get pushed earlier it was screaming for a release but that definitely turned Dua into what she is today. Her real breakthrough “Umbrella” like hit where she went from pop girl with potential to major potential future superstar. I’d love to know who turned down New Rules! There’s so many gigantic pop female solo hits that were turned down or recorded by someone else first :P

  • Author

02. HELLO- Adele (2,225,000)

 

BZHu1uX.png

 

PEAK POSITION: 1

YEAR: 2015

 

Remember the anticipation for this one? Lead single from “25” was launched with an enigmatic advert in the middle of “X Factor” which just showed the lyrics as the opening lines of the song flashed up. Needless to say we lapped it up- 332k in week one, that’s the fifth highest weekly sale of the decade (all the others were either charity records or X Factor winning tracks) and easily became her second UK No 1 single by a cool 231k. It sold 1.1 million in just 10 weeks and has since doubled that figure, needless to say it also debuted at No 1 in the US.

 

Adele clarified its meaning “"I felt all of us were moving on, and it's not about an ex-relationship, a love relationship, it's about my relationship with everyone that I love. It's not that we have fallen out, we've all got our lives going on and I needed to write that song so they would all hear it, because I'm not in touch with them. “"Hello from the other side"” signifies the other side of becoming an adult, making it out alive from your late teens, early twenties”

 

 

  • Author

01. SOMEONE LIKE YOU- Adele (2,492,000)

 

0XfhPTa.jpg

 

PEAK POSITION: 1

YEAR: 2011

 

Do you remember THAT BRITS performance? The moment a bona-fide star was born? Her performance of this track sent it surging from No 47 to No 1 just 5 days later and made the singer the first living artist ever to have 2 records in the top 5 on both the singles and album charts simultaneously since The Beatles in 1964. And all that without even a promo at that point! It spent 5 weeks at the top becoming the biggest single of the year and the 16th biggest of the decade, and naturally was a US #1.

 

Thematically it was about her ex relationship with an older man (popularly thought to be fashion photographer Alex Sturrock though never confirmed) “"When I was writing it I was feeling pretty miserable and pretty lonely, which I guess kind of contradicts 'Rolling in the Deep'. Whereas that was about me saying, 'I'm going to be fine without you', this is me on my knees really. I can imagine being about 40 and looking for him again, only to turn up and find that he's settled with a beautiful wife and beautiful kids and he's completely happy... and I'm still on my own. The song's about that and I'm scared at the thought of that.”

 

So that’s our winner and if the 2010’s belonged to any female act then Adele must be that woman, she has 8 songs on the list, more than any other, and still has the power to shift albums that no other female act today can!

 

 

  • Author

Top 100 female solo hits of the 2010s

 

01. Someone Like You Adele 2,492,000

02. Hello Adele 2,225,000

03. New Rules Dua Lipa 2,210,000

04. Chandelier Sia 1,961,000

05. All I Want For Christmas Is You Mariah Carey 1,937,000

06. Call Me Maybe Carly Rae Jepsen 1,858,000

07. Love Me Like You Do Ellie Goulding 1,831,000

08. Lush Life Zara Larsson 1,829,000

09. Roar Katy Perry 1,821,000

10. Rolling In The Deep Adele 1,701,000

 

11. Shake It Off Taylor Swift 1,692,000

12. A Thousand Years Christina Perri 1,669,000

13. One Last Time Ariana Grande 1,647,000

14. Ghost Ella Henderson 1,642,000

15. Let It Go Idina Menzel 1,629,000

16. Hold My Hand Jess Glynne 1,587,000

17. Sweet But Psycho Ava Max 1,577,000

18. Diamonds Rihanna 1,564,000

19. Firework Katy Perry 1,517,000

20. All About That Bass Meghan Trainor 1,508,000

 

21. 2002 Anne-Marie 1,422,000

22. Make You Feel My Love Adele 1,403,000

23. Only Girl (In The World) Rihanna 1,384,000

24. Starships Nicki Minaj 1,356,000

25. Bad Guy Billie Eilish 1,341,000

26. Jar Of Hearts Christina Perri 1,317,000

27. IDGAF Dua Lipa 1,303,000

28. Anywhere Rita Ora 1,302,000

29. No Tears Left To Cry Ariana Grande 1,291,000

30. Fast Car Tracey Chapman 1,277,000

 

31. Burn Ellie Goulding 1,267,000

32. Thank U Next Ariana Grande 1,243,000

33. Don't Be So Hard On Yourself Jess Glynne 1,243,000

34. How Long Will I Love You Ellie Goulding 1,211,000

35. Set Fire To The Rain Adele 1,210,000

36. Skinny Love Birdy 1,204,000

37. I Knew You Were Trouble Taylor Swift 1,188,000

38. Your Song Rita Ora 1,178,000

39. Into You Ariana Grande 1,168,000

40. Pretty Girl Maggie Lindemann 1,164,000

 

41. When We Were Young Adele 1,145,000

42. Halo Beyonce 1,139,000

43. I'll Be There Jess Glynne 1,138,000

44. Dance Monkey Tones & I 1,122,000

45. Elastic Heart Sia 1,115,000

46. Skyfall Adele 1,113,000

47. Somewhere Only We Know Lily Allen 1,071,000

48. Don't Call Me Up Mabel 1,070,000

49. Blank Space Taylor Swift 1,044,000

50. Your Song Ellie Goulding 1,041,000

 

51. Be The One Dua Lipa 1,039,000

52. Domino Jessie J 1,037,000

53. Lost Without You Freya Ridings 1,021,000

54. Send My Love (To Your New Lover) Adele 1,017,000

55. What About Us Pink 1,004,000

56. 7 Rings Ariana Grande 1,001,000

57. Call On Me Starley 1,001,000

58. Fight Song Rachel Platten 999,000

59. Without Me Halsey 959,000

60. Hideaway Kiesza 957,000

 

61. S & M Rihanna 954,000

62. Born This Way Lady Gaga 936,000

63. I Really Like You Carly Rae Jepsen 922,000

64. Take Me Home Jess Glynne 922,000

65. Bad Romance Lady Gaga 916,000

66. Crazy In Love Beyonce 910,000

67. Royals Lorde 907,000

68. Wrecking Ball Miley Cyrus 899,000

69. Never Enough Loren Allred 897,000

70. Rude Boy Rihanna 884,000

 

71. Wings Birdy 879,000

72. Thursday Jess Glynne 873,000

73. Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Alicia Keys 873,000

74. Read All About It Part III Emeli Sande 869,000

75. Where Have You Been Rihanna 869,000

76. Party In The USA Miley Cyrus 869,000

77. Sax Fleur East 865,000

78. Let You Love Me Rita Ora 865,000

79. Teenage Dream Katy Perry 859,000

80. Ciao Adios Anne-Marie 858,000

 

81. I Will Never Let You Down Rita Ora 840,000

82. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Taylor Swift 839,000

83. Crying In The Club Camila Cabello 838,000

84. We Can't Stop Miley Cyrus 833,000

85. Best Thing I Never Had Beyonce 828,000

86. Issues Julia Michaels 826,000

87. Next To Me Emeli Sande 824,000

88. Only Love Can Hurt Like This Paloma Faith 824,000

89. Do It Like A Dude Jessie J 816,000

90. Video Games Lana Del Rey 815,000

 

91. Chasing Highs Alma 812,000

92. Mr Saxobeat Alexandra Stan 803,000

93. Never Be The Same Camila Cabello 787,000

94. Say Something Karen Harding 787,000

95. Alarm Anne-Marie 783,000

96. Dangerous Woman Ariana Grande 783,000

97. Look What You Made Me Do Taylor Swift 773,000

98. Edge Of Glory Lady Gaga 769,000

99. Love On Top Beyonce 766,600

100. Hotter Than Hell Dua Lipa 758,000

I find Hello melodramatic and overblown. Someone Like You is for me the Someone You Loved of the early 2010s (though Adele’s a better singer than Capaldi) - a piano ballad about heartbreak that became ubiquitous but musically isn’t really that inspiring.

 

If only it could be Set Fire to the Rain and Skyfall in the Top 2!

Hello isn’t anything special, I think being Adele’s big comeback helped it initially. Someone Like You is very deserving of this title though. I’m not a huge Adele fan but she has something special here.

'Hello' is definitely my least favourite of the singles from '25' (and I prefer all of the big hits from '21' + 'Skyfall' as well) but it's still great.

 

Thanks for putting this together btw Gezza, has been fun to follow ~

That's a great top two, I don't care what anyone says. And *that* advert for 'Hello' in the middle of an X Factor ad break was without a doubt one of the TV moments of the decade!

 

Thanks for this countdown, I've really enjoyed it :)

Thanks for this countdown.

 

I definitely expected that winner but it is amongst the most famous songs ever and that BRITs performance was just breathtaking to watch at the time.

 

Some real surprises along the way but I’m glad that the winner was one what genuinely feels like a huge cultural smash.

I'm still disappointed that SLY "only" ended up 16th overall for the 2010s, so I'm glad it remained the best-selling female solo hit throughout the decade.

 

Thanks for this, Gezza!

I'm still disappointed that SLY "only" ended up 16th overall for the 2010s, so I'm glad it remained the best-selling female solo hit throughout the decade.

 

Thanks for this, Gezza!

 

It would have been interesting to see a sales only chart of the decade. Mr Brightside ‘outselling’ Someone Like You doesn’t sit right.

 

It would have been interesting to see a sales only chart of the decade. Mr Brightside ‘outselling’ Someone Like You doesn’t sit right.

I'd be really interested to see the sales only version too.

 

Off the top of my head:

 

Someone Like You would be #1 by a mile (~1.7M?)

 

Call Me Maybe would be #2 (~1.4M?)

 

Others over 1M:

Roar

Rolling in the Deep

Diamonds

Firework

Only Girl

Starships

Jar of hearts

 

Think Hello was in the 900Ks but not sure if it made 1M. Anything released after that would be nowhere.

Create an account or sign in to comment

Recently Browsing 0

  • No registered users viewing this page.