Paul McCartney's Official Top 20 most-streamed songs revealed

18 December 2020 | By George Griffiths

 

Often hailed as Britain's greatest living songwriter, Sir Paul McCartney is about an illustrious as you can get as a musician in the modern world.

 

As a founding member and chief songwriter of The Beatles along with John Lennon, McCartney earned a staggering 17 Number 1 singles with the band, including a record-breaking four Christmas Number 1 singles.

 

As a solo artist, however, McCartney has worn many hats. Most recently, this week he's completed a trilogy of albums decades in the making with the release of McCartney III. Written, performed and produced entirely by the man himself, the record follows the first and second installments, released in 1970 (after the break-up of The Beatles) and 1980 (after the final Wings record).

 

But with a career now spanning over 60 years and including a total of 22 UK Number 1 singles, which of McCartney's hits are holding up in the streaming era?

 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, McCartney's biggest streaming hit is a collaboration with two of the most popular stars in the world. FourFiveSeconds, a team-up between the Beatle, Rihanna and Kanye West, comes out on top with just over 100 million streams to date.

 

Originally planned as the lead single from Rihanna's eighth album, the acoustic-tinged track peaked at Number 3 on the Official Singles Chart in 2015 and is McCartney's most recent Top 10 single, as well as his first since 1987.

 

In second place is festive classic Wonderful Christmastime (56.6 million streams), which peaked at Number 6 in 1979. The track continues to prove a popular staple of the festive season, and is one of the most-streamed Christmas songs of all time in the UK.

 

Also featured on the list are Wings, McCartney's band formed with his late wife Linda, and their biggest hit Band On The Run (14.6 million streams) and their James Bond theme Live And Let Die (5.9 million streams).

 

There's also collaborations aplenty on the list too. Throughout his career, McCartney has teamed up with a large variety of acts, including Kanye West on 2015's Only One (8.6 million streams), King of Pop Michael Jackson on the Number 2 hit Say Say Say in 1983 (4.2 million streams) and Stevie Wonder on unification anthem Ebony and Ivory in 1982 (2.6 million streams), which counts as one of McCartney's 17 solo Number 1 singles.

 

Paul McCartney's Official Top 20 most-streamed songs

TITLE ARTIST PEAK YEAR

1 FOURFIVESECONDS RIHANNA/KANYE WEST/MCCARTNEY 3 2015 100m

2 WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME PAUL MCCARTNEY 20 1979 56.6m

3 BAND ON THE RUN PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS 3 1974 14.6m

4 ONLY ONE KANYE WEST FT PAUL MCCARTNEY 28 2015 8.6m

5 LIVE AND LET DIE PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS 9 1973 5.9m

6 MAYBE I'M AMAZED PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS 28 1977

7 SAY SAY SAY PAUL MCCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON 2 1983 4.2m

8 JET PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS 7 1974

9 MULL OF KINTYRE PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS 1 1977

10 EBONY AND IVORY PAUL MCCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER 1 1982 2.6m

11 COME ON TO ME PAUL MCCARTNEY N/A 2018

12 FUH YOU PAUL MCCARTNEY N/A 2018

13 NINETEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS N/A 1974

14 LET ME ROLL IT PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS N/A 1974

15 PIPES OF PEACE PAUL MCCARTNEY 1 1983

16 MY LOVE PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS 9 1973

17 JUNK PAUL MCCARTNEY N/A 1970

18 COMING UP PAUL MCCARTNEY 2 1980

19 BLUEBIRD PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS N/A 1974

20 LET IT BE (2002) PAUL MCCARTNEY N/A 2002

 

©2020 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/p...evealed__31896/

It's a shame Coming Up is only ranked 18th, love that song.

Not surprised by the top 2 at all

Love that a few non charting songs are in the most streamed list!0

Surely the only place you'd ever find 'Fuh You' ranked as high as 12th in a list of Paul McCartney songs :kink: (he's not incapable of still making good songs, I really enjoyed 'Home Tonight' and 'In A Hurry' last year, but that particular song is rather an embarrassment to his legacy oops).

It's a shame Coming Up is only ranked 18th, love that song.

 

 

Me too. Quirky but catchy and great.American No.1 but only No.2 here in 1980.

Surely the only place you'd ever find 'Fuh You' ranked as high as 12th in a list of Paul McCartney songs :kink: (he's not incapable of still making good songs, I really enjoyed 'Home Tonight' and 'In A Hurry' last year, but that particular song is rather an embarrassment to his legacy oops).

 

You do know your talking about Paul McCartney here, one of the Beatles. I don’t think that will tar HIS legacy!

Surely the only place you'd ever find 'Fuh You' ranked as high as 12th in a list of Paul McCartney songs :kink: (he's not incapable of still making good songs, I really enjoyed 'Home Tonight' and 'In A Hurry' last year, but that particular song is rather an embarrassment to his legacy oops).

 

 

Worse than the Frog Chorus song?

Hey that’s a Christmas classic 😀!

 

Edited December 19, 20204 yr by Christmasteve201

Not much of a solo artist looking at that list!

I don't think I have ever heard the original 'Say Say Say', only the Hi-Tack version. I am listening to the original now.

 

Not much of a solo artist looking at that list!

 

Some HUGE selling songs though like ‘Mull of Kintyre’ with Wings!

Wings was pretty much Paul McCartney solo in all but name really, there were quite a few lineup changes through the years

Some HUGE selling songs though like ‘Mull of Kintyre’ with Wings!

 

 

Band On The Run, Silly Love Songs, Let Em In. Great songs.

Yeh he really did have some great single when you go through them!

Fuh You is also a top tune! Not one of his best by a mile, but it gets stuck in my head from time to time :lol:

Hey that’s a Christmas classic 😀!

 

I loved this as a little child, it was an early 80s equivalent to baby shark!

I've always thought that 'Mull of Kintyre' hasn't trickled down through future generations very well for such a big seller. It took me years to hear it even as a big Beatles fan :lol:

 

Justice for 'In A Hurry' x

Band On The Run, Silly Love Songs, Let Em In. Great songs.

Plus 'Jet' and 'Listen To What The Man Said'. To me his peak period was 1974-1976 when all 5 of those tracks were released as singles and all made the top 10.

 

I've always thought that 'Mull of Kintyre' hasn't trickled down through future generations very well for such a big seller. It took me years to hear it even as a big Beatles fan :lol:

 

Justice for 'In A Hurry' x

 

I still love ‘Mull of Kintyre’ it was number one the first Xmas I started watching the TOTP repeats about ten years ago, there was something iconic about it even in the repeats!

 

I assume it’s a cover or reworking of an old British/Irish song though?