#42

Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?

 

 

The biggest of their many songs with very high chart sales, denied a Top 10 placing by "Another Love" on release.

 

Estimated sales: 3.39 million

Year: 2013

Chart run: (11)-18-19-20-21-18-15-15-21-30-36-24-14-22-26-37-40-46-51-46-62-/-75-65-/-56-57-65-68-74-/-39-39-51-65-/-67-71-/-70 (35 weeks)

 

#41

Eminem - Lose Yourself

 

 

Only just beat the Cheeky Girls to #1 at the time, but now his biggest track.

 

Estimated sales: 3.40 million including 1.12 million purchases

Year: 2002

Chart run: (1)-3-5-5-3-3-6-6-7-6-9-6-10-14-19-29-25-40-47–74-/-67-/-62-63-/-65-64-/-70-71-/-42-48-49 (31 weeks)

 

#40

Justin Bieber - Sorry

 

 

Still the biggest of the trio of "Purpose" chart toppers, this time with writing help from Skrillex.

 

Estimated sales: 3.41 million

Year: 2015

Chart run: 2-2-2-(1)-1-2-2-2-3-2-2-3-3-4-7-8-8-9-11-13-14-19-21-22-26-25-32-30-31-38-37-31-34-36-40-44-41-50-54-54-55-56-53-54-56-62-64-67-71-72-70-67-61-71–74-/-62 (56 weeks)

 

#39

Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper - Shallow

 

 

The only appearance in this Top 200 for Stefani Germanotta, featured in the romantic drama "A Star Is Born".

 

Estimated sales: 3.42 million

Year: 2018

Chart run: 13-6-4-(1)-1-2-2-3-5-32-38-44-75-24-21-27-31-26-26-21-21-11-12-23-25-28-31-34-35-35-39-43-50-56-55-59-56-62-71-/-73-48-54-51-54-56-57-61-61-64-69-74-73-67-/-59-57-65-55-51-/-73-/-73-69-/-64-71-/-74 (64 weeks)

 

#38

French Montana featuring Swae Lee - Unforgettable

 

 

The first song to be diamond certified (10 million units in the US) for an African born artist.

 

Estimated sales: 3.43 million

Year: 2017

Chart run: 63-24-12-8-8-6-6-5-3-5-4-3-3-3-3–4-(2)-3-16-17-20-23-26-24-29-32-30-33-36-42-37-39-43-56-70-73-/-41-54-62-65-64-67 (42 weeks)

 

#37

Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa - One Kiss

 

 

The highest appearance for either artist and the 2018 year end #1.

 

Estimated sales: 3.44 million

Year: 2018

Chart run: 3-(1)-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-7-10-10-16-17-18-14-20-24-22-28-28-31-35-39-45-48-52-53-63-70-75-/-37-22-26–32-35-38-/-69-56–/-65-/-74-75-70 (43 weeks)

 

#36

Walk The Moon - Shut Up And Dance

 

 

Inspired by the lead singer being frustrated by the drink service at a bar and abruptly being invited to dance by his girlfriend.

 

Estimated sales: 3.46 million

Year: 2015

Chart run: 75-8-5-(4)-4-6-8-8-5-7-8-8-8-10-12-12-13-12-18-22-26-29-30-34-48-47-69-70-51-27-31-60-65-64-64-68-74-/-75-50-62-66-/-75-/-71-/-71-73-71-72 (48 weeks)

 

#35

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

 

 

Featured in "Grey's Anatomy" and an incredibly long running download hit, reaching the year end chart every year from 2006-2009.

 

Estimated sales: 3.47 million including 1.20 million purchases

Year: 2006

Chart run: 25-15-13-10-12-7-7-(6)-8-8-17-16-14-20-23-27-26-/-9-21-28-32-24-23-12-21-27-31-29-28-35-47-48-48-47-45-51-48-51-54-54-51-59-65-60-44-54-56-56-54-56-52-61-56-66-67-75-65-68-71-68-66-60-49-55-68-/-50-58-68-61-58-53-53-59-67-75-71-65-75-/-69-71-71-75-75-/-74-75-/-49-59-64-72-/-65-69-/-63-56-70-/-39-51-/-71-50-/-55-51-/-57-58-54-61-60-/-74-58-65–/-66-60-47 (111 weeks)

 

#34

Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger

 

 

The first Oasis single with lead vocals by Noel, and voted the second greatest Britpop song after "Common People" by "Rolling Stone" magazine readers.

 

Estimated sales: 3.49 million including 1.03 million purchases

Year: 1996

Chart run: (1)-2-3-3-8-11-11-16-26-36-36-42-46-58-65-69-/-53-63-75–72-70-/-67-53-65-/-66-25-42-56-67 (29 weeks)

 

#33

Journey - Don't Stop Believin'

 

 

Only a #62 UK hit in 1981 but with many subsequent chart re-appearances, peaking at #6 after a 2010 "X Factor" performance.

 

Estimated sales: 3.50 million including 1.13 million purchases

Year: 1981

Chart run: 72-62-63-71-/-71-74-/-73-68-/-65-71–/-74-70-63-/-52-19-28-39-44-47-52-9-7-7-(6)-6–7-89-11-18-23-31-28-21-28-32-39-42-46-47-49-59-55-50-51-50-50-52-50-46-42-45-52-54-52-47-53-63-73-73-/-70-/-74–/-48-52-44 (66 weeks)

 

#32

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

 

 

Had only peaked at #26 in the UK by the turn of the century, but peaked at #3 in 2011 thanks to "X Factor".

 

Estimated sales: 3.51 million

Year: 1998

Chart run: 50 -/-26-43-/-42-39-51-68-62-57-65-69-72-/-68-63-62-64-65-64-/-66-71-/-(3)-5-11-26-28-34-36-42-55-61-/-62-/-65-/-44-/-64-/-39-12-37-59-/-72-39-67-/-53-/-66-75-/-67-69 (46 weeks)

 

#31

George Ezra - Budapest

 

 

His breakthrough hit, actually about being in Sweden but too hungover to travel to Budapest as planned.

 

Estimated sales: 3.59 million

Year: 2014

Chart run: 72-/-68-/-4-5-(3)-5-5-4-6-5-7-13-17-19-11-12-10-15-18-17-16-19-22-29-37-29-23-28-21-17-18-17-20-24-27-34-30-18-24-28-33-35-42-46-48-48-53-60-50-58-66-68-75-/-64-63-74-65-73-/-72-69 (61 weeks)

 

#30

Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire

 

 

One of the biggest late '00s early download era hits, and resurgent on streaming recently reaching the 2023 year end Top 100.

 

Estimated sales: 3.72 million including 1.41 million purchases

Year: 2008

Chart run: (1)-1-1-2-2-4-4-5-11-13-13-17-14-15-21-12-11-12-14-19-18-23-19-14-16-22-23-29-31-27-30-29-37-40-39-47-53-52-60-54-50-68-/-74-70-61-51-45-49-33-6-11-18-16-16-16–21-26-31-39-43-45-53-62-57-66-55-30-38-51-60-56-57-61-68-66-70-74-71–68-/-66-73-/-71-72-67-74-/-70-/-68-/-57-57-61 (90 weeks)

 

#29

Passenger - Let Her Go

 

 

A sleeper hit which took 9 months to chart in the UK, and has been used in a Budweiser advert and the TV series "Heartland".

 

Estimated sales: 3.74 million including 1.26 million purchases

Year: 2012

Chart run: 44-11-4-3-{2}-3-4-4-3-4-6-7-8-10-7-8-13-18-23-22-22-22-25-20-21-25-24-25-33-43-25-34-51-59-64-69-44-41-50-50-57-63-55-57-43-55-47-53-56-63-72-75-/-63-/-74- (54 weeks)

 

#28

Avicii - Wake Me Up

 

 

The biggest hit for late Swedish DJ Tim Bergling, with writing and uncredited vocals from Aloe Blacc.

 

Estimated sales: 3.75 million including 1.50 million purchases

Year: 2013

Chart run: (1)-1-1-2-2-2-2-3-4-6-8-11-17-21-20-24-29-33-18-24-27-27-27-17-15-16-22-26-33-32-31-40-44-41-45-50-51-61-64-61-61-60-63–69-55-53-56-62-62-62-67-63-64-65-72-70-75-/-26-33-49-71 (61 weeks)

 

#27

Ed Sheeran - Bad Habits

 

 

The lead single from "=" and the highest placed 2020s release here.

 

Estimated sales: 3.76 million

Year: 2021

Chart run: (1)-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-3-5-6-6-8-8-9-3-4-5-19-/-12-23-24-27-24-20-18-11-15-20-20-19-18-17-19-20-22-25-28-29-29-25-26-29-34-37-34-35-39-41-44-42-46-44-46-45-43-47-50-45-49-56-52-53-59-58-70-/-44-57-66–67-66–66-68-61-59-53-58-55-51-47-52-55-58-58-/-73-73-/-66-75-70-/-74 (94 weeks)

 

#26

Bastille - Pompeii

 

 

Only recently achieving 1 million purchases and the latest song to do so, and re-entered the Top 40 in 2024 after appearing in the game "Fortnite".

 

Estimated sales: 3.82 million including 1.00 million purchases

Year: 2013

Chart run: (2)-3-5-5-5-5-4-9-12-15-13-13-19-22-27-30-24-25-25-34-38-39-44-47-53-55-55-62-57-72-/-51-50-73-73-/-48-50-54-58-60-66-38-32-41-39-51-72-74-61-20-30-38-47-47-57-69-71-/-67-65-74-/-64-59-44-44-57-61-57-66-68-65–64-69-61-61-/-37-26-33–32-38-43-63 (80 weeks)

 

#25

James Arthur - Say You Won't Let Go

 

 

From his second album, this later included The Script on the song-writing credits due to similarities to "The Man Who Can't Be Moved".

 

Estimated sales: 3.83 million

Year: 2016

Chart run: 25-2-(1)-1-1-2-2-2-3-2-4-4-4-7-9-9-8-13-14-12-15-16-18-22-31-45-45-68-66-64-72-/-72-70-70-71-73-75 (37 weeks)

 

#24

Pharrell Williams - Happy

 

 

From the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack, this is the most downloaded song of all time in the UK.

 

Estimated sales: 3.87 million including 1.94 million purchases

Year: 2013

Chart run: 71-30-4-2-(1)-2-1-1-2-3–2-3-2-1-2-3-4-6-6-7-7-10-12-13-15-12-11-14-17-18-17-19-16-18-22-24-25-27-29-30-32-33-32-35-37-40-37-35-33-40-43-53-58-63-59-57-51-34-48-54-50-57-61-55-58-65-68-69-66-73-/-68-70-64-72 (74 weeks)

 

#23

Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill

 

 

Released alongside "Shape Of You" and denied #1 by that despite being the third biggest hit of the year.

 

Estimated sales: 3.97 million

Year: 2017

Chart run: (2)-2-2-2-2-3-4-3-3-3-3-5-6-10-12-18-22-28-30-33-35-32-25-32-30-44-46-46-50-49-52-59-71-73-75-/-75-/-67-/-47-61-68 (41 weeks)