List of best-selling singles worldwide
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The world's best-selling single cannot be listed officially, since there is no international body to count global record sales. Historical data before the 1980s and from developing countries are also incomplete. Information is also lacking for non-English language singles.
Singles are listed in alphabetical order of the artists name, rather than singles sold. Groupings are based on different sales benchmarks. Multiple entries from the same artist are listed in chronological order:
[edit] Single(s) claimed to have sold at least 40 Million copies
| Artist | Single | Released | Genre | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bing Crosby | White Christmas | 1942 | Ballad | 50 [1] |
1 - The actual single by all (various) artists is 70 million. The single sung by only Bing Crosby is 50 million[2][3]
[edit] Singles claimed to have sold between 30 million and 40 million copies
| Artist | Single | Released | Genre | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bing Crosby | Silent Night | 1935 | Ballad | 30 [4] |
| Elton John | Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight | 1997 | Pop | 37 [1] |
| Shoukichi Kina | Subete No Hito No Kokoro Ni Hana Wo | 1980 | JPop | 30 [5] |
[edit] Singles claimed to have sold between 20 million and 30 million copies
| Artist | Single | Released | Genre | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Haley & His Comets | Rock Around The Clock | 1954 | Rock | 25 [6] |
| Elvis Presley | It's Now or Never | 1960 | Rock | 24 [4] |
| Domenico Modugno | Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare) | 1958 | Pop | 22 [7] |
| Teixeirinha | Coracao de Luto | 1960 | Folk | 25 [8] |
| USA for Africa | We Are the World | 1985 | Pop | 20 [9] |
| Zager & Evans | In The Year 2525 | 1969 | Pop | 20 [10] |
[edit] Singles claimed to have sold between 10 million and 20 million copies
[edit] Singles claimed to have sold between 5 million and 10 million copies
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f World Best Selling Singles, Uk'S All Time Best Singles
- ^ TSORT - Top Selling Singles 1942
- ^ Guinness Book of World Records 2007 Edition
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db All Time Best Selling Singles Worldwide Best-selling Singles in The World Ever
- ^ his own site (in Japanese)
- ^ Best Selling Singles in the World
- ^ [1] (in Italian)
- ^ [2] (in Portuguese)
- ^ Top Singles 1985
- ^ Denny Zager Zager & Evans - Zager Guitar
- ^ Music in Sweden - SWEDEN.SE
- ^ Алла Пугачева - Звезды советской эстрады"
- ^ Top Singles 1984
- ^ BAND AID 2004: Do They Know It's Christmas?
- ^ a b Top Singles 1991
- ^ The UK Number Ones : 1970-1974
- ^ Celine Dion Sales
- ^ Top Singles 1998
- ^ Cher and Share Alike
- ^ Top Singles 1998
- ^ The Paramount Theater -- Ink Spots Set The World On Fire with Paramount Concert (November 13, 2007)
- ^ [3] (in Japanese)
- ^ [4] (in Japanese)
- ^ Top Singles 1996
- ^ ::: Lou Bega :::
- ^ Songwriters Hall of Fame
- ^ Top Singles 2006
- ^ CNN.com
- ^ Top Singles 1985
- ^ [5] (in French)
- ^ Top Singles 1979
- ^ Top Singles 2006
- ^ HMV.co.jp
- ^ Barks.jp Digital Sales
- ^ Oricon physical sales
- ^ Janet: Queen Of Music & Media
- ^ Juanes Breaks a Record in No Time : People en Español
- ^ Top Singles 2001
- ^ These 2 million copies are Gramophone record, 4 million copies are sonosheet. [6] (in Japanese)
- ^ Top Singles 1990
- ^ Michael - Worldwide Single Sales
- ^ Top Single 1983
- ^ Record-Breakers and Trivia - everyHit.com
- ^ BBC ON THIS DAY | 8 | 1994: Rock musician Kurt Cobain 'shoots himself'
- ^ » clanotopiaDOTde » the young music-fun-lifestyle-community
- ^ Top Singles 1982
- ^ InfoDisc : Les 45 T. / Singles les plus vendus en France
- ^ 3rd Ear Music Forum - A Lion’s Trial?
[edit] See also
- List of best-selling albums worldwide
- United World Chart
