List of best-selling singles
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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According to Guinness World Records, the holiday perennial "White Christmas" (1942) by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies. The song recognized as "the best-selling single of all time" was released before the pop/rock singles-chart era and "was listed as the world's best-selling single in the first-ever Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955) and—remarkably—still retains the title more than 50 years later." Guinness World Records states that double A-side charity single "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (1997) by Elton John, a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, is "the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales of 33 million copies," making it the second-best-selling single of all time.
The artist with the most singles (including featured credits) on this list is Rihanna with nine entries, followed by Katy Perry with eight entries,Elvis Presley with six entries, and will.i.am features six times, both with The Black Eyed Peas and with collaborations. Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, Flo Rida, Lady Gaga and Shakira each appear five times. Also, Paul McCartney and George Harrison each appear five times: both appear four times with The Beatles whilst Paul McCartney features with Wings and George Harrison has one solo track.
Given the recent trend that commercial music download sites increasingly sell mostly single tracks rather than whole albums, the list is split between digital singles and physical (CD and vinyl) singles. Portable audio players, which make it extremely easy to load and play songs from many different artists, are claimed to be a major factor behind this trend.
In italics, singles whose listed sales are the compilation of sales in available markets instead of a worldwide sales figure. These sales figures are therefore neither complete nor definitive.
See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of best-selling albums
- Lists of best-selling albums
- List of Christmas number one singles (UK)
- UK Singles Chart
- RIAA certification
- Record company
- Record industry
- Billboard Hot 100
- Top 40 Mainstream
- UK Singles Chart
- One hit wonder
- Single (music)
