charts discussion Most streamed songs before 1960 on Spotify

[GraceRandolph]

1. Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock

877,527,8315,584,262

2. Frank Sinatra - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

530,259,7622,859,161

3. Bing Crosby - White Christmas

448,039,9331,784,422

4. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode

446,873,445276,012

5. Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock

431,520,779271,460

6. Paul Anka - Put Your Head On My Shoulder

349,171,351182,436

7. Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas

337,057,5012,057,275

8. Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line

317,854,766127,331

9. Louis Armstrong - La vie en rose

244,887,178121,105

10. Elvis Presley - Hound Dog

234,811,324104,673

11. Frank Sinatra - Jingle Bells

224,491,5222,161,371

12. Frank Sinatra - Come Fly With Me

203,709,68259,608

13. Ray Charles - I've Got a Woman

199,993,54297,436

14. Bobby Darin - Beyond the Sea

197,188,004103,717

15. The Champs - Tequila (Alternate Take)

187,133,948

16. Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin

185,976,94766,950

17. Frank Sinatra - Mistletoe And Holly

172,361,074931,428

18. Gene Autry - Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)

166,242,905957,206

19. Bing Crosby - Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)

162,271,9991,103,232

20. Dean Martin - That's Amore

161,581,93984,618

21. Johnny Cash - I Was There When It Happened

156,262,62443,888

22. Judy Garland - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

155,990,653525,399

23. The Everly Brothers - All I Have to Do Is Dream (Single Version)

153,479,24371,571

24. Frank Sinatra - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

150,858,136991,721

25. Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1

142,790,852119,679

26. Miles Davis - Blue in Green

142,637,37560,193

27. Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat (Day-O)

141,410,23250,356

28. Elvis Presley - Don't Be Cruel

141,111,88669,761

29. Elvis Presley - Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)

140,589,8831,144,240

30. Bing Crosby - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

138,274,282455,166

31. Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel

135,136,65263,161

32. Peggy Lee - Fever

134,759,74462,499

33. Sam Cooke - You Send Me

134,518,82770,591

34. Frank Sinatra - You Make Me Feel So Young

131,055,00260,685

35. Nat King Cole - Unforgettable

127,152,84389,693

36. Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes (Bonus Track)

124,771,10066,617

37. Little Richard - Tutti Frutti

120,170,44745,344

38. Elvis Presley - All Shook Up

117,690,01849,857

39. Bill Haley & His Comets - (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock

116,891,30946,408

40. Ella Fitzgerald - Summertime

114,830,11053,356

41. Ray Charles - Hallelujah, I Love Her So

109,632,62756,772

42. The Isley Brothers - Shout, Pts. 1 & 2

107,133,29224,730

43. Frank Sinatra - Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town

106,227,919880,781

44. Buddy Holly - Everyday - 

104,850,750

 

[BrandNewBrandon]

This is further proof that you need SMASH hits to remain relevant to the GP. Elvis and Sinatra had tons of them and it's what the public dives back into, not albums which are mostly for music journalists, experts and the fanbases. 

 

This is why Rihanna was smart in being a singles artist. 

Edited December 18, 2023 by BrandNewBrandon

[GraceRandolph]

Judy Garland the only female artist in the top 25.

[Zaynsus]

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree came out in 1958

[FolkLover1989]

9 hours ago, BrandNewBrandon said:

This is further proof that you need SMASH hits to remain relevant to the GP. Elvis and Sinatra had tons of them and it's what the public dives back into, not albums which are mostly for music journalists, experts and the fanbases. 

 

This is why Rihanna was smart in being a singles artist. 

This proves nothing bfr

 

Most of these are just Christmas songs

Album artists of that time are still being remembered meanwhile...

[Flanders]

Quote

40. Ella Fitzgerald - Summertime | 114,830,11053,356

 

One of the greatest songs of all time 

[Maroonx]

Only smashes... I need to drive back into my 50s/60s playlist x

[Green]

Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (1958) is #1: 905,656,425

[BrandNewBrandon]

15 hours ago, FolkLover1989 said:

This proves nothing bfr

 

Most of these are just Christmas songs

Album artists of that time are still being remembered meanwhile...

29 of the 44 songs listed are NOT Christmas songs. Only 14 are. 

 

The most remembered artists of that time are Sinatra, Elvis and Ray Charles and none of them were album artists. The GP cares about singles, not albums, especially this many years after. 

Edited December 19, 2023 by BrandNewBrandon

[eli's_rhythm]

16 hours ago, BrandNewBrandon said:

29 of the 44 songs listed are NOT Christmas songs. Only 14 are. 

 

The most remembered artists of that time are Sinatra, Elvis and Ray Charles and none of them were album artists. The GP cares about singles, not albums, especially this many years after. 

Okay, but the '50s was really the pre-"album" era as we know it, so this is pretty irrelevant to draw conclusions from. Albums as serious bodies of work really became a thing in the '60s. And you'll notice that the hugely acclaimed albums of that era are also correlated to the most remembered and legendary artists--the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Aretha, The Who, Bob Dylan. Big hits obviously help artists stand the test of time, but big albums arguably do even moreso.

[BrandNewBrandon]

5 hours ago, eli's_rhythm said:

Okay, but the '50s was really the pre-"album" era as we know it, so this is pretty irrelevant to draw conclusions from. Albums as serious bodies of work really became a thing in the '60s. And you'll notice that the hugely acclaimed albums of that era are also correlated to the most remembered and legendary artists--the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Aretha, The Who, Bob Dylan. Big hits obviously help artists stand the test of time, but big albums arguably do even moreso.

The GP doesn't know a single album by the aforementioned artists but they know their hit songs (Mrs. Robinson, I Get Around, Satisfaction, Respect, Baba O'riley, Knocking on Heaven's Door) and you know it. 

 

Their albums will be known to their fans, music experts and music geeks. Your Average Joe and Karen will for the most part be blasting their biggest hits. It's how it is. An album will NOT make you remembered without there being massive hits on it, while massive hits WITHOUT albums will still be remembered. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by BrandNewBrandon

[eli's_rhythm]

11 hours ago, BrandNewBrandon said:

The GP doesn't know a single album by the aforementioned artists but they know their hit songs (Mrs. Robinson, I Get Around, Satisfaction, Respect, Baba O'riley, Knocking on Heaven's Door) and you know it. 

 

Their albums will be known to their fans, music experts and music geeks. Your Average Joe and Karen will for the most part be blasting their biggest hits. It's how it is. An album will NOT make you remembered without there being massive hits on it, while massive hits WITHOUT albums will still be remembered. 

We can talk in circles about this forever. My point wasn't that the GP doesn't remember hits over albums, it was more that a lot of the time big hits will supersede the artist if they aren't well known for their bodies of work. Many people can name "Tainted Love" and "Take On Me" but wouldn't know the artists who sang them. On the other hand, Jimi Hendrix and Joni Mitchell barely had hits but they're well known music legends. It can go both ways.

[Mitsouko]

Justice For I Only Have Eyes For You and Isn't It Romantic

[QueenofCopyPaste]

Brenda Lee should be #1

 

Rockin is released 1958

[BrandNewBrandon]

12 hours ago, eli's_rhythm said:

We can talk in circles about this forever. My point wasn't that the GP doesn't remember hits over albums, it was more that a lot of the time big hits will supersede the artist if they aren't well known for their bodies of work. Many people can name "Tainted Love" and "Take On Me" but wouldn't know the artists who sang them. On the other hand, Jimi Hendrix and Joni Mitchell barely had hits but they're well known music legends. It can go both ways.

Yes, I agree. More people have heard of Joni Mitchel than Soft Cell, however, we're not talking about one album wonders or one hit wonders. The point was that an established artist will be known way more for his/her hits than his/her albums.  

Edited December 21, 2023 by BrandNewBrandon

[electricmastro]

Felt to refine the list after doing some further research. I decided to just focus on 50s songs since sources seems more sparse on pointing out pre-50s songs, as Kworb, while generally a pretty good resource, is still slightly flawed in reporting accurate lists.

 

I'm sure I'm still missing songs, but as for the 50s songs I did manage to find that have at least 100 million streams on Spotify, they are:

 

1.) Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - 1.011 billion

 

2.) Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock - 964.3 million

 

3.) Dean Martin - Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! - 624.6 million

 

4.) Frank Sinatra - Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! - 571.9 million

 

5.) Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode - 506.1 million

 

6.) Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock - 480.3 million

 

7.) Paul Anka - Put Your Head On My Shoulder - 387.8 million

 

8.) Perry Como - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - 382.8 million

 

9.) Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas - 371.2 million

 

10.) Ella Fitzgerald - Dream a Little Dream of Me - 316.8 million

 

11.) Chuck Berry - Run Rudolph Run - 311.7 million

 

12.) Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby - 284.5 million

 

13.) Louis Armstrong - La vie en rose - 270.3 million

 

14.) Elvis Presley - Hound Dog - 251.9 million

 

15.) The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five - 236.3 million

 

16.) The Platters - The Great Pretender - 223.6 million

 

17.) The Platters - Twilight Time - 223.6 million

 

18.) Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire - 220.5 million

 

19.) Ray Charles - I've Got a Woman - 216.6 million

 

20.) Bobby Darin - Beyond the Sea - 216.1 million

 

21.) Frank Sinatra - Come Fly With Me - 213.5 million

 

22.) Dean Martin - Baby, It's Cold Outside - 209.4 million

 

23.) Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me - 198.8 million

 

24.) Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin - 198.6 million

 

25.) Frank Sinatra - Mistletoe And Holly - 187.5 million

 

26.) Bing Crosby - Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) - 186.0 million

 

27.) Dean Martin - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - 180.9 million

 

28.) Dean Martin - That's Amore - 177.6 million

 

29.) Frank Sinatra - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - 166.4 million

 

30.) The Chords - Sh-Boom - 159.8 million

 

31.) Elvis Presley - Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) - 159.2 million

 

32.) The Platters - Only You (And You Alone) - 158.5 million

 

33.) Ella Fitzgerald - Cheek to Cheek - 154.9 million

 

34.) Elvis Presley - Don't Be Cruel - 154.5 million

 

35.) Miles Davis - Blue in Green - 152.7 million

 

36.) Peggy Lee - Fever - 149.6 million

 

37.) Sam Cooke - You Send Me - 149.5 million

 

38.) Bing Crosby - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - 147.8 million

 

39.) Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel - 145.9 million

 

40.) Nat King Cole - Unforgettable - 144.0 million

 

41.) Ritchie Valens - We Belong Together - 140.5 million

 

42.) Frank Sinatra - You Make Me Feel So Young - 140.2 million

 

43.) Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes - 136.6 million

 

44.) Ritchie Valens - La Bamba - 136.5 million

 

45.) Bobby Day - Rockin' Robin - 132.3 million

 

46.) Little Richard - Tutti Frutti - 129.6 million

 

47.) Bill Haley & His Comets - (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock - 129.1 million

 

48.) Elvis Presley - All Shook Up - 128.1 million

 

49.) Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat (Day-O) - 126.6 million

 

50.) The Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream - 124.8 million

 

51.) Ella Fitzgerald - Summertime - 123.2 million

 

52.) Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line - 123.2 million

 

53.) Ray Charles - Hallelujah, I Love Her So - 119.5 million

 

54.) Chet Baker - I Fall In Love Too Easily - 118.0 million

 

55.) Dean Martin - Volare (Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu) - 116.1 million

 

56.) Bobby Darin - Dream Lover - 114.9 million

 

57.) Buddy Holly - Everyday - 114.6 million

 

58.) The Isley Brothers - Shout, Pts. 1 & 2 - 111.6 million

 

59.) Nat King Cole - Smile - 108.2 million

 

60.) The Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - 107.1 million

 

61.) Little Richard - Long Tall Sally (The Thing) - 101.9 million

 

62.) Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues - 101.7 million

 

63.) Miles Davis - So What - 100.9 million
 

Edited June 4 by electricmastro

[jdanton2]

i was looking on Spotify and there are two versions of White Christmas combined that would be #1 if included . Bing originally recorded the song in 1942 where it had it's most success .the original master got damaged but the version from the Holiday Inn movie released that year has 582,697,541 streams. Bing recorded the song again in 1947 .that is the version played on the radio in recent decades and has 451,657,754 streams for a total of 1,034,355,295. 

Edited June 4 by jdanton2

[MatiRod]

On 12/17/2023 at 7:56 PM, GraceRandolph said:

Judy Garland the only female artist in the top 25.

I thought it was going to be "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" Christmas songs polluting the charts even in the off-season

[supertiffany]

so basically christmas songs

 

[electricmastro]

Since data/years for pre-50s acts are pretty all over the place, to get a further idea of the most successful musical acts from before 1954, Dave Whitaker at https://davesmusicdatabase.blogspot.com/2011/07/top-100-music-makers-of-pre-rock-era.html made a pretty comprehensive list:

 

1. Bing Crosby

2. Frank Sinatra

3. Paul Whiteman Orchestra

4. Tommy Dorsey

5. Benny Goodman

6. Billy Murray

7. Guy Lombardo

8. Louis Armstrong

9. Perry Como

10. Nat "King" Cole

 

11. Glenn Miller

12. Duke Ellington

13. Henry Burr

14. Al Jolson

15. Fats Domino

16. Jimmy Dorsey

17. The Andrews Sisters

18. Byron G. Harlan

19. Arthur Collins

20. Peerless Quartet/Columbia Male Quartet

 

21. Billie Holiday

22. Ella Fitzgerald

23. Sammy Kaye

24. Harry MacDonough

25. Ben Selvin

26. Ted Lewis & His Band

27. Patti Page

28. Fats Waller

29. Frankie Laine

30. Jo Stafford

Edited June 4 by electricmastro

[electricmastro]

Updated my 50s list:

 

1.) Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - 1.012 billion

2.) Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock - 965.5 million

3.) Dean Martin - Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! - 625.3 million

4.) Frank Sinatra - Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! - 572.2 million

5.) Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode - 524.9 million

6.) Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock - 500.9 million

7.) Paul Anka - Put Your Head On My Shoulder - 397.0 million

8.) Perry Como - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - 383.1 million

9.) Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas - 371.5 million

10.) Ella Fitzgerald - Dream A Little Dream Of Me - 322.4 million

11.) Chuck Berry - Run Rudolph Run - 312.2 million

12.) Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby - 284.9 million

13.) Louis Armstrong - La vie en rose - 277.3 million

14.) Elvis Presley - Hound Dog - 256.6 million

15.) The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five - 241.4 million

16.) The Platters - Twilight Time - 229.0 million

17.) Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire - 227.1 million

18.) Bobby Darin - Beyond the Sea - 220.8 million

19.) Ray Charles - I've Got a Woman - 220.7 million

20.) Frank Sinatra - Come Fly With Me - 215.7 million

21.) Dean Martin - Baby, It's Cold Outside - 209.6 million

22.) Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me - 202.6 million

23.) Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps - Be-Bop-A-Lula - 202.3 million

24.) The Platters - Only You (And You Alone) - 202.3 million

25.) Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin - 202.1 million

26.) Frank Sinatra - Mistletoe And Holly - 187.6 million

27.) Bing Crosby - Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) - 186.3 million

28.) Dean Martin - That's Amore - 181.9 million

29.) Dean Martin - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - 181.0 million

30.) Marty Robbins - Big Iron - 169.8 million

31.) The Chords - Sh-Boom - 165.7 million

32.) Elvis Presley - Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) - 159.3 million

33.) Domenico Modugno - Volare - 159.1 million

34.) Ella Fitzgerald - Cheek To Cheek - 158.4 million

35.) Elvis Presley - Don't Be Cruel - 158.2 million

36.) Miles Davis - Blue in Green - 155.1 million

37.) Peggy Lee - Fever - 153.4 million

38.) Sam Cooke - You Send Me - 152.9 million

39.) Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel - 148.3 million

40.) Bing Crosby - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - 147.9 million

41.) Nat King Cole - Unforgettable - 147.9 million

42.) Ritchie Valens - We Belong Together - 146.7 million

43.) Frank Sinatra - You Make Me Feel So Young - 142.7 million

44.) Ritchie Valens - La Bamba - 140.4 million

45.) Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes - 139.6 million

46.) Bobby Day - Rockin' Robin - 133.7 million

47.) Bill Haley & His Comets - (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock - 132.0 million

48.) Little Richard - Tutti Frutti - 132.0 million

49.) Elvis Presley - All Shook Up - 130.7 million

50.) Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line - 129.5 million

51.) The Moonglows - I Knew From The Start - 129.5 million

52.) The Fleetwoods - Come Softly To Me - 129.3 million

53.) Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat (Day-O) - 129.3 million

54.) The Everly Brothers - All I Have to Do Is Dream - 127.8 million

55.) Ella Fitzgerald - Summertime - 125.6 million

56.) Ray Charles - Hallelujah, I Love Her So - 121.8 million

57.) Chet Baker - I Fall In Love Too Easily - 120.9 million

58.) Dean Martin - Volare (Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu) - 120.0 million

59.) Bobby Darin - Dream Lover - 117.6 million

60.) Buddy Holly - Everyday - 116.8 million

61.) The Isley Brothers - Shout, Pts. 1 & 2 - 112.7 million

62.) Nat King Cole - Smile - 110.4 million

63.) The Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - 109.3 million

64.) Santo & Johnny - Sleep Walk - 108.8 million

65.) Perry Como - (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays - 108.6 million

66.) Julio Jaramillo - Nuestro Juramento - 106.8 million

67.) Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues - 104.3 million

68.) Little Richard - Long Tall Sally (The Thing) - 103.8 million

69.) Miles Davis - So What - 102.7 million

70.) Ricky Nelson - Lonesome Town - 101.2 million

Edited July 24 by electricmastro