The Most-Streamed Songs of The Decade Will Have You Making A New Playlist

Kelsey Berish | December 17, 2019 11:59 am

As the 2010s come to an end, so too does another ten years of streaming music. People are looking back at their personal accounts, seeing how their taste has changed. Some have gone from a die-hard "Single Ladies" fan to listening to "Sunflower." While others are learning that they would prefer to rock out to "Radioactive."

But what if we pool all of that information together and look at the world as a whole. What do you think the most-streamed songs are from the decade? Forewarning, some of these songs might get stuck in your head, so we recommend just playing them all on loop!

"Shape Of You" By Ed Sheeran Still Makes Us Want To Dance

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Ed Sheeran's debut album graced our lives in 2011. From there, the English singer and guitarist took off, winning award after award and even performing with Sir Elton John at the 2013 Grammy Awards. This past decade, Sheeran released numerous hits, but there is one that stood out among the rest: "Shape of You."

In December 2019, Sheeran was named the top artist of the decade by the Official Charts Company for being the most successful performer in the UK. Eight of his songs were also featured in the company's chart for top songs of the decade. "Shape of You" was number one.

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"Closer" Was An International Hit

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If you're like us, then just reading the song title "Closer" has The Chainsmokers song stuck in your head. But, hey, they must have done something right if we're still singing along to a song that was released in 2016! Unsurprisingly, Spotify has "Closer" listed as one of the most-streamed tracks of the decade.

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The lyric video for the song was able to reach a few milestones within the decade, too. It was the first lyric video to receive one billion views on January 10, 2017, and two billion a little over a year. Currently, it is the 24th most-viewed video fo all time.

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"That's Why I Need A 'One Dance"'

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It's not surprising that "One Dance" became the second most played song in dancehalls in 2016, just combine the catchy music and memorable lyrics and there's no stopping this single from Drake. The album Views, which "One Dance" was the second single, graced the Billboard 100 for 13 nonconsecutive weeks. While the song topped the charts in several countries.

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On September 7, 2016, Billboard went on to name "One Dance" the song of the summer, and, for Apple music, it was the best performing song of the year. Now, as the decade ends, the song sits in position 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

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"Rockstar" Showed That Post Malone Was A Star

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Post Malone came into the music scene during the latter part of the decade. So, it goes to show how much his popularity skyrocketed to gain recognition as one of the artists with a most-streamed song. "Rockstar" was released in 2017 and was on Post Malone's second studio album.

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The track reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, also reaching the top spot in many other countries. With "Rockstar" swiftly growing in popularity, it was no surprise when it was nominated for several Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance.

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It's No Surprise Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" Is On The List

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Is it just us or is "Thinking Out Loud" one of those songs you've heard of but have absolutely no clue how you know all of the lyrics? Ed Sheeran has a way of getting under people's skin, and "Thinking Out Loud" is no different. We're not sure if it's his voice or just the sweet way he talks about his love interest in the song, but he shouldn't change a thing.

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"Thinking Out Loud" was released in 2014, spending 19 weeks within the top 40. The song also went on to win Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards.

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The Ceiling "Can't Hold Us" (Meaning Macklemore & Ryan Lewis)

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When the first beat of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "Can't Hold Us" came on in the club, most people knew that the dance floor was about to go wild. The song was the epitome of college co-ed clubbing in the 2010s, giving people a fun beat along with energetic lyrics to dance along to.

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"Can't Hold Us" is considered to be a sleeper hit, being released in 2011 but not garnering any popularity until a few years later. Once it gained traction, the song shot up the Billboard and was listed as the most-streamed song of 2013 by Spotify.

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It's Not Crazy That "Call Me Maybe" Is One Of The Most-Streamed Songs Of the Decade

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September 2011 was an interesting time. School had just re-started a few weeks before and a new song was being played on the radio by some Canadian artist no one had ever heard of, Carly Rae Jepsen. "Call Me Maybe" was the pop anthem no one knew they needed until Jepsen brought it into our lives. It spoke to most people's inner middle-schooler while leaving lyrics stuck in your head for days on end.

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"Call Me Maybe" was the best-selling digital single of 2012, and the seventh-best of all time. The song is also ranked number 47 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All-Time!

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"Radioactive" Spent 87 Weeks On The Billboard Hot 100

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Please say that when you read the title "Radioactive" the first thing you thought of was the song's initial drop! Regardless, the Imagine Dragons song "Radioactive" was the electronically influenced rock song on Night Visions, bringing a somewhat different song to the otherwise pop-rock band.

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The single sold over seven million copies in the United States. It even broke a few records by spending 87 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying at the number one spot on the Hot Rock Songs chart for 23 weeks! "Radioactive" is considered to be the biggest rock hit of 2013, making its way to one of the most-streamed songs of the decade.

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"Despacito" Brought Us The Despacito Effect

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Thanks to Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito," there has been a rise of Latin-inspired pop music now referred to as the "Despacito effect." Although the song was released in 2017, it wasn't entirely popularized until Justin Bieber's remix. Thanks to Bieber, we now have a fun, reggaeton song that we can't seem to get out of our heads.

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The original version of the song received numerous awards, including a Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Urban Fusion/Performance, and Best Short Form Music Video.

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"Sunflower" Will Have Your Spidey Senses Tingling

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If you haven't seen it yet, watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Because if you enjoy Post Malone's song "Sunflower" you'll be happy to hear the song was written specifically for the movie. Spring Aspers, head of creative affairs at Sony Pictures, said that "Post and Swae have delivered a song that's both heroic and emotional, which is exactly what a Spider-Man story needs."

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"Sunflower" was not only a regular song selection for every radio host, but it was also one of the most streamed songs of this decade. The song currently sits at number 11 for the US Billboard Hot 100 Decade-end Charts.

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Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" Was A Song You Blasted In The Car

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In interviews, Katy Perry said she wanted the song "Dark Horse" to have a "witchy, spell-y kind of black magic-y [feel]." She hit the nail on the head with her idea! "Dark Horse" was released in 2013 and brought with it a sensual and seductive sound most people couldn't help but blast in their car.

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The song found commercial success, charting number one in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands. "Dark Horse" went on to become the second best-selling song in 2014 and holds the 26th position on the US Billboard Hot 100, as the end of the decade nears.

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"Party Rock" Is In The House Tonight...

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In the time when electronic party music was all anyone was listening to on college campuses, LMFAO decided to grace us with the "Party Rock Anthem." It was THE anthem of the decade, and almost everyone knew the lyrics and when the beat dropped.

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The nephew/uncle duo that made up LMFAO announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus in 2012, just one year after "Park Rock Anthem" was released. One could say they took the phrase "quit while you're ahead" a bit too seriously. Still, the song is set at the number two position on the US Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart.

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"All Of Me" Left Most Of Us In Tears

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When John Legend's song "All of Me" is played on the radio, it's hard not to think that his and Chrissy Teigen's marriage is a fairy tale. The ballad is overly romantic and just downright beautiful to listen to. The song finally reached the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Legend's first number-one single in the United States.

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It went on to become the second best-selling song of 2014 in the US, with 4.67 million copies sold. According to the Decade-end charts, "All of Me" sits at number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number eight in the UK Singles, and number 24 in Germany.

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"Not Afraid" Won Many Awards

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Eminem's album Recovery is the best-selling digital album in history, so it's no surprise that a song on the LP is one of the most-streamed songs of the decade. "Not Afraid" was strange for fans of the rapper because it was a different sound and message than Eminem's previous work. It was his response to stepping away from drugs and violence and starting a new life.

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"Not Afraid" has won multiple awards, including MTV Video Music Awards, Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Detroit Music Awards, to name a few. The song will always be known for its heart-wrenching lyrics that were sung by a master poet.

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"Let Her Go" Is Hauntingly Beautiful

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Even though the band dissolved in 2009, Michael David Rosenberg opted to keep the name Passenger for his solo work. "Let Her Go" is one of the singles that came out of his solo career, probably making his former bandmates a bit jealous.

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The song was released in 2012 on the album All the Little Lights and is one of Passenger's most famous songs to date. Although it didn't win any awards in the US, it was nominated for the Brit Award for British Single of the Year and won the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Most Performed Work.

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"7 Rings" Is Just Pretentious Enough

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It probably comes as no surprise that Ariana Grande is gracing this list with her pony-tail presence. Grande became increasingly popular in the latter half of the 2010s, giving us singles such as "7 Rings," which used the melody of another famous song, "My Favorite Things."

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"7 Rings" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, spending eight consecutive weeks atop the chart. The song has also been nominated for two awards at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. This is one of those songs that will not be easily forgotten!

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"Somebody That I Used To Know" Was A Popular Song To Stream

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Remember the music video that had people painted like a mosaic? Well, that's from "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye. The song was originally released in 2011 but didn't make its way to the States until the following year. The catchy ballad became increasingly popular, being covered by different bands and even TV shows.

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The song has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling digital singles of all time. As the 2010s come to a close, "Somebody That I Used To Know" landed position number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and is one of the most-streamed songs of the decade.

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"Wake Me Up" Made Avicii Immortal

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Although Aloe Blacc provides the vocals for "Wake Me Up," the electronics and lyrics were provided by the late Avicii. The song sounds like Mumford & Sons on hyper-drive, but somehow it works and became the song of the 2013 summer.

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"Wake Me Up" peaked at number one in most of Europe and has been named as the highest-charting dance track of the decade. The title is honestly not all that surprising, people just can't help but get up and dance or at least tap their foot when "Wake Me Up" starts playing through the speakers.

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There's No Place Clean Bandit Would "Rather Be" Than On The Most-Streamed Songs List

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"Rather Be" by Clean Bandit is pretty much the life backpackers want you to think they're living. All glitz and glam, with bright lights and partying. Hostels aren't that comfortable though, but hey, as long as your girl/boy is with you, apparently there's no place you'd "Rather Be."

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Ironically, the song became an international success not because of the lyrics or music but because of the music video. The song won the Best Dance Recording category at the 2015 Grammy Awards and holds the number ten spot on the UK Singles Decade-end chart.

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"Cheerleader" Has Over 910 Million Streams

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It's no surprise that the memorable lyrics of OMI's "Cheerleader" made it on the list of most-streamed songs of the decade. The song was first released by an independent label, Oufah, and saw major success in Jamaica, topping the charts. It wasn't until the 2015 remix that the song began achieving commercial success, reaching the number one spot on the charts in 20 countries.

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"Cheerleader" was named Billboard's song of the summer in 2015 and has been named one of Spotify's most-streamed songs, having more than 910 million plays since its debut. The song sits at the 83rd position on the US Billboard Hott 100 Decade-end chart.