Australia's number 1 song changes weekly on the official ARIA charts, but as of January 12, 2026, "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean is at the top of the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. For an all-time iconic Australian song, INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart" was voted number 1 in the Hottest 100 Australian Songs countdown.
As of early January 2026, the number 1 song in Australia on the ARIA Singles Chart is "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean, which has held the top spot for multiple weeks, followed by Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia" and "Golden" by Rei Ami, KPop Demon Hunters Cast, Huntrx, and Ejae.
The highest-selling Australian single of all time, based on ARIA certification, is Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbra), certified 26x Platinum (1,820,000+ units), though older releases often have higher physical sales figures before modern digital tracking, with Guy Sebastian's "Angels Brought Me Here" being a huge seller from the 2000s.
"Down Under" by Men at Work is widely considered the most iconic song representing Australia.
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“End Of Beginning” by Djo remains at #1 on the Spotify global chart with 8.81 million streams.
The "number one played song in the world" depends on the metric: The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" is the most-streamed song ever on Spotify (over 5.231 billion streams), while Djo's "End of Beginning" was a top global song recently on Spotify; historically, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is the best-selling single of all time, and Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" is the biggest-selling single since charts began, but in terms of current global popularity, it's a rotating list with many contenders.
The #1 most-viewed song on YouTube is "Baby Shark Dance" by Pinkfong, with over 16 billion views, followed by "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and "Wheels on the Bus" by Cocomelon. For streaming services like Spotify, The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" is the most-streamed song of all time.
There isn't one single "golden" Australian song, but popular contenders include Kingswood's "Golden", a 2017 hit about human connection; Chet Faker's "Gold", popular in 2014; and potentially older classics like John Williamson's "The Golden Kangaroo", a festive Australian tune. The specific song depends on whether you mean a contemporary hit or something with a classic Aussie theme, but Kingswood's track is certified gold in Australia.
According to Guinness World Records, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (1942) is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
Kylie Minogue is the highest-selling Australian singer, with over 80 million records sold worldwide, making her one of the most successful artists from Australia.
Australia Top Local Artists:
The "most played song of all time" depends on the metric, but currently, The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" is the most-streamed song ever on Spotify (over 5.2 billion streams). For recorded sales before streaming, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling single, while older, widely covered songs like George Gershwin's "Summertime" might be the most recorded,"Roadie Music" says Roadie Music.
There's no single definitive "top 5," as it's subjective, but major lists often feature classics like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, The Beatles' "Hey Jude," and David Bowie's "Heroes," while some modern hits like The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" appear on chart-based lists, showing a blend of critical acclaim and commercial success across different eras.
"Rock / alternative / indie music" and "Pop / adult contemporary music" are the top two answers among Australian consumers in our survey on the subject of "Preferred audio content by genre".
Longest climb to No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart
There's no single "most popular" Australian song, as it depends on the poll, but INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart", The Easybeats' "Friday On My Mind", and Midnight Oil's "Beds Are Burning" consistently rank at the top in various polls like ABC's Hottest 100 of Australian Songs and Crikey. Other iconic contenders include Men At Work's "Down Under", Cold Chisel's "Khe Sanh", and Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know", showing a mix of classic rock, anthems, and global hits as favorites.
The number 1 song in Australia, according to the latest ARIA Charts, is "Man I Need" by Olivia Dean, holding the top spot for the week ending December 29, 2025, with other popular tracks including Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia" and "Golden" by Rei Ami, KPop Demon Hunters Cast, Huntrx, Ejae, Audrey Nuna also charting high.
The Top 50 most iconic songs of all time
The number one YouTube channel by subscriber count is MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), who surpassed Indian music network T-Series in early 2025 and now leads with over 450 million subscribers, known for massive stunts, giveaways, and philanthropy. T-Series remains a strong second, followed by children's content creators like Cocomelon, making MrBeast the top individual creator on the platform, according to data from late 2025 and early 2026.
The number one streamed song of all time, primarily on Spotify, is "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd, having surpassed 5 billion streams and holding the top spot over other massive hits like Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" and The Weeknd's "Starboy".
That epic run ended this week when Taylor Swift added yet another honor to her already hefty list of accomplishments when the 10:13 long “All Too Well (Taylor's Version)” officially became the longest No. 1 hit of all time.
As of early January 2026, The Weeknd is generally considered #1 on Spotify for monthly listeners, but Taylor Swift is the most-streamed artist in Spotify's history and often leads overall popularity, with Bruno Mars recently hitting a historic 150 million monthly listeners. The #1 spot can change daily, but The Weeknd currently leads in recent monthly listeners, while Bad Bunny remains a top contender, and Taylor Swift dominates overall historical streams.