There's no single "most liked" song globally due to subjective taste, but Luis Fonsi's "Despacito" is often cited as the most-liked music video on YouTube, while Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" is recognized as the highest-certified single overall, and Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is the best-selling single ever, showcasing different measures of popularity.
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.
In 2023, Guinness World Records declared "Spotlight" by Chinese singer Xiao Zhan as the best-selling digital single of all time, with 54.3 million downloads. According to official certifications worldwide, Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" is the highest-certified single ever.
Popular songs for 14-year-olds often blend current pop, relatable lyrics about emotions/identity, and nostalgic throwbacks, featuring artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Tate McRae, The Kid LAROI, Sabrina Carpenter, and Billie Eilish, alongside upbeat tracks from Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, and Doja Cat, with TikTok driving trends.
The song “One Sweet Day,” by Mariah Carey, which she recorded with Boyz II Men, holds the longest- running number one song in history.
The #1 YouTuber in the world by subscriber count is MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), holding the top spot as an individual creator with over 450 million subscribers, surpassing the music label T-Series, which is the most-subscribed overall channel when including companies like T-Series, Cocomelon, and SET India. He's known for large-scale stunts, cash giveaways, and philanthropy, becoming the biggest individual personality on the platform in recent years.
“Gangnam Style” by South Korean musician PSY became the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views. By the end of 2012, the song had topped music charts in more than 30 countries around the world. #song4theweekend #PSY #GangnamStyle #musichistory #music.
Most viewed YouTube videos of all time 2025
In January 2021, Baby Shark Dance became the first YouTube video to surpass 10 billion views, after snatching the crown of most-viewed YouTube video of all time from the former record holder "Despacito" one year before.
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.
The popular tracks at the top of your artist profile are automatically generated based on the number of all-time streams, with adjustments made for how recent those streams were. They update every 24 hours.
The answer is that when people are in the top 0.005% of all the listeners globally, they have listened to that song or artist more than 99.995% of all other Spotify users. Additionally, many users also ranked under the top 0.001% of all the listeners globally when they shared their top artists and songs.
In fact to this day, Stevie Wonder is youngest solo artist to have a #1 song on Billboard at just 13 years old. Born Steveland Judkins, he amazed the world with his talent on the piano, harmonica, and drums, earning the name “Stevie Wonder” for a reason. Want to learn more about Stevie Wonder?
Music historians cite Whitney's record-setting achievements: the only artist to chart seven consecutive #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits (“Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know,” “Greatest Love Of All,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Didn't We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional,” and “Where Do Broken ...
1. The Winstons – Amen, Brother – (sampled 6,873 times) The undisputed king of samples, this track could easily have been forgotten to history.
Not only does a good song need to have great chords, melodies, and lyrics, but also should create some sort of reaction, or evoke a specific emotion. A lot of songwriters craft their music from specific events or experiences that they have had, making it very relatable to others.
Timeless songs often feature relatable, poetic, or storytelling lyrics that resonate with people across different eras and cultures. However, melody and structure are also important, so all elements should work together harmoniously.
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.
Bop: A word to describe a really good song or beat. Synonyms: Jam, hit. Example: “I love this song. It's a bop.”
There's no single "catchiest song ever," as it's subjective, but scientific studies often point to Spice Girls' "Wannabe" for quick memorability, while other research highlights anthems like Queen's "We Are the Champions" and novelty hits like Village People's "YMCA", all featuring strong hooks, vocal effort, and memorable melodies that stick in your head. Pop, rock, and even children's songs like "Baby Shark" frequently appear on lists, showing catchiness crosses genres.
It's never too late to ask how to learn to sing! In fact, the human voice continues to mature throughout life, so students of any age can benefit from singing lessons. Plus, singing can be an effective way to keep your mind and body sharp.