Paint It Black by Rolling Stones, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and Mr Brightside by The Killers are among the most-streamed songs to have been released since the creation of the Official Singles Chart.
To mark its 70th anniversary, the Official Charts Company has created a list for BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 featuring the most-streamed song of each year since its inception in 1952.
While the songs may date back seven decades, the chart takes into account the total number of streams on services such as Spotify and Apple Music that have become popular in the last 15 years.
The most streamed song released in 1952 was Singin’ In The Rain by Gene Kelly, while 1956 went to I Walk The Line by Johnny Cash and 1957 to Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley.
Rolling Stones’ classic track Paint It Black was the most streamed song in 1966 with the Beatles claiming the title to close out the decade in 1969 with Here Comes The Sun.
Sir Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and Queen all had two years each in the 1970s where their track was the most streamed.
Veteran musician Sir Elton took 1970 with Your Song and 1972 for Tiny Dancer, while Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way was most streamed in 1976 and Dreams in 1977.
Queen takes the title in 1975 with Bohemian Rhapsody, in 1979 for Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen and later into the next decade in 1980 with Another One Bites The Dust.
Later in the decade, Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi was the most streamed in 1986 and I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston claimed 1987.
The early 1990s sees rock bands dominate with Thunderstruck by AC/DC as the most streamed song in 1990, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana in 1991 and Creep by Radiohead in 1992.
Meanwhile, Iris by Goo Goo Dolls claims the title in 1998 and No Scrubs by TLC in 1999.
The dawn of a new century in 2000 was marked with Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader as the most streamed song with Mr Brightside by The Killers topping the list in 2003 and 2005 going to I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by the Arctic Monkeys, the lead single off their debut album.
In more recent years, Someone Like You by Adele was the most streamed song in 2011, 2017 went to Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You and Harry Styles closes out the list in 2022 with his smash hit As It Was.
To mark the anniversary, Radio 2 will broadcast each of the most streamed songs from 1960-1999 during their Sounds Of The 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s shows on November 11 and 12.
A one-off programme on BBC Sounds presented by Ricky Wilson, titled Most Streamed Songs of the 50s, will showcase the songs from 1952-1959.
BBC Radio 1 will also broadcast the most streamed songs released from 2000-2022, with 2000-2010 presented by Vick Hope and Katie Thistleton, and 2011-2022 presented by Jack Saunders.
Robert Gallacher, commissioning editor of BBC Radio Pop Networks, said: “We’re delighted to mark the 70th anniversary of the Official Singles Chart – a record not just of our favourite tunes, but also our shared cultural history.
“With the release of this new chart it’s particularly fascinating to see which classic songs from the past are rated by today’s music consumers, and how that appeal can be driven by exposure on TV, adverts and social media.
“This chart is a true testament to the timelessness of brilliant pop music.”
Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, added: “Official Charts are proud to team up with our long-standing partners at the BBC to compile this unique playlist of 70 incredible songs marking 70 years of the beloved institution that is the UK’s Official Singles Chart.
“As ever, the data doesn’t lie; this is a collection of indisputable classics spanning over seven decades of Official Chart history, as affirmed by the British public and their playlist selections.”
This chart does not include the hit Christmas singles from each of the decades but a show of the most streamed Christmas number ones will be broadcast on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds over the festive season, the BBC has said.
The full chart will launch on BBC Sounds from November 3 as a Back to Back Sounds collection.
