List of best-selling singles in the United States

This list compiles the best-selling singles in the United States, based on reported sales figures. Some of the singles have been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In music, a single is a song considered commercially viable enough by the artist and record company to be released separately from an album, usually featured on an album as well. For more information, see single.

* The RIAA certifies a record only if that record company pays for its official certification; some companies do not consider this an important distinction and will not request certifications unless pressed by its active, still saleable artists. A full and complete list of RIAA-certified recordings would be a very incomplete list of popular American music.
* The RIAA only certifies a particular recording of a song. Remixes, live and other versions count as separate.
* Prior to 1989, physical singles were awarded with a Gold certification for shipments of 1,000,000 units and a Platinum certification for shipments of 2,000,000 units. For certification dates since January 1, 1989, a Gold award represented shipments of 500,000 units and a Platinum award represented shipments of 1,000,000 units.
* Since May 9, 2013, RIAA certifications for singles in the "digital" category include on-demand audio and/or video song streams in addition to downloads.[1] The current formula since February 1, 2016 is 150 on-demand streams = 1 song download.[2]
* Physical sales figures backed by RIAA certifications may be inaccurate as physical singles can be "overcertified" (sell less copies than were shipped to stores) or "undercertified" (sell beyond their current certification level and not receive a new certification).

## Physical singles[edit]

Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the best-selling physical single in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking music sales in 1991.

All of these physical singles have sold over four million copies according to either reliable third-party claims or RIAA multi-platinum certifications.

Song  | Artist(s)  | Release year  | Claimed sales
(million)[A] | No. of times Platinum[3]

|
|
|
|

"Candle in the Wind 1997"  | Elton John | 1997  | 8.84[4] | 11×
"We Are the World"  | USA for Africa  | 1985  | 8[5] | 4×
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"  | Gene Autry | 1949  | 7[6] | None
"Paper Doll"  | Mills Brothers | 1943  | 6[7] | None
"The Tennessee Waltz"  | Patti Page | 1948  | 6[7] | None
"Hound Dog" / "Don't Be Cruel"  | Elvis Presley | 1956  | 5[8] | 4×
"That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine"  | Gene Autry | 1935  | 5[9] | None
"The Ballad of the Green Berets"  | Barry Sadler | 1966  | 5[10] | None
"Dardanella"  | Ben Selvin | 1919  | 5[11] | None
"My Blue Heaven"  | Gene Austin | 1928  | 5[12] | None
"I Will Always Love You"  | Whitney Houston | 1992  | 4.59[13] | 4×
"Macarena"  | Los del Río | 1996  | 4.3[14] | 4×
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"  | Bryan Adams | 1991  | 4.1[15] | 3×
"Le Freak"  | Chic | 1978  | 4[16] | 1×
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"  | Marvin Gaye | 1968  | 4[17] | None
"I'm a Believer"  | the Monkees | 1966  | 4[18] | None
"You Light Up My Life"  | Debby Boone | 1977  | 4[19] | 1×
"Hey Jude"  | The Beatles | 1968  | 4  | 4×
"Whoomp! (There It Is)"  | Tag Team | 1993  | 4  | 4×

## Digital singles[edit]

See also: a comprehensive list of the highest-certified singles at RIAA's website.

The below singles have sold at least 6 million digital copies as reported by Luminate (or previously Nielsen SoundScan). Sales figures are not fully represented by RIAA certifications, which have included on-demand streaming-equivalent units since May 2013.[20] Thus the actual sales figures will be different from the amounts specified by the RIAA.

"I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is the best-selling digital single in the U.S., with over 8.7 million downloads sold. Lady Gaga is the first artist to have two 7-million-selling digital singles.[21] Katy Perry is the first artist to have three 6-million-selling digital singles.[22] Song  | Artist(s)  | Release
year  | Reported sales (million)  | No. of times Platinum[23]

|
|
|
|

"I Gotta Feeling"  | The Black Eyed Peas | 2009  | 8.7[21] | 10×
"Rolling in the Deep"  | Adele | 2010  | 8.4[21] | 8×
"Radioactive"  | Imagine Dragons | 2012  | 8.2[24] | 16×
"Uptown Funk"  | Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars | 2014  | 8.1[25] | 11×
"Party Rock Anthem"  | LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock | 2011  | 8.1[21] | 10×
"Somebody That I Used to Know"  | Gotye featuring Kimbra | 2011  | 7.9[21] | 14×
"Cruise"  | Florida Georgia Line | 2012  | 7.6[26] | 14×
"Call Me Maybe"  | Carly Rae Jepsen | 2011  | 7.6[27] | 10×
"Poker Face"  | Lady Gaga | 2008  | 7.5[28] | 10×
"Lose Yourself"  | Eminem | 2002  | 7.4[29] | 13×
"Firework"  | Katy Perry | 2010  | 7.2[30] | 12×
"Just Dance"  | Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis | 2008  | 7.2[28] | 11×
"Don't Stop Believin'"  | Journey | 1981  | 7.0[31] | 18×
"Just the Way You Are"  | Bruno Mars | 2010  | 7.0[31] | 13×
"Low"  | Flo Rida featuring T-Pain | 2007  | 7.0[32] | 10×
"Happy"  | Pharrell Williams | 2014  | 6.9[33] | 11×
"Boom Boom Pow"  | The Black Eyed Peas | 2008  | 6.9[21] | 5×
"I'm Yours"  | Jason Mraz | 2008  | 6.8[34] | 13×
"We Are Young"  | fun. featuring Janelle Monáe | 2011  | 6.8[35] | 10×
"Tik Tok"  | Kesha | 2009  | 6.8[36] | 8×
"Need You Now"  | Lady Antebellum | 2009  | 6.7[37] | 12×
"Moves like Jagger"  | Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera | 2011  | 6.7[38] | 10×
"Love the Way You Lie"  | Eminem featuring Rihanna | 2010  | 6.5[21] | 13×
"Blurred Lines"  | Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams | 2013  | 6.5[39] | 10×
"Hey, Soul Sister"  | Train | 2009  | 6.4[35] | 11×
"Roar"  | Katy Perry | 2013  | 6.4[40] | 10×
"Sexy and I Know It"  | LMFAO | 2011  | 6.4[21] | 8×
"Party in the U.S.A."  | Miley Cyrus | 2009  | 6.3[41] | 13×
"Dark Horse"  | Katy Perry featuring Juicy J | 2013  | 6.3[40] | 11×
"Thrift Shop"  | Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz | 2013  | 6.2[39] | 10×
"Love Story"  | Taylor Swift | 2008  | 6.2[42] | 8×
"Sail"  | Awolnation | 2010  | 6.1[31] | 10×
"Grenade"  | Bruno Mars | 2010  | 6.1[21] | 10×
"Viva la Vida"  | Coldplay | 2008  | 6.1[35] | 5×
"Thinking Out Loud"  | Ed Sheeran | 2014  | 6.0[25] | 16×
"All of Me"  | John Legend | 2014  | 6.0[25] | 14×
"F*ck You / Forget You"  | Cee Lo Green | 2010  | 6.0[43] | 7×
"Someone like You"  | Adele | 2011  | 6.0[21] | 5×
"Apologize"  | Timbaland featuring OneRepublic | 2007  | 6.0[44] | 4×

## See also[edit]

* Record production portal

* RIAA certification
* List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
* List of best-selling singles
* List of best-selling singles of 2014 in the United States
* List of best-selling albums in the United States

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ For those where sales figures are not cited, sales figures are based on certified amounts by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Recording Industry Association of America - April 25, 2014". RIAA. Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
2. ^ "RIAA Debuts Album Awards with Streams". RIAA.com. RIAA. February 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
3. ^ "Gold & Platinum – Physical single". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
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5. ^ Edwards, Gavin (March 6, 2020). "'We Are the World': A Minute-by-Minute Breakdown". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
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7. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop memories, 1890-1954. Record Research. ISBN 9780898200836.
8. ^ Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (1991). Rock movers & shakers, Volume 1991, Part 2. ABC-CLIO. p. 400\. ISBN 9780874366617. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
9. ^ The Biographical Encyclopedia of American Radio. Routledge. 2011. ISBN 9780415995498. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
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11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 379. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
12. ^ CD liner notes: Chart-Toppers of the Twenties, 1998 ASV Ltd.
13. ^ Trust, Gary (August 28, 2009). "Ask Billboard: Battle of the Divas, Round 3". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
14. ^ Jeffrey, Don (20 January 1997) (January 18, 1997). "Best-selling Records of 1996". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2014.`{{cite magazine}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
15. ^ Sandiford-Waller, Theda (November 9, 1996). "Hot 100 Singles Spotlight". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 45\. BPI Communications Inc. p. 83\. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
16. ^ Perrone, Pierre (April 27, 1996). "Obituary: Bernard Edwards". The Independent. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
17. ^ The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History: Folk, pop, mods, and rockers, 1960-1966. Greenwood Press. 2006. p. 33\. ISBN 9780313329609. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
18. ^ Dietz, Lawrence (September 23, 1968). "The Monkees' Man Invades the Kiddie Ghetto". New York Magazine. 1 (25): 46. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
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20. ^ "RIAA Adds Digital Streams To Historic Gold & Platinum Awards". Recording Industry Association of America. May 9, 2013. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trust, Gary (October 2, 2015). "Ask Billboard: Lady Gaga First Artist With Two 7-Million-Selling Downloads". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
22. ^ Payne, Chris (June 26, 2014). "Katy Perry Becomes the RIAA's All-Time Top Digital Artist". Billboard.
23. ^ "Gold & Platinum – Digital singles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
24. ^ "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 09/14/2017" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
25. ^ a b c "Top Digital Songs of the 2010s" (PDF). Nielsen Music Year-End Music Report U.S. 2019: 18. January 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
26. ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 1, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Singles Sales Report: November 1, 2016". Roughstock.
27. ^ Horowitz, Steven (August 14, 2015). "Carly Rae Jepsen: 'I Wanted to Be Brave' With New Album 'E-Mo-Tion'". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
28. ^ a b Trust, Gary (February 10, 2019). "Ask Billboard: Lady Gaga's Career Sales & Streams; Ariana Grande Takes '7' to 1". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
29. ^ "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 09/28/2017" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
30. ^ "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 07/06/2017" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
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32. ^ Grein, Paul (June 5, 2014). "Chart Watch: 'Rude,' 'Summer' Hit Top 10". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
33. ^ "The Rise of Uptown Funk: Could It Become the All-Time #1 Seller?". Hits. April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
34. ^ Grein, Paul (April 24, 2014). "Chart Watch: Former Teen Stars Make Good!". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
35. ^ a b c Grein, Paul (January 2, 2014). "Chart Watch: 'Radioactive' Sets A Rock Record". Yahoo!. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
36. ^ Trust, Gary (March 6, 2016). "Ask Billboard: Rihanna's Record Streak of Seven Studio Albums With Hot 100 No. 1s". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
37. ^ Bjorke, Matt (June 28, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Report: June 28, 2016". Roughstock. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
38. ^ ""Funk" Watch 2015". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. June 19, 2015. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
39. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (January 2, 2014). "Justin Timberlake's '20/20' 2013's Best Selling Album, 'Blurred Lines' Top Song". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
40. ^ a b Trust, Gary (February 20, 2017). "Ask Billboard: Katy Perry's Career Song & Album Sales". billboard.com. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
41. ^ Denis, Kyle (August 24, 2023). "Miley Cyrus & Selena Gomez on the Charts: Ahead of 'Used to Be Young' & 'Single Soon', How Do They Compare?". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
42. ^ Trust, Gary (October 21, 2022). "Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift's Career Streaming, Airplay & Sales, Ahead of the Chart Debut of Midnights". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
43. ^ Grein, Paul (April 10, 2013). "Week Ending April 7, 2013. Songs: Discount Helps Bruno Reach #1". Yahoo Music (Chart Watch). Retrieved April 10, 2013.
44. ^ "The Rise of "Uptown Funk": Could It Become the All-Time #1 Seller?". April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.

## External links[edit]

* RIAA Website
* Detailed List of Artists with Most Singles Certification Units
* Billboard Magazine \- a magazine that publishes weekly music rankings

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