List of best-selling singles in the United States explained

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

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)	No. of times Platinum^[3] <	--	-	"White Christmas"	Bing Crosby	1941	25	align="center"	-->
"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]
"Paper Doll"	Mills Brothers	1943	6^[7]
"The Tennessee Waltz"	Patti Page	1948	6
"Hound Dog" / "Don't Be Cruel"	Elvis Presley	1956	5^[8]	4×
"That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine"	Gene Autry	1935	5^[9]
"The Ballad of the Green Berets"	Barry Sadler	1966	5^[10]
"Dardanella"	Ben Selvin	1919	5^[11]
"My Blue Heaven"	Gene Austin	1928	5^[12]
"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]
"I'm a Believer"	the Monkees	1966	4^[18]
"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

See also: a comprehensive list of the highest-certified singles at RIAA's website. Manually adjust it to platinum awards filter, single format, and digital type.

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.

Song	Artist(s)	Release year	Reported sales (million)	No. of times Platinum^[21]
"I Gotta Feeling"	The Black Eyed Peas	2009	8.7	10×
"Rolling in the Deep"	Adele	2010	8.4	8×
"Radioactive"	Imagine Dragons	2012	8.2^[22]	16×
"Uptown Funk"	Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars	2014	8.1^[23]	11×
"Party Rock Anthem"	LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock	2011	8.1	10×
"Somebody That I Used to Know"	Gotye featuring Kimbra	2011	7.9	14×
"Cruise"	Florida Georgia Line	2012	7.6^[24]	14×
"Call Me Maybe"	Carly Rae Jepsen	2011	7.6^[25]	10×
"Poker Face"	Lady Gaga	2008	7.5^[26]	10×
"Lose Yourself"	Eminem	2002	7.4^[27]	13×
"Firework"	Katy Perry	2010	7.2^[28]	12×
"Just Dance"	Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis	2008	7.2	11×
"Don't Stop Believin'"	Journey	1981	7.0	18×
"Just the Way You Are"	Bruno Mars	2010	7.0	13×
"Low"	Flo Rida featuring T-Pain	2007	7.0^[29]	10×
"Happy"	Pharrell Williams	2014	6.9^[30]	11×
"Boom Boom Pow"	The Black Eyed Peas	2008	6.9	5×
"I'm Yours"	Jason Mraz	2008	6.8^[31]	13×
"We Are Young"	fun. featuring Janelle Monáe	2011	6.8^[32]	10×
"Tik Tok"	Kesha	2009	6.8^[33]	8×
"Need You Now"	Lady Antebellum	2009	6.7^[34]	12×
"Moves like Jagger"	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	2011	6.7^[35]	10×
"Love the Way You Lie"	Eminem featuring Rihanna	2010	6.5^[36]	13×
"Blurred Lines"	Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams	2013	6.5^[37]	10×
"Hey, Soul Sister"	Train	2009	6.4	11×
"Roar"	Katy Perry	2013	6.4	15×
"Sexy and I Know It"	LMFAO	2011	6.4	8×
"Party in the U.S.A."	Miley Cyrus	2009	6.3^[38]	14×
"Dark Horse"	Katy Perry featuring Juicy J	2013	6.3^[39]	11×
"Thrift Shop"	Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz	2013	6.2	10×
"Love Story"	Taylor Swift	2008	6.2^[40]	8×
"Sail"	Awolnation	2010	6.1^[41]	10×
"Grenade"	Bruno Mars	2010	6.1	10×
"Viva la Vida"	Coldplay	2008	6.1	5×
"Thinking Out Loud"	Ed Sheeran	2014	6.0	16×
"All of Me"	John Legend	2014	6.0	14×
"F*ck You / Forget You"	Cee Lo Green	2010	6.0^[42]	7×
"Someone like You"	Adele	2011	6.0	5×
"Apologize"	Timbaland featuring OneRepublic	2007	6.0^[43]	4×

See also

• 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

External links

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: Recording Industry Association of America - April 25, 2014 . RIAA . April 25, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130807044609/http://riaa.com/newsitem.php?content_selector=riaa-news-gold-and-platinum . August 7, 2013.
2. Web site: RIAA Debuts Album Awards with Streams . RIAA.com . February 2016 . RIAA . 3 May 2019.
3. Web site: Gold & Platinum – Physical single. Recording Industry Association of America. July 31, 2019.
4. Web site: Grein . Paul . Week Ending June 24, 2012. Songs: Elton & The Peas . yahoo.com . Yahoo-HuffPost Entertainment Network . 31 July 2019 . 27 June 2012.
5. Web site: Gavin. Edwards. 'We Are the World': A Minute-by-Minute Breakdown. Rolling Stone. March 6, 2020. January 12, 2023. subscription. November 22, 2021. https://archive.today/20211122225944/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/we-are-the-world-a-minute-by-minute-breakdown-54619/.
6. News: America's Holiday Sound– Distinctive artists. Badger. Reid. Salem. James. The Tuscaloosa News. December 22, 1996. October 17, 2013.
7. Book: Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's Pop memories, 1890-1954. Record Research. 9780898200836. 1986. registration.
8. Book: Rock movers & shakers, Volume 1991, Part 2. 400. Rees, Dafydd . Crampton, Luke. ABC-CLIO. 1991. 2013-02-17. 9780874366617.
9. Book: The Biographical Encyclopedia of American Radio . 2011 . Routledge . 9780415995498 . 31 July 2019.
10. Book: Murrells . Joseph . The Book of Golden Discs (2, illustrated ed.) . 1978 . Barrie & Jenkins . 0-214-20480-4 . 211 .
11. Book: Whitburn. Joel. Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. 1986. Record Research Inc. Wisconsin, USA. 0-89820-083-0. 379. registration.
12. CD liner notes: Chart-Toppers of the Twenties, 1998 ASV Ltd.
13. Ask Billboard: Battle of the Divas, Round 3. Gary. Trust. Billboard. August 28, 2009. July 3, 2009.
14. Best-selling Records of 1996. Don (20 January 1997). Jeffrey. Billboard. January 18, 1997. 5 January 2014.
15. Hot 100 Singles Spotlight. Sandiford-Waller. Theda. Billboard. BPI Communications Inc.. November 9, 1996. February 26, 2015. 83. 0006-2510. 108. 45.
16. News: Obituary: Bernard Edwards. Perrone. Pierre. The Independent. 27 April 1996. 31 July 2019.
17. Book: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History: Folk, pop, mods, and rockers, 1960-1966 . 2006 . Greenwood Press . 33 . 9780313329609 . 31 July 2019.
18. Dietz . Lawrence . The Monkees' Man Invades the Kiddie Ghetto . New York Magazine . September 23, 1968 . 1 . 25 . 46 . 31 July 2019.
19. Book: Blackwell . Earl . Earl Blackwell's Celebrity Register, 1990 . January 1, 1990 . Gale Research Incorporated . 45 . 9780810368750 . 31 July 2019.
20. News: RIAA Adds Digital Streams To Historic Gold & Platinum Awards . Recording Industry Association of America . May 9, 2013 . March 11, 2018 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150629021849/http://www.riaa.com/newsitem.php?content_selector=riaa-news-gold-and-platinum&news_month_filter=5&news_year_filter=2013&id=C19496E7-CEC0-C453-D8A1-BD80E56E610F . June 29, 2015.
21. Web site: Gold & Platinum – Digital singles. Recording Industry Association of America. August 26, 2020.
22. News: Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 09/14/2017. Nielsen SoundScan. 31 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20170919211714/http://www.defjampromo.com/files/2009/10/BB-Digital-Songs-Chart-Wk.-Ending-9-14-17.pdf. September 19, 2017.
23. January 2020. Top Digital Songs of the 2010s. Nielsen Music Year-End Music Report U.S. 2019. 18. 1 February 2020.
24. News: Top 30 Digital Singles Sales Report: November 1, 2016 . Matt . Bjorke . November 1, 2016 . Roughstock .
25. Carly Rae Jepsen: 'I Wanted to Be Brave' With New Album 'E-Mo-Tion' . Horowitz . Steven . Billboard . August 14, 2015 . August 15, 2015.
26. Ask Billboard: Lady Gaga's Career Sales & Streams; Ariana Grande Takes '7' to 1. Trust. Gary. February 10, 2019. February 11, 2019. Billboard.
27. News: Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 09/28/2017 . Nielsen SoundScan . October 13, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20231216173350/http://www.defjampromo.com/files/2009/10/BB-Digital-Songs-Chart-Wk.-Ending-9-28-17.pdf. December 16, 2023. live.
28. News: Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 07/06/2017. Nielsen SoundScan. September 21, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170919211328/http://www.defjampromo.com/files/2009/10/BB-Digital-Songs-Chart-Wk.-Ending-7-06-17.pdf. September 19, 2017.
29. Web site: Chart Watch: ‘Rude,’ ‘Summer’ Hit Top 10. Grein. Paul. June 5, 2014. Yahoo!. January 29, 2024.
30. The Rise of Uptown Funk: Could It Become the All-Time #1 Seller? . . April 9, 2015 . April 9, 2015 .
31. Web site: Chart Watch: Former Teen Stars Make Good!. Grein. Paul. April 24, 2014. Yahoo!. January 29, 2024.
32. News: Chart Watch: 'Radioactive' Sets A Rock Record . Paul . Grein . Yahoo!. January 2, 2014. October 25, 2021.
33. Ask Billboard: Rihanna's Record Streak of Seven Studio Albums With Hot 100 No. 1s . Billboard . March 6, 2016 . March 6, 2016 . Trust, Gary.
34. Web site: Top 30 Digital Country Singles Report: June 28, 2016. Bjorke. Matt. June 28, 2016. Roughstock. January 26, 2024.
35. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20150621130202/http://hitsdailydouble.com/news%26id%3D296507 . June 21, 2015 . "Funk" Watch 2015 . live . . HITS Digital Ventures . June 19, 2015 . June 21, 2015.
36. Trust . Gary . October 2, 2015 . Ask Billboard: Lady Gaga First Artist With Two 7-Million-Selling Downloads . October 3, 2015 . Billboard.
37. Caulfield . Keith . Justin Timberlake's '20/20' 2013's Best Selling Album, 'Blurred Lines' Top Song . Billboard . 31 July 2019 . 2 January 2014.
38. Web site: Miley Cyrus & Selena Gomez on the Charts: Ahead of 'Used to Be Young' & 'Single Soon', How Do They Compare?. Denis. Kyle. August 24, 2023. Billboard. January 26, 2024.
39. News: Trust . Gary . Ask Billboard: Katy Perry's Career Song & Album Sales . 31 July 2019 . billboard.com . 20 February 2017.
40. Web site: Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift's Career Streaming, Airplay & Sales, Ahead of the Chart Debut of Midnights. Trust. Gary. October 21, 2022. Billboard. January 26, 2024.
41. News: Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 5/13/2017. Nielsen SoundScan. https://web.archive.org/web/20170921145412/http://www.defjampromo.com/files/2009/10/BB-Digital-Songs-Chart-Wk.-Ending-5-13-17.pdf. September 21, 2017.
42. News: Week Ending April 7, 2013. Songs: Discount Helps Bruno Reach #1 . Paul . Grein . Yahoo Music (Chart Watch). April 10, 2013 . April 10, 2013 .
43. Web site: The Rise of "Uptown Funk": Could It Become the All-Time #1 Seller? . April 9, 2015 . April 11, 2015.