We take a peek into online history as we check the 15 most popular YouTube songs of all time. YouTube has become one of the most popular websites around the world. It originally started out as a video sharing platform where everyone can post. Since then it has evolved dramatically with investors and partners rolling in. YouTube has become the main place to check out the latest videos, music, news and information from famous companies online. It has also created a community of “Youtubers”, or popular people who post regular video content online.
Watching and listening to music and music videos for free is one of the reasons that made YouTube so popular. Because it is a relatively newer platform for music, the most popular songs on the website don’t go as far in history as you would expect. Often times it is the current trends in music that are making a big impact online. For a more comprehensive list of the most popular songs in the world you can also check out The 10 Most Popular Songs of All Time. New songs will probably have a hard time trying to get over the popularity that these 15 songs have established.
There is one definitive way to measure how popular a song is on the website. That is by view count. Whether people have different opinions or whether or not the impact of the song has been good, view counts translate to popularity. Let’s find out more as we check out the 15 most popular YouTube songs of all time.
15. Danza Kuduro
Don Omar has been getting a lot of popularity this year with songs reaching really high view counts. This is the song that breaks through to this top 15 list having received 693 million views. This could bode well for the future of his career.
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14. Call Me Maybe
Call Me Maybe was the song that made Carly Rae Jepsen very popular. The song had a catchy tune and its popularity spread like wildfire. Though it has been a point of criticism like most popular songs, one cannot deny the 700 million views.
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13. Wrecking Ball
After the breakup and discontinuation of marriage with Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus decided to change her image. Along with this image change were a lot of different songs from the pop star. The music received a lot of criticism, but the song was good and catchy enough to warrant 782 million views.
12. Chandelier
After guesting for a few popular artists and even singing a few songs for David Guetta’s album. Sia started to make her own popular tunes. Her songs were widely received and were very popular, staying in the charts for a long time. Chandelier is a relatively new song considering other songs in the chart, but it has gotten enough attention to gain 810 million views.
11. Uptown Funk
Bruno Mars’ return to making new songs and music videos has him partnering with Mark Ronson. The song was a wide success and stayed as number one in the charts for a long time. The song and video itself received a lot of positive reactions. As of now the video has 839 million views.
10. Gentleman
Coming from the viral and widely successful Gangnam Style, Gentleman was Psy’s attempt to create another success. It didn’t even come close but the song still received a lot of views. Reception towards the song was mixed, but it still had 856 million views.
9. Counting Stars
Ever since One Republic came to the music industry nearly all of their songs have been very popular and well received. Counting Stars marks another journey towards a new album from the band. It has been the most successful of all their songs so far in YouTube having 862 million views.
8. Waka Waka
Shakira shows that she still has it with retention of her youthful image and unique style of singing. Waka Waka was a very popular song as it was also the official song for FIFA during its time. The song received a lot of views amounting to 886 million.
7. Love the Way You Lie
The partnership between Eminem and Rihanna gained so much popularity that it even inspired the making of different versions of the song. The rap star proves that he’s still one of the best and the popularity of Rihanna contributes to the song’s 893 million views.
6. Party Rock Anthem
Though we haven’t heard from LMFAO for a while now, the duo remains popular as they continue to appear on other platforms. One of their breakout songs Party Rock Anthem still remains as one of the most popular and most listened to songs in YouTube having 902 million views
5. All About That Bass
This is the song that skyrocketed Meghan Trainor’s success to where it is now. Though the implications of the song hide a different meaning (as most popular songs do), it has caught a lot of attention with 926 million views, and that’s why it takes 5th place among most popular YouTube songs of all time.
4. Shake It Off
Taylor Swift’s transition from country to pop was a risk that payed off. The acclaimed songwriter and singer’s new song Shake It Off received a lot of popularity and many people are declaring that this is her best album yet. The song received 927 million views.
3. Roar
Katy Perry continues to be one of the most unique performers and also continues to deliver a lot of the most popular songs in today’s age. Roar is probably one of her most successful songs online as it gained 927 million views.
2. Baby
Back during the time Justin Bieber was rising towards success. He received a lot of popularity with songs like Baby. It is so successful that it is the second most popular song on YouTube with 1.18 billion views.
1. Gangnam Style
The Korean Psy takes the title for having the most popular song on YouTube with his infamous Gangnam Style. The song received international popularity and everyone was hit with the craze of dance moves shown in the music video. Even now people continuously check to see how far the song has gotten in terms of views. As of now it has 2.3 billion.
This has been the list of 15 most popular YouTube songs of all time. It might not reflect how people like them or not, but there is no doubt that they have become the most popular.
