The Top 40 biggest songs of 2016 on the Official Chart

The best-selling and most streamed hits of the year revealed.
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2016 was a big year for pop music, and sitting at the very top of the year-end rundown, which counts digital, physical and streaming equivalent sales, was – what else? – Drake's One Dance, feat. Wizkid and Kyla.

One Dance was the inescapable sound of the summer in 2016, notching up an astonishing 15 weeks at Number 1, equalling Wet Wet Wet’s epic stint with Love Is All Around in 1994 but falling short of the all-time record.

One Dance, Drake's first Number 1 as a lead artist, racked up 1.95 million combined sales over the year, made up of 530,000 downloads and an impressive 142 million streams. The most streamed song of 2016, One Dance also enjoyed the biggest one-week combined sales figure for a Number 1 single of the year, notching up 140,000 during its fourth week at the top in April. See the song's full chart history here.


Image: Rex

MORE: The UK's Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2016

Up in second with a combined tally of 1.49 million, was Lukas Graham's 7 Years. The Danish band spent five weeks at Number 1, and actually finished top of the year's sales-only countdown.

Sia's Cheap Thrills spent 38 weeks in the Top 40 but missed out on a Number 1 – it did, however, claim its place as the third biggest song of 2015, clocking up 1.46m combined sales.

Mike Posner’s big comeback track I Took A Pill In Ibiza (Seeb remix) spent four weeks at the summit in March/April and was the fourth biggest tune of the year, with a tally of 1.38m.

MORE: The Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2017

Golden collaborators Calvin Harris and Rihanna reunited for This Is What You Came For, and while it stalled at Number 2 thanks to Drake, it still finished fifth for the year, racking up 1.28m combined sales over 2016. Rihanna also made a showing, this time with Drake, at 9 with Work.

Zara Larsson’s Lush Life scored 13 weeks in the Top 10 back in spring 2016, and finished sixth with a tally of 1.16m, while The Chainsmokers were seventh with Closer, feat Halsey, on 1.15m, and Justin Bieber's Love Yourself claimed 1.14m combined sales to take eighth place. 

Calum Scott's cover of Robyn classic Dancing On My Own peaked at Number 2 in August, and landed 12th with 1.11m, ahead of Major Lazer's massive Number 1 single Cold Water feat. Justin Bieber and MØ, 14th with 1.06m.

Just sneaking in the the Top 40 biggest songs of 2016 was Clean Bandit – their eight-week chart leader, and Official Christmas Number 1, Rockabye placed at 37. 

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The UK's Top 40 Official Biggest Songs of 2016

1 ONE DANCE DRAKE FEAT WIZKID & KYLA
2 7 YEARS LUKAS GRAHAM
3 CHEAP THRILLS SIA
4 I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA MIKE POSNER
5 THIS IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR CALVIN HARRIS FEAT RIHANNA
6 LUSH LIFE ZARA LARSSON
7 CLOSER CHAINSMOKERS FEAT HALSEY
8 LOVE YOURSELF JUSTIN BIEBER
9 WORK RIHANNA FEAT DRAKE
10 CAN'T STOP THE FEELING JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
11 STITCHES SHAWN MENDES
12 DANCING ON MY OWN CALUM SCOTT
13 FAST CAR JONAS BLUE & DAKOTA
14 COLD WATER MAJOR LAZER/JUSTIN BIEBER/MØ
15 WORK FROM HOME FIFTH HARMONY FEAT TY DOLLA SIGN
16 SORRY JUSTIN BIEBER
17 DON'T LET ME DOWN CHAINSMOKERS FEAT DAYA
18 TOO GOOD DRAKE FEAT RIHANNA
19 SAY YOU WON'T LET GO JAMES ARTHUR
20 LIGHT IT UP MAJOR LAZER FEAT NYLA
21 HYMN FOR THE WEEKEND COLDPLAY
22 THIS GIRL KUNGS VS COOKIN' ON 3 BURNERS
23 CAKE BY THE OCEAN DNCE
24 PILLOWTALK ZAYN
25 LET ME LOVE YOU DJ SNAKE FEAT JUSTIN BIEBER
26 GIRLS LIKE TINIE TEMPAH FEAT ZARA LARSSON
27 TREAT YOU BETTER SHAWN MENDES
28 FADED ALAN WALKER
29 PERFECT STRANGERS JONAS BLUE FEAT JP COOPER
30 NO MONEY GALANTIS
31 STRESSED OUT TWENTY ONE PILOTS
32 I HATE U I LOVE U GNASH FEAT OLIVIA O'BRIEN
33 TEARS CLEAN BANDIT FEAT LOUISA JOHNSON
34 STARBOY WEEKND FEAT DAFT PUNK
35 WHAT DO YOU MEAN JUSTIN BIEBER
36 PANDA DESIIGNER
37 ROCKABYE CLEAN BANDIT
38 HEATHENS TWENTY ONE PILOTS
39 SHOUT OUT TO MY EX LITTLE MIX
40 ALL MY FRIENDS SNAKEHIPS FEAT TINASHE & CHANCE

©2016 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

The full Top 100 Official Biggest Songs of 2016

The Official Biggest Albums of 2016 

The Official Top 10 most streamed songs of 2016: 

1 ONE DANCE DRAKE
2 CHEAP THRILLS SIA
3 I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA MIKE POSNER
4 7 YEARS LUKAS GRAHAM
5 THIS IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR CALVIN HARRIS FEAT RIHANNA
6 WORK RIHANNA FEAT DRAKE
7 LUSH LUFE ZARA LARSSON
8 CLOSER CHAINSMOKERS FEAT HALSEY
9 LOVE YOURSELF JUSTIN BIEBER
10 COLD WATER MAJOR LAZER/JUSTIN BIEBER/MØ

©2016 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

The Official Top 10 most downloaded songs of 2016 appear below: 

1 7 YEARS LUKAS GRAHAM
2 ONE DANCE DRAKE FEAT WIZKID & KYLA
3 CAN'T STOP THE FEELING JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
4 DANCING ON MY OWN CALUM SCOTT
5 CHEAP THRILLS SIA
6 I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA MIKE POSNER
7 THIS IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR CALVIN HARRIS FEAT RIHANNA
8 STITCHES SHAWN MENDES
9 SAY YOU WON'T LET GO JAMES ARTHUR
10 FAST CAR JONAS BLUE & DAKOTA

©2016 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Look back at the Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2015

Look back at the Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2014

Look back at the Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2013

Look back at the Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2012

Click through the biggest selling single of every year since 1952 below: 

[Gallery Module]

Article Images: Rex

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avatar

Matt Eden

1

It's very disappointing that Clean Bandit's Rockabye, which notched up 8 weeks at number one during the year, including the much covetted Christmas top spot, could only manage 37th place. Even beaten by Stressed Out which didn't even make the Top 10.
A couple of decades ago an eight weeker top spot song would've definitely been inside the top 5 best selling songs.

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Sunshine Gal

1

drake was #1 for 15 wks over in the uk?? dang...he'd have the all time record for a male artist in the u.s. (elton john and a whole crop of others have notched 14 straight #1 weeks on the hot 100 chart).

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I Am A Stegosaurus

1

Couldn't you post the peak positions for the songs like you do in the mid-year lists?

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I Am A Stegosaurus

1

Dancing On My Own Ahead of Cold Water AND only ONE behind Stitches. WTAF.

Also, surprised with all the Bieber considering I thought people forgot all about his songs from last year

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Dan Love

1

Work by Rihanna at 9 and This Girl at 22?

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I Am A Stegosaurus

1

IKR I was surprised to see the latter so low

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Dan Love

3

I wonder how many people were paid to stream One Dance and put it on repeat...

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Sunshine Gal

1

that's the benefit of twitter :/ same with bb, streaming is a big chart factor, that song and riri's 'work' were big #1 hits...but i gotta say, i thought both were :/

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Piran

4

My thoughts on the Top 10…
- Congratulations to Drake for having the biggest song of the year, even though I still have no idea how it got 15 weeks at #1. Yeah, it was leading the streaming chart for what seemed like forever, but it was only atop the sales chart for just 3 weeks. It would even be out of the Top 10 on iTunes altogether & still lead the Official Chart. It’s not a bad song, but it’s nothing I will be remembering for years to come & if I’m honest, I’m pleased it didn’t break Bryan Adams’ record.
- ‘7 Years’ was quite over-hated this year, but far too over-played as well. Nice to see Sia’s & Mike Posner’s songs finish so high. I like Calvin Harris & Rihanna in general, but I wasn’t such a fan of ‘This Is What You Came For’. The drop was generic & the vocals were so repetitive that it just got annoying quick.
- Happy for Zara Larsson finishing so high, as ‘Lush Life’ is a perfect dance smash for the summer. I’m surprised that ‘Closer’ made the Top 10 though, considering it was released in late July & didn’t even become a hit until about a month later. I’m not complaining as it’s one of my favourite hit songs of 2016!
- I’d never been very interested in JB before ‘Purpose’, but I did love his new album. ‘Love Yourself’ might not have been my favourite song from it, but the acoustic guitars & Ed Sheeran’s song-writing kept me into this.
- I really enjoyed ‘Work’ for about a few weeks, considering it was so catchy that I couldn’t get it out of my mind, but eventually got tired of it. Looking back though, it’s a decent song, but not a great one. Finally, it was awesome that JT was able to get another globally successful song this year & I look forward to his album due to be released in early 2017. :)

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Dan Love

3

I find it impossible that One Dance could get to number 1 for 15 weeks and still stay in the top 40 for the rest of the year.

I would have expected 7 Years to be number 1, but number 2 isn't surprising.

Cheap Thrills is OK.

Glad to see Mike Posner at number 4. This Is What You Came For is more of a pop song compared to what Calvin normally makes. Lush Life is a terrible, overplayed song which stayed around far too long (but not as long as Drake) in the chart.

WHAT IS CLOSER DOING AT NUMBER 7? Closer is one of the worst number 1s in the history of the Official Singles Chart.

Somehow Love Yourself is at number 8. It's an OK song, but I don't understand why it's number 8 while Stitches, which was also a hit at the start of the year, is only at 11.

It's terrible that Rihanna's song Work is in the top 10. This Girl by Kungs is only at number 22, yet Work is at number 9. That's crazy.

Can't Stop The Feeling is better. I think it will stick in my head for a while.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

3

7 Years? Overhated? I thought I was the only person on earth who hates that song.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

2

But I'm glad we agree on This Is What You Came For, that was an overrated sellout song that's treated as if it's Feel So Close-levels of excellence. Decent, but nowhere near his best

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I Am A Stegosaurus

1

I'll swear out of all Chainsmokers songs THIS YEAR (so people don't bring 'Selfie' up), the only reason why Closer is the most hated is because it's the most popular.

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Piran

1

So except 'Lush Life' & 'Closer', we generally seem to agree. :)

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Piran

1

Interesting. I seem to be the only person at my school who likes that song! LOL

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Piran

0

Yeah, considering Calvin & Rihanna have already collaborated on 'We Found Love', I was just expecting so much better from them.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

1

Well TBF I disliked We Found Love, but admittedly when I heard Calvin Harris had a new song with Rihanna, I was happy Calvin Harris would potentially have a big hit. Then again, be careful what you wish for.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

1

Well I'll probably have graduated by the time I find anyone that doesn't like a song that's in the top 40 at the time

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Dan Love

2

Yeah basically

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Sunshine Gal

1

not the only one, it was constantly on the radio in my area...didn't understand what the appeal was.

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Sunshine Gal

0

drake locked the #1 spots on both the bb hot 100 and 200 albums charts for many wks. but not a big fan of his. and my pick would be either for jt's song or jb's 'sorry' for the #1 song of the year.

R

riley

0

Massive congratulations to Drake on getting the biggest song of 2016 with One Dance! Love it or hate it, it deserves to be up there as it was THE song of the summer by far. I personally am not disappointed that it is so high up also!
I knew 7 Years was going to be number 2 but didnt know Cheap Thrills would be so close behind!
Very surprised to see Closer chart so high, thought it would scrape into the top 20 not be comfortable in the top 10! Very happy CSTF was able to sneak into the top 10 also! I am very happy with the top 10 and love every song in it.
Brief look at some other singles outside the top 10, interesting to see Cold Water chart so highly but not complaining! Work from home charted fairly highly also along with Too good. Surprised to see Light It Up scrape into the top 20 and very surprising to see Pillowtalk so low as it was a number 1 and released so early into the year! Glad LMLY is in the top 25 and its good to see twenty one pilots so high with stressed out, the only song on this list that didn't hit the top 10! And finally, happy that starboy and Rockabye were able to sneak into the top 40. A very high selling year overall with some great songs!
Thanks for reading, and have a happy new year!

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Johnny McVey

2

What are the sales for Work, Can't Stop the Feeling!, Stitches and Fast Car?

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Luke Rexford

1

If you're looking for definitive (albeit out of date) statistics, "Work" was at 1.063m around early October and "Can't Stop the Feeling!" was at 1.008m around early November.

The most recent estimates I've seen were roughly 1.128m for "Work", 1.118m for "Can't Stop the Feeling!", 1.111m for "Stitches" (1.333m including 2015 sales), and 1.085m for "Fast Car" (1.092m including 2015 sales), courtesy of the Buzzjack forum.

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Johnny McVey

1

I use Buzzjack too, and I know the outdated sales. Was desperate for the OCC to give us the absolute sales.

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Luke Rexford

0

My apologies, it seems we are in the exact same predicament then.
Hopefully that window of opportunity hasn't completely passed us by...