Pharrell’s Happy now the UK’s most downloaded track of all time

Pharrell claims 3 of the UK’s Top 10 biggest selling downloads ever, on 10th anniversary of the Official Download Chart.
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Hats off to Pharrell Williams, as Happy is revealed as the UK’s most downloaded track of all time as the Official Download Chart celebrates its tenth anniversary this month.

Ahead of his appearance at tonight's iTunes festival, OfficialCharts.com can confirm that Pharrell Williams Happy is the most downloaded track of all time, having now overtaken Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines, according to a new countdown compiled by the Official Charts Company.

Happy has sold 1.62 million copies since it was released in June last year as part of the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, and later as the lead single from the star’s second solo album G I R L.

The news comes exactly 10 years after the UK’s Official Download Chart launched back in September 2004.

Pharrell is pictured above with three Official Number 1 Awards from the Official Charts Company to celebrate the outstanding sales success of Happy, Blurred Lines and Get Lucky - all three tracks feature Pharrell and today take their place in chart history as three of the UK's 10 best-selling downloads of all time.

Pharrell tells OfficialCharts.com: "I would just like to say thank you, first and foremost, to the people, because the charts are determined by them. I have a lot to be thankful for because they’ve chosen these things and it’s resulted in Happy being what it’s become.”

He continues: “The people of the UK have been so supportive of me over the years, allowing me to be an artist and allowing me to work with other people and supporting what it is that I do. That’s the lifeline, without them you’re just a musician with a couple of ideas but with them, that is the thing that changes everything when they get involved, your little idea can become something, so …thank you!’'

Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of the Official Charts Company, comments:

"Immense congratulations to Pharrell Williams. To have a staggering three tracks among the all-time Official Download Chart Top 10 plus the biggest-selling download of all time with the much-loved Happy, is quite remarkable. Few artists have ever dominated an era as he has done over the past 18 months – he is a true phenomenon of our times."

Colin Barlow, MD RCA Label Group UK, adds: "It is so refreshing that a song that can create such joy can go on to become the biggest-selling download of all time. Happy is the perfect song to restore positivity. We congratulate Pharrell on this milestone achievement." 

Happy overtakes the previous biggest-selling download, Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines, which has sold 1.59 million copies to date and also features Pharrell, who co-wrote and produced the track. In fact, prolific Pharrell has played a role in an astonishing three of the UK’s Top 10 biggest selling downloads, having collaborated on Daft Punk’s Get Lucky also which sits at Number 6 in the list with digital sales of 1.4 million.

Happy has become a genuine phenomenon since its release, shifting over one million copies in less than 12 months, it was Pharrell’s third hit to cross the mark in the same 12-month period, The Beatles are the only other act in chart history to have managed this. And the chart records don’t stop there, Happy has topped the charts on three separate occasions – making Pharrell only the third act to achieve such a feat!

Meanwhile, the third biggest-selling download of all time is Adele’s Someone Like You with 1.53 million downloads, and Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger - one of only a handful of million-sellers not to top the chart - is fourth with sales of 1.47 million.

Completing the Top 5 is Gotye and Kimbra’s 2011 hit Somebody That I Used To Know, which topped the Official Singles Chart in February 2012 and has sold 1.45 million copies to date.

The legitimate digital music market took off 10 years ago this year, with the launch of a number of download stores including iTunes Europe, 7Digital Music and MyCokeMusic (a service launched as part of Coca Cola’s sponsorship of the Official Singles Chart). The Official Download Chart was subsequently introduced shortly after, in September 2004, and is published weekly here.

Since then, 1.24 billion single track downloads have and 166 million album downloads have been bought in the UK.

Check out the all-time Official Download Chart Top 100 below:

1 HAPPY PHARRELL WILLIAMS
2 BLURRED LINES ROBIN THICKE/TI/PHARRELL
3 SOMEONE LIKE YOU ADELE
4 MOVES LIKE JAGGER MAROON 5 FT CHRISTINA AGUILERA
5 SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW GOTYE FT KIMBRA
6 GET LUCKY DAFT PUNK FT PHARRELL WILLIAMS
7 I GOTTA FEELING BLACK EYED PEAS
8 WAKE ME UP AVICII
9 WE FOUND LOVE RIHANNA FT CALVIN HARRIS
10 SEX ON FIRE KINGS OF LEON
11 CALL ME MAYBE CARLY RAE JEPSEN
12 JUST THE WAY YOU ARE (AMAZING) BRUNO MARS
13 GANGNAM STYLE PSY
14 PARTY ROCK ANTHEM LMFAO/LAUREN BENNETT/GOONROCK
15 PRICE TAG JESSIE J FT BOB
16 LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE EMINEM FT RIHANNA
17 TITANIUM DAVID GUETTA FT SIA
18 LET HER GO PASSENGER
19 POKER FACE LADY GAGA
20 ONLY GIRL (IN THE WORLD) RIHANNA
21 WE ARE YOUNG FUN FT JANELLE MONAE
22 USE SOMEBODY KINGS OF LEON
23 IMPOSSIBLE JAMES ARTHUR
24 THE A TEAM ED SHEERAN
25 RATHER BE CLEAN BANDIT FT JESS GLYNNE
26 CHASING CARS SNOW PATROL
27 DIAMONDS RIHANNA
28 LA LA LA NAUGHTY BOY FT SAM SMITH
29 FIREWORK KATY PERRY
30 GIVE ME EVERYTHING PITBULL/NE-YO/AFROJACK/NAYER
31 ROLLING IN THE DEEP ADELE
32 DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' JOURNEY
33 BAD ROMANCE LADY GAGA
34 COUNTING STARS ONEREPUBLIC
35 ROAR KATY PERRY
36 DON'T YOU WORRY CHILD SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA/MARTIN
37 SEXY AND I KNOW IT LMFAO
38 STARSHIPS NICKI MINAJ
39 FORGET YOU CEE LO GREEN
40 GRENADE BRUNO MARS
41 JAR OF HEARTS CHRISTINA PERRI
42 FIGHT FOR THIS LOVE CHERYL COLE
43 JUST DANCE LADY GAGA
44 PARADISE COLDPLAY
45 MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE ADELE
46 WHAT MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL ONE DIRECTION
47 EARTHQUAKE LABRINTH FT TINIE TEMPAH
48 BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL LABRINTH FT EMELI SANDE
49 ON THE FLOOR JENNIFER LOPEZ FT PITBULL
50 PASS OUT TINIE TEMPAH
51 RULE THE WORLD TAKE THAT
52 IRIS GOO GOO DOLLS
53 FEEL THE LOVE RUDIMENTAL FT JOHN NEWMAN
54 IN FOR THE KILL LA ROUX
55 ALL OF ME JOHN LEGEND
56 DOMINO JESSIE J
57 SCREAM & SHOUT WILL I AM FT BRITNEY SPEARS
58 POMPEII BASTILLE
59 RUN LEONA LEWIS
60 WHAT'S MY NAME RIHANNA FT DRAKE
61 MEET ME HALFWAY BLACK EYED PEAS
62 HO HEY LUMINEERS
63 WE NO SPEAK AMERICANO YOLANDA BE COOL VS D CUP
64 PAYPHONE MAROON 5 FT WIZ KHALIFA
65 LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN BRUNO MARS
66 FIREFLIES OWL CITY
67 THRIFT SHOP MACKLEMORE/RYAN LEWIS/WANZ
68 JUST GIVE ME A REASON PINK FT NATE RUESS
69 I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE TAYLOR SWIFT
70 YOUR SONG ELLIE GOULDING
71 CALIFORNIA GURLS KATY PERRY FT SNOOP DOGG
72 OMG USHER FT WILL I AM
73 SKYFALL ADELE
74 FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK POGUES FT KIRSTY MACCOLL
75 AIRPLANES BOB FT HAYLEY WILLIAMS
76 EMPIRE STATE OF MIND (PART II) ALICIA KEYS
77 GOOD FEELING FLO RIDA
78 VIVA LA VIDA COLDPLAY
79 MR BRIGHTSIDE KILLERS
80 EMPIRE STATE OF MIND JAY-Z FT ALICIA KEYS
81 DYNAMITE TAIO CRUZ
82 I'M YOURS JASON MRAZ
83 KILLING IN THE NAME RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
84 DANCE WITH ME TONIGHT OLLY MURS
85 HALL OF FAME SCRIPT FT WILL I AM
86 HUMAN KILLERS
87 S&M RIHANNA
88 IF I WERE A BOY BEYONCE
89 SEXY CHICK DAVID GUETTA FT AKON
90 WILD ONES FLO RIDA FT SIA
91 MIRRORS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
92 LEGO HOUSE ED SHEERAN
93 LOVE ME AGAIN JOHN NEWMAN
94 MAMA DO THE HUMP RIZZLE KICKS
95 WAITING ALL NIGHT RUDIMENTAL FT ELLA EYRE
96 BROKEN STRINGS JAMES MORRISON/NELLY FURTADO
97 TROUBLEMAKER OLLY MURS FT FLO RIDA
98 BURN ELLIE GOULDING
99 BOOM BOOM POW BLACK EYED PEAS
100 THE MAN WHO CAN'T BE MOVED SCRIPT

© 2014 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

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