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:
Article Images: Rex
