Tracks Ranking – CSPC – #1 per year

This list is about the most successful songs per release year (understand “which have generated the most sales”). The figures are given in EAS (equivalent album sales).

Please keep in mind that some artists are missing, because their analysis has not been done yet. The complete list is available here. All figures reflect the value as collected at the time of the artist’s respective articles.

1954 – Elvis Presley – That’s All Right [Orphan] – 2,110,000
1955 – Elvis Presley – Baby Let’s Play House [A Date with Elvis] – 600,000
1956 – Elvis Presley – Hound Dog [Orphan] – 10,300,000
1957 – Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock [Jailhouse Rock] – 18,700,000
1958 – Elvis Presley – Don’t [Orphan] – 1,720,000
1959 – Elvis Presley – A Big Hunk Of Love [Orphan] – 1,790,000
1960 – Elvis Presley – It’s Now Or Never [Orphan] – 4,940,000
1961 – Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling in Love [Blue Hawaii] – 27,580,000
1962 – The Beatles – Love Me Do [Please Please Me] – 11,080,000
1963 – The Beatles – I Want to Hold Your Hand [Meet The Beatles!] – 15,750,000
1964 – Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence [Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. / Sounds of Silence] – 28,800,000
1965 – The Rolling Stones – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction [Out Of Our Heads] – 14,770,000
1966 – The Rolling Stones – Paint It Black [Aftermath] – 15,590,000
1967 – The Doors – Light My Fire [The Doors] – 14,150,000
1968 – Simon & Garfunkel – Mrs. Robinson [Bookends] – 18,990,000
1969 – Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love [Led Zeppelin II] – 15,000,000
1970 – Santana – Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen [Abraxas] – 22,070,000
1971 – Led Zeppelin – Stairway To Heaven [Led Zeppelin IV] – 26,870,000
1972 – Deep Purple – Smoke on the Water [Machine Head] – 23,630,000
1973 – Billy Joel – Piano Man [Piano Man] – 15,460,000
1974 – Barbra Streisand – The Way We Were [The Way We Were] – 14,230,000
1975 – Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody [A Night at the Opera] – 32,240,000
1976 – Eagles – Hotel California [Hotel California] – 51,840,000
1977 – Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive [Saturday Night Fever] – 31,660,000
1978 – Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing [Dire Straits] – 20,880,000
1979 – AC/DC – Highway to Hell [Highway to Hell] – 17,950,000
1980 – Queen – Another One Bites the Dust [The Game] – 22,170,000
1981 – Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’ [Escape] – 27,230,000
1982 – Michael Jackson – Billie Jean [Thriller] – 41,890,000
1983 – The Police – Every Breath You Take [Synchronicity] – 32,690,000
1984 – Bryan Adams – Summer of ’69 [Reckless] – 20,670,000
1985 – Dire Straits – Money for Nothing [Brothers in Arms] – 15,080,000
1986 – Bon Jovi – Livin’ on a Prayer [Slippery When Wet] – 23,460,000
1987 – U2 – With Or Without You [The Joshua Tree] – 23,910,000
1988 – Tracy Chapman – Fast Car [Tracy Chapman] – 16,650,000
1989 – Phil Collins – Another Day in Paradise […But Seriously] – 19,230,000
1990 – Garth Brooks – Friends In Low Places [No Fences] – 18,260,000
1991 – Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You [Waking Up the Neighbours / Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves] – 20,820,000
1992 – Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You [The Bodyguard] – 33,620,000
1993 – Mariah Carey – Hero [Music Box] – 14,130,000
1994 – The Cranberries – Zombie [No Need to Argue] – 15,370,000
1995 – Alanis Morissette – Ironic [Jagged Little Pill] – 16,060,000
1996 – Spice Girls – Wannabe [Spice] – 20,670,000
1997 – Céline Dion – My Heart Will Go On [Titanic / Let’s Talk About Love] – 63,040,000
1998 – Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time […Baby One More Time] – 18,370,000
1999 – Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way [Millennium] – 18,360,000
2000 – U2 – Beautiful Day [All That You Can’t Leave Behind] – 14,980,000
2001 – Nickelback – How You Remind Me [Silver Side Up] – 11,080,000
2002 – Eminem – Lose Yourself [8 Mile] – 15,860,000
2003 – Evanescence – Bring Me to Life [Fallen] – 9,380,000
2004 – James Blunt – You’re Beautiful [Back to Bedlam] – 10,170,000
2005 – Coldplay – Fix You [X&Y] – 9,500,000
2006 – Justin Timberlake ft. Timbaland – SexyBack [FutureSex/LoveSounds] – 5,450,000
2007 – Rihanna ft. Jay-Z – Umbrella [Good Girl Gone Bad] – 5,520,000
2008 – Coldplay – Viva La Vida [Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends] – 10,380,000
2009 – Lady Gaga – Bad Romance [The Fame Monster] – 7,100,000
2010 – Adele – Rolling In The Deep [21] – 12,880,000
2011 – Adele – Someone Like You [21] – 14,730,000
2012 – Imagine Dragons – Radioactive [Night Visions] – 4,670,000
2013 – Various Artists – Let It Go [Frozen] – 9,010,000
2014 – Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud [x (Multiply)] – 6,530,000
2015 – Adele – Hello [25] – 10,450,000
2016 – Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla – One Dance [Views] – 3,490,000
2017 – Ed Sheeran – Shape of You [÷ (Divide)] – 8,620,000
2018 – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – Shallow [A Star Is Born] – 3,310,000
2019 – BTS ft. Halsey – Boy with Luv [Map of the Soul: Persona] – 4,360,000
2020 – BTS – Dynamite [BE] – 4,600,000
2021 – Olivia Rodrigo – Drivers License [Sour] – 1,270,000