This list compiles the best-selling singles in the United States, based on reported sales figures. Some of the singles have been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In music, a single is a song considered commercially viable enough by the artist and record company to be released separately from an album, usually featured on an album as well. For more information, see single.
- The RIAA certifies a record only if that record company pays for its official certification; some companies do not consider this an important distinction and will not request certifications unless pressed by its active, still saleable artists. A full and complete list of RIAA-certified recordings would be a very incomplete list of popular American music.
- The RIAA only certifies a particular recording of a song. Remixes, live and other versions count as separate.
- Prior to 1989, physical singles were awarded with a Gold certification for shipments of 1,000,000 units and a Platinum certification for shipments of 2,000,000 units. For certification dates since January 1, 1989, a Gold award represented shipments of 500,000 units and a Platinum award represented shipments of 1,000,000 units.
- Since May 9, 2013, RIAA certifications for singles in the "digital" category include on-demand audio and/or video song streams in addition to downloads. The current formula since February 1, 2016 is 150 on-demand streams = 1 song download.
- Physical sales figures backed by RIAA certifications may be inaccurate as physical singles can be "overcertified" (sell less copies than were shipped to stores) or "undercertified" (sell beyond their current certification level and not receive a new certification).
Physical singles
upright|thumb|[[Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the best-selling physical single in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking music sales in 1991.]]
All of these physical singles have sold over four million copies according to either reliable third-party claims or RIAA multi-platinum certifications.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col" style="width:18em;"| Song
!scope="col"| Artist(s)
!scope="col"| Release year
!scope="col"| Claimed sales<br>(million)
!scope="col" style="width:5em;"| No. of times Platinum
|-
!scope="row"| "White Christmas"
| Bing Crosby
|align="center"| 1941
|style="text-align: center;"| 12
|
|-
!scope="row"| "Candle in the Wind 1997"
| Elton John
|align="center"| 1997
|align="center"| 8.84
|align="center"| 11×
|-
! scope="row"|"We Are the World"
| USA for Africa
|align="center"|1985
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|4×
|-
!scope="row"| "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
| Gene Autry
|align="center"|1949
|align="center"| 7
|
|-
! scope="row" | "Paper Doll"
|The Mills Brothers
|align="center"| 1943
| align="center"| 6
|
|-
! scope="row" | "The Tennessee Waltz"
|Patti Page
| align="center"|1948
| style="text-align: center;" | 6
| align="center"|4×
|-
!scope="row"| "It's Now or Never"
| Elvis Presley
| align="center"| 1960
| align="center"| 5
| align="center"|1×
|-
!scope="row"| "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
| The Beatles
|align="center"|1963
|align="center"| 5
|align="center"| Gold
|-
!scope="row"| "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine"
| Gene Autry
|align="center"|1935
|align="center"| 5
|
|-
!scope="row"| "The Ballad of the Green Berets"
| Barry Sadler
|align="center"|1966
|align="center"| 5
|
|-
!scope="row"| "Dardanella"
| Ben Selvin
|align="center"|1919
|align="center"| 5
|
|-
!scope="row"| "My Blue Heaven"
| Gene Austin
|align="center"|1928
|align="center"| 5
|
|-
!scope="row"| "I Will Always Love You"
| Whitney Houston
|align="center"| 1992
|align="center"| 4.59
|align="center"| 4×
|-
!scope="row"| "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
| Bryan Adams
|align="center"|1991
|align="center"| 4.1
| align="center"|3×
|-
! scope="row"| "Macarena"
| Los del Río
| align="center"|1996
|align="center"|4
|align="center"| 4×
|-
! scope="row"| "Le Freak"
| Chic
|align="center"| 1978
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|1×
|-
!scope="row"| "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
| Marvin Gaye
|align="center"|1968
|align="center"| 4
|
|-
!scope="row"| "I'm a Believer"
| The Monkees
|align="center"|1966
|align="center"| 4
|
|-
!scope="row"| "You Light Up My Life"
| Debby Boone
|align="center"|1977
|align="center"| 4
|align="center"| 1×
|-
! scope="row"| "Hey Jude"
| The Beatles
|align="center"|1968
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|4×
|-
! scope="row"| "Whoomp! (There It Is)"
| Tag Team
|align="center"|1993
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|4×
|}
Digital singles
The below singles have sold at least 6 million digital copies as reported by Luminate (or previously Nielsen SoundScan). Sales figures are not fully represented by RIAA certifications, which have included on-demand streaming-equivalent units since May 2013. Thus the actual sales figures will be different from the amounts specified by the RIAA.
thumb|upright|"[[I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is the best-selling digital single in the U.S., with over 8.7 million downloads sold.]]
thumb|upright|[[Lady Gaga is the first artist to have two 7-million-selling digital singles.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!style="width:18em;"| Song
! Artist(s)
! Release<br/>year
! scope="col"| Reported sales (million)
!style="width:5em;"|No. of times Platinum
|-
!scope="row"| "I Gotta Feeling"
| The Black Eyed Peas
|style="text-align: center;"|2009
|style="text-align: center;"| 8.7
|style="text-align: center;"|16×
|-
! scope="row" | "Uptown Funk"
|Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
| align="center"|2014
| align="center"| 8.1
| align="center"| 11×
|-
!scope="row"| "Party Rock Anthem"
| LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
|style="text-align: center;"| 2011
|style="text-align: center;"| 8.1
|align="center"| 14×
|-
!scope="row"| "Call Me Maybe"
| Carly Rae Jepsen
| align="center"|2011
|align="center"| 7.6
| align="center"|10×
|-
!scope="row"| "Poker Face"
| Lady Gaga
|style="text-align: center;"| 2008
|style="text-align: center;"| 7.5
|style="text-align: center;"| 10×
|-
! scope="row" | "Lose Yourself"
| Eminem
| align="center"|2002
| align="center"|7.4
| align="center"|13×
|-
! scope="row" | "Firework"
|Katy Perry
| align="center"| 2010
| align="center"| 7.2
| align="center"| 12×
|-
! scope="row" |"Just Dance"
|Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis
|align="center"|2008
|align="center"|7.2
| align="center"|10×
|-
! scope="row" | "Happy"
|Pharrell Williams
| style="text-align: center;" | 2013
| style="text-align: center;" | 6.9
| style="text-align: center;" | 11×
|-
! scope="row" | "Boom Boom Pow"
| The Black Eyed Peas
| style="text-align: center;" | 2008
| style="text-align: center;" | 6.9
| style="text-align: center;" | 13×
|-
!scope="row"| "We Are Young"
| fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
|style="text-align: center"| 2011
|style="text-align: center;"| 6.8
|style="text-align: center;"| 10×
|-
! scope="row" | "Tik Tok"
|Kesha
|align="center"| 2009
|align="center"| 6.8
|align="center"| 12×
|-
! scope="row" | "Need You Now"
|Lady Antebellum
| align="center" | 2009
| align="center" | 6.7
| align="center" | 12×
|-
! scope="row" | "Moves like Jagger"
|Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
|align="center"| 2011
|align="center"| 6.7
| align="center"|10×
|-
! scope="row" | "Viva la Vida"
|Coldplay
| style="text-align: center;" | 2008
| style="text-align: center;" | 6.6
| style="text-align: center;" | 5×
|-
! scope="row" | "Love the Way You Lie"
|Eminem featuring Rihanna
| align="center" |2010
| align="center" |6.5
| align="center" |13×
|-
!scope="row" |"Blurred Lines"
|Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams
| style="text-align: center;" | 2013
|style="text-align: center;"| 6.5
|style="text-align: center;"| 10×
|-
! scope="row"| "Hey, Soul Sister"
| Train
| style="text-align: center;" | 2009
| style="text-align: center;" | 6.4
| style="text-align: center;"| 15×
|-
! scope="row" | "Dark Horse"
| Katy Perry featuring Juicy J
| align="center"| 2013
| align="center"| 6.3
| align="center"| 11×
|-
! scope="row"| "Thrift Shop"
| Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
| style="text-align: center" | 2013
|style="text-align: center;"| 6.2
| style="text-align: center;"| 8×
|-
! scope="row" | "Sail"
|Awolnation
| style="text-align: center;" | 2010
| style="text-align: center;" | 6.1
| style="text-align: center;" | 10×
|-
! scope="row"| "Grenade"
| Bruno Mars
| style="text-align: center;" | 2010
| style="text-align: center;" | 6.1
| style="text-align: center;" | 7×
|-
! scope="row" | "Someone like You"
| Adele
| style="text-align: center;" | 2011
| style="text-align: center;" | 6.0
| style="text-align: center;" | 4×
|}
See also
- RIAA certification
- List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
- List of highest-certified digital singles in the United States
- List of best-selling singles
- List of best-selling singles of 2014 in the United States
- List of best-selling albums in the United States
- List of Spotify streaming records
Notes
References
External links
- RIAA Website
- Detailed List of Artists with Most Singles Certification Units
- Billboard Magazine - a magazine that publishes weekly music rankings