365 TOP SELLING SONGS OF THE 20th CENTURY (from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and the National Endowment for the Arts) The Big Bands Database Plus has sorted the list ALPHABETICALLY. Or view this list SORTED BY YEARS * -indicates song received the most votes for that decade. Prince "1999" Warner Bros. 1982 Dolly Parton "9 to 5" RCA 1980 Louise Homer "America the Beautiful" Victor 1925 Frank Stanley "Auld Lang Syne" Columbia 1907 Fats Waller "Ain't Misbehavin'" Victor 1929 Marian Anderson "Ave Maria" Victor 1937 The Boswell Sisters "Alexander's Ragtime Band" Brunswick 1935 Ella Fitzgerald "A Tisket A Tasket" Decca 1938 Thelonius Monk "Around Midnight" Blue Note 1948 Danny & The Juniors "At the Hop" ABC Paramnt 1957 John Coltrane "A Love Supreme" Impulse 1964 Dion "Abraham, Martin and John" Laurie 1968 Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Tamla 1967 Jimi Hendrix "All Along the Watchtower" Reprise 1968 *Don McLean "American Pie" United Artists 1971 Pink Floyd "Another Brick in the Wall" Columbia 1980 Hank Williams Jr. "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" WB 1984 Sheryl Crow "All I Wanna Do" A&M 1994 Billy Ray Cyrus "Achy Breaky Heart" Mercury 1992 BeBe& CeCe Winans "Addictive Love" Capitol 1991 Gene Austin "Bye Bye Blackbird" Victor 1926 Jimmie Rodgers "Blue Yodel (T for Texas)" Victor 1930 Gene Autry "Back in the Saddle Again" Vocalion 1938 Rudy Vallee "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" Brunswick 1932 The Andrews Sisters "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" Decca 1941 Coleman Hawkins "Body and Soul" Bluebird 1940 John Lee Hooker "Boogie Chillun" Modern 1948 Bill Monroe "Blue Moon of Kentucky" Columbia 1945 Artie Shaw "Begin the Beguine" Bluebird 1938 Harry Belafonte "Banana Boat (Day-O)" RCA Victor 1957 Bo Diddley "Bo Diddley" Checker 1955 Fats Domino "Blueberry Hill" Imperial 1956 Carl Perkins "Blue Suede Shoes" Sun 1956 Glen Campbell "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" Capitol 1967 Peter, Paul & Mary "Blowin' in the Wind" Warner Bros. 1963 The Ronettes "Be My Baby" Philles 1963 Steppenwolf "Born to be Wild" Dunhill 1968 Miles Davis "Bitches Brew" Columbia 1969 Joni Mitchell "Big Yellow Taxi" Reprise 1970 Van Morrison "Brown Eyed Girl" Bang 1967 Charlie Rich "Behind Closed Doors" Epic 1973 Bruce Springsteen "Born to Run" Columbia 1975 Weather Report "Birdland" Columbia 1976 Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes" EMI America 1981 Michael Jackson "Beat It" Epic 1983 Bruce Springsteen "Born in the U.S.A." Columbia 1984 Talking Heads "Burning Down the House" Sire 1983 Destiny's Child "Bills, Bills, Bills" Columbia 1999 The Carter Family "Can the Circle Be Unbroken" ARC 1935 Arthur Gibbs & Gang "Charleston" Victor 1924 Robert Johnson "Cross Road Blues" Columbia 1936 Eddy Arnold "Cattle Call" Bluebird 1945 Johnny Mathis "Chances Are" Columbia 1957 Mamas & Papas "California Dreamin'" Dunhill 1966 Roy Orbison "Crying" Monument 1961 The Carpenters "Close to You" A&M 1970 Loretta Lynn "Coal Miner's Daughter" Decca 1970 Kool & The Gang "Celebration" De-Lite 1980 Eric Clapton "Change the World" Reprise 1996 Elton John "Candle in the Wind" Rocket 1997 Bessie Smith "Down Hearted Blues" Columbia 1923 The Fairfield Four "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around" Bullet 1947 Alvino Ray "Deep in the Heart of Texas" Bluebird 1942 The Modern Jazz Quartet "Django" Prestige 1954 Ritchie Valens "Donna" / "La Bamba" Del-Fi 1958 Petula Clark "Downtown" Warner Bros. 1965 Martha & The Vandellas "Dancing in the Street" Gordy 1964 Otis Redding "Dock of the Bay" Volt 1968 Abba "Dancing Queen" Atlantic 1977 Bobby McFerrin "Don't Worry Be Happy" EMI 1988 Lauryn Hill "Doo Wop (That Thing)" Ruffhouse 1998 The Penguins "Earth Angel" Dootone 1954 Dean Martin "Everybody Loves Somebody" Reprise 1964 Marty Robbins "El Paso" Columbia 1959 Sly & The Family Stone "Everyday People" Epic 1968 Nilsson "Everybody's Talkin'" RCA 1969 Amy Grant "El Shaddai" Myrrh 1982 The Police "Every Breath You Take" A&M 1983 Buffalo Springfield "For What It's Worth" Atco 1967 Lynyrd Skynyrd "Free Bird" MCA 1974 James Taylor "Fire and Rain" Warner Bros. 1970 The Beastie Boys "Fight for Your Right (to Party)" Def Jam 1987 Irene Cara "Flashdance" Casablanca 1983 George Michael "Faith" Columbia 1987 Tom Petty "Free Fallin'" MCA 1989 Public Enemy "Fight the Power" Motown 1989 Garth Brooks "Friends in Low Places" Capitol 1990 Tracy Chapman "Fast Car" Elektra 1988 Kate Smith "God Bless America" Victor 1939 Billie Holiday "God Bless the Child" Okeh 1941 Leadbelly "Goodnight Irene" Capitol 1944 Ray Charles "Georgia on My Mind" ABC Paramnt 1960 Jerry Lee Lewis "Great Balls of Fire" Sun 1957 Muddy Waters "Got My Mojo Workin'" Chess 1956 The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" Capitol 1967 Fleetwood Mac "Go Your Own Way" Reprise 1977 Elton John "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" MCA 1973 soundtrack recording "Grease" RSO 1979 Cyndi Lauper "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" Portrait 1983 Paul Simon "Graceland" Warner Bros. 1986 Ben Selvin Orchestra "Happy Days Are Here Again" Columbia 1930 Roy Rogers/Dale Evans "Happy Trails" RCA Victor 1951 Les Paul & Mary Ford "How High the Moon" Capitol 1951 Elvis Presley "Heartbreak Hotel" RCA Victor 1956 Elvis Presley "Hound Dog" / "Don't Be Cruel" RCA Victor 1956 George Beverly Shea "How Great Thou Art" RCA 1955 The Animals "House of the Rising Sun" MGM 1964 cast recording "Hair" RCA 1969 The Eagles "Hotel California" Asylum 1977 Neil Young "Heart of Gold" Reprise 1972 Blondie "Heart of Glass" Chrysalis 1979 George Jones "He Stopped Loving Her Today" Epic 1980 Steve Winwood "Higher Love" Island 1986 Isham Jones Orchestra "It Had to Be You" Brunswick 1924 Helen Kane "I Wanna Be Loved By You" Victor 1928 The Chuck Wagon Gang "I'll Fly Away" Columbia 1948 The Ink Spots "If I Didn't Care" Decca 1939 Glenn Miller "In the Mood" Bluebird 1939 Johnny Cash "I Walk the Line" Sun 1956 The Five Satins "In the Still of the Night" Ember 1956 The Flamingos "I Only Have Eyes for You" End 1959 Hank Williams "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" MGM 1949 The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" Capitol 1964 Tony Bennett "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" Columbia 1962 James Brown "I Got You (I Feel Good)" King 1965 Patsy Cline "I Fall to Pieces" Decca 1961 Marvin Gaye "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Tamla 1968 Lesley Gore "It's My Party" Mercury 1963 Brenda Lee "I'm Sorry" Decca 1960 Wilson Pickett "In the Midnight Hour" Atlantic 1965 Sonny & Cher "I Got You Babe" Atco 1965 Gloria Gayner "I Will Survive" Polydor 1979 The Jackson 5 "I Want You Back" Motown 1969 Carole King "It's Too Late" / "I Feel the Earth Move" Ode 1971 John Lennon "Imagine" Apple 1971 Harold Melvin/Blue Notes "If You Don't Know Me By Now" Phila.Int'l. 1972 Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now" Epic 1972 Helen Reddy "I Am Woman" Capitol 1972 Joan Jett "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" Boardwalk 1982 The Pointer Sisters "I'm So Excited" Planet 1984 U2 "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" Island 1987 Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You" Arista 1992 R. Kelly "I Believe I Can Fly" Jive 1997 Lee Ann Womack "I Hope You Dance" MCA 2000 Chuck Berry "Johnny B. Goode" Chess 1958 Three Dog Night "Joy to the World" Dunhill 1971 John Cougar Mellencamp "Jack and Diane" Riva 1982 Van Halen "Jump" Warner Bros. 1984 Miles Davis Kind of Blue" Columbia 1959 Wilbert Harrison "Kansas City" Fury 1959 Roger Miller "King of the Road" Smash 1965 Roberta Flack "Killing Me Softly With His Song" Atlantic 1973 The Peerless Quartet "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" Columbia 1911 The Doors "Light My Fire" Elektra 1967 Bob Dylan "Like a Rolling Stone" Columbia 1965 The Kingsmen "Louie Louie" Wand 1963 Ketty Lester "Love Letters" Era 1962 The Shangri-Las "Leader of the Pack" Red Bird 1964 Derek & The Dominos "Layla" Atco 1972 Al Green "Let's Stay Together" Hi 1972 Bill Withers "Lean On Me" Sussex 1972 The B-52's "Love Shack" Reprise 1989 Ricky Martin "Livin' La Vida Loca" Columbia 1999 R.E.M. "Losing My Religion" Warner Bros. 1991 TLC "No Scrubs" LaFace 1999 Geraldine Farrar "My Old Kentucky Home" Victor 1910 Eddie Cantor "Makin' Whoopee" Victor 1929 Whisperin' Jack Smith "Me and My Shadow" Victor 1927 Cab Calloway "Minnie the Moocher" Brunswick 1931 Mahalia Jackson "Move on Up a Little Higher" Apollo 1948 The Chordettes "Mr. Sandman" Cadence 1954 Nat King Cole "Mona Lisa" Capitol 1950 Bobby Darin "Mack the Knife" Atco 1959 Erroll Garner Trio "Misty" Mercury 1954 cast recording "My Fair Lady" Columbia 1956 Janis Joplin "Me and Bobby McGee" Columbia 1971 Henry Mancini "Moon River" RCA 1961 Frank Sinatra "My Way" Reprise 1969 The Temptations "My Girl" Gordy 1965 Mary Wells "My Guy" Motown 1964 Jimmy Buffett "Margaritaville" ABC 1977 Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson "Mama's Don't Let Your Babies..." RCA 1978 Gladys Knight & The Pips "Midnight Train to Georgia" Buddah 1973 Rod Stewart "Maggie May" Mercury 1971 Alabama "My Home's in Alabama" RCA 1980 The Judds "Mama He's Crazy" RCA/Curb 1984 Madonna "Material Girl" Sire 1985 Celine Dion "My Heart Will Go On" 550/Epic 1998 Will Smith "Men in Black" Columbia 1997 Fred Astaire "Night and Day" Victor 1932 Francis Craig Orchestra "Near You" Bullet 1947 Bob Wills "New San Antonio Rose" Okeh 1940 Shirley Caesar "No Charge" Scepter 1975 The American Quartet "Over There" Victor 1917 Count Basie "One O'Clock Jump" Decca 1937 *Judy Garland "Over the Rainbow" Decca 1939 Shirley Temple "On the Good Ship Lollipop" 20th Cent.Fox 1934 Charlie Parker Sextet "Ornithology" Dial 1946 cast recording "Oklahoma!" Decca 1943 The Weavers "On Top of Old Smoky" Decca 1951 The Drifters "On Broadway" Atlantic 1963 Bobbie Gentry "Ode to Billy Joe" Capitol 1967 Edwin Hawkins Singers "O Happy Day" Pavillion 1969 Roy Orbison "Oh Pretty Woman" Monument 1964 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "Ohio" Atlantic 1970 Santana "Oye Como Va" Columbia 1971 Willie Nelson "On the Road Again" Columbia 1980 Bob Seger "Old Time Rock & Roll" Capitol 1979 Boyz II Men/Mariah Carey "One Sweet Day" Columbia 1996 Bing Crosby "Pennies From Heaven" Decca 1936 Harry Richman "Puttin' on the Ritz" Brunswick 1930 cast recording "Porgy and Bess" Decca 1935 The Mills Brothers "Paper Doll" Decca 1943 Buddy Holly "Peggy Sue" Coral 1957 Creedence Clearwater Revival "Proud Mary" Fantasy 1969 The Impressions "People Get Ready" ABC Parmnt 1965 Billy Joel "Piano Man" Columbia 1974 Prince "Purple Rain" Warner Bros. 1984 Tim McGraw "Please Remember Me" Curb 1999 Doris Day "Que Sera Sera" Columbia 1956 Gene Autry "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" Columbia 1949 Vaughn Monroe "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" RCA Victor 1949 *Bill Haley & the Comets "Rock Around the Clock" Decca 1955 Johnny Cash "Ring of Fire" Columbia 1963 Dion "Runaround Sue" Laurie 1961 The Four Tops "Reach Out I'll Be There" Motown 1966 *Aretha Franklin "Respect" Atlantic 1967 B.J. Thomas "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" Scepter 1969 Allman Brothers Band "Ramblin' Man" Capricorn 1973 The Staple Singers "Respect Yourself" Stax 1971 Herbie Hancock "Rockit" Columbia 1983 Sugarhill Gang "Rapper's Delight" Sugar Hill 1979 The Fisk Jubilee Singers "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" Victor 1909 Sophie Tucker "Some of These Days" Columbia 1911 Ben Bernie Orchestra "Sweet Georgia Brown" Vocalion 1925 Hoagy Carmichael "Star Dust" Gennett 1928 W.C. Handy "St. Louis Blues" Okeh 1923 Al Jolson "Swanee" Columbia 1920 Sidney Bechet "Summertime" Blue Note 1939 Benny Goodman "Sing Sing Sing" Victor 1938 cast recording "Show Boat" Brunswick 1932 Les Brown "Sentimental Journey" Columbia 1945 Dizzy Gillespie "Salt Peanuts" Guild 1945 Billie Holiday "Strange Fruit" Commodore 1939 Lena Horne "Stormy Weather" Victor 1943 cast recording "South Pacific" Columbia 1949 Eddie Cochran "Summertime Blues" Liberty 1958 Tennessee Ernie Ford "Sixteen Tons" Capitol 1955 The Isley Brothers "Shout" RCA 1959 The Platters "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" Mercury 1958 Joe Turner "Shake Rattle and Roll" Atlantic 1954 The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" Capitol 1967 Merle Haggard "Sing Me Back Home" Capitol 1967 Ben E. King "Stand By Me" Atco 1961 The Rolling Stones "Satisfaction" London 1965 Sam & Dave "Soul Man" Stax 1967 Simon & Garfunkel "Sounds of Silence" Columbia 1965 Frank Sinatra "Strangers in the Night" Reprise 1966 The Supremes "Stop in the Name of Love" Motown 1965 The Tymes "So in Love" Parkway 1963 Tammy Wynette "Stand By Your Man" Epic 1968 The Bee Gees "Stayin' Alive" RSO 1978 Chicago "Saturday in the Park" Columbia 1972 Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" Atlantic 1971 Donna Summer "She Works Hard for the Money" Mercury 1983 Stevie Wonder "Superstition" Tamla 1972 Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child o' Mine" Geffen 1988 *Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit" DGC 1992 Bonnie Raitt "Something to Talk About" Capitol 1991 Santana/Rob Thomas "Smooth" Arista 1999 Scott Joplin "The Entertainer" piano roll 1902 John McCormick "The Star Spangled Banner" Victor 1917 *Billy Murray "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" Victor 1908 Original Dixieland Jazz Band "Tiger Rag" Victor 1918 Sousa's Band "The Stars and Stripes Forever" Columbia 1896 Vernon Dalhart "The Prisoner's Song" Victor 1924 Bob Hope/Shirley Ross "Thanks for the Memory" Decca 1939 Sons of the Pioneers "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" Decca 1934 Art Tatum "Tea for Two" Decca 1939 Duke Ellington "Take the A Train" Victor 1941 Woody Guthrie "This Land Is Your Land" Asch 1947 Dave Brubeck "Take Five" Columbia 1959 The Champs "Tequila" Challenge 1958 Mark Dinning "Teen Angel" MGM 1960 Johnny Horton "The Battle of New Orleans" Columbia 1959 The Kingston Trio "Tom Dooley" Capitol 1958 Little Richard "Tutti Frutti" Specialty 1956 Patti Page "The Tennessee Waltz" Mercury 1950 Louis Prima & Keely Smith "That Old Black Magic" Capitol 1958 cast recording "The King and I" Decca 1951 cast recording "The Music Man" Capitol 1958 The Byrds "Turn Turn Turn" Columbia 1965 Chubby Checker "The Twist" Parkway 1960 Bob Dylan "The Times They Are A-Changin'" Columbia 1964 Stan Getz/Astrud Gilberto "The Girl From Ipanema" Verve 1964 Ramsey Lewis Trio "The In Crowd" Argo 1965 B.B. King "The Thrill Is Gone" Blues Way 1969 Little Eva "The Loco-Motion" Dimension 1962 The Miracles "The Tracks of My Tears" Tamla 1965 The Tokens "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" RCA 1961 cast recording "The Sound of Music" Columbia 1960 George Benson "This Masquerade" Warner Bros. 1976 Harry Chapin "The Cat's in the Cradle" Elektra 1974 Jim Croce "Time in a Bottle" ABC 1973 Charlie Daniels Band "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" Epic 1979 John Denver "Take Me Home Country Roads" RCA 1971 Thomas Dorsey/Marion Williams "Take My Hand Precious Lord" Columbia 1973 Isaac Hayes "Theme From Shaft" Enterprise 1971 K.C. & The Sunshine Band "That's the Way( I Like It)" TK 1975 Kenny Rogers "The Gambler" United Artists 1978 Barbra Streisand "The Way We Were" Columbia 1973 Grandmaster Flash "The Message" Sugar Hill 1982 Bette Midler "The Wind Beneath My Wings" Atlantic 1989 Dionne Warwick & Friends "That's What Friends Are For" Arista 1986 Faith Hill "This Kiss" Warner Bros. 1999 Al Hibbler "Unchained Melody" Decca 1955 The Grateful Dead "Uncle John's Band" Warner Bros. 1970 Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes "Up Where We Belong" Island 1982 M.C. Hammer "U Can't Touch This" Capitol 1990 Enrico Caruso "Vesti La Giubba" Victor 1907 Chauncey Olcott "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" Columbia 1913 *Louis Armstrong "When the Saints Go Marching In" Decca 1938 Paul Whiteman Orchestra "Whispering" Victor 1920 Roy Acuff "Wabash Cannonball" Vocalion 1938 *Bing Crosby "White Christmas" Decca 1942 Cliff Edwards "When You Wish Upon a Star" Victor 1940 Ray Charles "What'd I Say" Atlantic 1959 The Everly Brothers "Wake Up Little Susie" Cadence 1957 Connie Francis "Who's Sorry Now" MGM 1958 Frankie Lymon & Teenagers "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" Gee 1956 cast recording "West Side Story" Columbia 1957 Louis Armstrong "What a Wonderful World" ABC 1967 Joan Baez "We Shall Overcome" Vanguard 1963 Jackie DeShannon "What the World Needs Now Is Love" Imperial 1965 Jefferson Airplane "White Rabbit" RCA 1967 The Shirelles "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" Scepter 1961 Percy Sledge "When a Man Loves a Woman" Atlantic 1966 Dionne Warwick "Walk on By" Scepter 1964 Aerosmith "Walk This Way" Columbia 1976 Marvin Gaye "What's Going On" Tamla 1971 Queen "We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You" Elektra 1977 Linda Ronstadt "When Will I Be Loved" Capitol 1975 Sister Sledge "We Are Family" Cotillion 1979 Edwin Starr "War" Gordy 1970 The Go-Go's "We Got the Beat" IRS 1982 *Tina Turner "What's Love Got to Do With It" Capitol 1984 USA for Africa "We Are the World" Columbia 1985 Dixie Chicks "Wide Open Spaces" Monument 1998 Vess Ossman "Yankee Doodle" N.American 1894 Billy Jones "Yes We Have No Bananas" Edison 1923 Jimmie Davis "You Are My Sunshine" Decca 1940 Cole Porter "You're the Top" Victor 1935 The Coasters "Yakety Yak" Atco 1958 Sam Cooke "You Send Me" Keen 1957 Hank Williams "Your Cheatin' Heart" MGM 1953 The Beatles "Yesterday" / "Act Naturally" Capitol 1965 The Kinks "You Really Got Me" Reprise 1964 The Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" Philles 1965 Carly Simon "You're So Vain" Elektra 1973 The Village People "Y.M.C.A." Casablanca 1978 Stevie Wonder "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" Tamla 1973 Shania Twain "You're Still the One" Mercury 1998 Johnny Mercer "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" Capitol 1946 Mary Lou Williams "Zodiac Suite" Jazztone 1955