Here Are the Top 10 Most Popular YouTube Videos of All-Time (And they're All Music Videos)
This December, I presented the YouTube videos that had the biggest impact on the video-sharing website in 2015. And more to the point, I presented the year’s top 10 trending videos, music videos, and commercials.
It’s now time to take a look at the top 10 most popular YouTube videos of all-time. These videos have two things in common: they all have more than 1 billion views and they’re all music videos. Not surprising, seeing that the most searched topic on YouTube is music.
Without any further ado, here are the top 10 most viewed YouTube videos of all-time.
10. Meghan Trainor “All About that Bass”
Back in 2014, when Meghan Trainor was just 20 years old, she released her debut single, "All About that Bass". This fun and lighthearted song sold 11 million copies, received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and managed to get more than 1.2 billion views on YouTube.
9. Katy Perry “Roar”
"Roar" is the lead single from Katy Perry’s 4th studio album, "Prism". Released to the public in September 2013, it sold 9.9 million copies, topped the charts in 14 countries, received two Grammy nominations, and was viewed more than 1.2 billion times on YouTube.
8. Enrique Iglesias “Bailando” (Spanish)
Released as the 5th single from Enrique’s 2015 "Sex and Love" album, this song sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. It must be mentioned that there are several versions of this song: the original Spanish version, an English version, and two Portuguese versions. The original Spanish version has more than 1.25 billion views on YouTube.
7. Katy Perry ft. Juicy J “Dark Horse”
Just like "Roar", "Dark Horse" is from Katy Perry’s 4th studio album, "Prism". It was released a month after "Roar", in September 2013. It sold 13.2 million copies and it has more than 1.25 billion views on YouTube.
6. Taylor Swift “Shake it Off”
The lead single from Taylor Swift’s 5th studio album, "1989", this uptempo pop track premiered in August 2014 during a Yahoo! live stream session. At the 2015 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance; and at the 2015 People's Choice Awards, it won Favorite Song. Right now, the song has more than 1.27 billion views on YouTube.
5. Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris “Baby”
Released in January 2010, "Baby" is the lead single from Bieber's debut album, "My World 2.0". Between July 2010 and November 2012, it was the most-viewed video on YouTube. Right now, it has more than 1.28 billion views and a staggering 5.58 million dislikes. It is, as a matter of fact, the YouTube video with the most dislikes, as of 2016.
4. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk”
Released to the public in November 2014, this song is the lead single from Mark Ronson’s 4th studio album, "Uptown Special". It was a huge success, topping the charts in several countries, getting five nominations for the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards (and winning Best Male Video), and getting 1.3 billion views on YouTube.
3. Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth “See You Again”
In 2013, Paul Walker died. "Furious Seven", the 7th film in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, is dedicated to him. And Wiz Khalifa’s "See You Again", which is part of the movie’s soundtrack, is a tribute to Paul Walker. Released in April 2015, the song set the record for most streams in a single week worldwide, was shortlisted for the Song of the Year for the BBC Music Awards, received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song, was the very first hip-hop song to get 1 billion views on YouTube, and currently has more than 1.36 billion views on YouTube.
2. Taylor Swift “Blank Space”
Just like the aforementioned “Shake it Off”, this song is from Swift’s 5th studio album, "1989". Released in November 2014, it is the second track on the album and the second single from the album. In July 2015, it became the most viewed music video by a female artist on YouTube. Right now, it has more than 1.4 billion views on YouTube.
1. Psy “Gangnam Style”
Psy’s Gangnam Style, the top trending video of 2012, continues to reign supreme. It currently has close to 2.5 billion views on YouTube. Remember Justin Bieber’s Baby? Gangnam Style is the song that dethroned it as the most-viewed video on YouTube. Here’s another fun fact: while all of the songs on this list have more than 1 billion views, Gangnam Style is the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views. And unlike Justin Bieber's Baby, it didn't need 4 years to do so, it needed just 158 days. None of the videos listed above managed to get 1 billion views so fast.
In related news...
Instead of reaching for the mouse, you could get things done faster by simply pressing a key on your keyboard. Here are the most useful one-key YouTube shortcuts you have to know about.
UPDATE 22 January 2016.
Adele's Hello has gotten 1 billion views, which is impressive. What's even more impressive is that it got them in record time, even faster than PSY's Gangnam Style. Read more about it here.
It’s now time to take a look at the top 10 most popular YouTube videos of all-time. These videos have two things in common: they all have more than 1 billion views and they’re all music videos. Not surprising, seeing that the most searched topic on YouTube is music.
Without any further ado, here are the top 10 most viewed YouTube videos of all-time.
10. Meghan Trainor “All About that Bass”
Back in 2014, when Meghan Trainor was just 20 years old, she released her debut single, "All About that Bass". This fun and lighthearted song sold 11 million copies, received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and managed to get more than 1.2 billion views on YouTube.
9. Katy Perry “Roar”
"Roar" is the lead single from Katy Perry’s 4th studio album, "Prism". Released to the public in September 2013, it sold 9.9 million copies, topped the charts in 14 countries, received two Grammy nominations, and was viewed more than 1.2 billion times on YouTube.
8. Enrique Iglesias “Bailando” (Spanish)
Released as the 5th single from Enrique’s 2015 "Sex and Love" album, this song sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. It must be mentioned that there are several versions of this song: the original Spanish version, an English version, and two Portuguese versions. The original Spanish version has more than 1.25 billion views on YouTube.
7. Katy Perry ft. Juicy J “Dark Horse”
Just like "Roar", "Dark Horse" is from Katy Perry’s 4th studio album, "Prism". It was released a month after "Roar", in September 2013. It sold 13.2 million copies and it has more than 1.25 billion views on YouTube.
6. Taylor Swift “Shake it Off”
The lead single from Taylor Swift’s 5th studio album, "1989", this uptempo pop track premiered in August 2014 during a Yahoo! live stream session. At the 2015 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance; and at the 2015 People's Choice Awards, it won Favorite Song. Right now, the song has more than 1.27 billion views on YouTube.
5. Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris “Baby”
Released in January 2010, "Baby" is the lead single from Bieber's debut album, "My World 2.0". Between July 2010 and November 2012, it was the most-viewed video on YouTube. Right now, it has more than 1.28 billion views and a staggering 5.58 million dislikes. It is, as a matter of fact, the YouTube video with the most dislikes, as of 2016.
4. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk”
Released to the public in November 2014, this song is the lead single from Mark Ronson’s 4th studio album, "Uptown Special". It was a huge success, topping the charts in several countries, getting five nominations for the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards (and winning Best Male Video), and getting 1.3 billion views on YouTube.
3. Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth “See You Again”
In 2013, Paul Walker died. "Furious Seven", the 7th film in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, is dedicated to him. And Wiz Khalifa’s "See You Again", which is part of the movie’s soundtrack, is a tribute to Paul Walker. Released in April 2015, the song set the record for most streams in a single week worldwide, was shortlisted for the Song of the Year for the BBC Music Awards, received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song, was the very first hip-hop song to get 1 billion views on YouTube, and currently has more than 1.36 billion views on YouTube.
2. Taylor Swift “Blank Space”
Just like the aforementioned “Shake it Off”, this song is from Swift’s 5th studio album, "1989". Released in November 2014, it is the second track on the album and the second single from the album. In July 2015, it became the most viewed music video by a female artist on YouTube. Right now, it has more than 1.4 billion views on YouTube.
1. Psy “Gangnam Style”
Psy’s Gangnam Style, the top trending video of 2012, continues to reign supreme. It currently has close to 2.5 billion views on YouTube. Remember Justin Bieber’s Baby? Gangnam Style is the song that dethroned it as the most-viewed video on YouTube. Here’s another fun fact: while all of the songs on this list have more than 1 billion views, Gangnam Style is the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views. And unlike Justin Bieber's Baby, it didn't need 4 years to do so, it needed just 158 days. None of the videos listed above managed to get 1 billion views so fast.
In related news...
Instead of reaching for the mouse, you could get things done faster by simply pressing a key on your keyboard. Here are the most useful one-key YouTube shortcuts you have to know about.
UPDATE 22 January 2016.
Adele's Hello has gotten 1 billion views, which is impressive. What's even more impressive is that it got them in record time, even faster than PSY's Gangnam Style. Read more about it here.
