What Are The Top 11 Best Selling Singles of All-Time?

ByGeoffrey Goldenon February 12, 2012inArticles›Entertainment

The Beatles were apparently really nervous when they met their idol, Elvis Presley . Perhaps John and Paul would have been less “shook up” if they knew someday they would have a song on the top 11 best selling singles list along with The King. So, what is the biggest selling single of all time? Let’s count ’em down, music lovers:

  1. ABBA – “Fernando” – 10 million copies sold

Swedish pop group ABBA has their 1st non-album single with the song “Fernando,” which became ABBA’s biggest selling single of all time. ABBA’s “Fernando” sold 6,000,000 copies in 1976 alone. The single also appeared on a number of ABBA’s Greatest Hits albums.

  1. The Beatles – “I Want to Hold Your Hand” – 12 million copies sold

  2. Baccara – “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” – 18 million copies sold

This song made it big internationally but did not chart in the United States. “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” is a hit single recorded by the Spanish vocal duo Baccara with a distinct flavor of disco. The single became a major hit across Europe.

  1. The Ink Spots – “If I Didn’t Care” – 19 million copies sold

Songwriter Jack Lawrence received negative feedback after letting his friends listen to “If I Didn’t Care,” prior to it being recorded. Lawrence persevered and The Ink Spots recorded the hit song in 1939. The Platters, The Hilltoppers, David Cassidy and Connie Francis recorded other covers of the song.

  1. Zager and Evans – “In the Year 2525” – 20 million copies sold

The song caught the interest during the late 60’s with its theme of a world doomed by its overdependence on dehumanizing current and future technologies. Zager and Evans remain the only act with a number one hit but no other chart single on both the U.S. and UK singles charts. Authors of the book “The Worst Rock and Roll Records of All Time” places the song “In the Year 2525” at number six on their list of the 50 worst rock-and-roll singles. “Best-selling” doesn’t always mean “good.”

  1. USA for Africa – “We Are the World” – 20 million copies sold

  2. Elvis Presley – “It’s Now or Never” – 25 million copies sold

Elvis Presley heard the song “There’s No Tomorrow,” recorded by singer Tony Martin, while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. Presley commissioned songwriters Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold to rewrite the lyrics of the song for him. “It’s Now or Never” was released in 1960 and became a number-one record in the U.S. and the UK, spending nine weeks at the top of the charts – thankyouverymuch .

  1. Bill Haley & His Comets – “Rock Around the Clock” – 25 million copies sold

3 & 2. Bing Crosby – “Silent Night” and “White Christmas” – 30 million copies sold

What Are The Top 11 Best Selling Singles of All - 1

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