The Beatles' Official Top 60 most downloaded and streamed songs

The Fab Four's most downloaded and streamed songs revealed - as heard on BBC Radio 2.

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This month marks 50 years since the release of Beatles' Abbey Road album; the last album they recorded together – though not the last one they released.

To mark the occasion, we've teamed up with BBC Radio 2 to reveal which of The Beatles' songs are being listened to most in the digital era of downloads and streaming.

The Fab Four's Official UK Chart history takes in 38 Top 40 hits, of which 28 went Top 10, with 17 of those going to Number 1. Six of their songs are million-sellers, but when it comes to the digital age, how do those hits hold up? Brilliantly, there's a HUGE shock at the top.

MORE: Look back at every hit Beatles song and album in their Official Chart archive

The most popular Beatles' song on streaming services is not your typical Fab Four track – Paul McCartney isn't on lead vocals, John Lennon doesn't appear on the track at all, neither of them wrote it, and it wasn't even a hit! The honour goes to the uplifting Here Comes The Sun, written and sung by George Harrison, and a staple of any summer playlist.

It's amassed 50.3 million streams, way ahead of its nearest rival, plus 164,000 downloads. Here Comes The Sun is an album track – featuring on Abbey Road – and was never an official single, but it did finally get to chart in 2010, when the Beatles' back catalogue was finally made available to download, peaking at 58.

1969: The Beatles - Abbey Road

The band's 11th album, Abbey Road is the last album in which all four Beatles participated.

In second is the band's last single from their main period of success, Let it Be, with 26 million plays and 159,000 downloads.

Placing third is singalong classic Hey Jude, one of the band's later Number 1s, spending two weeks at the top in September 1968. Fourth is another Beatles song to miss the top, the much-covered Come Together, originally released as a double-A side with fellow Abbey Road track Something (15th place), which, like Here Comes the Sun, was penned by George Harrison. It peaked at Number 4 in November 1969.

MORE: Artists with the most Number 1 singles

Taking fifth place is Twist and Shout, a cover that appeared on their first album Please Please Me that was first made chart hit as a single by the Isley Brothers. 

Elsewhere, Yesterday makes it into the Top 10 at Number 9, boosted by the release of Beatles-themed film Yesterday earlier this year. I Want to Hold Your hand just misses out on the Top 10 in 11th place and, perhaps surprisingly, the band's first ever Number 1 – From Me To You – falls close to the bottom of the Top 60 in 54th place. View the bestselling singles of all time on the UK chart.

The Beatles' Official Top 40 most streamed songs:

POS TITLE ARTIST
1 HERE COMES THE SUN BEATLES
2 LET IT BE BEATLES
3 HEY JUDE BEATLES
4 COME TOGETHER BEATLES
5 TWIST AND SHOUT BEATLES
6 HELP BEATLES
7 BLACKBIRD BEATLES
8 IN MY LIFE BEATLES
9 YESTERDAY BEATLES
10 ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE BEATLES
11 I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND BEATLES
12 ELEANOR RIGBY BEATLES
13 WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS BEATLES
14 LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS BEATLES
15 SOMETHING BEATLES
16 SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND BEATLES
17 LOVE ME DO BEATLES
18 YELLOW SUBMARINE BEATLES
19 PENNY LANE BEATLES
20 WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS BEATLES
21 A HARD DAYS NIGHT BEATLES
22 STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER BEATLES
23 A DAY IN THE LIFE BEATLES
24 SHE LOVES YOU BEATLES
25 I SAW HER STANDING THERE BEATLES
26 TICKET TO RIDE BEATLES
27 NORWEGIAN WOOD (THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN) BEATLES
28 CAN'T BUY ME LOVE BEATLES
29 GET BACK BEATLES
30 DAY TRIPPER BEATLES
31 I AM THE WALRUS BEATLES
32 EIGHT DAYS A WEEK BEATLES
33 BACK IN THE USSR BEATLES
34 OB LA DI OB LA DA BEATLES
35 HELLO GOODBYE BEATLES
36 WHEN IM SIXTY FOUR BEATLES
37 THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD BEATLES
38 REVOLUTION BEATLES
39 WE CAN WORK IT OUT BEATLES
40 AND I LOVE HER BEATLES
41 ACROSS THE UNIVERSE BEATLES
42 DRIVE MY CAR BEATLES
43 I FEEL FINE BEATLES
44 PAPERBACK WRITER BEATLES
45 OCTOPUSS GARDEN BEATLES
46 YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY BEATLES
47 GOLDEN SLUMBERS BEATLES
48 ALL MY LOVING BEATLES
49 SHES LEAVING HOME BEATLES
50 MICHELLE BEATLES
51 LADY MADONNA BEATLES
52 HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE BEATLES
53 DONT LET ME DOWN BEATLES WITH BILLY PRESTON
54 FROM ME TO YOU BEATLES
55 NOWHERE MAN BEATLES
56 HELTER SKELTER BEATLES
57 DEAR PRUDENCE BEATLES
58 THE BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO BEATLES
59 THE FOOL ON THE HILL BEATLES
60 OH DARLING BEATLES

©2019 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Article image: Keystone/Shutterstock

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Bengy

0

On 26/09/2019 OCC said,
“With over 53.7 million plays, it's the Beatles' most streamed track of all time. Here Comes the Sun has amassed 165,000 downloads to become the most popular Abbey Road track of the digital age.”
Some inconsistencies in those figures.

FC

Fact Checker

1

You published a list of the Beatles' Top 40 most streamed songs on 5th July 2019. At that point, Here Comes The Sun had 50.8m streams. Now it is down to 50.3m. Let It Be had 28.1m and is now down to 26m. In July Hey Jude was 2nd on 30m, but has now dropped to below 26m. And Come Together was #3 in July on 28.8m, but is also now below 26m.
Please explain.

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julesin09

0

OCC pretend they track stuff they just guess lol Joking

They have form with changing their stats

D

DapperG

1

Pretty sure Love Me Do was never a UK number one.

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Bengy

0

Correct! The original 1962 release reached no. 17, the 1982 re-issue reached no. 4 and the 1992 re-issue reached no. 53.
So it should be no. 4 as the chart peak.

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Bengy

0

And BACK IN THE USSR had a chart peak of no. 19 in 1976.
And I SAW HER STANDING THERE had a chart peak of no. 90 in 2010.
And IN MY LIFE had a chart peak of no. 78 in 2010.

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Bengy

0

IN MY LIFE has just been awarded a Silver Disc for 200,000 combined sales.

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Bengy

0

Very interesting list. Thanks OCC.
Nos. 6 and 7 have just been awarded Silver Discs for 200,000 combined sales.