The UK's Official Lockdown Listening List: the classic songs enjoying an unexpected resurgence

With the UK on lockdown, a three-part tale appears to be emerging from the nation’s speakers right now as music lovers split between listening to uplifting classics, “apocalyptic” isolation songs and kids’ favourites, according to new Official Charts Company data.

As Britain gets to grips this week with our new normal indoors, Official Charts Company streaming data tracking our listening habits through these extraordinary times, shows that we are a divided nation - tuning in to a mixture of uplifting classics and tongue-in-cheek isolation songs, while families are selecting familiar children’s sing-a-longs to keep spirits up.

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Many people are creating ‘isolation’ playlists on streaming platforms, while others are sharing the music that is helping them through these uncertain times – and this has thrown up some common themes and an unexpected resurgence for several classic hits.

The Official Lockdown Listening Top 100 list tracks the fastest-growing catalogue songs this week, compiled from UK streaming data from a wide range of chart-reporting services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube, Tidal, Amazon and many more.

Uplifting classics

These extraordinary times have seen much of the nation turn to stirring, feel-good melodies. Among the most popular is You’ll Never Walk Alone the 1963 chart-topper for Gerry & The Pacemakers, football anthem and musical standard which has seen a near 150% week-on-week uplift in streams. Interest in the song surged after a number of radio stations across the UK and Europe including BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 and many more played it simultaneously in a show of solidarity against coronavirus last Friday (March 20).

Other uplifting classics enjoying an unexpected boost in popularity include Junior Senior’s Top 5 hit Move Your Feet, up over 50% week-on-week, possibly as the nation adjusts to exercising at home. John Lennon’s timeless ode to global harmony, Imagine, makes a similar leap, while S Club 7’s ever-optimistic Reach is up almost 40%.

Pharrell’s spirit-lifting Number 1 hit Happy is up over 20%, as is Bruno Mars’ staying-in anthem The Lazy Song.

Isolation songs

It’s the end of the world as we know it…according to some, at least.

As we spend our days indoors, many have sought humour in isolation-themed songs. Streams of The Police’s newly-adopted social distancing anthem Don’t Stand So Close To Me rise 70% week on week, REM’s apocalyptic It’s The End Of The World As We Know It which made its Official Singles Chart Top 40 debut in December 1991, jumps 40%, along with their melancholic 1993 hit Everybody Hurts.

Two more popular choices come from US rapper Akon: Locked Up which has surged over 140%, while Lonely is up by almost 60%. Both were huge hits in 2005, with the latter reaching Number 1.

Other themed hits on the rise include Queen classic I Want To Break Free, and Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive, each seeing a boost of more than 20%.

Kids’ favourites 

With schools up and down the country now closed, young children (with the help of their parents) are keeping themselves entertained at home with their favourite sing-alongs.

Official Charts Company analysis shows a rise in popular kids’ songs including I Am Your Gummy Bear by German YouTube cartoon sensation Gummy Bear whose streams have risen by a quarter week-on-week, Psy’s dance-along global smash Gangnam Style is up a similar amount, while Under The Sea from Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Aqua’s 1997 chart-topper Barbie Girl have each surged nearly 20%.

Plenty more Disney hits pepper the Top 100 too, from The Lion King's Hakuna Matata to Aladdin's A Whole New World - home-schooling households are carving out their soundtrack.

Official Charts Company Chief Executive Martin Talbot said: "These are extraordinary times and the Official Lockdown Listening List is our fun way of celebrating the unique place that music claims in the hearts of the British people. The music that we are listening to reflects how we are all coping in different ways – using it to lift our spirits, give us a laugh or bring us together with our families. I’m sure everyone will have their own favourites from this list of classics."

The UK's favourite Lockdown Listening songs will be discussed on BBC's The One Show tonight (March 27). Click here to tune in.

Official UK Lockdown Listening List Top 100

©2020 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Data based on Official Charts Company data analysis of tracks more than 5 years old with the biggest percentage uplift in UK streams week on week, excluding attributable anomalies such as the catalogue of the late Kenny Rogers. Data period analysed first 6 days of week 13, 2020.