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Thursday, April 7, 2011

10 Best Selling Music Singles Since 1990

1. Elton John - Candle in the Wind
37 Million Copies (1997)
Candle in the Wind 1997 is a song by Elton John that was 
released as a tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales.  
It has sold over 37 million copies worldwide and is the best-
selling single of all time.  
On release in September 1997, the song peaked at #1 in 
the UK, becoming Elton John's fourth number one single.  
It is also the first song in history to reach the top of the
charts in each of the four major countries in the music 

industry, United States, Japan, United Kingdom, and
Germany. The 1997 version of Candle in the Wind is 
based on the 1973 version of the same song released 
by Elton John. The lyrics of the original version were 
written by Bernie Taupin and the song was a tribute 
to Marilyn Monroe. 

2. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
12 Million Copies (1992)
I Will Always Love You is a song written by American 
singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973.  The single was
covered by Whitney Houston in 1992. Whitney’s version 
became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Whitney Houston recorded the song for the soundtrack 

to The Bodyguard, her film debut.  The single spent fourteen
weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, which at the 
time was a record.  It reached the top spot in Australia, Canada, 
Germany, Japan, Ireland, the UK, Sweden, and many 
other areas of the world. 

3. Sarah Brightman - Time to Say Goodbye
11 Million Copies (1997)
Con te partirò (literally meaning "With you I will leave") is
an Italian Classical Crossover song written by Francesco 
Sartori and Lucio Quarantotto.  It was first performed by 
Andrea Bocelli at the 1995 San Remo Festival and was
released on his album the same year.  Con te partirò is 

considered Bocelli's signature song.  The song achieved 
widespread success with a second version sung partly 
in English, pairing Bocelli with soprano Sarah Brightman.
The cover song was titled Time to Say Goodbye.  It is 

Bocelli's first #1 hit under both versions.

4. Los del Río - Macarena
11 Million Copies (1995)
Macarena is a Spanish song by Los del Río.  It is about
a woman of the same name.  The single was popular 
between 1995 and 1996.  Macarena became the second
longest running #1 and best selling debut single of all
time in the U.S.  It was ranked the #1 Greatest One-Hit 

Wonder of all Time by VH1 in 2002.  It uses a type of clave.
Macarena ranks at #5 on Billboard's All Time Top 100 
and #1 on Billboard's All Time Latin Songs.

5. Celine Dion  - My Heart Will Go On
10 Million Copies Sold (1997)
My Heart Will Go On is the theme song of the 1997 
blockbuster film Titanic. The music was composed 
by James Horner and the lyrics were written by Will
Jennings.  The song was recorded by Céline Dion 
and was originally released in 1997 on Dion's album 
Let's Talk about Love.  The release reached #1 all 
over the world, including the United States, United 
Kingdom and Australia.  It became one of the best-
selling singles of all time, and was the world's best
selling single of 1998.

6. Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean - Hips Don't Lie
10 Million Copies (2006)
Hips Don't Lie is a Latin pop song based in a salsa
and Cumbia mix and fused with a reggae beat.  It was
recorded by Colombian singer Shakira and Haitian 
rapper Wyclef Jean.  The song is a remake of Jean's 
2004 song Dance Like This.  It was released as the 2nd
single from Shakira's second English album Oral Fixation
Vol. 2 in 2006.  Hips Don't Lie became a global 
success, topping the charts in at least 55 countries.
It became Shakira's first (and to date, only) number-one
single in the U.S.  The song became one of the world's
best-selling singles of all time and one of the hottest 
songs of summer 2006.

7. Cher - Believe
10 Million Copies (1998)
Believe is a hit song which served as the lead single
on Cher's twenty-third studio album Believe.  It is noted
for its up-front use of Auto-Tune on Cher’s vocals.
The song won a Grammy Award and was an international
multi-platinum success.  It reached the #1 spot in the
U.S. Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain,
and many other areas of the world.

8. Lil Wayne - Lollipop
9.1 Million Copies (2008)
Lollipop is the first single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio
album, Tha Carter III. The track features the late R&B
artist Static Major and was produced by Deezle and 
Jim Jonsin.  Static Major died two weeks before the 
release of the song.  Lollipop was #5 on Rolling Stone's
list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008 and is the single 
most downloaded ringtone of the 2000s.  The single
spent 5 non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot

100 chart.  It reached the #1 spot in the U.S. and 
Croatia, #10 in Canada, #32 in Australia, #22 in
Germany, #28 in Ireland, and peaked at #26 in the UK. 

9. Shakira - Whenever, Wherever
9 Million Copies (2001)
Whenever, Wherever is a Latin pop song written by
Colombian singer songwriter Shakira.  It was released
on her first English album, Laundry Service (2001).  
Whenever, Wherever is the second most successful 
song in Shakira’s career, behind only Hips Don't Lie 
(2006). The single reached #1 in 29 separate countries
and became the biggest hit of 2002 worldwide. In the
Netherlands the song kept the #1 position for nine 
weeks.  It reached number two in the United Kingdom,
number four in Canada, and number six in the U.S.

10. Madonna - Hung Up
9 Million Copies (2005)
Hung Up is a song written by singer-songwriter 
Madonna.  It was released on her 10th studio album, 
Confessions on a Dance Floor.  The single was
initially used in a number of television advertisements

and serials.  Hung Up contains a sample of the pop 
group ABBA's hit single Gimme! Gimme!
Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) for which Madonna

personally sought permission to use from ABBA 
songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.
The song became a worldwide commercial success,
peaking atop the charts of more than 45 countries.
In the United States it became Madonna's 36th top
10 hit, tying her with Elvis Presley.










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