The top ten tracks played on UK TV and radio in the last decade were announced by PPL, the UK’s music licensing company. ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams tops the chart at No. 1, followed by Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’ at No. 2 – making her one of only two Brits in the Top 10 (alongside Mark Ronson) and the only solo female artist in the Top 10 – with ‘Moves Like Jagger’ by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera at No. 3.
BBC Radio 2 broadcast the Most Played Tracks of the Decade, counting down the 40 most played recordings broadcast on UK radio and television since 2010 over the Easter weekend. Readers in the UK can access this programme on the BBC Sounds app.
The chart was compiled using exclusive PPL music usage data and can be found here. PPL’s Most Played Charts are created from UK music usage and airplay data supplied by its broadcast licensees.
PPL’s Most Played Tracks of the 2010s – Top 10
1. Happy
Pharrell Williams
2. Rolling In The Deep
Adele
3. Moves Like Jagger
Maroon 5 Feat. Christina Aguilera
4. Get Lucky
Daft Punk Feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
5. Can’t Stop The Feeling!
Justin Timberlake
6. I Gotta Feeling
Black Eyed Peas
7. Uptown Funk
Mark Ronson Feat. Bruno Mars
8. Counting Stars
OneRepublic
9. Forget You
CeeLo Green
10. Sex On Fire
Kings Of Leon
The Top 40 Most Played Tracks also reveal interesting facts and trends about the songs on UK airwaves:
- Two artists appear three times – Adele and Bruno Mars (twice solo, and once more with Mark Ronson)
- Five artists appear twice – Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Kings of Leon, Maroon 5 and Pharrell (once solo and once with Daft Punk)
- 12 of the tracks are performed by bands/groups
- 14 are sung by women; 22 by men; four have both male and female vocals
- Seven tracks are collaborations
- 34 of the songs were released in the last decade; five were released in the noughties; and just one was released in the 1990s (Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’ in 1997)
- 18 songs are primarily credited to American artists; 14 to British artists; three to Canadian artists (two of those by Bruno Mars); two to Australian artists (if counting Gotye as Australian); and one to a Barbadian (Rihanna)
