Classic hits that survived the test of time
Classic hits on the Spotify Billions Club playlist are the true winners in the test of quality and endurance. Before an old song can hit such a milestone, it must have been discovered by a significant number of young listeners, since this age group makes up the bulk of regular music streamers.
Unlike, say, The Weeknd or Ed Sheeran, the artists behind these hits released their music ages ago, at a time when many digital-native listeners weren’t even born or were mere toddlers.
Let’s limit our scope to bands from past eras—technically outdated acts that set the stage for today’s diverse music scene.
It takes a special kind of charm for a song from yesteryear to reach a billion streams, partly because the style of writing, arranging, and performing records then was significantly different.
Take “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles. With 1,741,508,818 streams (as of this writing), it’s the only track in the club credited to arguably the greatest band of all time. Surprisingly, it was neither composed nor lead-sung by the Lennon-McCartney songwriting juggernaut, but by George Harrison, the “Quiet One.” Its melodic appeal, simple lyrics, and catchiness have fascinated listeners across generations.
With that in mind, here are other notable groups from past music scenes along with their billion-stream songs, mostly signature hits. Often, their next most-streamed track can be surprising.
It’s remarkable that a few of them have multiple songs in the elite club, while even acts like The Beach Boys, The Who, Duran Duran, and Depeche Mode don’t have a single entry.
1. Queen (“Bohemian Rhapsody” – 3,021,773,373 streams)
A no-brainer: rock opera at its best. But “Don’t Stop Me Now,” at 2.5B, is a bit puzzling—why it surpassed tracks like “We Will Rock You” and “Another One Bites the Dust,” which are also in the club, is interesting. Other Queen classics in the club include “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Somebody to Love,” “Killer Queen,” and their collaboration with David Bowie, “Under Pressure.”
2. ABBA (“Dancing Queen” – 1,868,338,544 streams)
Another signature piece. Their next billion-stream song, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),” hits 1.1B streams, notable for its remarkable riff and playful title.
3. Led Zeppelin (Stairway to Heaven – 1,741,508,818 streams)
Expected for an epic song with “a lady we all know who shines white light and wants to show.” The runner-up, Immigrant Song, trails with 942M streams.
4. Eagles (“Hotel California” – 2,080,295,479 streams)
Of course, Don Felder and Joe Walsh go ballistic for over two minutes after the nightman’s threat. “Take It Easy,” however, still needs six-figure streams to reach a billion.
5. Guns N’ Roses (“Sweet Child O’ Mine” – 2,544,683,598 streams)
Slash’s definitive guitar work. “Welcome to the Jungle” leads the runners-up, not “Paradise City” (1.3B) nor “November Rain” (1.2B). Four songs in the club isn’t bad for Axl Rose and the gang.
6. Nirvana (“Smells Like Teen Spirit” – 2,712,275,045 streams)
This song represents the rebel youth of the ‘90s. Kurt Cobain might have been surprised that their other billion-stream hit is Heart-Shaped Box (1.8B).
7. Bon Jovi (“Livin’ on a Prayer” – 2,121,008,480 streams)\
‘90s super rock ballad “Bed of Roses” has yet to reach 500M streams. “You Give Love a Bad Name” has 1.4B, while “It’s My Life” (1.1B) is probably the only billion-stream hit released in the 21st century by a relatively middle-aged band.
8. Metallica (“Enter Sandman” – 1,952,780,321 streams)
It’s the opener to its loaded Black Album. Power ballad “Nothing Else Matters” has 1.5B streams.
9. The Police (“Every Breath You Take” – 3,172,002,580 streams)
You can understand why Sting’s bandmates sued him regarding royalties for this song.
10. Rolling Stones (“Paint It Black” – 1,608,350,789 streams)
Some might be surprised as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is often cited as the band’s signature work. It currently has 900M streams.
Other classic songs from iconic bands worth mentioning in the billion-stream club include Fleetwood Mac (“Dreams”), The Cure (“Boys Don’t Cry”), Pink Floyd (“Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”), Hall & Oates (“Maneater”), Toto (“Africa”), Journey (“Don’t Stop Believin’”), Wham! (“Last Christmas”), and Eurythmics (“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”).
