Best Time to Upload Video for Views
These Are YouTube's 15 Most Popular Music Videos Always
The videos for these earworms have billions upon billions of views.
Y'all might think viral clips rule YouTube—the "Keyboard Cats" and "Charlie fleck my fingers" of the world. Sure, they spread across the web like wildfire, dominating your feeds and hijacking your attending. But earworm-y pop songs? Those hits y'all end up wanting to wipe from your memory forever? Their visuals are the real Scrooge McDucks of the site, gleefully pond inmillionsuponmillions uponmillions of Vevo views. In fact, Psy'south "Gangnam Manner," long-reigning king until recently, became then pervasive in 2014 it forced YouTube to rewrite the code for its play counter.
Now the site boasts an expanded metric for chronic popularity and an ever-changing batch of insanely pop music vids, so we're taking a expect at the current near-viewed music videos from recording artists. ( Meaning, nosotros're excluding songs produced by children'southward music companies like Pinkfong Kids and Cocomelon—then, sorry to "Baby Shark Dance," which is actually No. 1.) Below, find the reigning 15 vids.
*View counts are estimates from March 2021. Totals and ranks volition change, and we will keep to update this postal service, over fourth dimension.
xv. Major Lazer – "Lean On"
Views: three billion
The sets, background choreography, and cinematography here are all beautiful. All of the artists on the rails, Danish singer-songwriter MØ, DJ Snake, and Major Lazer, join Bollywood dancers in immaculate palace-like locales in India. Diplo'due south dad-like dancing bated, information technology all looks fit for a major Bollywood feature film, which makes sense given this vocal's global success.
xiv. Katy Perry – "Nighttime Horse" (Official) ft. Juicy J
Views: 3.01 billion
In 2013, a Na'vi warrior sneezed on Katy Perry and said, "My bad. But also, side by side year, y'all're going to try Hot Cheetos while appropriating the hell out of my world AND Ancient Egypt." A bleak prophecy, just as seen past this music video, an accurate one.
xiii. Alan Walker – "Faded"
Views: 3.02 billion
English-Norweigen DJ Alan Walker is a big deal in the EDM globe. Well, obviously, considering the the music video for his breakthrough hit, "Faded," is i of the most-watched music videos on YouTube. Despite all of the dance elements, it's a somber song with a dour video to match, featuring a lost, young renegade moping in abandoned buildings as he searches for dwelling.
12. Taylor Swift – "Shake It Off"
Views: iii.03 billion
Taylor Swift may never really go a bang-up dancer, no thing what style she tries to get her hand in—and she tries quite a few styles in this video—but she sure tin can evangelize a damn adept pop hitting. It goes downwards as smooth equally a Gap advert.
11. El Chombo – "Dame Tu Cosita" feat. Cutty Ranks
Views: iii.21 billion
The contempo success of "Dame Tu Cosita" is both listen boggling and inevitable all at once. What do we mean by that? Well, for 1, the track from from Panamanian artist El Chombo was originally released in 1997. It got a 2nd life in 2018 when the reggaeton artist dropped an extended version of the song—which chosen for an all new music video. With only an blitheness of an alien dancing to the beat out (that very well looks like information technology could've lived on the Internet in its early Y2K days), the minimal, hilarious prune was destined to blow up. It's also basically begging you to spend the afternoon trying to memorize the niggling greenish guy'southward moves.
ten. Ed Sheeran – "Thinking Out Loud"
Views: 3.22 billion
Ed Sheeran, the shape-shifting Irishman who'south wormed his way to the top of the charts, is a strength in the music video department, with 2 videos on this list. Pregnant, he's had well-nigh as many views for ii hits as in that location are human being beings on Earth. He'southward known to brand many fans swoon with his soft, romantic hits like this ane, and here, he makes them fall even harder by showing off his ballroom dance skills.
nine. OneRepublic – "Counting Stars"
Views: 3.24 billion
Almost a decade afterwards information technology arrived, OneRepublic'southward hit has yet cracked the top 15 of all time, which means the soft rockers will be etched in our public consciousness forever. Like OneRepublic the band, this music video does little to exit an initial impression, yet somehow creeps its way into your brain until you'd be willing to spend your life savings to Eternal Sunshine it out. Just apparently few people share this opinion, or at the very least, over 3 billion people disagree with it!
8. Katy Perry – "Roar"
Views:3.31 billion
"Roar" deserves major style points—it boasts lush colors; tells a quick story with a clear beginning, middle, and terminate; and incorporates deliciously cheesy special furnishings. Unfolding similar a kitschy '50s adventure film, and even fit with a troupe of live animals, it'due south peak quirky Katy.
vii. Justin Bieber – "Sorry"
Views: 3.41 billion
Props to the ladies of ReQuest and the Purple Family unit—these New Zealanders slay. No need for any Bieberflips hither. Sometimes the best music videos really are simply the ones that retrieve to classic dance vids.
half-dozen. Maroon 5 – "Sugar"
Views: 3.42 billion
Maroon 5 certain has drifted a long way from their Songs About Jane days. Now, Adam Levine and co. are the blazon with gimmicky videos similar this 1 where they (kinda) terrorize every bit many weddings in LA every bit they can. Because this is a ring that insists on making us all say the same thing as the woman at 3:20.
5. PSY – "GANGNAM Way(강남스타일) M/V"
Views:4.02 billion
This T-Hurting-endorsed piece of art iscloseto incommunicable to summarize, so instead, here's a quick listing of the batshit stuff you'll see Psy do: He sunbathes, more than or less, fully clothed. He dances for a agglomeration of horses. He makes 2 women walk with him through a garbage tornado. He rests his head on the shoulder of Sauna Man. He makes 2 people explode. He crashes a yoga class. He rides a carousel. While dancing.
Why did this cheesy descent into madness, directed by Cho Soo-hyun, bust YouTube's play counter and reign as the site'due south most popular video for years? Maybe it has something to do with one of the things listed above. Or mayhap it'south because, as The Atlantic and countless others have dutifully pointed out over the years, "Gangnam Style" is a carefully crafted satire of South Korea's 1%. The vocal, and the visuals above, call out the country—specifically, Seoul'southward posh Gangnam District—for its unhealthy materialism. Information technology'southward a smart, strong message, ane non only applicative to South Korea. The way it's depicted is all generally insane, and a little fleck cute.
iv. Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars – "Uptown Funk"
Views:4.13 billion
The best office of this video is when Mark Ronson walks out of the pawn shop and finds Bruno Mars singing and doing a casual dance with his friends. At starting time, Ronson is curious, like, Hey, you guys dancing? I similar to trip the light fantastic. Actually, I LOVE TO DANCE. Maybe I'll jump in here. Merely then Bruno Mars says, "Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent / Gotta buss myself, I'yard so pretty," and Ronson, who probably just exchanged his Chucks for that dumb pair of brown clothes shoes at the pawn shop, is like, Are you kidding me? It's a quick, subtle crisis, only a proficient one.
It may not be the most exciting vid, but it'southward kind of impossible to make it through this entire affair without tapping your foot or bopping your head. At least one time. We recommend chasing this with Alex Boye's send-up, which comes with dancing grannies and a mobility scooter, if you bopped more than once.
3. Wiz Khalifa – "Run into Y'all Again" ft. Charlie Puth
Views: five.03 billion
This Paul Walker tribute, which briefly held the meridian spot, features an appropriate number of cars and nostalgic Brian O'Conner snippets. In other words, information technology is touching as hell. Have the tissue box handy, and consider dropping everything yous take planned today so you can rewatch Brick Mansionsand the entire Fast franchise as a proper show of respect. If you aren't choking up by the time Charlie Puth sings, "Permit the lite guide your way," while Paul, laughing and property a beer, flashes across the screen, yous are Miranda Priestly. You do not deserve this.
2. Ed Sheeran – "Shape of You"
Views:five.24 billion
Punch! Dial, punch. Dial! Punch, dial. Dial! Punch, punch. Dial! Punch, punch. Earlier Ed Sheeran was a Game of Thrones guy, he got to alive out every boxer's hush-hush fantasy. That is, he found his soulmate, did a Rocky impression, and got his donkey beat by a sumo wrestler. Good video.
one. Luis Fonsi – "Despacito" ft. Daddy Yankee
Views: vii.27 billion
Upon its January 2017 arrival, Fonsi's trip the light fantastic toe-inducing song quickly began breaking Vevo records, withBillboard pointing to the increasing popularity of streaming, especially in Latin America, every bit a major eyeball driver. It was simply leap to be king. In less than 7 months, "Despacito" bankrupt the iii billion mark, a feat that took the old viral titan "Gangnam Mode" seemingly forever to achieve past comparison. In the process, "Despacito" showed off a number of arresting visual wonders that still have the power to make you say, Whoa!, today, including cute waves, colorful buildings, and the fact that Daddy Yankee stopped aging after "Gasolina."
Want more Thrillist? Follow usa on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Source: https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/most-viewed-youtube-videos-music