Spotify Reveals its Most Streamed Songs Ever, and Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’ is the Ultimate Survivor

By Elliot Nash - News

Updated: 28 April, 2026

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Readtime: 5 min

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• Spotify has revealed its most-streamed artists, albums, and songs of all time.
• Yellow by Coldplay appears among the platform’s top 20 most-streamed songs ever
• Released in 2000, it predates Spotify by eight years
• Riptide by Vance Joy also made the global top 20

It has been 20 years since Spotify launched, and to mark the milestone, the streaming giant has finally revealed its most-streamed artists, albums and songs of all time. There are a few obvious standouts: Taylor Swift leads the artist rankings, while Blinding Lights by The Weeknd is the platform’s most-streamed song ever.

But buried in the data is a more interesting story. Among a list packed with streaming-era giants like Shape of You, As It Was and STAY, sits Yellow at #15, a song released back in 2000, one year after Napster launched, but years before anyone had heard the phrase “playlist placement”.

Turning 26 this June, Yellow is the oldest track in Spotify’s all-time top 20, and arguably one of the most revealing.

Streaming is often framed as a system that rewards whatever is new, loud and heavily promoted. But charts like this show something else. The songs that truly last are often the ones people keep returning to when they need a certain mood. Breakups, late-night walks, quiet nostalgia, first dances, existential Tuesdays. Yellow ticks all those boxes, and more.

If you haven’t already, we highly recommend the Like a Version cover by Australian rock band King Stingray.

Australia also sneaks onto the board twice, with Riptide and STAY proving we still know how to export an earworm.

Spotify’s Most Streamed Artists of All Time

Quick Facts:

• Three of the top seven artists are Canadian. Drake, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber give Canada an outsized share of Spotify’s elite tier.
• Only two groups make the top 20. BTS and Coldplay are the only non-solo acts in the ranking.

No surprises at the top with Taylor Swift at No.1. But, Bad Bunny at No.2, fresh off his Super Bowl Halftime Show, proves global superstardom no longer needs English lyrics. The rest of the list is packed with streaming-era giants like Drake, The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran, while Eminem stands as the oldest name in the top 10. Behind him sits Kanye West, still a major presence despite years of controversy.

1. Taylor Swift
2. Bad Bunny
3. Drake
4. The Weeknd
5. Ariana Grande
6. Ed Sheeran
7. Justin Bieber
8. Billie Eilish
9. Eminem
10. Kanye West

Spotify’s Most Streamed Albums of All Time

Quick Facts:

• The Weeknd and Drake have three albums each in the top 20. No other artist places more than two.
• Six of the top 20 albums are by women. Entries from Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and KAROL G feature.

Un Verano Sin Ti, taking No. 1, is the clearest sign that Spotify has become a truly global chart, with a Spanish-language album topping the all-time list. Elsewhere, newer releases like SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo and SOS by SZA have already joined the elite tier, while AM by Arctic Monkeys continues to outlast trends more than a decade after release.

1. Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny
2. Starboy – The Weeknd
3. ÷ (Deluxe) – Ed Sheeran
4. SOUR – Olivia Rodrigo
5. After Hours – The Weeknd
6. SOS – SZA
7. Hollywood’s Bleeding – Post Malone
8. Lover – Taylor Swift
9. AM – Arctic Monkeys
10. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? – Billie Eilish
11. Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa
12. beerbongs & bentleys – Post Malone
13. ? – XXXTENTACION
14. MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO (BICHOTA SEASON) – KAROL G
15. YHLQMDLG – Bad Bunny
16. Doo-Wops & Hooligans – Bruno Mars
17. Views – Drake
18. Midnights – Taylor Swift
19. Scorpion – Drake
20. Beauty Behind The Madness – The Weeknd

Spotify’s Most Streamed Songs of All Time

Quick Facts:

• The Weeknd is the only lead artist with two songs in the top four. Blinding Lights and Starboy underline his streaming dominance.
• Two Australian-linked songs make the top 20. STAY and Riptide give Australia a rare double entry.

Hit songs are no longer defined by their airtime. It is about where and why they are played. From Blinding Lights and Shape of You to Someone You Loved and Sunflower, these are gym songs, breakup songs, road-trip songs, background songs and comfort songs people keep choosing years later, with older staples like Yellow and Riptide proving real staying power.

1. Blinding Lights – The Weeknd
2. Shape of You – Ed Sheeran
3. Sweater Weather – The Neighbourhood
4. Starboy – The Weeknd
5. As It Was – Harry Styles
6. Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi
7. Sunflower – Post Malone
8. One Dance – Drake
9. Perfect – Ed Sheeran
10. STAY – The Kid LAROI
11. Believer – Imagine Dragons
12. I Wanna Be Yours – Arctic Monkeys
13. Heat Waves – Glass Animals
14. lovely (with Khalid) – Billie Eilish and Khalid
15. Yellow – Coldplay
16. The Night We Met – Lord Huron
17. Closer – The Chainsmokers and Halsey
18. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish
19. Riptide – Vance Joy
20. Die With A Smile – Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars

So yes, Spotify’s 20-year list confirms the dominance of modern superstars. But it also confirms something older listeners already knew.

Some songs never really leave. “Look how they shine for you.”