21st century music fans party like it’s 1999
Using streaming data, the British Phonographic Industry has pinpointed when pop was at its peak
‘When we recorded the track we knew it was a tune, but we couldn’t have imagined it would stand the test of time’
DEBATE has long raged over when pop music peaked and was at its finest. But new data measuring nostalgic listening habits may have shed light on a surprising musical annus mirabilis – 1999.
Rockers might hail the Seventies, and those who grew up with The Beatles may claim the Sixties were when pop achieved perfection.
But analysis of streaming of tracks released before 2000 shows music lovers are drawn in droves to the era of Britpop and the dominance of boy and girl bands. The material most listened to came in the year leading up to the millennium. Toploader’s uplifting Dancing in the Moonlight was the most sought-after track of this peak year for musical nostalgia, and has attracted 27million online streams. They were closely followed by TLC, Boyzone and Desti- ny’s Child.
This is according to data gathered by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which has measured songs of past decades that have been streamed the most by contemporary listeners. Rob Crutchley, from the BPI, explained this return to the past, saying the songs “lift our mood, reflect how we’re feeling at a certain time, or evoke a particular happy memory”.
Dan Hipgrave, Toploader’s guitarist, said: “We are so pleased the song brings people happiness and has done for so many years now. When we recorded the track we knew it was a tune, but we couldn’t have imagined it would stand the test of time as well as it has. We’re super proud to be ahead of some of those other artists on the list.”
The busiest year overall was 2019, but this is because today’s charts take up a large proportion of streaming, where the likes of Ed Sheeran predominate.
For those seeking more vintage hits, figures show peak years where standout music was produced. For example, songs from 1984 are being listened to more than other releases from the rest of that decade. Wham’s Last Christmas, which was streamed 42 million times, the Live Aid anthem Do They Know It’s Christmas? and Take On Me by A-ha were among the cherished crop of Eighties tracks.
More people streamed tracks from 1977 than any other year in that decade, drawn in particular to ELO and Fleetwood Mac, who that year released the album Rumours.
The end of an era, 1969 was found to be packed with tracks most popular today.
The Beatles’ Here Comes
The Sun was the most revisited song, with The Jackson 5’s I Want You
Back from the period also hugely popular.
Mr Crutchley said:
“Older songs can enjoy a renaissance at any time, maybe by being used in a film or
TV show, being shared online via social media or by being discovered in a playlist.
“A much-loved artist going on tour can spike interest and there is a wealth of catalogue classics that are always in great demand at Christmas.” Many of the most revisited tracks since the Forties have concerned Christmas, with Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey among the most streamed artists for that season. Biopics can be account for sudden explosion of interest in songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody, which was the most listened-to track of the Seventies, and played more than 53 million times following the success of the film.
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s I Don’t Care topped the charts in 2019 with 138 million streams.