The number of singles that have sold over 10 million copies are part of an exclusive club, and lucky for us, there is a large percentage of them available. Of course, the Beatles are not represented here as their music is not available online anywhere legally.
Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" has the distinct honor of selling in excess of 50 million copies worldwide. That's a staggering number. It continues to sell each year, and is the standard by which Christmas music is judged. The huge market for Christmas music may explain why every artist under the sun feels the need to make Christmas record.
The next closest record to "White Christmas" in sales, is Elton John's remake of his own song "Candle in the Wind". He rerecorded it in 1997 with lyrics commemorating the life of the then recently passed Princess Diana, as opposed to the original version, which honored Marilyn Monroe. This record struck a chord across the world and sold over 35 million copies. The first performance of this new song was performed at Diana's funeral on September 6th, 1997. On the first day it went on sale, the single sold an astonishing 658,000 copies in the UK. It's the first and only certified Diamond single in the USA.
At the 20 million mark we have "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, "It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley and another Christmas song by Bing, "Silent Night".
The under 20, but over 10 million club is much larger and includes bands like ABBA, The Beatles, Celine Dion, Cher, Mills Brothers, Roy Acuff, Whitney Houston, Procol Harem, George McCrae and others.
This playlist includes all available tracks that are certified as selling over 10 million copies worldwide.
Singles That Have Sold Over 10 Million Copies
1. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
2. Candle In The Wind 1997 - Elton John
3. Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & The Comets
5. It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley
7. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
8. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams
9. My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic) - Celine Dion
10. Believe - Cher
12. Rock Your Baby - George McCrae
14. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep - Middle Of The Road
15. Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers
16. A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
17. The Last Farewell - Roger Whittaker
18. Wabash Cannonball - Roy Acuff & His Smokey Mountain Boys
19. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston