UK Edition
Which year was the peak of pop?
Music fans have been streaming tracks from The Beatles to Ed Sheeran, and this data has been measured
Debate has long raged over when pop peaked and the music was at its finest.
But new data measuring nostalgic listening habits may have shed light on the true musical annus mirabilis.
Convictions may rest on the formative years of fans who could praise the charts which formed the soundtrack to their youth.
Rockers might hail the 1970s, and those who grew up with The Beatles may claim the 1960s were when pop achieved perfection.
Devotees of Wham or those swept way by Band Aid could equally zealously defend the 1980s
But analysis of tracks streamed by pre-millennium music lovers shows they are drawn in droves to the era of Brit Pop and the dominance of boy and girl bands.
The material most listened to, beyond the chart-topping hits of very recent years, came from 1999.
Toploader’s uplifting Dancing in the Moonlight was the most sought-after track of this peak year for musical nostalgia, and has attracted 27 million online streams.
They were closely followed by TLC, Boyzone, and Destiny's Child.
This is according to data gathered by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) which has measured songs of past decades which have been streamed the most by contemporary listeners.
Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave said: "We are so pleased the song brings people happiness and has done for so many years now.
"Every time we play it live we see the fantastic reaction the song gets and its nice to see people of all ages singing along.
"When we recorded the track at RAK studios in St Johns Wood in the late 90s 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 as well."
BPI music expert Rob Crutchley explained this return to past hits, saying: “They can lift our mood, reflect how we’re feeling at a certain time, or evoke a particular happy memory.”
The most busy year overall was 2019, but this is because current charts account for a large proportion of music streaming. The likes Ed Sheeran predominate.
For those seeking more vintage hits, data shows peak years where standout music was produced.
For example, songs from 1984 are being listened to more than other releases from that varied decade.
Wham’s Last Christmas, the Live Aid anthem Do They Know Its Christmas, and Take Me On by A-ha were among the cherished crop of 80s 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 major album The Chain.
The end of an era, 1969 was found to be packed with tracks with 60s tracks most popular today. The Beatles’ Here Comes The Sun was the most revisited song from the period, with The Jackson 5’s I Want You Back also hugely popular.
In these peak years for nostalgia the most popular song was Wham’s Last Christmas, with 42 million streams. The festive link may explain its enduring popularity.
Mr Crutchley explained: “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 time.”
Many of the most revisited tracks since the 1940s have concerned Christmas, with festive hits from Bing Crosby, and Mariah Carey all among the most streamed songs.
Biopics can be account for sudden explosion of interest in songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, which was the most listened to track of the 1970s, and played more than 53 million times following the success of the Hollywood film of the same name.
Despite the vast catalogue of vintage music, date is skewed towards recent chart releases.
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber's I Don't Care was the most streamed song of the year in 2019 with 138 million streams, dwarfing the popularity of tracks from past decades.
Data from the BPI show that with each decade further back in time, the streams for its faded hits decrease, showing that tech-savvy younger listeners are perhaps more interested in their contemporaries.