10 Nineties Songs That Sold Over 1 Million Copies
How many of these iconic tracks do you remember buying?
Long before iTunes and streaming services, the biggest measure of success was how many singles you could shift. These days, you would be hard pushed to find any artist releasing a single on CD. But in the 1990's, music wasn't as readily available and many people weren't interested in taking a risk on a full album. Instead, fans queued up at their local music stores to get their hands on their favourite new song.
The decade left us with hundreds of iconic tracks from every genre. Grunge took over the world one angsty riff at a time until the pop revolution ushered us into the 21st century. But not all of your favourite tracks did so well at time of release. Even decade defining anthems like Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and the Oasis classic 'Wonderwall' failed to reach the 1 million mark.
Looking back at the UK sales figures, the public had a very different view on the music of the time while it was happening. Expect some vivid memories and surprises, as we look at some of the highest selling tracks of the 1990's.
10. Aqua - 'Barbie Girl'
There might not be a bigger example of the crazy Nineties pop craze than Aqua's 'Barbie Girl'. The song was a phenomenon and hit the charts across the world. The Norwegian group even managed to sit at the number one spot in the UK for three weeks. The song brought the cheesiest Europop to the mainstream charts and sold 1.84 million copies in the UK alone. However, with the massive success came controversy.
Mattel filed a lawsuit in late 2000, citing a trademark violation. But copyright wasn't the only issue people had with the song. The overtly sexual innuendos littered throughout meant parents were reluctant to let their children listen to it and the toy giant agreeded. Multiple suits were perused by both sides, with the record label going claiming defamation on the part of Mattel. All attempts were thrown out by courts, with one judge giving a final ruling of "The parties are advised to chill".
Aqua didn't just stop at 'Barbie Girl', the group went on to release hit after hit - Dr Jones hit the top five in eight different countries - but no song had quite the same impact as this.