Music. It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions. It is the universal language that speaks to the soul. It forms the soundtrack of our lives.
It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007. It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray. So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.
We wrap up the batch of songs tied for 145th place with 38 plays this week and start on the group tied for 124th with 39 plays since my stats began in late 2007.
#145: Foo Fighters – All My Life
iTunes stats: 38 plays, most recently on 3/31/2024
Previous ranking: #144
Seven new listens over the past five years for this first single from the groups fourth album, which earned them a Grammy for best hard rock performance.
#145: Fiona Apple – Shadowboxer
iTunes stats: 38 plays, most recently on 11/15/2023
Previous ranking: #144
Released in 1996, Apple’s debut single spent six weeks on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart, peaking at #34, and picked up seven new plays over the past five years.
#145: Coolio f/ L.V. – Gangsta’s Paradise
iTunes stats: 38 plays, most recently on 9/29/2022
Previous ranking: #112
The top-selling single of 1995, this hit from the Dangerous Minds soundtrack by the rapper who passed away in 2022 won the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
#145: Color Me Badd – All 4 Love
iTunes stats: 38 plays, most recently on 4/28/2024
Previous ranking: #112
The final #1 hit from the R&B group, used as the at-bat music by former White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers, added just five new listens over the past five years.
#145: The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Standing
iTunes stats: 38 plays, most recently on 4/5/2023
Previous ranking: #89
Performed by Anthony Stewart Head as a ballad to Buffy that she does not hear, unlike the songs revealing truths elsewhere in the episode.
#145: The Beatles – Eight Days a Week
iTunes stats: 38 plays, most recently on 12/18/2024
Previous ranking: #170
Despite becoming a huge hit in America, hitting #1 in 1965, the group did not think highly of the song and never performed it live.
#124: 10,000 Maniacs – Candy Everybody Wants
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 2/7/2023
Previous ranking: #98
Reaching #5 on the Alternative Airplay chart in 1993, the track added five new listens in the past five years despite not having been heard in nearly two years.
#124: 10,000 Maniacs – Because the Night
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 12/9/2024
Previous ranking: #170
From the band’s MTV Unplugged appearance, this Patti Smith cover was the group’s final single with lead singer Natalie Merchant and remains their highest-charting release.
#124: Weezer – Undone (The Sweater Song)
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 8/18/2024
Previous ranking: NR
The band’s debut single, it peaked at #57 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
#124: Weezer – Buddy Holly
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 2/26/2024
Previous ranking: #170
Released on what would have been Buddy Holly’s 58th birthday, the big breakthrough hit for Weezer, which scored four MTV Video Music Awards in 1995, picked up nine new listens over these past five years.