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 artists in my iTunes library, featuring the songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which performers still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to artists, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2026.

Today, we break into the top five as we approach the top of our chart.  Born out of the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994 and the subsequent breakup of Nirvana, our next entry is the Dave Grohl solo project that turned into the real live band known as Foo Fighters.

 

#5: Foo Fighters
iTunes stats: 1249 plays
Previous ranking: #5

Adding listens to an additional six songs, pushing them up to 54 tracks, helped the Foo Fighters raise their total by nearly 22%, leaving them static in their spot on the charts.  Their most popular song, a live version of My Hero from a concert in London’s Hyde Park in 2006, clocks in with 68 listens, while twelve different tracks bring up the rear with only a single play.

I’ve managed to see the band in concert twice: first in 2005 and again in 2015.  The first show was an indoor affair at the Allstate Arena, where they were touring with Weezer, who got things started by mixing a cover of Big Me into their set.  Once the Foo Fighters came out, they mixed in old hits with selections from their new album for a fun, 16-song set.  They also managed to break down some of their hits with elongated guitar solos that gave the audience an opportunity to thrash themselves as much as humanly possible.

Ten years later, I saw them for the second time at Wrigley Field.  Having broken his leg over two months earlier, Dave Grohl spent the show sitting in an electric throne that could bring him out into the crowd thanks to an extended stage.  The band wasted no time in getting things started, blowing out Everlong and Monkey Wrench straight out of the gate.  Over 2 and a half hours and 21 songs later, they closed down the joint with a rousing rendition of Best of You.  In between, they put on a hell of a show, featuring their own hits along with some snippets of hits from Van Halen, Yes, and Alice Cooper.