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 ten and slow down the pace a bit, taking one act at a time. Hailing from Sheffield, England, this group pushed through devastating personal injury and untimely death to become the breakout stars of the new wave of British heavy metal of the early 1980s. At #10, we have the band known as Def Leppard.
#10: Def Leppard
iTunes stats: 722 plays
Previous ranking: #11
One of only five rock bands to have two studio albums sell more than 10 million copies in the US, Def Leppard moves up one spot to crack the top ten. With 43 separate tracks that have listens coming from eight different albums, legit or otherwise, the band added 196 new plays over the past five years, rising 37%. Surprisingly, Let’s Get Rocked is my most listened to song, while a couple of bootleg live tracks check in with a single listen.
I was able to see them in concert back in the summer of 1993 at the World Music Theatre in Tinley Park. Given that this was 30-some odd years ago now, my main memory of the show is lead singer Joe Elliot trying to curry favor with the crowd by wearing a Chicago Bulls t-shirt. Judging by the setlist posted on the Interwebs, it was a pretty solid show, with all of their big hits being covered, including their then-latest from the Last Action Hero soundtrack. Given my fandom for the band at the time, I’m glad I got the chance to see them live at the time.
