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 continue this week with the final batch of songs tied for 183rd place with 36 plays apiece and the start of the songs ranked 158th with 37 plays since my stats began in late 2007.
#183: Eminem – Stan
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 3/29/2024
Previous ranking: #144
Featuring a sample of Dido’s Thank You, the song’s title has given rise to a slang term online which refers to overzealous, maniacal, overly obsessed fans of a celebrity or personality.
#183: Def Leppard – Let’s Get Rocked
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 10/2/2024
Previous ranking: NR
The first release from the band following the death of guitarist Steve Clark, the track, which hit #1 on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart, has picked up ten new listens in the past six years.
#183: The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Dawn’s Lament
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 3/31/2024
Previous ranking: #144
Michelle Trachtenberg’s contribution to the soundtrack to the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer added five new plays in these past five years.
#183: The Beatles – Day Tripper
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 9/13/2024
Previous ranking: NR
Influenced by the soul music the group encountered during their US tour, it was released as a double A-side single in December of 1965 with We Can Work It Out.
#183: The Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 9/30/2019
Previous ranking: #79
Somehow, I haven’t listened to this 1964 hit, which posted the largest pre-SoundScan jump to #1 (from #27) on the Billboard charts, in nearly six years.
#183: The Beatles – Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 11/27/2024
Previous ranking: #144
The song, which was originally recorded in for the White album in 1968, but didn’t chart in the US until 1976, averaged one new play per year since the last time I did this chart.
#183: Barry Manilow – American Bandstand (Bandstand Boogie)
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 11/27/2024
Previous ranking: #170
Used as the theme song to the titular television program from 1977 through September of 1987, it added six new plays over these past five years.
#183: Backbeat Band – Money
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 3/2/2024
Previous ranking: #170
Consisting of members of Soul Asylum, The Afghan Whigs, Sonic Youth, Gumball, R.E.M., and Foo Fighters, the fake Beatles provided the soundtrack of Backbeat, about the relationship between John Lennon and former Beatle Stu Sutcliffe.
#158: Tommy James & The Shondells – Crimson and Clover
iTunes stats: 37 plays, most recently on 9/23/2024
Previous ranking: #125
Intended as a change in direction of the group’s sound, the chart-topper from 1969 added just five new plays over the past five years, leading to a 33 spot fall.
#158: Terror Squad Ft. Fat Joe (Aka Joey Crack) & Remy – Lean Back
iTunes stats: 37 plays, most recently on 10/18/2024
Previous ranking: #170
The song, which Fat Joe unwisely performed during last fall’s World Series as a counterpart to Ice Cube’s performance in LA, picked up seven new listens, rising twelve spots on the chart.