Preparing for another social media presentation (http://DavidPapp.com) and updated my video. It is currently at Top 7 to include Charlie. 🙂 Not too long ago Charlie used to be the top video for years but has since been surpassed by music videos which make up the bulk of the current top videos now. I uploaded this little series of clips to share.
The top 7 as of May 22nd, 2013 were:
- PSY – Gangnam Style
1.6 Billion - Justin Bieber
Baby ft. Ludacris
860 Million - Jennifer Lopez
On The Floor ft. Pitbull
670 Million - Eminem
Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna
563 Million - LMFAO
Party Rock Anthem ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock
542 Million - Shakira
Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)
526.2 Million - Charlie bit my finger – again !
526.0 Million
I think Gangnam Style got extremely popular due to sheer luck. I see no real content in the video itself. It has been a long time since Baby by Justin Bieber was released, I’m surprised it has managed to maintain it’s place in the most viewed videos! I think it’s ironic how the Charlie bit my finger – again video is more popular than the original.
Well it’s more due to the fact that it’s catchy and highly rhythmic. And of course the humor of the MV itself is sure to attract viewers. Personally I’m not a fan of the song of MV but it’s not hard to see why so many of the population is attracted to it; it’s both whimsical, silly, and laid-back.
And about the second part… I suppose you can credit it to people’s attraction to stupidity?
I personally love Gangnam Style, I hear it everyday. I’m so sure that there are millions of Psy fans. And the new song of Psy- “Gentleman” is also awesome.
The only reason “baby” has got so many views is because of JB criticism.
None of Psy’s songs have any true meaning, though, and they are just good for the spur of the moment. They are catchy, and they are full of vibe, but that’s pretty much it. I usually listen to them to get a workout when I decide I want some motivation to exercise. And “Baby” has many views, because Justin’s crazily obsessed millions of fans keep replaying the video.
Every day? Wow…that might be an overkill man.
Sure it’s a decent song, but hearing everyday worthy? Not quite.
And yeah, fair point. JB does have his own fair of haters and surely they must have a big hand in propelling his views.
Well, yes, the video itself is not a really big thing, but I think that it became famous because even if the video is not impressive, there are actually some things that are kind of weird and makes us ask, “why, psy, why?”. I also think that another important aspect there was that a lot of people (including me) we didn’t have any idea that there was actually a Korean pop genre, so it was kind of a shock for a lot of people, I guess.
I’m glad to see Charlie Bit my Finger staying near the top, a relic of back when the most viewed weren’t all music videos. It’s a little insane how Gangnam Style is nearly double second place, I never got the hype but apparently something went right.
I also don’t see how psy made it so far to the top.. There’s so many other great videos and I just never thought that song would get enough views to pass Bieber.
I don’t see how any of them made it to the top. Really lame primitive contemporary western music. We’ll shakira ain’t so bad.
“Charlie bit my finger” has been highly ranked since forever… and even to this day, if you disregard the music videos, it’s still #1.
I’ve never seen the appeal in fads like Gangnam Style, I guess it’s kind of catchy… but to me it ends there.
(Not that “Charlie bit my finger” has any more meaning or depth, but it just appeals to me more.)
Psy appealed to a global audience while most of the music videos obtained their views from North America. This helped easily push Gangnam Style over the top. The Psy latest video Gentleman hit 100 million views on YouTube in only 3 days.
I actually loved the whole PSY video revolution, that guy can really take a laugh out of me any given moment, but back to subject: It is also very known that major Record/Distribution Labels have heinous ways of getting their products out there, top ranking and money making like buying their own records, buying massive subscriptions, buying likes, RT’s and views. I would like to appeal for more evidently truthful marketing strategies such as PSY’s who as you said appealed to a global market and not only the american fanbases almost entirely.
That’s why I liked Gangnam style. Psy has the ability to make people laugh and appeals to a larger group of people. I have kept an eye out for new songs of his simply because Gangnam style was interesting to me.
I didn’t care for it at all. The fact that the video became such a monster hit makes me lose even more faith in humanity. The song isn’t terrible but it’s not worthy of the attention that it has received. I swear that people will click on videos and think that they really like the content as long as other people insist that it is quality material. Sheep.
I’m pretty sure the success of ‘Baby’ by Justin Bieber is due to the masses of internet trolls that only go on the video to post hateful comments and dislike it. The dislike bar is quite telling with a 2:1 ratio of dislike to likes, the dislikes being the trolls and the likes being the screaming teenage girls, guess the trolls win this round.
Not really, JB is the only one getting something positive out of this.
Everytime someone goes on that video to tell everyone how much they hate him, they’re basically showering him with money. And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t spend his free time reading the hateful comments on his youtube videos…
PSY Gentleman hadn’t even made to top 10 lists then how did Gangnam got 1 billion views, this has left me suprised. This could be either youtube messing with views to test their strength introducing some wired song. Whatever, I am sure Justin or Rihanna will beat gangnam style score soon and before 2014.
In Psy’s words…Gangnam Style was more of a phenomenon than a song and even he knew that he won’t be able to reproduce it. It had a lot of things going for it. A catchy tune, weird funny lyrics and in between random English words. Of course along with the iconic dance.
I don’t think it was YouTube messing but a real phenomenon.
Many of these YoutTube videos are not even recent. I guess time really adds the views for each video. Has anyone seen the ads with YouTube music videos? Does this count towards the view counts?
Jennifer Lopez On The Floor ft. Pitbull
I’ve never even heard this song….. I swear I didn’t even know Jennifer Lopez still made music.
Most of these videos are music videos by artists who have no talent at all. Gangnum style is okay but not my favorite. Justin Bieber on the other hand, I can’t believe that he’s got one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. How can his stuff pass off as music?
I think it kind of became a cult thing to refresh his video. I’m not saying it’s a conspiracy that he’s up on this list, but it’s not because he’s a good singer.
I have to agree that when Psy released Gangnam Style I was quite impressed as it’s a very catchy song. Since the song is in Korean most people were ofcourse impressed with his dancing. I feel sorry for Psy that he kinda had to live up to that name. Then he released the song Gentleman which I agree sounds better than Gangnam Style but his dance moves are quite similar. I guess making one of the best videos is really hard to top.
No doubt, Gangnam Style tops the list. But, I’m quite surprised with the others. I haven’t even watched or viewed the other videos.
I’m surprised about the other ones as well. Most of them are old or i haven’t seen them before. I guess over time views do add up.
You also have to consider that “Likes” on Youtube and Facebook are often purchased these days as part of the marketing campaign. So, you really can’t trust this component anymore. Most recent videos connected to any kind of business have a significant percentage of purchased Likes.
What happened to the good old days where you just offered something of real value and people liked it, naturally? If they didn’t, you offered something better until you got it right, or you got out of the game.
I guess I should not be surprised that Justin Beiber is in the top 10 for videos. I am shocked though not to see, opa gundam style. I hope these top 10 will change soon, Some people I believe should be up there more then these guys.
It’s easy to see the mass appeal of PSY actually. A regular average overweight bloke having fun while getting the girl of his dreams and dancing a rather catchy dance as well. I listen to a fair bit of kpop music and they are usually about having a catchy dance. It’s easy to see how it went viral all over the world. Only one video in the top7 is a non music video which is quite interesting since I did expect to see a few of the viral videos in the top 7.
Seeing this now, it feels so odd. Because everything on here, it seems like I’ve known them since more than a year ago: The most recent for me was PSY a year ago, I first heard about Justin Bieber-Baby four years ago, and Waka Waka two years ago (pretty sure it’s older in itself)… If these were people, I would say they age well.
I really hate the PSY craze. Many people don’t really listen to his other songs, but it includes songs talking about torturing American POWs and other anti-America rhetoric. Yet he cashes in when he comes a famous icon in the United States. Oh well, this is the same kind of people that watch entertainers like Justin Beiber.
As every year, Ubisoft presents a surprise. Nobody expected.
Watch Dog had the same feeling in 2012.
According Have I understood it was an RPG, but I do not know if it will be online multiplayer.
You are almost sure I buy it if the game has a nice life. The graphics engine was impressive! I was surprised to see the PS4 make this game run
Eager to learn more.
Sorry, I did not want to post the answer here …
This is so fun looking back at this list today. Things change so quickly now! Anybody remember when Susan Boyle was stuck to the top of the youTube charts? Seems like a lifetime ago, right? 🙂
Yes, it does seem like a long time ago, and yet Susan Boyle’s rise to international fame from that Britain’s Got Talent audition video was just a little over four years ago. She was a global phenomenon so quickly thanks to YouTube. The whole world was captivated by her beautiful voice and her poignant singing of “I Dreamed a Dream.”
And ever since, there’s always the search for the “next Susan Boyle” and talent show competitors all around the world have been compared to her. But she was the original.
So that’s what I appreciate about PSY and his rise to such international fame. Different circumstances from Susan Boyle, for sure, but the same dynamic — a genuine viral video on YouTube rather than one that was manipulated and manufactured with fake views and fake likes, as others here have pointed out. It’s refreshing.
I really think Eminem deserves at least at the top 3. Anyway I can’t blame teenage girls for liking Justin bieber
Ha hah. I agree, Eminem is an enormously better artist that Justin Bieber but when it comes to views it’s hard to match the hundreds of millions of crazed teenaged girls and and others that watch the video simply to dislike it. The king of rap certainly deserves a spot in the top three.
Let’s get the Justin Bieber hate train going. I am sorry, I am from Canada and I wanted to genuinely apologize for this Bieber thing. The United States snatched him at a young age and prepubescent girls took a fancy in him. It has gotten worst with time. It might be unbearable in a few years.
Eminem, the king of rap? No. Dre, Biggy, wu tang etc. etc. eminem is white.
This “Charlie bit my finger” video is adorable. I’ve seen it a few times, and it’s really fun to watch. Most of those included in the list are pop-craze videos, and I’m not surprised. Psy’s Gangnam Style did have most of the spotlight glaring on it last year because of its quirky dance step. I guess, everyone did, or attempted, to execute that Gangnam thing.
I love the accent of the child in the “Charlie bit my finger” video. I bet they’ll get a kick out of seeing these videos as they get older.
I think Psy’s success comes from his ridiculous dance step. It’s something that people are more likely to do when they’re all juiced up at a party, and his music is suited to that scenario as well. So, it’s a natural party favorite. Plus, he’s from a part of the world where most people wouldn’t expect this come from so he’s got the novelty factor working for him as well. Good for him.
Aside from having almost double the views of the 2nd top vid on YouTube, PSY’s Gangnam Style seems to be newer than most (or even the newest of the bunch) of the other videos in the list. That means, it gained much more views in a shorter amount of time than the other vids.
It would be interesting to know how many people has talked about Gangnam Style outside of YouTube due to its “exotic” nature (the other vids are from the western part of the world). I’m sure the other websites discussing it has contributed significantly on the number of views.
Shakira’s Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) seems so old! It’s a wonder it’s still in this top 7 with 526.2 Million! I remember when this video was out there was a whole craze about it and for good reason: it was awesome!
Man that Charlie! He just got 526.0 Million people laughing! Wasn’t expecting this to go so viral!
I thought the same. It has to be all the people in South America clicking her video as she is the biggest latina star out right now I never imagined the video would be in the top seven though. And what’s up with the title of the video? Waka Waka? What?
A sad top 6 made up of really bad pop songs (although admittedly, the Eminem song is pretty catchy), fortunately the number 7 is a genuinely funny and cute video. Thank god for young Charlie. I’ll just go and watch that video again.
Wow! The difference between the first and second place video is just staggering. I still don’t understand how something like Charlie bit my finger could get so many views. Hopefully the people behind the Charlie video are getting something out of it.
Wow. Psy in front? Who is surprised… Asia watched the whole thing twice. The only thing I find weird is that most of these videos are music videos. I would have thought stupid videos or compilations would be the most watched videos…
I guess Charlie bit my finger saves the honor of stupid videos. 😉
Great list, glad Gangnam style overtook the Justin Bieber video. Its hard to believe that charlie bit my finger is on the list as it is the only video that isn’t a music video.
It’s exceptional how Gangnam Style completely obliterated the competition in a matter of months. I mean who could have thought that this weird Korean video would break all records and go on to become the most watched Youtube video of all time.
Atleast it dethroned Justin Bieber from the #1 stop. 🙂
The fact that Gangnam Style managed to get number one in only about 8 months is crazy. I didn’t realize Jennifer Lopez was that popular of a singer. I only knew that she acted.
It’s funny how the most of the top 10 Youtube videos with the most views are music videos. It’s amazing how Gangnam Style got that amount of views so fast. It shows the power of tending things and also the power of popularity being like a snowball. It just get bigger and bigger but also faster and faster.
Not that I don’t like Eminem, but I can’t believe that song is on the Top 7 most viewed. I understand songs like Gangnam Style and Baby, but I don’t really know what’s so special about that song. Charlie bit my finger was a bit expected though haha.
It’s pretty incredible how PSY managed to break records so fast with Gangam Style. Even though he’s been popular in South Korea for quite sometime, it was like he came out of no where to the rest of us. It didn’t even take him a year to have his video viewed over 1 billion times, even overtaking Justin Beiber’s Baby which has been out since 2010. definite props to PSY on his success.
I’ve just seen the post of the top 7 Youtube videos from September last year and it amazed me how little defference there is! Apart from Gagnam style fenomena, of course. I was surprised by its success, but I am kinda glad it removed Bieber’s song from the top position, lol! I find Baby more annoying than Gangnam style XD
So much good info on Youtube. Its a shame.
Yes, I know what you mean. YouTube is an incredible treasure trove of valuable content. So many lectures, tutorials on every topic imaginable, etc. etc., not to mention high quality music in all genres, as well as some genuinely humorous videos — “Charlie Bit My Finger” being a famous one among them — and so on.
And yet our most viral videos are those of contemporary music artists. While they may rule in the “all time” most viewed lists at least there are still the viral videos that become popular for a short time and captivate us, however briefly. I still remember that one from a while ago of the baby who was trying to read a magazine like an iPad. That was amusing and yet so revealing of what it’s like to grow up in the digital age.
Interestingly enough, I’ve only seen one of these videos, though I guess they are more like Music Videos. I used to watch PSY’s video a lot, but haven’t heard of most of these other songs.
PSY’s very catchy and people still watch his vids. Now, given the VMA debacle, I was sort of expecting Miley’s performance to be included in this list in the future except I think they’re taking down the vids.
Every time I read one of these lists I believe it is a strong sign that the apocalypse is upon us. The trouble is, I’ve felt this way for a good decade now! Is anyone else shocked at the appalling lack of taste that the masses have in art? We’re surrounded by dolts unfortunately.
I am still trying to understand the popularity of some of these videos, such as PSY’s Gangnam Style. I have viewed it a few times and think that it is a fun video, but not more than a lot of other videos. I’d watch a few of the other videos on this list far more often. LMFAO comes to mind before Gangnam Style when it comes to fun things to watch or listen to most of the time.
Keep in mind that most of these have a strong North American following only. PSY has done so well with a worldwide audience of followers that has taken off.
I know this is kind of old, but Psy really showed the rest of the world what K-pop is all about. I’m a 40-something year old mom, and I love Korean pop music. There, I said it. I watch the videos on YouTube all the time. I’m just not a huge fan of most American pop music. I secretly wish they’d play more K-pop here, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.
It’s kind of crazy how the song that everyone hates is the second most popular video on Youtube. I guess there a re just people who just keep watching the videos over and over again?? I would get tired of listening to that song after the first few times.
Now that I look at it, most of these are songs! (except charlie bit my finger) It’s interesting to see how Youtube has evolved into a place-to-publish-your-music instead of a place-to-publish-your-videos, like it was originally intended to be.
I really think sometimes luck is the best factor for deciding something. I mean if it were in artists skills term I personally think the most deserving would be Eminem’s or J Lo’s video that’s because they have a very long career and have a worldwide spread fame.
Wow I didn’t realise gangnam style got that many views! Pretty outrageous number that is. I hate the song though.
PSY’s Gangnam is revolutionary. The world didn’t know about him before Gangnam Style and now aside from still leading in Youtube views, there are so many Android games that involves that song, plus it’s also included in Just Dance and Dance Central.
Yeah. Gangnam style really was everywhere.
Quite a catchy tune. And the view count is just absurdly high 😀
Coming up with a video that goes viral on youtube can bring in very many opportunities for the video creator, not to mention a lot of money.
But what many people don’t know is that most viral videos don’t just go viral like that. It takes effort and some formula to come up with a viral video.
What formula you may ask?
Well, most viral videos tend to evoke emotions. How many times have you hit the share button just because the video made you laugh, cry or just smile?
Most videos also go viral because they are shared on social media. Post your videos on facebook, Twitter, redditt etc and you’ll be rewarded with views.
Videos with stories also tend to go viral. People love stories. Just look at how popular movies are. Even a video about a product can go viral if it has a story in it as opposed a features-loaded video.
I used to watch Psy’s Gangnam Style video all the time. Yet, I can hardly believe it was viewed over a billion times. I am happy for him, and all the other artists. They worked hard to achieve that status.
Those two little brothers crack me up. There is only one question. Why was his finger near Charlie’s mouth?
I still can’t digest the fact that Gangnam Style is topping the list even now. I reckon Justin Bieber’s Baby was the most disliked video in the history of YouTube. Good to see Love the Way You Lie on that list. It was one of my favourite songs. Waka Waka is a good song as well, in my opinion.
I am glad that Gangnam style is now cooling off. My crazy neighbors would play this constantly. After a while it really becomes unbearable and you simply can not watch it once more.
I hear ya! I thought that song was cool, but I never really liked it, not to the point to listen to it willingly, lol. I’m glad is now forgotten! At first it was a nice tune, but then people started playing it over and over EVERYWHERE! That’s when the tune started to get so tedious!!!!!
Hahaha, I love the Charlie video! It’s so funny! Both kids are so adorable, but Charlie is just too adorable! Just look at that chubby face, then towards the end he just laughs like crazy, lol. He is just a baby, but it seems as if he knew what he did was wrong and is trying to make it up by laughing a bit or maybe it was funny for him to bite his brother, lol.
I wonder how those two are doing now?
I like how briefly this summarizes the trend. It is direct, and I now notice how quickly the trend changed. This must say something about the taste of our YouTube audience during that period. I have watched all of the videos but one, which is the Party Rock Anthem on number 5. Most of them has a lingering aftertaste that contain some sensory attribute of their appeal.
Ok, I contributed to the view counts on 3 of those videos — Psy, Eminem, and Shakira. 😀
I really like the song by Eminem. So he got the most views from me on this list. I’m surprised that LMFAO and Charlie made it to the list. I didn’t know LMFAO was so popular. And I don’t even know the Charlie video.
Recently, I heard that Gangnam Style has (somehow!) managed to break the 32bit memory limit or something, and that YouTube had to change the view counts to 64bit integers. Pretty cool if you ask me…
I love how 6 of these are music videos and then there’s Charlie bit my finger, haha
YouTube is by far the best website of all time as anything you want to watch, is there. Yes, music videos are more popular because of the celebrities in them. People enjoy amateur videos a lot but the celebrities are who everyone wants to see and interact with. I love that you can subscribe to channels also as that makes it easier to keep track of your favorites. YouTube is like having all of your favorite cable and satellite channels at your fingertips.
I see the numbers and I conclude one thing: it’s the passing of the torch. The Buggles sang that song, ‘Video killed the radio star’ and they were right for a time. But MTV’s long succumbed to reality shows and hasn’t played a single music video for over a decade. Where will the kids turn to for their music video fix? Well based on the numbers above Youtube’s cornered the market. 6 out of the 7 top youtube videos are music videos, who would’ve guessed? I wonder what’s next in line? What’s going to replace youtube in the next decade?
Celebrities will always be the most popular because people are so obsessed with their lives. A lot of these artist are singers and have plenty of content for the fan to enjoy. I like having a lot of content, than not having enough. YouTube is by far the best website of all time.
Thought I’d go check how many views each video named on the list had and I ended up making an updated list (of views) as of April 11th, 2016:
1. PSY – Gangnam Style
2.5 Billion
2. Justin Bieber
Baby ft. Ludacris
1.3 Billion
3. Jennifer Lopez
On The Floor ft. Pitbull
925.6 Million
4. Eminem
Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna
1 Billion
5. LMFAO
Party Rock Anthem ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock
1 Billion
6. Shakira
Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)
1 Billion
7. Charlie bit my finger – again !
838.1 Million
What a flash back this is.
I wonder if in time to come, instead of greatest music hits being played back to back through the years over 6 hours, we’ll just have hours of greatest 3 minute videos being endlessly played
I know it was a long time ago now (even more in internet years) but can you imagine that right now Psy video has 2,563,140,499 views?!?!?! It is incredible!
It has been years since the hit of PSY and I still can feel it in my brain, I really got to a point where I hated that song, lol.
I also think that’s curious that the last video (charlie bit my finger – again!) has become on of the most viewed video on YouTube, viral videos can be a really interesting thing.