What is the most streamed Motown song of all time?
In a nutshell, Motown was created out of a need to both see the African American voice represented in the musical sphere and to break down racial barriers.
But the legacy of what it created was frankly unfathomable compared to the original sum of its parts, with the label going on to spearhead not only some of the biggest hits of its heyday era, but even a selection of some of the best-selling mainstream artists to have ever lived. It’s mind-blowing to think that The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, and Lionel Richie once all floated in the same halls.
Who could have known that a little ramshackle building dubbed as the headquarters of Hitsville USA would end up embodying such a significant part of the overall history of music, transporting the sound of Detroit to the most far-flung corners of the world. Over six decades down the line from its inception, the fact that the legacy of Motown is so vibrant is down to how visionary and forward-thinking it always was.
In a lot of ways, you would be forgiven for thinking that the musical throngs have long since moved past the soul-infused heart of Motown, yet the reality is that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Everywhere, in every genre and from every artist, there are infusions to outright imitations of Motown in all its glory, embodying precisely how this single sonic endeavour truly captured the heart of the globe.
Even in an environment as seemingly distant and distinct as the streaming age, this celebratory homage still continues as the numbers on Motown’s most famous tracks rise and rise, no matter how much time has passed since they first hit the airwaves. But within this, there is only one true winner: and it’s the king himself, Stevie Wonder, and his iconic ‘Superstition’ that takes the crown for the most-streamed Motown song of all time.
How did it become the most-streamed Motown song?
The champion was declared in 2019 after The Official Charts Company had compiled all the data, and ‘Superstition’ reigned supreme by a massive margin. As of right now, the song has been streamed on Spotify in excess of 727 million times, making it one of the greatest exports out of Wonder’s entire illustrious back catalogue.
Given the seismic impact that the song went on to create since its release in 1972, you would think that it would have also made a similarly gigantic first impression. Sure, it was a big tune at the time, but perhaps not as huge as many might expect. It shot to the top of the charts in the US, but marked only Wonder’s second number one to date at that time, and he had reached his 15th studio album.
In the UK, it seemed the population was ironically a little suspicious of ‘Superstition’, as it failed to even make the top ten of the day’s charts. Finding its peak place at number 11, it’s quite a feat that the song went on to become the country’s most beloved Motown tracks, given that some of the genre’s other exports flew much higher up the charts.
But this is ultimately the testament to the longevity of an icon like Wonder, who possesses the prescience and patience to know his work will garner more and more popularity, even decades after the event. New artists may begrudge the brutality of the streaming agenda, but those like Wonder can sit back and simply witness the streams rolling in as their legacies become even more golden.
