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‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams revealed as the UK’s most played song of the decade

‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams has been revealed as the UK’s most played song of the decade, based on PPL data.

The PPL chart was unveiled on a special BBC Radio 2 show presented by Scott Mills, counting down the 40 most played songs broadcast on UK radio and television since 2010.

“It is incredibly humbling to think that ‘Happy’ was the most played song across radio in the UK at that time,” said Pharrell, in a video message recorded for BBC Radio 2.

“When I was a little boy, man, hearing those letters ‘UK’ and thinking about the United Kingdom and the culture there, and seeing all of my favourite artists that I loved as a child go over and perform big concerts and festivals – I just never ever thought that anything I’d ever do would ever be a part of that history.

“I always want people to hear my songs. You know, as many people as possible. The people that really need it. So it’s cool when it happens, and you have radio stations that want to play your songs – it’s an awesome thing. It really means a lot to me and my career. None of it matters if we don’t have you guys on board.”

As well as topping the chart, Pharrell features on Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ with Nile Rodgers at No. 4 – making him the only artist to appear twice in the top 10.

The chart also includes Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling!’ at No. 5, Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’ featuring Bruno Mars at No. 7, and ‘Sex On Fire’ by Kings of Leon at No. 10.

PPL’s Most Played Charts are created from exclusive UK music usage and airplay data supplied by its licensees, including radio stations and TV channels. The full chart is available on the BBC website.

Listen to Pharrell Williams

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