Rock topping the singles chart around the world in recent years

Some of you may have seen the thread I maintain on album charts all over the world where I pull out all the rock, metal, prog and punk (as well as jazz, folk and any other unusual genres) and list it week to week. After looking at a thread here about US #1 singles, I thought I would put this list of rock singles topping the charts around the world together for anyone who is interested.

Singles charts in general have not historically been breeding grounds for my musical preferences (if pressed for something at the top of the US singles charts in the last several years, I'd opt for We Are Young by Fun or Eilish's Bad Guy). Rock fans may find it interesting to know though that there have been recent #1 singles around the world which have featured rock of various kinds. So here's a look at the past 10 years around the world.

A few months ago in 2021, Vasco Rossi had a #1 single in Italy with this tune which features Simone Sello doing extended Steve Morse inspired soloing which is very surprising on a #1 single anywhere:




Vasco topped the singles charts in 2013 with this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw4pjP-jFIc


Vasco also topped the charts with 2 different songs in 2011 including this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbgqdyN4-I4



Måneskin, the young superstar Italian rock group topped the charts in Italy for 6 weeks with this one in 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZjnfWx0cvw


Ligabue topped the Italian singles chart in 2010 with this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIfoWnH7QhQ






Now for Japan...in 2020, Luna Sea had a #1 single in Japan with this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvDgjjGkIpc


Bish had this one in 2019:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaXiTwgkDAw


B'z had their record 49th straight #1 single with this rocking tune in 2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqOYxaIu7Tw


Also in 2017, Mr. Children had this #1 single in Japan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kXE9FHQy9E


Koshi Inaba from B'z had this #1 single in 2016:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krhKpVGUebQ


Also in 2016, Glay had this #1 single:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyjsGstKHpg&list=PLwP9mXAxJjU2LU6V8YfOA3DbbEiIVjw3o


In 2015, B'z had this rocking #1 single, their 47th #1 in a row:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zWKogXzDoU


Then B'z had their 48th #1 single in a row in 2015 with this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB_gAf4wP-I


Another rocking #1 for B'z in 2011:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl1kdyKi1FM


And yet another #1 in 2011 for B'z:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmTNLZU-FDI


Radwimps had this #1 hit in 2011:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy6XeGCNkSM


L'Arc-en-Ciel also in 2011:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HrxRpaou3A


Maximum the Hormone in 2011 (make sure you listen all the way through lol):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YV6IJLoBv4



Bump of Chicken in 2010 with 3 different singles at #1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwCl11tyWP0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVVQynaCOYg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6pzZ_IGQAg


And Koshi Inaba with another #1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRUeX-fTl04






In Germany, the Rolling Stones topped the charts in 2020 with this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNNPNweSbp8


As did Die Ärzte also in 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PDHHdrm82I


Rammstein topped the German, Swiss and Hungarian singles charts with this monster tune in 2019 (when they also set the record for 13 albums and 9 singles simultaneously on the German charts):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeQM1c-XCDc


Die Toten Hosen topped the German charts with this one in 2012:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j09hpp3AxIE






In Finland just a few weeks ago, this metalcore tune went #1 from Blind Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXEK-fc3_BU


And it was followed at the top of the charts by this one from the pop-rock band Haloo Helsinki!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzph6I2dVYE


Haloo Helsinki! also had a #1 in 2018 with this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0ldI2XQLfY


And again in 2014 Haloo Halsinki! with this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Gpj8hqFAk


Koti-Viikate-Teollisuus topped the charts in Finland in 2012 with this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwD5bOMVufk


Nightwish topped the Finnish singles chart in 2012 with this one, their 13th single to go #1 in Finland:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upt8_tPYIl0


Nightwish topped the charts in Finland in 2011 with this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g8ykQLYnX0

 

Here's a link to the thread about rock on the album charts as well in case anyone is interested:

Best Selling Rock/Metal/Prog & more from charts around the world

 

I have to admit, it's interesting to compare the lack of response to threads along these lines to all the many 'rock is dead' threads which pop up here so often.

 

Because this forum is mostly users from North America and the UK. Pretty much in the US and Canada rock just isn't played on the radio unless it is 20+ years old. The UK has it a bit better but the top 40 singles don't include any rock either.

 

It's true that this seems to be a heavily North American forum and you aptly describe the situation with radio in North America. I'd say it seems like there would be all the more reason to look around more widely if one is a rock fan connected to the world online and to take note of things elsewhere too.

Also, I should say that singles charts were always very pop oriented even decades ago. In terms of the album charts, the UK's most popular genre is still rock actually (both Australia and the UK's album charts are topped by young rock artists this week in fact) and of course Germany is even more rock dominant with rock making up 37-40 of their top 100 albums quite often (this week, 5 of their top 10 albums are rock albums) etc.

 

There's a lot to get my head around here, Fusionfan. I'm not going to be on-line all that much over the next week or so (making the most of Lockdown starting to ease and having a week doing some hillwalking day trips from home) but I'll dip in and out when I can, and listen my way through the songs you've posted. There will, undoubtedly, be a bunch of gems that have passed my by.

 

Sounds good Carl! Have a good time on your walks...for some reason I'm imagining the Detectorists

 

A bump in case anyone else is interested...