In the UK’s Official Country Countdown – available now on BBC Sounds and on Radio 2 on Sunday 10 March (Midnight-2am) – Scott Mills counts down the Top 30 most streamed Country songs of all time in a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company – compilers of the UK Official Chart and weekly Official Country Chart using audio and video streaming data from all major streaming services. A BBC Audio production.

The chart was created to celebrate Radio 2’s official broadcast partnership with C2C: Country to Country music festival which is from 8-10 March. For the first time, Radio 2 programming will be broadcast from three venues – The 02 in London with Bob Harris and Alana Springsteen, Glasgow OVO Hydro with Edith Bowman and SSE Arena Belfast with Connor Phillips (from 3-6pm on Saturday 9 March and 8-10pm on Sunday 10 March).

Bebe Rexha’s “Meant to Be” was a Top 20 hit in the UK in 2018, peaking at Number 11 it spent 12 weeks inside the Official Chart Top 40, and it holds the record of being at the top of the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 35 weeks. The legendary “9 To 5” is Dolly Parton’s most-streamed song, but it actually didn’t make the Top 40 when it was originally released in 1980 (“Jolene” was in fact Dolly’s only solo UK Top 40 hit), and it is one of the UK’s best-selling singles of all time to never have charted in the Official Singles Top 40. Kenny Rogers had three Top 3 hits in the UK (“Lucille,” “Coward Of The County,” “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town”) and, like Dolly, his most-streamed track – “The Gambler” – is one that also missed the UK charts when originally released. It belatedly charted in 2007 after the England rugby team adopted it and it has remained popular with sports fans ever since. Taylor Swift – who was supported by Radio 2 in her early country days by Bob Harris’ Country Show and performed for Radio 2 In Concert at Abbey Road Studios in May 2011 – is at Number 4 with her debut UK hit “Love Story,” which won Song of the Year at the Country Awards in 2009.

Scott Mills says: “I can’t wait to bring you this countdown of the greatest Country music hits as we celebrate the Country to Country festival on Radio 2.”

Bob Harris says: “This chart features some of my favourite tracks of all-time – the classics we love so much plus the brilliant collaborations with pop’s biggest stars. This April marks 25 years that I’ll have been presenting The Country Show on Radio 2 and I’m so excited to see the music I love on the crest of a new wave right now with so many major mainstream artists creating songs that celebrate the genre, alongside the Country icons and wonderful new artists whose music continues to inspire and enrich our lives.”

Jeff Smith, Radio 2’s Head of Music, says, “It’s so fantastic to see the most-streamed songs in this chart flying the flag for Country music, representing the biggest names from across the decades and including collaborations with major popstars such as Justin Bieber and P!nk. Country music is really at a tipping point right now with so many mainstream artists such as Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey embracing the genre with their new releases. Looking at this chart it’s easy to see how artists continue to be inspired by the genre – one which is so close to our hearts here at Radio 2 as we head into our coverage of C2C: Country to Country festival this weekend, as the event’s official broadcast partner.”

Martin Talbot of The Official Charts Company says: “Our latest Official Chart of the most streamed country songs of all time is a joyous reminder that country music is alive and well, reflecting as it does hits from contemporary stars such as Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Luke Combs and Bebe Rexha, alongside all-time icons of the genre including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and John Denver. Of course, the chart is also unveiled just as Beyoncé is ruling over the current Official Singles Chart. We have no doubt that her single “Texas Hold ‘Em”, which has reaffirmed that any artist can record country, will feature on future updates on this all-time chart.”

Top 10 songs from The UK’s Official Country Countdown (with year of initial UK release):

“Meant to Be” – Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line (2018)
“9 to 5” – Dolly Parton (1981)
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” – John Denver (1971)
“Love Story” – Taylor Swift (2009)
“Islands in the Stream” – Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (1983)
“The Gambler” – Kenny Rogers (1978)
“Need You Now” – Lady A (2010)
“Say Something” – Justin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton (2018)
“Before He Cheats” – Carrie Underwood (2006)
“Tennessee Whiskey” – Chris Stapleton (2015)

Please note, to compile the chart the Official Charts Company counted the streams of country songs, and artists can only appear once as solo acts in the list, but can feature a second time for a duet/featured artist track such as Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton who both feature individually as solo artists and also as a duo for “Islands In The Stream”.

C2C

Country to Country festival started in 2013 and since then has grown into the biggest country music festival outside of the USA, attracting hundreds of thousands of fans each year across three days in London, Glasgow and now Belfast. It returns to the UK from 8 to 10 March, and Radio 2’s coverage – as the official broadcast partner – will be bigger than ever before. As well as broadcasting from the London and Glasgow events, hosted by Bob Harris and Edith Bowman respectively; this year, for the first time, as part of the BBC’s Across the UK plans to better reflect, represent and serve all audiences, there will be coverage of C2C’s event in Belfast. This will be hosted by television, 5Live and BBC Radio Ulster / BBC Radio Foyle presenter Connor Phillips who will be making his Radio 2 presenting debut. Connor will also be hosting a Radio 2 showcase at Limelight in Belfast with performances from Conner Smith, Karley Scott Collins and Lauren Watkins – with support from local singer Kieran O’Connell (12-3pm on Saturday 9th March and broadcast as a one hour special on BBC Sounds).

Radio 2 and BBC Sounds coverage includes:

Brad Paisley, Conner Smith and Brooke Eden live on The Country Show with Bob Harris to preview C2C (Thursday 7 March 9-10pm – listen back on BBC Sounds)
Two programmes across the weekend presented by Bob Harris with co-host Alana Springsteen, plus Edith Bowman in Glasgow and Connor Phillips in Belfast (from 3-6pm on Saturday 9 March and 8-10pm on Sunday 10 March, also available live and on demand on BBC Sounds).

Scott Mills presents The UK’s Country Countdown (exclusively on BBC Sounds from Monday 4 March, 00.01, and Saturday night into Sunday 10 March, Midnight-2am)
The Country Show with Bob Harris will feature highlights from the last night of the C2C Festival in London with live music and chats from Old Dominion, the Brothers Osborne, Elle King and Drake Milligan (9-10pm, Thursday 14 March)
Radio 2 showcase in Belfast to be broadcast as a one hour special on BBC Sounds (Monday 11 March)

BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 is the UK’s most listened to radio station, with a weekly audience of 13.3 million (RAJAR Q4, 2023).The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show is most listened to Breakfast show in the UK with an audience of 6.6 million (RAJAR Q4, 2023).The network’s presenters include Michael Ball, Zoe Ball, Rob Beckett, Tony Blackburn, OJ Borg, Rev. Kate Bottley, Rylan, Fearne Cotton, Sara Cox, Jamie Cullum, Gary Davies, Paul Gambaccini, Angela Griffin, Bob Harris, Vernon Kay, Cerys Matthews, Scott Mills, Jason Mohammad, Trevor Nelson, Dermot O’Leary, Elaine Paige, Mark Radcliffe, Romesh Ranganathan, DJ Spoony, Liza Tarbuck, Jeremy Vine, Michelle Visage, Johnnie Walker, Jo Whiley, Phil Williams, Claudia Winkleman and Owain Wyn Evans.