Careless Whisper voted no.1 song of all time,
after its 40th anniversary last year

  • ABBA celebrates their biggest year in the countdown, with 16 entries, making them the nation’s most popular group
  • Elton John is back in the top 10 for the first time since 2017, with his duet Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me with George Michael
  • George Michael voted most popular artist, and Whitney Houston most popular female artist

Careless Whisper, written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, has once again been voted the nation’s favourite song, in Smooth Radio’s All Time Top 500 chart.

More than 42,000 votes were cast by the public in Smooth’s annual countdown of the nation’s most popular songs. Across the May bank holiday weekend, the top 500 songs were played on air, with the number one announced just before 7pm today.

Last year, Careless Whisper celebrated its 40th anniversary, marked by the release of an exclusive EP that reignited public interest in the song and brought it back into the spotlight. The track has surpassed 1.4 billion views on YouTube and amassed more than 700 million views on TikTok, proving that Careless Whisper is a timeless classic, loved by longtime fans as well as a whole new generation of listeners. It has been voted the number one song of all time for a record seven years in a row.

ABBA are enjoying their most successful year ever in Smooth’s All Time Top 500 with a record-breaking 16 entries, led by Dancing Queen at number ten and The Winner Takes It All at number 25 – cementing their place as the nation’s most popular group. The news comes after Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida celebrated 50 years last year since they triumphed on the Eurovision stage with Waterloo – a moment that launched them to international fame.

Elton John returns to the top 10 of Smooth’s All Time Top 500 for the first time since 2017, reaching number nine with his iconic duet Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, with George Michael. With 13 entries in this year’s countdown, Elton is the most popular living music artist. He continues to capture the nation’s heart with his iconic songs and his brand-new album, Who Believes in Angels? with Brandi Carlile. In an interview with Smooth’s Kate Garraway last month, Elton described the album as his “freshest” since the 1970s.

Overall, George Michael is the most popular music artist in Smooth’s chart – with 19 songs, including 13 solo songs. A Different Corner is at number three, followed by Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me at number nine. Whitney Houston is the most popular female artist, with an impressive 13 songs featured in the countdown. Her iconic rendition of I Will Always Love You is her highest-placed entry, reaching number 14.

Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran both feature in this year’s top 20, with Robbie rising two places since 2024, following last year’s cinema release of Better Man, the musical film based on his life. Ed Sheeran has continued his global domination with his record-breaking Mathematics tour. Perfect, one of Ed’s most successful songs, sits at number 11 in the top 500. Kylie Minogue makes her first ever appearance in the chart with Better the Devil You Know, at 362.

The full countdown of Smooth’s All Time Top 500 is available to listen to on catch up on Global Player – the official Smooth app.

“Smooth’s All Time Top 500 is a fantastic celebration of the best songs that are the soundtrack to our lives, from legendary music artists to the stars of today. It’s wonderful to see George Michael’s Careless Whisper  top the chart again, with his timeless music continuing to resonate with the public, and ABBA celebrate their biggest year ever, retaining their crown as the most popular group.

Our congratulations to Elton John on his first return to the top 10 in eight years and on his place as the nation’s favourite living artist, and to Robbie Williams, Ed Sheeran and Kylie Minogue on their success this year. The breadth of timeless and newer songs hold such a special place in people’s lives and that’s what makes our countdown so special.”
Angie Greaves, Smooth presenter

Smooth Radio is available across the UK on Global Player, DAB digital radio and TV, 97-108 FM and SmoothRadio.com.