List of best-selling singles
Best-selling physical singles -- 15 million physical copies or more
Table:
Artist
Single
Released
Sales
(in millions)
Source

Bing Crosby
"White Christmas"
1942
50
[1]

Elton John
"Candle in the Wind 1997"
1997
33
[1]

Mungo Jerry
"In the Summertime"
1970
30
[2][3][4]

Bing Crosby
"Silent Night"
1935
30
[5]

Bill Haley & His Comets
"Rock Around the Clock"
1954
25
[6]

Whitney Houston
"I Will Always Love You"
1992
20
[7]

Elvis Presley
"It's Now or Never"
1960
20
[5][8]

USA for Africa
"We Are the World"
1985
20
[9]

The Ink Spots
"If I Didn't Care"
1939
19
[10]

Baccara
"Yes Sir, I Can Boogie"
1977
18
[11]

Celine Dion
"My Heart Will Go On"
1997
18
[12]

Mariah Carey
"All I Want for Christmas Is You"
1994
16
[13]

Bryan Adams
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
1991
15
[14]

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
"You're the One That I Want"
1978
15
[15]

Scorpions
"Wind of Change"
1991
15
[16]

Using the given table and the background passages listed below.

Give the answer to the question: Whose poem inspired the name of a group whose debut single celebrating the carefree days of summer became one of the best-selling singles of all-time ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

Harold Lillis Bing Crosby Jr. ( /ˈkrɒzbi/ ; May 3 , 1903 - October 14 , 1977 ) was an American singer , comedian and actor . The first multimedia star , Crosby was a leader in record sales , radio ratings , and motion picture grosses from 1931 to 1954.:8 His early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed him , including Perry Como , Frank Sinatra , Dick Haymes , and Dean Martin . Yank magazine said that he was the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen during World War II . In 1948 , American polls declared him the most admired man alive , ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII . :6 Also in 1948 , Music Digest estimated that his recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music . Crosby won an Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Father Chuck O'Malley in the 1944 motion picture Going My Way and was nominated for his reprise of the role in The Bells of St. Mary 's opposite Ingrid Bergman the next year , becoming the first of six actors to be nominated twice for playing the same character . In 1963 , Crosby received the first Grammy Global Achievement Award . He is one of 33 people to have three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , in the categories of motion pictures , radio , and audio recording . He was also known for his collaborations with longtime friend Bob Hope , starring in the Road to . films from 1940 to 1962 . Crosby influenced the development of the postwar recording industry . After seeing a demonstration of a German broadcast quality reel-to-reel tape recorder brought to America by John T. Mullin , he invested $ 50,000 in a California electronics company called Ampex to build copies .
White Christmas is a 1942 Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting . The version sung by Bing Crosby is the world 's best-selling single with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide . When the figures for other versions of the song are added to Crosby 's , sales of the song exceed 100 million .
Sir Elton Hercules John CH CBE ( born Reginald Kenneth Dwight ; 25 March 1947 ) is an English singer , songwriter , pianist , and composer . He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 ; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums . John has sold more than 300 million records , making him one of the best-selling music artists . He has more than fifty Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100 , including seven numbers ones in the UK and nine in the US , as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the US . His tribute single Candle in the Wind 1997 , rewritten in dedication to Diana , Princess of Wales , sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single in the history of the UK and US singles charts . He has also produced records and occasionally acted in films . John owned Watford F.C . from 1976 to 1987 and from 1997 to 2002 , and is an honorary life president of the club . Raised in the Pinner area of London , John learned to play piano at an early age , and by 1962 had formed Bluesology , an R & B band with whom he played until 1967 . He met his longtime musical partner Taupin in 1967 , after they both answered an advert for songwriters . For two years , they wrote songs for artists including Lulu , and John worked as a session musician for artists including the Hollies and the Scaffold . In 1969 , John 's debut album , Empty Sky , was released .
Candle in the Wind 1997 is a song by Bernie Taupin and Elton John , a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song Candle in the Wind . It was released on 13 September 1997 as a tribute single to Diana , Princess of Wales , with the global proceeds from the song going towards Diana 's charities . In many countries , it was pressed as a double A-side with Something About the Way You Look Tonight . The song was written by Taupin , produced by Sir George Martin , and is the second best selling physical single in history . According to the Guinness Book of Records , Candle in the Wind 1997 is the second highest-selling physical single of all time ( behind Bing Crosby 's White Christmas from 1942 ) , and is the highest-selling single since charts began in the 1950s . After being released , Candle in the Wind 1997 entered at number one in the UK Singles Chart , John 's fourth UK number-one single , and became the best-selling single in UK chart history . In October it became John 's ninth US number-one single , where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks , and is the best-selling single in Billboard history ; it was the first single certified Diamond in the US . The song also topped the German Singles Chart for seven weeks , the Australian Singles Chart for six weeks , and many other music charts around the world . The 1997 version won John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1998 . At the 1998 Brit Awards the song was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single . The lyrics of the earlier version of Candle in the Wind , also written by Taupin , were a tribute to Marilyn Monroe . The opening lines of the 1973 version , Goodbye Norma Jean , though I never knew you at all , were adapted to Goodbye England 's rose , may you ever grow in our hearts .
Mungo Jerry are a British rock group who experienced their greatest success in the early 1970s , with a changing line-up that has always been fronted by Ray Dorset . The group 's name was inspired by the poem Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer , from T. S. Eliot 's Old Possum 's Book of Practical Cats . The group 's biggest hit was In the Summertime . They had nine charting singles in the UK , including two number ones , and five top 20 hits in South Africa . Melody Maker awarded Mungo Jerry the best new band title in 1970 . [ citation needed ] Dorset was granted three Ivor Novello Awards as a composer . [ citation needed ]
In the Summertime is the debut single by British rock band Mungo Jerry . Written and composed by its lead singer , Ray Dorset , it celebrates the carefree days of summer . In 1970 , it reached number one in charts around the world , including seven weeks on the UK Singles Chart , two weeks on one of the Canadian charts , and number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US . It became one of the best-selling singles of all-time , eventually selling 30 million copies .
Silent Night ( German : Stille Nacht , heilige Nacht ) is a popular Christmas carol , composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg , Austria . It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011 . The song has been recorded by many singers across many music genres . The version sung by Bing Crosby in 1935 is the fourth best-selling single of all-time .
Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band , founded in 1952 and continued until Haley 's death in 1981 . The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley 's Comets ( and variations thereof ) . From late 1954 to late 1956 , the group placed nine singles in the Top 20 , one of those a number one and three more in the Top Ten . The single Rock Around the Clock became the biggest selling rock and roll single in the history of the genre . Bandleader Bill Haley had previously been a country music performer ; after recording a country and western-styled version of Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats Rocket 88 , a rhythm and blues song , he changed musical direction to a new sound which came to be called rock and roll . Although several members of the Comets became famous , Bill Haley remained the star . With his spit curl and the band 's matching plaid dinner jackets and energetic stage behavior , many fans consider them to be as revolutionary in their time as the Beatles were a decade later . Following Haley 's death , no fewer than seven different groups have existed under the Comets name , all claiming ( with varying degrees of authority ) to be the continuation of Haley 's group . As of the end of 2014 , four such groups were still performing in the United States and internationally .
Rock Around the Clock is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers ( the latter being under the pseudonym Jimmy De Knight ) in 1952 . The best-known and most successful rendition was recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets in 1954 for American Decca . It was a number one single on both the United States and United Kingdom charts and also reentered the UK Singles Chart in the 1960s and 1970s . It was not the first rock and roll record , nor was it the first successful record of the genre ( Bill Haley had American chart success with Crazy Man , Crazy in 1953 , and in 1954 , Shake , Rattle and Roll sung by Big Joe Turner reached No . 1 on the Billboard R & B chart ) . Haley 's recording nevertheless became an anthem for rebellious 1950s youth and is widely considered to be the song that , more than any other , brought rock and roll into mainstream culture around the world . The song is ranked No . 158 on the Rolling Stone magazine 's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time . Although it was first recorded by Italian-American band Sonny Dae and His Knights on March 20 , 1954 , Myers claimed the song had been written specifically for Haley but , for various reasons , Haley was unable to record it himself until April 12 , 1954 . The original full title of the song was We 're Gon na Rock Around the Clock Tonight ! . This was later shortened to ( We 're Gon na ) Rock Around the Clock , though this form is generally only used on releases of the 1954 Bill Haley Decca Records recording ; most other recordings of this song by Haley and others ( including Sonny Dae ) shorten this title further to Rock Around the Clock . In 2018 , it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally , historically , or artistically significant .
Whitney Elizabeth Houston ( August 9 , 1963 - February 11 , 2012 ) was an American singer and actress . She was cited as the most awarded female artist of all time by Guinness World Records and remains one of the best-selling music artists of all time with 200 million records sold worldwide . Houston released seven studio albums and two soundtrack albums , all of which have been certified diamond , multi-platinum , platinum , or gold by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) . Her crossover appeal on the popular music charts - as well as her prominence on MTV , starting with her video for How Will I Know - influenced several female African-American artists . Houston began singing in church as a child and became a background vocalist while in high school . With the guidance of Arista Records chairman Clive Davis , she signed to the label at the age of 19 . Her first two studio albums , Whitney Houston ( 1985 ) and Whitney ( 1987 ) , both reached number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States , and to-date are the biggest-selling first two albums released of any artist in history . To this day , she is the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart , from Saving All My Love for You in 1985 to Where Do Broken Hearts Go in 1988 . Houston made her screen acting debut in the romantic thriller film The Bodyguard ( 1992 ) . She recorded six songs for the film 's soundtrack , including I Will Always Love You , which received the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling single by a woman in music history . The soundtrack album received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year ; it remains the best-selling soundtrack album in history . Houston made other high-profile film appearances and contributed/produced their accompanying soundtracks , including Waiting to Exhale ( 1995 ) and The Preacher 's Wife ( 1996 ) .
I Will Always Love You is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton . Her country version of the track was released in 1974 as a single and was written as a farewell to her former partner and mentor of seven years , Porter Wagoner , following Parton 's decision to leave The Porter Wagoner Show and pursue a solo career . Parton 's version of I Will Always Love You was a commercial success . It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart twice . It first reached number one in June 1974 , and then in October 1982 , with her re-recording on the soundtrack of the movie version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas . Thus , she achieved a number one position twice with the same song , a rare feat that Chubby Checker had done previously with The Twist becoming number one in 1960 and again in 1962 . Whitney Houston recorded her version of the song for the 1992 film The Bodyguard . Her single spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is one of the best-selling singles of all time . It also holds the record for being the best-selling single by a woman in music history . Houston 's version of I Will Always Love You re-entered the charts in 2012 after her death , making it the second single ever to reach the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 in separate chart runs . The song has been recorded by many other artists including Linda Ronstadt , John Doe , Amber Riley and LeAnn Rimes .
Elvis Aaron Presley [ a ] ( January 8 , 1935 - August 16 , 1977 ) , also known simply as Elvis , was an American singer and actor . Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century , he is often referred to as the King of Rock and Roll or simply The King . Presley was born in Tupelo , Mississippi , and relocated to Memphis , Tennessee , with his family when he was 13 years old . His music career began there in 1954 , recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips , who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience . Presley , on rhythm acoustic guitar , and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black , was a pioneer of rockabilly , an uptempo , backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues . In 1955 , drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley 's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker , who would manage him for more than two decades . Presley 's first RCA single , Heartbreak Hotel , was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States . With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records , he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll . His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style , combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations , made him enormously popular - and controversial . In November 1956 , Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender . Drafted into military service in 1958 , Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work . He held few concerts however , and guided by Parker , proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums , most of them critically derided .
It 's Now or Never is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and released as a single in 1960 . The song is the best-selling single by Presley ( 20 million copies ) , and one of the best-selling singles of all time . It was recorded by Bill Porter at RCA Studio B in Nashville . It is written in E major and has a tempo of 80 BPM . In 1960 , It 's Now or Never was a number-one record in the U.S. for Elvis Presley , spending five weeks at number one and the UK , where it spent eight weeks at the top in 1960 and an additional week at number one in 2005 as a re-issue , and numerous other countries , selling in excess of 25 million copies worldwide , Elvis Presley 's biggest international single ever . Its British release was delayed for some time because of rights issues , allowing the song to build up massive advance orders and to enter the UK Singles Chart at number one , a very rare occurrence at the time . It 's Now or Never peaked at number seven on the R & B charts .
We Are the World is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985 . It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World . With sales in excess of 20 million copies , it is one of fewer than 30 retail singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide . Following Band Aid 's 1984 Do They Know It 's Christmas ? project in the UK , an idea for the creation of an American benefit single for African famine relief came from activist Harry Belafonte , who , along with fundraiser Ken Kragen , was instrumental in bringing the vision to reality . Several musicians were contacted by the pair , before Jackson and Lionel Richie were assigned the task of writing the song . The duo completed the writing of We Are the World seven weeks after the release of Do They Know It 's Christmas ? , and one night before the song 's first recording session , on January 21 , 1985 . The historic event brought together some of the most famous artists in the music industry at the time . The song was released on March 7 , 1985 , as the first single from the album . A worldwide commercial success , topping music charts throughout the world and becoming the fastest-selling American pop single in history . The first ever single to be certified multi-platinum , We Are the World received a Quadruple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America . Awarded numerous honors - including three Grammy Awards , one American Music Award , and a People 's Choice Award - the song was promoted with a critically received music video , a home video , a special edition magazine , a simulcast , and several books , posters , and shirts .
We Are the World is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985 . It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World . With sales in excess of 20 million copies , it is one of fewer than 30 retail singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide . Following Band Aid 's 1984 Do They Know It 's Christmas ? project in the UK , an idea for the creation of an American benefit single for African famine relief came from activist Harry Belafonte , who , along with fundraiser Ken Kragen , was instrumental in bringing the vision to reality . Several musicians were contacted by the pair , before Jackson and Lionel Richie were assigned the task of writing the song . The duo completed the writing of We Are the World seven weeks after the release of Do They Know It 's Christmas ? , and one night before the song 's first recording session , on January 21 , 1985 . The historic event brought together some of the most famous artists in the music industry at the time . The song was released on March 7 , 1985 , as the first single from the album . A worldwide commercial success , topping music charts throughout the world and becoming the fastest-selling American pop single in history . The first ever single to be certified multi-platinum , We Are the World received a Quadruple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America . Awarded numerous honors - including three Grammy Awards , one American Music Award , and a People 's Choice Award - the song was promoted with a critically received music video , a home video , a special edition magazine , a simulcast , and several books , posters , and shirts .
The Ink Spots were an American vocal jazz group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s . Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres , and the subgenre doo-wop . The Ink Spots were widely accepted in both the white and black communities , largely due to the ballad style introduced to the group by lead singer Bill Kenny . In 1989 , the Ink Spots ( Bill Kenny , Charlie Fuqua , Deek Watson , Jerry Daniels and Orville Jones ) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , and in 1999 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame . Since the Ink Spots disbanded in 1954 , there have been well over 100 vocal groups calling themselves The Ink Spots without any right to the name , and without any original members of the group . These groups often have claimed to be 2nd generation or 3rd generation Ink Spots .
If I Did n't Care is a song written by Jack Lawrence that was originally sung and recorded by the Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny in 1939 . The Ink Spots recording became the 10th best selling single of all time with over 19 million copies sold making it one of the fewer than forty all-time singles to have sold 10 million ( or more ) physical copies worldwide . According to Lawrence , he mailed the song before showing it to some of his friends . His friends ' reaction to the song was almost unanimously negative , but he remained positive on it and later it became one of his biggest successes . It was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame and was number 271 on the Songs of the Century list . In 2018 , the Ink Spots ' recording of the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally , historically , or artistically significant . The song was featured in the 2013 documentary film 50 Children : The Rescue Mission Of Mr. And Mrs. Klaus .
Baccara is a female vocal duo formed in 1977 by Spanish artists Mayte Mateos ( born 7 February 1951 in Logroño ) and María Mendiola ( born 4 April 1952 in Madrid ) . The pair rapidly achieved international success with their debut single Yes Sir , I Can Boogie , which reached number one across much of Europe and became the best-selling single of all-time by a female group , eventually selling more than 18 million copies worldwide . A successful follow-up single ( Sorry , I 'm a Lady ) and European tour led to a number of album releases , numerous television appearances and the duo 's selection to represent Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 . Despite a substantial following in Spain , Germany and Japan , by 1981 the duo 's distinctive blend of disco , pop and Spanish folk music was no longer fashionable , and by 1983 Mayte Mateos and María Mendiola were both working on solo projects . Achieving little success as solo artists , the two formed duos of their own : separate incarnations of the original Baccara appeared during the middle of the decade , with Mendiola fronting New Baccara and Mateos keeping the duo 's original name . During the 1990s New Baccara was renamed back to Baccara ; as a consequence both Mateos and Mendiola now head different duos with the same name . Both principals have subsequently had prolonged but separate legacy careers based on nostalgia and their earlier fame . Mendiola 's Baccara has seen more international recognition , releasing a string of Hi-NRG club hits such as Fantasy Boy and Touch Me in the late 1980s and the later UK club hit Wind Beneath My Wings . Mateos ' Baccara has released few new recordings , but has remained in demand for television and live appearances in countries such as Spain and Germany where the original Baccara developed a loyal fan base , performing the duo 's back-catalogue and modernised versions of traditional Spanish songs .
Yes Sir , I Can Boogie is a 1977 hit single by the Spanish vocal duo Baccara . Written by Frank Dostal and Rolf Soja , and produced by Soja , this standard disco song was a major hit across Europe and became the duo 's sole number one single in the UK , spending a single week at the top in October 1977 . It did not chart in the United States , despite receiving airplay in several markets . It became the best-selling single of all-time by a female group , eventually selling more than 18 million copies worldwide . The breathed intro to the song is very similar to Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and Thelma Houston 's Do n't Leave Me This Way , which was a clear influence on the Baccara song . Baccara was composed of Spanish flamenco dancers Mayte Mateos and Maria Mendiola . They were discovered on the island of Fuerteventura by RCA Records executive Leon Deane who saw them dancing flamenco and singing traditional songs for tourists ; he subsequently signed them to the label . In 1999 a new version was recorded featuring Michael Universal rapping new verses while Baccara sang the chorus . It was entitled Yes Sir I Can Boogie '99 . [ better source needed ]
Céline Marie Claudette Dion CC OQ ( /seɪˌliːn diˈɒn/ , also UK : /- ˈdiːɒn/ , French : [ selin maʁi klodɛt djɔ̃ ] , Quebec French : [ - d͡zjɔ̃ ] ; born 30 March 1968 ) is a Canadian singer . Born into a large family from Charlemagne , Quebec , she emerged as a teen star in her homeland with a series of French-language albums during the 1980s . She first gained international recognition by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest , where she represented Switzerland . After learning to speak English , she signed on to Epic Records in the United States . In 1990 , Dion released her debut English-language album , Unison , establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world . During the 1990s , she achieved worldwide fame after releasing several best-selling English albums , such as Falling into You ( 1996 ) and Let 's Talk About Love ( 1997 ) , which were both certified diamond in the US . She also scored a series of international number-one hits , including The Power of Love , Think Twice , Because You Loved Me , It 's All Coming Back to Me Now , My Heart Will Go On , and I 'm Your Angel . Dion continued releasing French albums between each English record ; D'eux ( 1995 ) became the best-selling French-language album of all time , while S'il suffisait d'aimer ( 1998 ) , Sans attendre ( 2012 ) , and Encore un soir ( 2016 ) , were all certified diamond in France . During the 2000s , she built her reputation as a highly successful live performer with A New Day . in Las Vegas Strip ( 2003-07 ) , which remains the highest-grossing concert residency of all time , as well as the Taking Chances World Tour ( 2008-09 ) , one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time . Dion 's music has been influenced by genres ranging from rock and R & B to gospel and classical . Her recordings are mainly in French and English , although she also sings in Spanish , Italian , German , Latin , Japanese , and Mandarin Chinese .
My Heart Will Go On is a song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion . It serves as the main theme song to James Cameron 's blockbuster film Titanic , which itself based on an account of the transatlantic passenger liner of the same name which sank in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean . The song 's music was composed by James Horner , its lyrics were written by Will Jennings , while the production was handled by Walter Afanasieff , Horner and Simon Franglen . Released as a single from Dion 's fifth English-language studio album , Let 's Talk About Love ( 1997 ) , and the film 's soundtrack , the love power ballad became an international hit , reaching number one in over 20 countries , including Australia , Austria , Belgium , Canada , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Ireland , Italy , the Netherlands , Norway , Scotland , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , the United Kingdom , and the United States . My Heart Will Go On is considered to be Dion 's signature song . With worldwide sales estimated at 18 million copies , it is one of the best-selling singles of all time and became the second-best-selling single by a female artist in history . It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts . The music video was directed by Bille Woodruff and released at the end of 1997 . Dion performed the song to honor the 20th anniversary of the film at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards on May 21 , 2017 .
Mariah Carey ( born March 27 , 1969 or 1970 ) is an American singer , songwriter , record producer , actress and entrepreneur . Referred to as the Songbird Supreme by the Guinness World Records , she is noted for her five-octave vocal range , melismatic singing style , signature use of the whistle register , and songwriting prowess . She rose to fame in 1990 after signing to Columbia Records and releasing her eponymous debut album , which topped the U.S . Billboard 200 for eleven consecutive weeks . Soon after , Carey became the only artist ever to have their first five singles reach number one on the U.S . Billboard Hot 100 chart , from Vision of Love to Emotions . Carey achieved worldwide success with follow-up R & B and pop albums Music Box ( 1993 ) , Merry Christmas ( 1994 ) , and Daydream ( 1995 ) . These albums spawned some of Carey 's most successful singles , including Hero , Without You , All I Want for Christmas Is You , Fantasy , Always Be My Baby , as well as One Sweet Day , which later became Billboard 's Song Of The Decade ( 1990s ) . After separating from Mottola , Carey adopted a new image and incorporated more elements of hip hop into her music with the release of Butterfly ( 1997 ) . Billboard named her the country 's most successful artist of the 1990s , while the World Music Awards honored her as the world 's best-selling recording artist of the 1990s , and the best-selling female artist of the millennium . After eleven consecutive years charting a U.S. number-one single , Carey parted ways with Columbia in 2000 and signed a $ 100 million recording contract with Virgin Records . However , following her highly publicized physical and emotional breakdown , as well as the critical and commercial failure of her film Glitter ( 2001 ) and its accompanying soundtrack , her contract was bought out for $ 50 million by Virgin and she signed with Island Records the next year .
All I Want for Christmas Is You is a Christmas song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey . She co-wrote and co-produced it with Walter Afanasieff for her fourth studio album and first holiday album , Merry Christmas ( 1994 ) . Columbia Records released it as the lead single from the album on October 29 , 1994 . The track is an uptempo love song that includes bell chimes , heavy back-up vocals , and synthesizers . Upon release , All I Want for Christmas Is You has been critically acclaimed , with The New Yorker calling it one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon . The song remains Carey 's biggest international success , reaching number one in numerous countries , including Australia , Canada , France , Germany , and the United States . In 2019 , the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time , 25 years after its original release , thus breaking several records , including the longest trip to number one . With an estimated sales of over 16 million copies , it remains the best selling Christmas single by a female artist and one of the best-selling singles of all time . As of 2017 , the song was reported to have earned $ 60 million in royalties . Two music videos were originally commissioned for the song . The primary video features grainy home-movie-style footage of Carey , her dogs and family during the holiday season , as well as Carey dressed in a Santa suit frolicking on a snowy mountainside . Carey 's then-husband Tommy Mottola makes a cameo appearance as Santa Claus , bringing Carey a gift and leaving on a red sleigh .
Bryan Guy Adams OC OBC ( born 5 November 1959 ) is a Canadian singer , songwriter , record producer , guitarist , photographer , philanthropist , and activist . He rose to fame in Canada and the United States with his 1983 album Cuts Like a Knife and turned into a global star with his 1984 album Reckless , which produced some of his best known songs , including Run to You , Summer of '69 , and his first number one , Heaven . In 1991 , he released the album Waking Up the Neighbours , which included the song ( Everything I Do ) I Do It for You . The song became a worldwide hit and reached number 1 in many countries , including a new record of 16 consecutive weeks in the United Kingdom . Adams also had the U.S . Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Please Forgive Me , All for Love and Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman ? For his contributions to music , Adams has garnered many awards and nominations , including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations and 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992 . He has also won MTV , ASCAP , American Music awards , three Ivor Novello Awards for song composition , and has been nominated five times for Golden Globe Awards and three times for Academy Awards for his songwriting for films . Adams was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia for contributions to popular music and philanthropic work via his own foundation , which helps improve education for people around the world . Adams was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2011 and Canada 's Walk of Fame , Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame in 1998 , and in April 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Canada 's Juno Awards . In 2008 , Adams was ranked 38th on the list of all-time top artists in the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts . On 13 January 2010 , he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for his part in numerous charitable concerts and campaigns during his career , and on 1 May 2010 was given the Governor General 's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts .
( Everything I Do ) I Do It for You is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams . Written by Adams , Michael Kamen and Robert John Mutt Lange , it featured on two albums simultaneously on its release : the soundtrack album from the 1991 film Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves and on Adams ' sixth album , Waking Up the Neighbours ( 1991 ) . The song was an enormous chart success internationally , reaching the number-one position on the music charts of at least sixteen countries . It was particularly successful in the United Kingdom , where it spent sixteen consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart ( the longest run of its kind in British chart history ) . It went on to sell more than 15 million copies worldwide , making it Adams ' most successful song , and one of the best-selling singles of all time . The single sold over 4 million units in the US , the 4th highest selling song of the Soundscan era which started in 1991 . The song has been covered by hundreds of singers and artists around the world .
John Joseph Travolta ( born February 18 , 1954 ) is an American actor , singer and dancer . Travolta rose to fame during the 1970s , appearing on the television series Welcome Back , Kotter ( 1975-1979 ) and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever ( 1977 ) and Grease ( 1978 ) . His acting career declined through the 1980s , but enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s with his role in Pulp Fiction ( 1994 ) , and he has since starred in films such as Get Shorty ( 1995 ) , Broken Arrow ( 1996 ) , Face/Off ( 1997 ) , Swordfish ( 2001 ) , Be Cool ( 2005 ) , Wild Hogs ( 2007 ) , Hairspray ( 2007 ) , Bolt ( 2008 ) , and The Taking of Pelham 123 ( 2009 ) . Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for performances in Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction . He won his first and only Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for his performance in Get Shorty and has received a total of six nominations , the most recent being in 2011 . In 2010 , he received the IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema . In 2016 , Travolta received his first Primetime Emmy Award , as a producer of the first season of the anthology series American Crime Story , subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson . He also received an additional Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of lawyer Robert Shapiro in the series .
Dame Olivia Newton-John , AC , DBE ( born 26 September 1948 ) is an English-born Australian singer , songwriter , actress , dancer , entrepreneur and activist . She is a four-time Grammy Award winner who has amassed five number-one and ten other top-ten Billboard Hot 100 singles , and two number-one Billboard 200 albums . Eleven of her singles ( including two Platinum ) and 14 of her albums ( including two Platinum and four 2x Platinum ) have been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) . She has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide , making her one of the world 's best-selling artists of all time . She starred in the 1978 musical film Grease and its soundtrack is one of the most successful in history , with the single You 're the One That I Want , with co-star John Travolta , one of the best-selling singles of all time . Newton-John has been a long-time activist for environmental and animal rights issues . She has been an advocate for health awareness , becoming involved with various charities , health products and fundraising efforts . Her business interests have included launching several product lines for Koala Blue and co-owning the Gaia Retreat & Spa in Australia . Newton-John has been married twice . She is the mother of one daughter , Chloe Lattanzi , with her first husband , actor Matt Lattanzi . She married John Easterling in 2008 .
You 're the One That I Want is a song performed by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical Grease . It was written and produced by John Farrar . You 're the One That I Want is one of the best-selling singles in history , having sold over 6 million copies in the United States , the United Kingdom , and France alone , with estimates of more than 15 million copies sold overall .
Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker . Since the band 's inception , its musical style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal . The lineup from 1978 to 1992 was the most successful incarnation of the group , and included Klaus Meine ( vocals ) , Rudolf Schenker ( rhythm guitar ) , Matthias Jabs ( lead guitar ) , Francis Buchholz ( bass ) , and Herman Rarebell ( drums ) . The band 's only continuous member has been Schenker , although Meine has appeared on all of Scorpions ' studio albums , while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1979 , and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016 respectively . During the mid-1970s , with guitarist Uli Jon Roth part of the line-up , the music of the Scorpions was defined as hard rock . After the departure of Roth in 1978 and short-lived reunion with Schenker 's brother Michael , Matthias Jabs joined and , following the guidance of producer Dieter Dierks , the Scorpions changed their sound towards hard rock/heavy metal , mixed with rock power ballads . Throughout the 1980s the group received positive reviews and critical acclaim from music critics , and experienced commercial success with the albums Animal Magnetism ( 1980 ) , Blackout ( 1982 ) , Love at First Sting ( 1984 ) , the live recording World Wide Live ( 1985 ) , Savage Amusement ( 1988 ) and Best of Rockers ' n ' Ballads ( 1989 ) , which is their best-selling compilation album . Scorpions ' eleventh studio album Crazy World ( 1990 ) was also well-received , and included the song Wind of Change , a symbolic anthem of the political changes in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the fall of the Berlin Wall . It is one of the best-selling singles in the world with over fourteen million copies sold . Scorpions have sold over 110 million records in total . They have released 18 studio albums , 27 compilation albums and 74 singles . Six of their singles have reached number one on the charts in different countries .
Wind of Change is a power ballad by the German rock band Scorpions , recorded for their eleventh studio album , Crazy World ( 1990 ) . The song was composed and written by the band 's lead singer Klaus Meine and produced by Keith Olsen and the band . The lyrics were composed by Meine during the band 's visit to the USSR at the height of perestroika , when the enmity between the communist and capitalist blocs subsided concurrently with the promulgation of large-scale socioeconomic reforms in the USSR . It was released as the album 's third single in January 1991 and became a worldwide hit , just after the failed coup that would eventually lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union . The song topped the charts in Germany and across Europe and peaked at number four in the United States on August 31 , 1991 and number two in the United Kingdom . It later appeared on the band 's 1995 live album Live Bites , their 2000 album with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra , Moment of Glory , and on their 2001 unplugged album Acoustica . The band also recorded a Russian-language version of the song , under the title Ветер перемен ( Veter Peremen ) and a Spanish version called Vientos de Cambio . With estimated sales of 14 million copies sold worldwide , Wind of Change is one of the best-selling singles of all time . It holds the record for the best-selling single by a German artist . The band presented a gold record and $ 70,000 of royalties from the single to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991 .