Top 20 YouTube Videos With Over A BILLION Views

#20: “Girls Like You”

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Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B Maroon 5 have plenty of hits to their name, and one of their biggest is this single, featuring Cardi B. The chart-topping “Girls Like You” made waves not only on the radio but also on YouTube, with its music video getting three billion views and counting. The video is simple but technically impressive, with the camera spinning 360 degrees around frontman Adam Levine and a variety of female companions, including Camila Cabello, Sarah Silverman, Tiffany Haddish, Jennifer Lopez, Ilhan Omar, and Levine's actual wife and daughter. And of course, we can't forget Cardi B's always-energetic verses. Much like Levine in this song, it seems fans “need more hours” with “Girls Like You.”

Alan Walker In your feelings but still want to dance? Put on the video for this song, which mixes irresistible EDM beats with heartbroken vocals. Producer Alan Walker and singer Iselin Solheim's single became an international sensation, as did its video. It's not the most glamorous of videos, depicting a man in a hoodie trying to make his way home through a desolate landscape. But it might be that lack of gimmicks is exactly what draws so many people to this video. If you’re ever looking to escape and find yourself again, put this on and see where it takes you.

#18: “Thinking Out Loud”

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Ed Sheeran Plenty of couples like to go out dancing, but most of them don’t have half as much style as this. In the music video for his ode to love “Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran and “So You Think You Can Dance” contestant Brittany Cherry perform a routine of dips, twists, and twirls. The selective use of spotlights makes things even more intimate, especially when they form a heart shape in the middle of the Crystal Ballroom at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. How many Sheeran fans do you think tried to recreate this video, maybe for their own wedding?

Cocomelon There’s a great song all about the ins and outs of public transportation. You might know it. It’s called “Wheels on the Bus.” The classic children’s song dates back to the 1930s and is still doing great, as evidenced by the more than three billion views on this animated music video, posted by Cocomelon. It’s “Wheels on the Bus” as you remember it, except we don’t know of any bus that allows humans, cats, pigs, elephants, and monkeys on it. While it might not be topping any charts, the success of this video shows how timeless a song can truly be.

OneRepublic This video is significant, as it was the first music video by a band to pass one billion views. The “Counting Stars” video now has more than three billion views since it was first posted in 2013. Beyond being an endlessly catchy song, mixing folk, pop, and R&B, the video is also consistently engaging. Where else have you seen flickering lights, faith healers, and an alligator all find their way into the same music video? It’s a video you want to watch multiple times, not only so you can hear the song again, but also so you can catch things you missed the first time.

Katy Perry Before she was an Egyptian goddess, Katy Perry joined the animals for a music video that was hard to forget. Perry goes from lost adventurer to Jane of the jungle after a plane crash leaves her stranded and surrounded by wild beasts. While the intentionally low-budget look and song-stopping moments would sink most videos, Perry’s catchy tune made the cheese factor thoroughly enjoyable. Crafting her own tools and creature comforts with jungle resources, Perry soon becomes the queen of the wild, complete with a leopard print outfit and over 3.5 billion views.

#14: “Sorry”

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Justin Bieber In the mid-2010, Justin Bieber had a lot to apologize for. So, it’s only fitting he mounted a comeback with a song called “Sorry.” The dancehall-inspired single was another number one hit and earned Bieber praise for his growth as an artist. The lyrics might be melancholy, but the song's video is vibrant, with plenty of energetic choreography and colorful outfits from the various dancers. Bieber doesn’t physically appear in the video, but his powerful vocals make his presence known. And the production from Skrillex and BloodPop keeps the energy going. Rarely has apologizing sounded so good.

#13: “Sugar”

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Maroon 5 While this Maroon 5 song just missed the number-one spot in the U.S., its video has become a sensation. At the start, the band walks out of a building in tuxedos, and Adam Levine announces they’re going to make their way to every wedding in Los Angeles they can. From there, the band is cruising in convertibles and interrupting ceremonies with their disco-inspired song, much to the shock and delight of the wedding guests. Appropriately, this video was directed by David Dobkin, who also made “Wedding Crashers.” Talk about making an already unforgettable day even more memorable.

El Chombo feat. Cutty Ranks One of the biggest beneficiaries of the reggaeton boom has been a song that was first released in 1997. The updated “Dame Tu Cosita,” featuring dancehall artist Cutty Ranks, became a massive hit in 2018. How do you explain the song's success? Well, there's the driving percussion, the numerous vocal stylings, and the video. An animated green alien dances to this song, and that's pretty much it. That might sound underwhelming, but these are some pretty great moves. If there is life on other planets, we hope it’s just as lively as this creature is.

ChuChu TV Teaching a kid how to read? You might want to try this video from ChuChu TV, which has been viewed more than four billion times. It goes through all 26 letters of the alphabet, with two examples of words starting with each letter, such as A for apple and ant. The only exception is X, where they opt instead for words ending with that fairly rare consonant. With its fun animation and catchy melody, we can see why this has become such a popular phonics teaching tool. And we’re not gonna lie - that beat is kinda great.

#10: “Gangnam Style”

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Psy Who would’ve ever thought South Korea would produce the most watched video in the world? Psy’s unlikely mega hit is still one of the most watched videos on YouTube. Whether it was the dance craze it inspired, the bizarre sauna shots or the elevator scene to end all elevator scenes, something about this strange video made it a hit with viewers of all ages and languages. The video’s endless quirks helped it spread as the must-see crazy video of 2012, becoming one of the greatest viral successes in Internet history.

Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars This throwback to the eighties was definitely in fashion when it took the Internet in by storm in 2014. With a seemingly endless repertoire of cool dance moves, Mars brought swagger and style aplenty to this track. Ronson watched over like the master producer he is, trusting Mars and his crew to bring the song to life. The appropriately kitschy editing and the way Mars rarely turns away from the camera despite his insane moves makes this one to watch over and over again.

#8: “Recipe for Disaster”

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“Masha and The Bear” Most episodes of the Russian animated TV series “Masha and the Bear” have view counts in the hundreds of millions, but this particular tale is among the most watched videos ever. In the episode, an exasperated Bear, tired of being interrupted by Masha, leaves her and a rabbit unsupervised in the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, things get out of hand. Masha makes porridge, or oatmeal, that begins to overflow uncontrollably. It’s an absurd, yet fun and innocent premise that one can’t help but get sucked into. It has clearly resonated not just with Russians, but also with people around the world.

Miroshka TV It’s important for kids to learn colors, but we didn’t learn them quite like this. In this video from Russian channel Miroshka TV, some anthropomorphic eggs have their insides filled with different colored paint, all while “Old MacDonald” plays. It takes some pretty weird turns, including one moment where six eggs smash themselves, only to form one giant egg. Some have called this video “creepy,” and we have to agree, based on the smiling faces of these eggs alone. However, if that’s what it takes for kids to know their reds from their yellows, then we need to make like an egg and roll with it.

#6: “Bath Song”

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Cocomelon This is another Cocomelon animated music video and something we can hopefully all agree on - the importance of good hygiene. "Bath Song" is a tribute to the fun of the bathtub, sung to the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," along with some "Baby Shark." The two kids in this video are getting the whole bath experience, from scrubbing, to rinsing, to washing hair and playing with a variety of bath toys. However, we do question the lack of parental supervision. Not all kids love bathtime, but they’ll hopefully appreciate it more thanks to this song.

#5: “See You Again”

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Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth Maybe it’s the music, the cars, or the tragic loss of an actor much too soon. Whatever the reason, this video connected with fans. The shooting for this song is fairly simple compared to most modern video hits - Khalifa raps cliff-side and in dark locations, while Puth plays his piano surrounded by muscle cars. Superficially, it might initially look like just another musical advertisement for the Fast & the Furious, but, with its mixture of sentimental lyrics and footage from the film, the video serves as a very touching tribute to the late Paul Walker.

#4: “Shape of You”

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Ed Sheeran Once you hear that marimba at the beginning, you can’t get it out of your head. The video for the dancehall-inspired "Shape of You" was filmed in Seattle and finds Ed Sheeran engaging in different kinds of physical activity: boxing and sumo wrestling. He catches the eye of a fellow boxer, played by model and dancer Jennie Pegouskie, and the sparks are soon flying. In less than 100 days, the video passed one billion views, and it didn't stop there. We also get to see many sides of Sheeran, including shirtless and in a sumo suit.

LooLooKids Do you enjoy songs that are full of drama? Then you probably love this nursery rhyme, about a youngster who’s caught eating sugar by his father and denies it. The melody is the same as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and it’s probably stuck in billions of parents’ heads right now. This video, from channel LooLooKids, has been viewed more than six billion times. It’s less than two minutes long, and we imagine some young fans like to watch it 10 times in a row, at least. Mostly, we can’t get over how Johny, who looks to be a year old, skateboards into the kitchen and just starts eating sugar cubes. Maybe Papa needs a lesson in childcare?

Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee If you own an Alexa, you may have asked her to play this reggaeton smash, first for the meme and second because it’s just an awesome song. “Despacito” took the world by storm in 2017 and its influence has only grown stronger. The music video is a wonderful celebration of culture and community. Filmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, it shows the stunning coast, the people who live in the area, and the hobbies they enjoy, such as playing dominos and making music. To watch the "Despacito" video is to learn more about the world around you. No matter what language you speak, the power of this song is universal.

#1: “Baby Shark Dance”

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Pinkfong The current world population is estimated to be 7.9 billion people. The current view count for “Baby Shark” is approximately 10 billion. In other words, on average, everyone in the world has watched the “Baby Shark” video at least once. We know that’s not true, but it’s still absolutely incredible how massive this song has become. Posted by South Korean channel Pinkfong in 2016, "Baby Shark Dance" became YouTube's number one video in 2020. How did it get so big? Is it the dance, the incessantly catchy melody, or do people just love sharks more than we realized? Either way, it's "Baby Shark's" world now, and we're just swimming in it.