At the Summit of Streaming
SPOTIFY’S TOP 50 MOTOWN TRACKS
Evidently, Marvin and Tammi are still reaching new heights.
Their 1967 jewel, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – written by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, produced by Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol – is one of 1,000 tracks recently reported to have reached one billion streams on Spotify (1.8 billion, in their case).
That’s the world’s leading digital service provider (DSP) with a market share of more than 30 percent, so if competitors like Apple Music and Amazon Music have also been spinning that “Mountain” to anything like the same degree, it’s a remarkable result. In addition, the Gaye/Terrell classic is said to have accumulated more than 80 million YouTube views to date.
Motown at its peak: 1.8 billion streams
Two other Hitsville U.S.A. gems are in that rarified Spotify club: “My Girl” by the Temptations and “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, with streams of 1.2 billion and 1.1 billion, respectively. Of course, more contemporary recordings dominate the list, and with impressive numbers. Billie Eilish’s “Birds Of A Feather” is at 3.3 billion, for example, and “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars has now exceeded 3 billion.
A Hitsville alumni who also stands tall in the overall Spotify tally is Michael Jackson, whose post-Motown “Billie Jean” has racked up 2.4 billion streams to date. Also, Coolio’s “Gangster’s Paradise,” which riffs off Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise,” has generated 2.3 billion streams, while Wonder’s own “Superstition” may soon join the so-called Billions Club (it’s presently at more than 900 million).
And what other jewels continue to glisten around the world? West Grand Blog has been analysing publicly-available Spotify data to produce a tabulation of Motown’s top 50 digital tracks – that is, recordings originally released between January 1959, when the first Tamla 45 appeared, and June 1988, when Berry Gordy sold his record company.
But hold that curiosity for a few minutes more, to consider why “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” has in the 21st century outstreamed everything else ever released by Motown. Nick and Valerie’s song maintains a lasting lyrical appeal: many of the contestants in TV talent shows like American Idol perform it regularly, while it has also figured in the soundtracks of movies such as Guardians Of The Galaxy, Stepmom and Remember The Titans. And a touchstone for many during the early 2000s was Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own.” Not so much a sample of the original but an inspiration thereof, which led its producer, Salaam Remi, to add Ashford and Simpson as the song’s co-writers. Its streaming total to date? 546 million.
Still Temptin’ at 1.2 billion streams
Occasionally, there are new “Mountain” versions, such as one by Stephanie Mills earlier this year. And Motown’s proprietor, Universal Music Enterprises, released two remixes of Marvin and Tammi’s original this past May by Canadian producer Vandelux. That same month, the company had the Gaye/Terrell track certified by the Recording Industry Association of America as gold, platinum and multi-platinum.
Also in May, during New York’s annual Met Gala, a gospel choir sang “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” while greeting guests on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One of the invitees was Diana Ross – whose own take on “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” has so far been streamed 86.6 million times on Spotify.
Another powerful vehicle for the song has been advertising: specifically, its use in TV commercials for a variety of products, ranging from beer (Budweiser) to airlines (KLM) and more. Recently, a modern “Mountain” remix was used in a spot promoting Mercedes’ G-Class electric car, while in 2013, Chrysler used the song to advertise its 300C Motown edition, complete with an appearance by Berry Gordy.
Including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” this list of the most popular Motown streams to date draws on Spotify data up to December 5, 2025. The individual track totals have been rounded up to the nearest million. Stevie Wonder has the best result with seven titles in the top 50, while Marvin Gaye has six (including his Tammi duet) and so does Lionel Richie (his solo work, plus “Endless Love”). The Jackson 5 have five.
Ten acts have just one title apiece, including the Marvelettes, the Contours, Martha & the Vandellas, Mary Wells, Edwin Starr, Rockwell and DeBarge (all those hits reached the Top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100 back in the day). Also, the Miracles, the Spinners and the Isley Brothers, whose streams for “The Tracks Of My Tears,” “It’s A Shame” and “This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You),” respectively, may be surprising for their scale, given that none reached Billboard’s pop Top 10 during their original run.
Diana Ross, meanwhile, makes seven digital appearances: two solo, one duet and four with the Supremes. In the weeks ahead, her streams for “Upside Down” can be expected to climb because of the track’s use (as a coded radio transmission) in the first episode of the final series of Netflix sci-fi smash, Stranger Things, just released.
So here’s the countdown…
1. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (1.8 billion)
2. “My Girl,” The Temptations (1.2 billion)
3. “I Want You Back,” The Jackson 5 (1.1 billion)
4. “Superstition,” Stevie Wonder (932m)
5. “Easy,” The Commodores (792m)
6. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours),” Stevie Wonder (755m)
7. “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” The Four Tops (642m)
8. “I Just Called To Say I Love You,” Stevie Wonder (582m)
9. “You Can’t Hurry Love,” The Supremes (549m)
10. “All Night Long (All Night),” Lionel Richie (540m)
11. “Somebody’s Watching Me,” Rockwell (490m)
12. “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” Marvin Gaye (487m)
13. “For Once In My Life,” Stevie Wonder (455m)
14. “ABC,” The Jackson 5 (444m)
15. “Endless Love,” Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (436m)
16. “Super Freak,” Rick James (429m)
17. “Sir Duke,” Stevie Wonder (410m)
18. “Stuck On You,” Lionel Richie (382m)
19. “Say You, Say Me,” Lionel Richie (369m)
20. “Let’s Get It On,” Marvin Gaye (365m)
21. “I’m Coming Out,” Diana Ross (362m)
22. “What’s Going On,” Marvin Gaye (348m)
23. “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” The Jackson 5 (345m)
24. “Hello,” Lionel Richie (334m)
25. “Upside Down,” Diana Ross (269m)
26. “Baby Love,” The Supremes (260m)
27. “Part Time Lover,” Stevie Wonder (253m)
28. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” The Jackson 5 (243m)
29. “Dancing In The Street,” Martha & the Vandellas (232m)
30. “What Christmas Means To Me,” Stevie Wonder (231m)
31. “Dancing On The Ceiling,” Lionel Richie (227m)
32. “Please Mr. Postman,” The Marvelettes (220m)
33. “Do You Love Me,” The Contours (216m)
34. “Got To Give It Up (Pt. 1),” Marvin Gaye (206m)
35. “It’s A Shame,” The Spinners (197m)
36. “This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You),” The Isley Brothers (191m)
37. “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone,” The Temptations (186m)
38. “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology),” Marvin Gaye (185m)
39. “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” The Four Tops (182m)
40= “Brick House,” The Commodores (178m)
40= “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” The Temptations (178m)
42. “My Guy,” Mary Wells (177m)
43. “I’ll Be There,” The Jackson 5 (168m)
44. “Isn’t She Lovely,” Stevie Wonder (158m)
45. “The Tracks Of My Tears,” The Miracles (155m)
46. “Where Did Our Love Go,” The Supremes (153m)
47. “War,” Edwin Starr (147m)
48= “Stop! In The Name Of Love,” The Supremes (144m)
48= “Rhythm Of The Night,” DeBarge (144m)
50. “Give It To Me Baby,” Rick James (142m)
In conclusion, consider this context. Typically, according to a recent report by Forbes magazine, it takes a song almost nine years to rack up a billion Spotify streams. The current record for the fastest climb to one billion is held by the afore-mentioned Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, whose “Die With A Smile” ascended in 97 days.
By Forbes’ account, there are now more than 575 recording acts with one billion Spotify streams to their credit. The leader is The Weeknd, who has 28 such tracks, while another superstar of the digital era is Taylor Swift, with 18.
And Motown aside, a number of other R&B classics have their place in the “billionaires” hierarchy, including Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” (2.2 billion), Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” (1.6 billion), Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” (1.5 billion) and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” (1.3 billion).
Doubtless, more music makers will want to scale the heights reached by Marvin and Tammi – and beyond.
Music notes: this “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” playlist on Spotify (where else?) should aurally illuminate the various versions cited above, including Tammi Terrell’s original take, recorded in the first week of January 1967, before Marvin’s vocal was added. Also, Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own,” as inspired by Marvin & Tammi – and which even sought to replicate the tick-a-tick sound on the original, which was Johnny Bristol hitting an extra pair of drumsticks on the side of the tom-toms.
Thanks to Paul Williams and Harry Weinger for information and insights.