What Is Linkin Park’s Biggest Hit?

What is Linkin Park‘s biggest hit? You think you know, but do you? When it comes down to it, the determination of Linkin Park’s biggest hit depends on what metric you use to define their biggest hit, and it does change depending on what you’re using. So let’s take a look at Linkin Park’s hit-filled career and see if we can determine what is the band’s “biggest hit.”

What Is Linkin Park’s Most Streamed Song on Spotify?

Streaming has become a major part of music’s popularity in the modern world, and Spotify has emerged as one of the top streaming services. So can we determine the band’s biggest hit by analyzing their streaming numbers? In this case, two of the band’s singles have eclipsed the one billion streams mark. Yes, that’s one billion!

“In the End” off the group’s Hybrid Theory debut album currently leads the pack with over 1.7 billion streams at press time, seemingly well on their way to to 2 billion streams. Not far behind is “Numb” from their sophomore set, Meteora, with over 1.4 billion streams.

Surprisingly, the third most streamed track is their mash-up of “Numb / Encore” with Jay-Z from the Collision Course album, which is closing in on 1 billion with just over 900 million streams. “What I’ve Done” currently ranks fourth in streams on Spotify, with over 700 million streams at press time, and their very first single, “One Step Closer,” rounds out the Top 5 at over 563 million streams.

What Is Linkin Park’s Top Selling Single?

So “In the End” is their biggest hit? Well, not so fast. Streams are just part of the equation. How about sales? For this we turn to the Recording Industry Association of America, who regularly certify sales figures for both albums and singles in the U.S.

And what is the biggest Linkin Park song in terms of sales? That honor goes to “What I’ve Done,” the lead single from their 2007 album, Minutes to Midnight. According to the RIAA, “What I’ve Done” has been certified as a six times platinum single. That, by far, is their biggest selling single, at least in terms of sales certifications.

What about “In the End” and “Numb”? Well, both songs have been certified four times platinum by the RIAA, along with “Bleed It Out” also off 2007’s Minutes to Midnight. That’s good enough for a three-way tie for second.

Other multi-platinum song certifications include “Burn It Down,” “New Divide” and “Numb/Encore,” each of which is three times platinum, and “Heavy” and “Shadow of the Day,” which are both double platinum. They also have six more platinum singles and six additional gold singles (500,000 sold).

What Is Linkin Park’s Biggest Radio Song?

So “In the End” and “What I’ve Done” can lay claim to being the band’s biggest hit, but what about radio play?

The Billboard charts are a good way to track the band’s radio successes. The band has had 12 No. 1 singles on the Modern Rock Tracks / Alternative Airplay chart since they first started charting back in 2000.

Of those, “What I’ve Done” took up residence in the No. 1 spot the longest, notching an amazing 15 weeks on top. That’s roughly 28 percent of the calendar year on top.

“Numb” and “New Divide” both spent 12 weeks atop the Alternative Airplay chart, while “Lost” and “Faint” had six week runs at No. 1.

So what about the Mainstream Rock chart? On that chart, you’ve got nine chart-toppers, led by “What I’ve Done,” “Lost” and “New Divide,” each of which spent eight weeks on top. “Numb,” “Breaking the Habit” and “Guilty All the Same” all spent three weeks at No. 1.

And as for crossover success, “In the End” gets the nod, as the song rose all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. “New Divide” and “What I’ve Done” are their other Top 10 singles, peaking at No. 6 and No. 7 respectively. “Numb” hit No. 11, “Shadow of the Day” No. 15 and both “Breaking the Habit” and “Numb / Encore” topped out at No. 20.

What Is Linkin Park’s Most Performed Song?

Simply put, one of the biggest indicators of a hit song is how often a band performs the track live. You’re always gonna play the biggest hits for the fans, right? So what is Linkin Park’s most performed song? Well, over the course of their history, according to Setlist.fm. two songs are tied for the most performed. They are “In the End” and “One Step Closer,” both off the band’s Hybrid Theory debut album.

“Papercut” and “Crawling,” also both off their debut album, are the third and fourth most performed songs. “Faint” is the fifth most performed song, and their first song not on their debut album. “Numb” and “What I’ve Done,” both which have figured prominently in this discussion, placed seventh and eighth on the list.

Should Awards Count in the Discussion?

Accolades can definitely play a part in trying to determine the biggest hit of a group, at least in the view of their peers and critics. The group has won two Grammy Awards, winning Best Hard Rock Performance for “Crawling” in 2002 and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Numb / Encore” in 2006.

They also had Grammy nominations for “Session” as the Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2004 and “What I’ve Done” for Best Hard Rock Performance from their Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes release in 2010.

“In the End,” “Somewhere I Belong,” “Breaking the Habit” and “Shadow of the Day” are all MTV Video Music Award winners as well.

READ MORE: Are Linkin Park Emo?

So What Is Linkin Park’s Biggest Hit?

While different songs can lay claim to different metrics, it appears as though “What I’ve Done” is the one most often at or near the top of these lists. The song’s resume reads as follows:

– Fourth most-streamed song on Spotify.

– Eighth most performed song live.

– Six times platinum single.

– 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart

– Nine weeks at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart

– No. 7 chart position on the Billboard Hot 100

– Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance

“In the End” and “Numb” both make a strong case, but “What I’ve Done” appears to have the most success across the variety of factors in trying to determine their biggest hit song.

Linkin Park, “What I’ve Done”