A Musical History
From the standards of Jerome Kern to the sixties pop of the Beach Boys and heartfelt soul of Otis Redding; from the folk rock of the Mamas & the Papas to singer-songwriter Paul Simon; from the classic rock and pop of Elton John, Neil Diamond and Billy Joel to the alternative rock of R.E.M. and Pearl Jam; from the new wave of The Cars and INXS to the urban pop of Mariah Carey and Justin Timberlake; from the hip-hop of 2Pac and Eminem to the dance pop of Justin Bieber. Universal Music Publishing Group's iconic songs represent the soundtrack to our lives.
Scroll through and click to either watch the video or play a song clip.
1933
Nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith popularized this Blues standard written by Wesley Wilson.
Bessie Smith - Gimme a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer
1936
Fred Astaire had the first hit version, a number one, of this co-written Jerome Kern 'Great American Songbook' standard.
1941
The Andrews Sisters were one of the most popular artists of the 1940's. Don Raye co-wrote this hit for the group which went on to become one of greatest songs of the 20th century.
1944
1958
The most famous version of the classic written Jerome Kern song came from American doo-wop group the Platters, and was a number one hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
1964
1965
1966
1967
Written by Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin's signature song, and one of the defining hits of the soul era has gone on to become a powerful statement anthem.
1967
1968
Recorded just a few days before passing in 1967, this was the first ever posthumous number one single to enter the UK and US charts, and went on to become the most successful release of his career.
1971
1972
Elton John and Bernie Taupin's atmospheric pop ballad, documenting the lonely life of an astronaut, appeared on Elton's fifth studio album 'Honky Château'.
1973
1974
1976
1977
One of the standout out songs from the film soundtrack that helped bring disco into the mainstream - helped along by John Travolta's legendary strut through the streets of New York for the 'Saturday Night Fever' opening credits.
1978
Written by Frederick Perren and Dino Fekaris this big hit of the Disco era has gone on to become an empowerment anthem.
1979
The Clash's powerful political anthem was a response to social problems in Britain at the end of the 1970s, and regarded by many as one of their finest pieces of work.
1983
Arguably one of the most memorable electronic introductions to any track, Annie Lennox and David Stewart's hit single continues to ignite dancefloors today.
1984
1985
1987
1991
1992
1992
1993
1996
1997
Recorded by Celine Dion, UMPG writer Will Jennings co-wrote this world wide hit that was the theme song to one of the biggest grossing films of all time, 'Titanic.'
2002
Built around an unforgettable piano riff, 'Clocks' won the band the prestigious 'Record of the Year' Grammy award.
2006
2010
2010
2011
2012
2013
2015
The debut single from Justin Bieber's fourth album was his first number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
2016
The second single from Ariana Grande’s critically acclaimed, Platinum-selling album ‘Dangerous Woman’ is a glorious slice of pop perfection.
2017
Steve Mac co-wrote and produced this global hit, which topped the charts in 60 countries worldwide - including 12 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
2018
The smooth grooves of double platinum hit “Love Lies” by Khalid & Normani topped Billboard’s Pop Songs airplay chart in September 2018. UMPG publish a share in the song via writer Charlie Handsome.