What is the most popular instrumental song ever recorded?

I would vote for Classical Gas

Just about everybody has covered it on every instrument.

Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White was number 1 for like 9 weeks.
For me, I prefer Soul Sacrifice by Santana.

Probably some Kenny-G song :-P

And Sandstorm by Darude.

I don’t know,but this is in my personal top 10. :))

Lucy, i might have known you would pick a blues number. morning to you!

Vivaldi – Four Seasons has to be the most famous I would think. I know, not many people would call it a song, but I think I can get away with calling it that this time.

My personal favorite is In the Hall of the Mountain King

EDIT: I know, the version I linked to has vocals, but some versions don’t.

The Star Wars theme is pretty popular (John Williams rules!).

@john65pennington Good morning,John! :)

There are actually whole albums devoted to the most popular ones. One lists these:

1. Unchained Melody
2. Lisbon Antigua
3. Exodus
4. Bonanza
5. Never on Sunday
6. Whispering
7. Twelfth Street Rag
8. Third Man Theme
9. Autumn Leaves
10. Portuguese Washerwoman (Les Lavandieres du Portugal)
11. Dragnet
12. Up a Lazy River
13. Peter Gunn Theme
14. Born Free
15. The Poor People of Paris (Jean’s Song)

I heard that Paul McCartney’s song “Yesterday” is the most recorded popular song in history and lots of versions are instrumental versions.

@Austinlad-A whole album dedicated to renditions of Autumn Leaves? That is a good thing!
Whoops! Misread that…ah welll….one can only dream…
Sarah Vaughan’s version is the best ;)

@lucillelucillelucille, a whole album devoted to Autumn Leaves! Now THAT is a very scary thought. Personally, I prefer Sinatra’s version, but I can certainly sit happily listening to SV’s.

IIRC, both “Exodus” and “Theme from a Summer Place” were #1 for 6 weeks in 1960.

This questions is far more involved than you could imagine. What does popular mean? In the classical music era it meant nothing, because music was not written for the general public. In the early years of the 20th century it meant sheet music sales. And sheet music often sold several million copies, even when the total population of the country was less than a million. During the big band era (which was mostly instrumental), live performances were what mattered. From the 1950s on, record sales measured popularity, but even that is changing now.

And are we talking about popularity in a flash, or over the years? In the 1950s, who would have thought that the records of John Coltrane would eventually outsell those of Patti Page and Connie Francis, but eventually they did. (A proof of God’s existence that Descartes didn’t know about.)

And speaking of individual songs, in instrumental music, jazz, classic pop,and several other forms, the “cover” song is the norm. In terms of number of performances and recordings by various artists puts songs like “White Christmas” “Stardust” “Body and Soul” and “Satin Doll” in a class of their own.

Weighing all of these factors together, the most popular instrumental song of recent history is probably “In The Mood,” not that it’s a particular favorite of mine. But if you talk to those who know music, the most significant instrumental recording of recent years (excluding classical music), is probably the album Kind of Blue, by Miles Davis.

mmm, the ones i can think of at the top of my head would be the banjo duel in ‘Deliverance’, and ’ moonlight serenade’ or ‘Albatross’ by Fleetwood Mac. Well they’re songs i’ve heard my whole life and I’m 30.