According to
Guinness World Records, "
White Christmas" (1942) by
Bing Crosby is the best-selling
single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies. The song recognized as "the best-selling single of all time" was released before the
pop/
rock singles-chart era and "was listed as the world's best-selling single in the first-ever
Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955) and—remarkably—still retains the title more than 50 years later."
Guinness World Records states that double A-side charity single "
Candle in the Wind 1997"/"
Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (1997) by
Elton John, a tribute to the late
Diana, Princess of Wales, is "the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales of 33 million copies," making it the second-best-selling single of all time.