If we’d had to guess the most-played song of the 21st century on UK radio, we’d probably go with one of the singles released by Adele or Ed Sheeran, but this title surprisingly belongs to Snow Patrol’s signature ballad “Chasing Cars”.
This track came out in 2006, and it was one of the singles featured on the band’s fourth studio album Eyes Open. Despite its enormous success, it never made it to no. 1 on any of the charts in the UK, and it was only the 14th best-selling single of the year in this country.
The song experienced a spike in popularity after being featured in several movies and beloved TV shows Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill. Its success still came as a surprise to many people – including band’s lead singer Gary Lightbody, who discussed the new record with BBC and tried to explain the universal appeal of “Chasing Cars”.
“It’s an emotionally open song and it’s a simple song. But it’s also unabashedly a love song, and we don’t really have any others. The way it unifies an audience is the thing I most cherish about it. It’s a beautiful moment every time you play it,” said Lightbody.
