Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars named most-played song of 21st Century

17 July 2019, 13:21 | Updated: 18 July 2019, 11:51

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Gary Lightbody and co's 2006 hit single, from their Eyes Open album, has been crowned the most-played song on UK radio for 20 years.

Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars has been revealed as the most played track of the 21st Century.

The Northern Irish and Scottish band's 2006 single - which was taken from their fourth studio album, Eyes Open - has been dubbed the most popular track on UK radio for over the last two decades.

Despite only peaking at number six in the UK charts, the track stayed in the charts for three years and has remained present in the pop culture ever since thanks to its appearance on popular US series Grey's Anatomy.

Gary Lightbody and co beat out stiff competition from two huge American acts to top the list - with Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling in second place and Pharrell Williams' Happy in third.

"It's very difficult to get your head around," the frontman told Radio X.

"14 years ago when we wrote it, there was no possible way that I thought it was going be this enduring and it's extraordinary that it's had this much radio play..."

Talking about why Chasing Cars appeals to audiences, he said: "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."

Watch Gary Lightbody answer his most Googled questions below:

It's not the first time Snow Patrol hit the headlines this month, after another Eyes Open track was featured in one of the most emotional episodes of this year's Love Island.

You Can Be Happy became a focal point of the reality dating show after it was covered by shoegaze dream-pop trio Wyldest and featured during Amy Hart's departure.

Listen to the cover below:

The heart-wrenching episode left Love Island fans in tears, after the 26-year-old took Curtis Pritchard aside and told him she would leave the villa so he could be happy.

Lightbody previously gave the emotional rendition his seal of approval, sharing it on Twitter earlier this month with the caption: "I absolutely love this. Thanks for covering it.gL.x"

Speaking about how it felt to feature on the memorable episode of Love Island, lead singer of Wyldest, Zoe Mead, told Radio X: "I didn't fathom just how much of a big deal it was until my phone kept me up all night buzzing with notifications following the show.

"The power of Love Island is real and I am very grateful to get the music out to a new set of people."

Meanwhile, Snow Patrol themselves are marking 25 years as a band with a new track, titled Time Won't Go Slowly - take a listen below.

Snow Patrol - Time Won’t Go Slowly (Official Audio)