British-Irish boy band The Wanted’s hit “Glad You Came” has joined the Spotify Billions Club. It’s the first time the quintet of Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, the late Tom Parker, and Nathan Sykes have surpassed the milestone.
First released in 2011, “Glad You Came” emerged as the second single off of The Wanted’s sophomore album, Battleground. It was written and produced by Steve Mac, and conceptualized as a summertime hit. “We all felt it was a new, refreshing sound and a perfect song for the summer which really gets you in the mood for a party,” Parker shared in a statement at the time.
The song debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart—it marked The Wanted’s second number one hit, following their debut single “All Time Low.” It remained at the top of the chart for five weeks straight, and today is certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It was also The Wanted’s first number one hit in Ireland.
“Glad You Came” broke through in the United States, in part, thanks to being covered in the third season finale of Ryan Murphy’s hit FOX TV show, Glee. After the episode aired, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 for four non-consecutive weeks—at the time, this made it the highest American chart entry by a British boy band in history, breaking a record Take That had held for nearly two decades.
Although The Wanted went on hiatus in 2014 shortly after filming the first season of an E! reality series, they reunited for a greatest hits album in 2021. The record, Most Wanted: The Hits, arrived alongside a large-scale concert, which the band held in support of Tom Parker. Parker died from brain cancer in 2022.
