When Pharrell Williams wrote the worldwide hit Happy, he couldn’t have imagined that people would be using it to help wash their hands amid the coronavirus outbreak seven years later.

Now, the song Pharrell penned for the soundtrack of Despicable Me 2 has topped a list of the most played songs of the decade.

The earworm spent four non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK charts back in 2013 and went on to win a Grammy.

And it’s not Pharrell’s only appearance in the list compiled by music licensing company PPL.

The hat-loving US rapper also makes an appearance in fourth place, featuring on Daft Punk’s hit Get Lucky, along with Nile Rodgers.

Two British stars - both London-born - made the list, Adele with Rolling In The Deep making number two, and Mark Ronson with Uptown Funk, which featured Bruno Mars getting to number seven.

Adele was the only solo female to feature as a main artist rather than a featured artist in the top ten.

Showing the trend for tracks attached to big movies getting plenty of airtime, Justin Timberlake claimed fifth place with Can’t Stop The Feeling! which he wrote for the film Trolls.

Timberlake also performed in the 2016 animation, playing a troll called Branch, and served as the executive music producer for the movie.

Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5, featuring Christina Aguilera, took the third spot.

Black Eyed Peas, OneRepublic, Kings Of Leon and CeeLo Green also made the Top 10.

PPL and Listen compiled the list from UK music usage and airplay data supplied by its licensees, including radio stations and TV channels.

Chief executive at PPL Peter Leathem said: “The top 40 most played songs are the sounds that radio producers and broadcasters have consistently played throughout the last decade and will evoke many memories for all of us.”

-Sky News