If you were to rank the most popular act at the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony based on whose music had the biggest increase in sales after being featured at the event, then "X Factor" U.K. boy band One Direction is No. 1 on the list.
As previously reported, One Direction was among several acts that performed at the all-star event, which took place on August 12 at the Olympic Stadium in London. At the closing ceremony, One Direction performed "What Makes You Beautiful," the group's first single.
Before the event was televised in all 50 states in the United States, "What Makes You Beautiful" was No. 30 on the iTunes (U.S.) Top 100 Songs chart. After the event was televised in all 50 states, "What Makes You Beautiful" jumped from No. 30 to No. 18.
Other artists whose songs that were featured at the event also got a boost in sales, but not as big of an increase as One Direction got.
Several artists' hit singles re-entered the iTunes (U.S.) Top 100 Songs chart after they were performed and/or played at the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.*
They include:
* Taio Cruz's 2010 hit "Dynamite," performed at the Olympics event by Cruz. The song re-entered the iTunes chart at # 30 after the event.
* Oasis' 2005 hit "Wonderwall," performed at the Olympics event by former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and his new band Beady Eye. The song, originally released in 1995, re-entered the iTunes chart at No. 30 after the event.
* The Spice Girls' 1996/1997 hit "Wannabe," performed at the Olympics event by the Spice Girls. The song re-entered the iTunes chart at No. 61 after the event.
* Pink Floyd's 1975 hit "Wish You Were Here," performed at the Olympics event by the Ed Sheeran, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and other musicians. The song re-entered the iTunes chart at No. 69 after the event.
* John Lennon's 1970 hit "Imagine," played as an audio recording at the Olympics event in a tribute to Lennon. The song re-entered the iTunes chart at No. 76 after the event.
* The Spice Girls' 1997 hit "Spice Up Your Life," performed at the Olympics by the Spice Girls. The song re-entered the iTunes chart at No. 94 after the event.
For many of these artists (including One Direction), performing at the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony was their biggest audience ever: At least 80,000 saw the event in person at the Olympic Stadium, while more than 1 billion people worldwide watched the event on TV or on the Internet.
The Spice Girls' reunion performance at the event was the first time since 2008 that the group performed in concert. "The X Factor" Australia judge Melanie Brown is a member of the Spice Girls.
One Direction came in third place on "The X Factor" U.K. in 2010. The group has since become the biggest global act to emerge from "The X Factor" by having No. 1 hits and sold-out tours in several countries.
One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" has sold 3 million copies in the U.S. so far. It has been a Top 10 hit in several countries. In the United States, "What Makes You Beautiful" peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In less than a year since the release of One Direction's debut album, "Up All Night," One Direction has sold 12 million worldwide in singles, albums and DVDs, according to Sony Music.
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