Harry Styles - As It Was video screenshot | Columbia
The RIAA’s mid-year report featured a rather sobering statistic: only thirteen songs released in 2022 have formally received a certification. Eleven received gold honors, indicative of 500,000 units, while Future’s “Wait For U (featuring Drake & Tems)” crossed the platinum threshold in honor of its 1 million sales and streaming units.
That leaves only one song — Harry Styles’ “As It Was” to reach coveted multi-platinum territory.
Undoubtedly the biggest song of the year thus far, the lead “Harry’s House” single attained double-platinum status (2 million units) on June 14.
When reviewing the RIAA data, it is important to remember that US certifications are not automatic — labels/teams/artists have to apply for their honors. There are undoubtedly songs that have surpassed the 500K unit mark but not yet received the formal RIAA plaque.
Still, no song released this year has made the commercial impact that “As It Was” has.