“Die With A Smile” Goes From Scrap Heap To Sky High In 2025—The Daily Earworm
Sometimes, all it takes is a different set of eyes to figure out a problem. That was the case with Bruno Mars’ song “Die with a Smile.” He and co-writers James Fauntleroy and Dernst Emile II started the song and couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was missing. It ended up set aside for three years before Mars began working with Lady Gaga. Once he showed it to Gaga, the two finished the song that same day.
Whatever magic happened that day translated into chart and retail magic for the song. It went on to become one of the biggest international hits of 2025. Here is a look at the song’s meteoric rise in today’s Daily Earworm.
Dominating the Charts
After “the song” Die with a Smile” sat on a shelf for three years, Mars and Gaga could not have anticipated what happened after the song’s release in August of 2024. The song spent 51 weeks in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100, including a five-week stint at the top from January 11 into early February of 2025. The 51-week run was a chart record for a male-female duet.
The song wasn’t just big in the United States, though. It topped the charts in more than 30 countries and landed in the Top 10 in more than 20 more. In total, the song earned Top 10 spots on more than 80 charts worldwide, including four in the U.S. (Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, Pop Airplay, and Adult Pop Airplay). It also became one of the longest-reigning number-one songs in the Billboard Global 200 history, with eighteen weeks at the top.
Dominating the Streamers
“Die with a Smile” was huge on the streaming services. It was the longest-reigning daily #1 song in Spotify history, and the fastest track to surpass three billion streams on the platform. It set a record for the fastest song to reach one billion Spotify streams (96 days), and it was the most-streamed song of 2025 on Spotify. The YouTube video has been streamed just shy of 1.5 billion times in less than a year-and-a-half.
Dominating Retail
“Die with a Smile” cleaned up in the sales department, too. It has sold over 8 million copies in the U.S. alone. On top of receiving eight platinum certifications in the U.S., the single was certified platinum or better in 19 countries, including achieving 5x diamond status in Brazil and diamond status in France.
Collecting Awards
Needless to say, a song that successful was bound to win a few rewards. In all, “Die with a Smile” received 25 award nominations. It won 10 of those awards, including a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, American Music Awards for Favorite Music Video and Collaboration of the Year, and an iHeart Radio Music Award and an MTV Video Music Award for Best Collaboration, as well.
“Die with a Smile”: The Legacy
“Die with a Smile” was by far the runaway hit of 2025. The song dominated the charts, sold millions of copies and streams, and cashed in at awards shows. However, if Gaga had not come along, Mars may have never even finished the song. It just goes to show the magic that can happen when fate puts two supremely talented musicians in a room together.
The Daily Earworm is a daily column that tells the stories, from the historic to the lesser-known, of some of the music industry’s greatest songs, albums, and artists. Here are some other music tales that you may find interesting:
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