10 billion iTunes downloads

When Johnny Cash sang, "I don't like it but I guess things happen that way," he wasn't referring to music fans downloading songs instead of buying a 45 r.p.m. record (let alone a compact disc!) But time marches on and so does technology. And in just seven short years, Apple's iTunes has logged a staggering 10 billion downloads. And the 10-billionth tune to be downloaded: the Man in Black's 1958 pop-country smash, 'Guess Things Happen That Way.'

On Thursday (Feb. 25), 71-year-old Louie Sulcer, from Woodstock, Ga., received a call from Apple's Steve Jobs, informing him that he'd downloaded the milestone-marking tune, and earned himself $10,000 worth of free music. Jobs also surprised the retired grandfather of nine -- who was given an iPod Nano as a birthday gift last October -- by telling him Johnny's daughter, singer Rosanne Cash, was also on the line. CBS News reports Rosanne told an incredulous Sulcer, "We're so proud that the winning pick was one of my dad's songs."

Of the top 25 downloads at iTunes since the service launched in 2003, only one is a country song. Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' is the service's eighth most downloaded track of all time.

Coincidentally, Feb. 26 marked Johnny Cash's 78th birthday. Fans celebrated the occasion by wearing black.

Apple revealed that Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" is iTunes' all-time most-downloaded song, with "Boom Boom Pow" coming in at No. 3. Lady Gaga is the solo artist with the most songs in the top 25, with "Poker Face" (No. 2), "Just Dance" (No. 6) and "Bad Romance" (No. 22) all making the list. Other acts with tracks in the top 10 include Jason Mraz, Coldplay, Flo Rida, Taylor Swift, Leona Lewis and Ke$ha.

All of the top 25 tracks were released in the past five years (Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" is the newest) except for "Don't Stop Believin'" by classic rockers Journey, whose inclusion in popular TV shows "The Sopranos" and "Glee" helped the song reach No. 21 on the list.

Here's the Top 25 list of iTunes' most downloaded songs:

1. Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling"
2. Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
3. Black Eyed Peas, "Boom Boom Pow"
4. Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours"
5. Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
6. Lady Gaga, "Just Dance"
7. Flo Rida, "Low"
8. Taylor Swift, "Love Story"
9. Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"
10. Ke$ha, "Tick Tock"
11. Rihanna, "Disturbia"
12. P!nk, "So What"
13. Katy Perry "I Kissed a Girl"
14. Beyonce, "Single Ladies"
15. Katy Perry, "Hot N Cold"
16. Kanye West, "Stronger"
17. T.I. feat. Rihanna, "Live Your Life"
18. Plain White T's, "Hey There Delilah"
19. Flo Rida, "Right Round"
20. Miley Cyrus, "Party in the U.S.A."
21. Journey, "Don't Stop Believin'"
22. Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
23. Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody"
24. Owl City, "Fireflies"
25. The Fray, "How to Save a Life"

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