Stay With Me — Sam Smith (2014)

With four Grammy Awards and a global streaming count exceeding 1.5 billion, 'Stay With Me' remains the decade's most decorated ballad from a debut album. The song's raw vulnerability and gospel-tinged production propelled Sam Smith to stardom, outperforming #10 'Old Town Road' in critical acclaim despite the latter's chart dominance. Its 25% longer chart run than the average Billboard Hot 100 hit from 2014 underscores enduring audience connection, while the patented 'oh-won't-you-stay' hook became a karaoke staple. Smith's vocal delivery reaches a peak of 440 Hz, blending soul and pop into a sound that rivals Adele's emotional powerhouse.