10 years after 'Chasing Cars' being announced as the most played song of the '00s, Snow Patrol have widened their legacy, with the announcement that the song is still the most played song of the 21st Century in the UK.

Music licensing company PPL confirmed that the 2006 single is the most played song on UK radio and TV of the 21st century, 13 years after its release.

Speaking about this news, Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody told the BBC: "It’s unbelievable. I’m not sure how that happened."

He also admitted that he wrote the song in the space of a few hours on a “particularly good night”, along with nine other songs.

Explaining the song’s appeal, the Northern Irish singer told the BBC: "It’s an emotionally open song and it’s a simple song. But it’s also unabashedly a love song, and we don’t really have any others.

"The way it unifies an audience is the thing I most cherish about it. It’s a beautiful moment every time you play it."

'Chasing Cars' beat 'I Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas, released in 2009, into second place, while Pharrell Williams’ 'Happy', released just six years ago, placed third.

Despite its enduring appeal, 'Chasing Cars' never actually reached number one in the UK. It peaked at number six, but was the 14th biggest selling single of the year – and went on to be the 34th biggest selling single of 2007 as well.

This may have been helped by its usage in some of the most popular TV shows of the era, including Grey's Anatomy and One Tree Hill.

To mark the announcement, Gary Lightbody was presented with a special gong by music licensing company PPL, whose chief executive officer Peter Leather said: “Chasing Cars is a song that has become a popular anthem, securing huge success across radio, in public and especially TV, where its huge appeal has led to its use in many programmes and especially Grey’s Anatomy.”

Back in July, we had an extensive sit-down with Gary Lightbody, during which we talked about everything from the band's early days to their latest album, to Northern Ireland politics and the band's seminal Ward Park gig. Read the full text of what was a Hot Press cover story here.