Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" named UK's most-played song of the 21st century

Credit: Simon LipmanSnow Patrol‘s 2006 hit single “Chasing Cars” is the most-played song on U.K. radio of the 21st century so far.

That’s according to the British music licensing company PPL, which presented Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody with an award in recognition of the song’s accomplishment during a ceremony in London Tuesday.

“It’s unbelievable,” Lightbody told the BBC of the honor. “I’m not sure how that happened.”

Speaking about the enduring love for “Chasing Cars,” Lightbody said, “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,” he added. “It’s a beautiful moment every time you play it.”

“Chasing Cars” peaked at number six on the U.K. Official Singles Chart, and stayed in top 75 on the tally for an impressive 94 weeks. It was already U.K. radio’s most-played song of the 21st century in 2009.

In the U.S., “Chasing Cars” reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Its popularity was in part boosted by its use in the season two finale of Grey’s Anatomy.