Daily Smart Fact #30: Science! Top 10 Catchiest Songs of All Time

Badass mofos and arguably the best band of all time.

Takeaway: “Science” (I don’t know why that’s in quotation marks, just seems right) has identified the top 10 catchiest songs based on 4 guiding principles: 1) They contained long and detailed musical phrases; 2) The chorus (or hook) had several pitch changes; 3) The singers were male (pfft); and 4) There was a noticeable higher male vocal level.  Shockingly enough, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, and Robin Thicke are not mentioned in this list.

I’ve been driving myself and my husband crazy the past couple of days because I have been humming Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” non-stop. This earworm has been consistently in my brain, “hey hey hey”, driving me batty.  Which made me think…why is this song so catchy?  What makes any song so catchy, and more importantly, how do we replicate this for my next successful career in pop rock?  Well, look no longer…appears I just need to be a man, with a high singing voice.

Scientists in London have spent the hard-earned money of British citizens to pinpoint the formula for a catchy song.  According to this study, “We’ve discovered that there’s a science behind the sing-along and a special combination of neuroscience, maths and cognitive psychology can produce the elusive elixir of the perfect sing-along song.”  Aside from the 4 main elements listed in the Takeaway, repetition is clearly a must-have to create an earworm.

Before we get to these 10 songs, I dare you – nay, double dare you – to not get at least 1 of these songs playing in your brain as you read the list.  (Numbers 10, 9, 8, 3, 2, and 1 all got me).

Drum Roll please….

10. “We Are the Champions,” by Queen

9. “Y.M.C.A.,” by The Village People

8. “Fat Lip,” by Sum 41

7. “The Final Countdown,” by Europe

6. “Monster,” by The Automatic

5. “Ruby,” by The Kaiser Chiefs

4. “I’m Always Here,” by Jimi Jamison

3. “Brown Eyed Girl,” by Van Morrison

2. “Teenage Dirtbag,” by Wheatus

1. “Livin’ on a Prayer,” by Bon Jovi

And for your enjoyment, so I can pass my insanity to you…Blurred Lines: