entertainment

[VIDEOS] According To Science, These Are The Top 20 Catchiest Songs Of All Time

Lady Gaga, Spice Girls, and the King of Pop Michael Jackson has been scientifically proven to have the most recognisable songs in the history of pop music.

Cover image via thespicegirlsblog.blogspot.com

Following a year-long online experiment, researchers from the University of Amsterdam have finally figured out 20 of the catchiest and most recognisable songs in the history of pop music

The researchers created an interactive site, Hooked on Music, to ask 12,000 people to listen to the 40 best-selling songs from each decade, beginning with the 1940s.

sbs.com.au

So, how did they decide the "catchy-ness" of each song? Well, that depends on how quickly user can identify a particular song snippet.

Image via madlab.org.uk

People who played the game were asked if they recognised a song, which was randomly selected from more than 1,000 clips of best-selling songs, dating from the 1940s until the present day.

bbc.com

According to recorded data, the average overall time it took to recognise a clip was 5 seconds. However, songs that made it to the Top 20 list were almost instantly recognisable, clocking in at an average of between 2 to 3 seconds.

bbc.com

The ability to recognise a particular song within seconds sounds like a pretty lame superpower to have, but to these researchers, it might be a stepping stone to a potential scientific breakthrough

Lead researcher Ashley Burgoyne hopes that the current bit of research will lead to a better understanding of how to use music as therapy for dementia patients.

nymag.com

Science has yet to figure out why some songs stick to our brains as they do, but in the meantime, let the countdown begin:

20. Elton John - Candle in the Wind: 3.04 seconds

19. Boney M - Rivers of Babylon: 3.03 seconds

18. Elvis Presley - (You're The) Devil in Disguise: 3.01 seconds

17. Britney Spears - Baby One More Time: 2.99 seconds

16. Culture Club - Karma Chameleon: 2.99 seconds

15. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean: 2.97 seconds

14. Bachman-Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet: 2.94 seconds

13. Elvis Presley - It's Now Or Never: 2.91 seconds

12. Hanson - MMMbop: 2.89 seconds

11. Lady Gaga - Poker Face: 2.88 seconds

10. Aerosmith - I Don't Want to Miss a Thing: 2.84 seconds

9. The Human League - Don't You Want Me: 2.83 seconds

8. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You: 2.83 seconds

7. Michael Jackson - Beat It: 2.80 seconds

6. Roy Orbison - Pretty Woman: 2.73 seconds

5. ABBA - SOS: 2.73 seconds

4. Lady Gaga - Just Dance: 2.66 seconds

3. Survivor - Eye of the Tiger: 2.62 seconds

2. Lou Bega - Mambo No 5: 2.48 seconds

1. Spice Girls - Wannabe: 2.29 seconds

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