The Museum of Science
and Industry in the United Kingdom conducted a study of catchy songs. The study
was based on how fast it took people to recognize the song once it started
playing. Participants were timed, and the clock stopped when they identified
the song title (Daily Life, 29 April 2016).
There is no clearly
identifiable artist with the most instantly recognizable songs in the top 20,
nor is there a clearly identifiable decade.
The winning song – the
most instantly recognizable song – took an average of 2.3 seconds to identify.
In the top 20 most
recognizable songs are two by Elvis Presley, two by Michael Jackson, and two by
Lady Gaga.
Nine of the top 20
most recognizable songs were performed by a group, seven were performed by a
male artist, and four were performed by a female artist.
In the top 20 most
recognizable songs are five from the 1970s, five from the 1980s, and five from
the 1990s, with three from the 1960s and two from the naughties (2000-2009).
The top 20 songs that
are instantly recognizable (counting down) are:
20. Candle in the Wind
by Elton John (1973)
19. Rivers of Babylon
by Boney M (1978)
18. Devil in Disguise
by Elvis Presley (1963)
17. Baby, One More
Time by Britney Spears (1998)
16. Kama Chameleon by
Culture Club (1983)
15. Billie Jean by
Michael Jackson (1982)
14. You Ain’t Seen
Nothin’ Yet by Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1974)
13. It’s Now or Never
by Elvis Presley (1960)
12. Mmmbop by Hanson
(1997)
11. Poker Face by Lady
Gaga (2008)
10. I Don’t Want to
Miss a Thing by Aerosmith (1997)
9. Don’t You Want Me by The Human League (1981)
8. I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
(1974)
7. Beat It by Michael Jackson (1983)
6. Oh, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison (1964)
5. SOS by ABBA (1975)
4. Just Dance by Lady Gaga (2008)
3. Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (1982)
2. Mambo No 5 by Lou Bega (1999)
1. Wannabe by The Spice Girls (1996).
MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:-
The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends
(2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan
Curse (2009).
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