Science has the definitive word on quite a lot of things, but given that it is so open to interpretation and taste, music is certainly not one of them.
Despite that, a computer scientist at the University of London has sought to apply a formula to what determines the greatest songs of all time and, in his highly scientific experiment, he’s come up with a definitive list of the top 50.
According to the Daily Mail, Dr Mick Grierson examined a whole host of songs that appeared in ‘greatest songs of all-time’ lists in newspapers, on music stations like VH1 and in iconic music publications such as Q, NME and Rolling Stone. Indie, Disco, Anthems and Rock, they're all in there.
Commissioned by car manufacturer Fiat, who wanted to identify a song they could use to promote the FIAT 500, he also used analytical software in an attempt to put a finger on what exactly made those tunes iconic.
That involved taking into account factors such as beats per minute, chord variety, lyrical content and eh, timbral variety and sonic variance before arriving at the list you can see below.
We're certainly not going to argue with number one.
Turns out science doesn’t have a bad taste in music after all.
The Top 50 most iconic songs of all time
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Imagine - John Lennon
One - U2
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
I Can't Get No Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols
Sweet Child O'Mine - Guns N' Roses
London Calling - The Clash
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
Hotel California - The Eagles
Your Song - Elton John
Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Live Forever - Oasis
I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
Life On Mars? - David Bowie
Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley
Over The Rainbow - Judy Garland
What's Goin' On - Marvin Gaye
Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Creep - Radiohead
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Family Affair - Sly And The Family Stone
Dancing Queen - ABBA
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
Yesterday - The Beatles
Jonny B Good - Chuck Berry
No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
Every Breath You Take - The Police
A Day In The Life - The Beatles
Stand By Me - Ben E King
Papa's Got A Brand New Bag - James Brown
Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones
What'd I Say - Ray Charles
Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - The Righteous Brothers
My Generation - The Who
Dancing In The Street - Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
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Despite that, a computer scientist at the University of London has sought to apply a formula to what determines the greatest songs of all time and, in his highly scientific experiment, he’s come up with a definitive list of the top 50.
According to the Daily Mail, Dr Mick Grierson examined a whole host of songs that appeared in ‘greatest songs of all-time’ lists in newspapers, on music stations like VH1 and in iconic music publications such as Q, NME and Rolling Stone. Indie, Disco, Anthems and Rock, they're all in there.
Commissioned by car manufacturer Fiat, who wanted to identify a song they could use to promote the FIAT 500, he also used analytical software in an attempt to put a finger on what exactly made those tunes iconic.
That involved taking into account factors such as beats per minute, chord variety, lyrical content and eh, timbral variety and sonic variance before arriving at the list you can see below.
We're certainly not going to argue with number one.
Turns out science doesn’t have a bad taste in music after all.
