Music lovers and industry experts have long debated the distinction of the most iconic song of all time, but now, thanks to in-depth computer analysis and the efforts of a Goldsmiths, University of London researcher, we may finally have a definitive answer (probably not, though).
According to NBC News and the Daily Mail, computer scientist and musician Dr. Mick Grierson combined “best-of” lists from top music publications as well as a program that analyzed various elements of the songs, such as their keys, lyrical content, and chord variety.
In the end, Nirvana’s 1991 smash hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit” came out on top, besting John Lennon’s “Imagine” and U2’s “One” to win the title of most iconic song ever recorded. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen rounded out the top five.
Other songs that made the top 10 include: “Hey Jude” by The Beatles; “Like A Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan; “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones; “God Save The Queen” by the Sex Pistols; and “Sweet Child O’Mine” by Guns N’ Roses.
‘Varied, dynamic’ sound helped define the top tunes
Dr. Grierson examined seven “all-time best” lists produced by such leading music media outlets as Rolling Stone, VH-1, NME, and Q magazine, as well as those compiled by newspapers. He then used analytical software to find out what it was about these songs that made them special, focusing on elements such as beats per minute.
“We looked at a range of measures for each song and compared them to see if there were similarities in these recordings which occur less in other songs,” he told the Daily Mail. “We found the most significant thing these songs have in common is that most of them use sound in a very varied, dynamic way when compared to other records.”
“This makes the sound of the record exciting, holding the listeners attention. By the same token, the sounds these songs use and the way they are combined is highly unique in each case,” added Dr. Grierson, whose research was commissioned by automotive manufacturer Fiat, who hoped to use the results to identify a memorable tune for use in ads featuring the Fiat 500.
The study also revealed other interesting facts. For instance, 80 percent of the 50 songs that most often appeared in the greatest ever lists were in a major key, and most were in A, E, C, or G. The average tempo was 125 beats per minute, while 40 percent had around 120 beats per minute and most averaged approximately 500 beats for the song’s duration.
“Ultimately there is no ‘formula’ for this, other than to make your song sound as different, diverse and exciting as possible,” said Dr. Grierson “Even by applying scientific process, what is considered iconic is ultimately up to the individual… If you want a formula for creating great music, there is one: you just have to make something that sounds great.”
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