There are just some songs you know from the first note. These are undeniable, instantly recognizable songs that leave an impression. These songs are catchy, and in the 2000s, there is one pop star who reigns supreme: Lady Gaga.
That is what a study at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) determined in a year-long study. MOSI’s website had a game called Hooked on Music, which contained clips from 1,000 hit songs, the top-selling 40 tracks of each decade since the 1940s. The game included multiple modes, including Time Trial, in which users had to identify as many songs as possible.
More than 12,000 people participated, and the data indicated that Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit, “Just Dance,” was the catchiest pop song released after 2000. It took players just 2.66 seconds to identify her 2008 hit.
That wasn’t the most recognizable—aka “catchiest”—song. The Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” was the most recognizable, with users needing only 2.29 seconds to identify it. Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” was No. 2 at 2.48 seconds, while Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” came in at No. 3 with 2.62 seconds.
But “Wannabe” came out in 1996, “Mambo No. 5” was out in 1999 and “Eye of the Tiger” is from 1982, making “Just Dance” the then most recent earworm and catchiest pop song of the last 25 years.
Related: This Is the Worst Song Ever, According to Science: ‘It Is Atrocious’
What Makes A Song ‘Catchy’
“I work within a group that studies music cognition in general — any way in which the brain processes music — and we were particularly interested in music and memory and why exactly it is that certain pieces of music stay in your memory for such a long time,” Dr. Asley Borgoyne, University of Amsterdam computational musicologist and designer of the survey, told the BBC.
“You may only hear something a couple of times, yet 10 years later, you immediately realize that you have heard it before. Yet other songs, even if you have heard them a lot, do not have this effect,” said Dr. Borgoyne.
The study had some legitimate medical significance. Understanding how musical memory works can inform research on the treatment of dementia. “There has already been some research that shows that if you can find the right piece of music, something that had a very strong meaning, playing that piece of music can be very therapeutic,” said the doctor. “But the challenge is figuring out what is the best piece of music.”
…But There’s a Catch to the ‘Catchiest Song List’
Of course, there are some caveats for this study (something to keep in mind before going to the comments section).
The most glaring issue here is that this study—released in November 2014—is slightly outdated. Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off’ was just three months old when the findings were shared, and if the study were replicated today, we’d see plenty of Ms. Swift on it (along with Chappel Roan’s “Hot to Go!” or “Pink Pony Club,” as well as Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” and Bad Bunny’s “Mía.”)
Second, this is strictly pop music. Dolly Partonis absent from the list. Metalheads know “Enter Sandman” like the back of their hands, the same way country fans can recognize Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” from the opening strums.
The Top 20 Catchiest Songs Of All Time
01. “Wannabe,” Spice Girls – 2.29 seconds
02. “Mambo No. 5,” Lou Bega – 2.48 seconds
03. “Eye of the Tiger,” Survivor – 2.62 seconds
04. “Just Dance,” Lady Gaga – 2.66 seconds
05. “SOS,” ABBA – 2.73 seconds
06. “Pretty Woman,” Roy Orbison – 2.73 seconds
07. “Beat It,” Michael Jackson – 2.80 seconds
08. “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston – 2.83 seconds
09. “Don’t You Want Me,” The Human League – 2.83 seconds
10. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Aerosmith – 2.84 seconds
11. “Poker Face,” Lady Gaga – 2.88 seconds
12. “MMMbop,” Hanson – 2.89 seconds
13. “It’s Now or Never,” Elvis Presley – 2.91 seconds
14. “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” Bachman-Turner Overdrive – 2.94 seconds
15. “Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson – 2.97 seconds
16. “Karma Chameleon,” Culture Club – 2.99 seconds
17. “Baby One More Time,” Britney Spears – 2.99 seconds
18. “Devil in Disguise,” Elvis Presley – 3.01 seconds
19. “Rivers of Babylon,” Boney M – 3.03 seconds
20. “Candle in the Wind,” Elton John – 3.04 seconds
Related: 1976 No. 1 Hit Voted ‘Worst Song of the ’70s’
