The answer to the question as to what is the most iconic song of all time has apparently been answered or at least that’s what our colleagues at the Daily Mail.com are reporting. Daily Mail.com just reported on a study that, through the use of science (i.e., software), was apparently able to determine what is the most “iconic” song of all time. The methodology apparently combined various “best-of” lists from major music magazines and with the assistance of a computer program which analyzed certain elements, was able to come to a conclusion. The program seemed to hone in on the following factors:
• the song’s key;
•beats per minute;
•chord variety; and,
•lyrical content.
The study’s mentor, Dr. Mick Grierson of the University of London, in turn then determined that the 1991 Nirvana classic was the most iconic song ever.
Coming in second was John Lennon’s Imagine following by U2’s One which rounded out the top three. Said Grierson:
“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. 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.”
According to the study the top 50 songs had these characteristics in common::
- 80 percent were in a major key (mostly A, E, C and G);
- Average tempo is 125 BPM; 40 percent were 120 BPM;
- Most songs have around 500 beats in the entire song; and
- Most regularly used words in those songs: “Baby,” “Feel,” “Love” and “Nah.”
Despite the study, Grierson had this to add when pondering foolproof methods for song writing:
“Ultimately there is no ‘formula’ for this, other than to make your song sound as different, diverse and exciting as possible. If you want a formula for creating music, there is just one: You just have to make something that sounds great.”
Here’s the list of the 50 most iconic songs according to this study following Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Nirvana.
