Kelly Scanlon:

For some, the catchiest songs are a blessing. For others, they’re a curse. Whatever side of the fence it is that you sit on, for the artist, it doesn’t matter — so long as the song is unforgettable, that’s a job well done. Whether it’s one that you love to the point of repeated listens or an utter annoyance that doesn’t leave your mind for weeks, there’s a science behind why some songs stick with us and others don’t.

In a 2016 research paper released by St. Andrews University in Scotland, researchers unveiled the formula they contend creates catchy music. According to the findings, the equation can be expressed as “Receptivity + (predictability minus surprise) + (melodic strength) + (1.5 times rhythmic repetition) equals a tune that sticks in your head.”

If a musician adheres to this guidance, they’re on the path to producing a successful song. However, what exactly does this formula signify? Apparently, it all boils down to this: a musical “earworm” needs to have five crucial components to exist. According to researcher Bede Williams, this includes surprise, predictability, rhythmic repetition, melodic potency and, most importantly, listeners must be receptive to the creation on a basic level.

As Williams put it: “If you look at the songs which emerged from the research, they all have a distinctive rhythmic fingerprint. If we remove the melody, they’re still recognisable by their rhythm alone.”

In his research, there were a number of tracks that adhered to this pattern of catchiness …

We interrupt this blog to bring you the top 10 catchiest songs of all time, which does not include …

… but starts with number 10:

Joe Taysom:

… Pharrell Williams is in second place with ‘Happy’, which appeared on the soundtrack to Despicable Me 2. Remarkably, Williams had nine previous tracks rejected for the film, but it turned out to be tenth time lucky for the singer. “I’m thankful for all the people behind the song’s success and how I was constantly pushed to do more — my song submissions for this scene in Despicable Me 2 were rejected nine times,” he said to The New York Times about the song’s success. “I’m thankful that people now know my name where they hadn’t before.”

And now the number one catchiest song of all time according to Science!

In his research, there were a number of tracks that adhered to this pattern of catchiness, with Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ coming out on top. Although a lot of scientific researchers have suggested that this song was manufactured in a lab, it actually materialised after the band performed a concert in Stafford.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1 in 1977, Brian May explained: “We did an encore and then went off, and instead of just keeping clapping, they sang ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ to us, and we were just completely knocked out and taken aback – it was quite an emotional experience really, and I think these chant things are in some way connected with that.”

Queen undeniably nailed the formula, especially given the fact that ‘We Will Rock You’ is not the only example of the top-ten catchiest songs of all time. Clearly, they had a knack for creating songs with lasting impressions, as ‘We Are The Champions also secured the third position on the ranking, while ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ landed at the sixth spot.

Despite these three songs being some of the most popular songs in history, May himself isn’t such a big fan. In fact, he much prefers the band’s lesser-known material, like ‘The Miracle’, which he also incidentally calls his favourite Queen song of all time. At the same time, however, ‘We Will Rock You’ is still his favourite to perform live. “I would have to say [my favourite to perform live is] ‘We Will Rock You’,” May admitted during an interview on The One Show. “Especially as this is the moment, when we’re relaunching the musical that is named after that song. It always gives me a good feeling.”