The 10 happiest songs of all time, according to science
In 2015, the Dutch neurologist Dr Jacob Jolij conducted a study in which he sought the happiest pop songs of all time based on science. Of course, musical taste is vastly subjective: one man’s ‘Good Vibrations’ is another man’s Metal Machine Music.
As a somewhat brainy fellow, very little gets past Dr Jolij. He noted music’s subjective nature in a disclaimer attached to the published findings. “Music appreciation is highly personal and strongly depends on social context and personal associations. In that respect, the idea of a ‘feel good formula’ is a bit odd,” he said.
For better or worse, science has a filthy habit of leaning on averages and probabilities when abusing subjective art with cold, unfriendly arithmetic. I, for one, find Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ cheesy and emetic. Similarly, I’m usually one of very few standing at the sidelines shaking my head at wedding discos when ‘Dancing Queen’ comes on and the drunkards throw their arms skywards. As far as Dr Jolij’s study is concerned, I’m little more than a miserable anomaly.
So, how did Dr Jolij land on this ranked list of energetic hits? In a widespread survey, he asked members of the listening public to submit examples of their favourite sonic pick-me-ups. He then analysed the findings to discern any traits that characterised the most frequently occurring songs.
Dr Jolij discovered that the merriest melodies tend to flow with a higher tempo than the typical song, averaging between 140 and 150 beats per minute. Furthermore, these upbeat tunes are often composed in a major key and revolve around either cheerful events or lively, lyrical nonsense. He then merged these factors into a quantitative formula that characterised the most uplifting song conceivable.
Below, we have listed, from happiest to slightly less so, the most cheery, smile-inducing pop songs of all time, according to Dr Jolij’s study. These ten songs were most aligned with the neurologist’s happy song model. If what you see in the list makes you happy, why not give the Spotify playlist a spin?
The 10 happiest songs:
- ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ – Queen
- ‘Dancing Queen’ – ABBA
- ‘Good Vibrations’ – The Beach Boys
- ‘Uptown Girl’ – Billie Joel
- ‘Eye of the Tiger’ – Survivor
- ‘I’m a Believer’ – The Monkees
- ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ – Cyndi Lauper
- ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ – Bon Jovi
- ‘I Will Survive’ – Gloria Gaynor
- ‘Walking on Sunshine’ – Katrina & The Waves
