The 50 most iconic songs of all time* have been revealed

*According to science.

Science has the definitive word on quite a lot of things, but given that it’s so open to interpretation and taste, music is certainly not one of them.

Despite that, a computer scientist in the University of London has sought to apply a formula to what determines the greatest songs of all time and he’s come up with a definitive list of the top 50.

According to the Daily Mail, Dr Mick Grierson examined a whole host of songs that appeared in ‘greatest songs of all-time’ lists in newspapers, on music stations like VH1 and in iconic music publications such as Q, NME and Rolling Stone.

Commissioned by car manufacturer Fiat, who wanted to identify a song they could use to promote the FIAT 500, he also used analytical software in an attempt to put a finger on what exactly made those tunes iconic.

That involved taking into account factors such as beats per minute, chord variety and lyrical content, the list you can see below was eventually created.

Turns out science doesn’t have a bad taste in music after all.

The Top 50 most iconic songs of all time

1. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
2. Imagine – John Lennon
3. One – U2
4. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
5. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
6. Hey Jude – The Beatles
7. Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
8. I Can’t Get No Satisfaction – Rolling Stones
9. God Save The Queen – Sex Pistols
10. Sweet Child O’Mine – Guns N’ Roses
11. London Calling – The Clash
12. Waterloo Sunset – The Kinks
13. Hotel California – The Eagles
14. Your Song – Elton John
15. Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin
16. The Twist – Chubby Checker
17. Live Forever – Oasis
18. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
19. Life On Mars? – David Bowie
20. Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley
21. Over The Rainbow – Judy Garland
22. What’s Goin’ On – Marvin Gaye
23. Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen
24. Be My Baby – The Ronettes
25. Creep – Radiohead
26. Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel
27. Respect – Aretha Franklin
28. Family Affair – Sly And The Family Stone
29. Dancing Queen – ABBA
30. Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
31. Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
32. Yesterday – The Beatles
33. Jonny B Good – Chuck Berry
34. No Woman No Cry – Bob Marley
35. Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
36. Every Breath You Take – The Police
37. A Day In The Life – The Beatles
38. Stand By Me – Ben E King
39. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag – James Brown
40. Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones
41. What’d I Say – Ray Charles
42. Sultans Of Swing – Dire Straits
43. God Only Knows – The Beach Boys
44. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling – The Righteous Brothers
45. My Generation – The Who
46. Dancing In The Street – Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
47. When Doves Cry – Prince
48. A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke
49. River Deep Mountain High – Ike and Tina Turner
50. Best Of My Love – The Emotions