The Catchiest Song of All Time (Proven by Science)

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Bob MacManus - I played that -Land announcement, then set my winamp to random and got XTC's "Knuckle Down." Just thought you'd like to know.

I enjoy knowing that, thanks. My iPod shuffled same to Captain Beefheart "Pachuco Cadaver" the other day. The other motorists got to wonder what I was grinning about.

― declan zimmerman, Monday, 19 September 2005 02:36 (eighteen years ago) link

So, according to the #1, two and two.

-- the most mysterious regular ilxor (curtis.stephen...), September 18th, 2005.

No, not even close, but thank you for playing.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 19 September 2005 03:22 (eighteen years ago) link

xpost

I thought I'd just place a comment on "summer in the city," Lovin' Spoonful one, right? To me this song is so cold, empty, desolate. Maybe it's because it was actually a winter release in its time. I mean, just listen to that slight reverb on those staccato minor keys. I get gigantic chills. No doubt the song runs hot just as well. the guitar, the traffic, the jackhammer, the lyrics. I can understand why you mentioned here.

― jim wentworth (wench), Monday, 19 September 2005 04:25 (eighteen years ago) link

I reckon Georgy Girl wins hands down.

― Jez (Jez), Monday, 19 September 2005 06:04 (eighteen years ago) link

shaddup ya face - joe dolce ?
achy breaky heart - ?

― retroman, Monday, 19 September 2005 07:01 (eighteen years ago) link

push it

― stroganoff, Monday, 19 September 2005 07:15 (eighteen years ago) link

"Oh No, I Don't Believe It"

― avery keen-gardner (avery keen-gardner), Monday, 19 September 2005 07:57 (eighteen years ago) link

Wouldn't logic suggest that most people would've heard of more than, oh I dunno, 3 of these songs?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 19 September 2005 13:47 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/badgerphone.php

― Raffi, Monday, 19 September 2005 14:47 (eighteen years ago) link

i think it's 'word up'.

― N_RQ, Monday, 19 September 2005 14:49 (eighteen years ago) link

Word Up? Yeah. Let's sing it together.

Yaw pretty ladies, arouwnd the world, there's a beer dah dah deer and blah mah boisen girls, wave your hand in the air like you don't care, mama dassa people in psychological amair, do your dance, do your dance, do your dance uh me, mahhhhhma comma baby bla blah blah.

― PappaWheelie B.C., Monday, 19 September 2005 14:52 (eighteen years ago) link

Don't Worry Be Happy. A friend of mine used to experiment with this song on people: he would hum/whistle/sing it a little bit and try to get as many people as he could to start doing the same (without realizing it). It was usually pretty uncanny.

― regular roundups (Dave M), Monday, 19 September 2005 15:00 (eighteen years ago) link

When I saw the thread title I immediately thought of Split by Lilliput. It's stuck in my head now so I can't even remember how the ketchup song goes.

― when something smacks of something (dave225.3), Monday, 19 September 2005 15:01 (eighteen years ago) link

Although it was just a minor hit, Wax's "Building a Bridge To Your Heart" bears a lot of the elements that sort of classify catchiness.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 19 September 2005 18:30 (eighteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

So someone doubts my credentials huh, well ned raggett I doubt your name!? How about three degrees in music and ten years of teaching music in universities? And not one of your bought on the internet degrees but real ones. I wrote this research by the way. The list was to point out what elements are used to propel this sort of music in the charts. In the US there is a different system. SInce the beach boys, commercial acts in the US fight for the summer no.1 in the same way that in the UK they go at the Xmas no.1 single, this is because kids are out of school and there are a lot of sales to get, a lot of people on the beach and a lot of money to be made. In the UK the music business shuts down in the summer, bands go to festivals, venues close so that they can refurbish and do technical work, and there is a power vacuum filled by one hit wonder summer singles.

So my list was not based on what I liked but what was most successful. In the US by the way the beach boys started off and stole 2 chuck berry songs, just changing the lyrics but keping the chords and melody, while Chuck was in jail over a trumped up racially motivated charge. Funny to think of the beach boys as a cynical commercial boy band, but that was before pet sounds...

Dr. Rupert Till
University of Huddersfield

― Rupert Till, Friday, 7 October 2005 09:26 (eighteen years ago) link

Start teaching at a proper university and then maybe we'll give a shit.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 7 October 2005 10:13 (eighteen years ago) link

why is it always Ned who attracts the ire of the interweb mentalists?

― zebedee (zebedee), Friday, 7 October 2005 11:18 (eighteen years ago) link

The rage of Caliban perhaps? (Sorry Ned, couldn't resist)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 7 October 2005 11:21 (eighteen years ago) link

"oh do ya, do ya do ya wanna.... you're lucky lucky you're so lucky!!!!

i just can't get it out of my head. "

Strange jed I have found precisely the same thing this past week. It didn't happen with any previous FF song.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 7 October 2005 11:33 (eighteen years ago) link

I generally find "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You" to be the song that takes the longest time to remove from yer head after the shortest exposure to it

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 7 October 2005 11:35 (eighteen years ago) link

how is the lambchop (NOT the band) song that doesnt end not at the top of the list?

and what about the lion sleeps tonight?

― AaronK (AaronK), Friday, 7 October 2005 11:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Have you tried singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 7 October 2005 11:57 (eighteen years ago) link

dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee

oh what how does the rest of it go?

― AaronK (AaronK), Friday, 7 October 2005 12:03 (eighteen years ago) link

I get stuck with Stevie Wonder "Part-time Lover" more than anything else. Or maybe Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F".

― Confounded (Confounded), Friday, 7 October 2005 12:37 (eighteen years ago) link

How Bizarre.

― k/l (Ken L), Friday, 7 October 2005 12:42 (eighteen years ago) link

How bizzare, how bizarre.

― k/l (Ken L), Friday, 7 October 2005 12:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Ooh baby, it's making me crazy.

― k/l (Ken L), Friday, 7 October 2005 12:45 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm actually interested in the formula! I'd love to compare it to the KLF's.

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Friday, 7 October 2005 12:53 (eighteen years ago) link

"Can't Get You Outta My Head" is the first thing that comes to mind.

― kevin says relax (daddy warbuxx), Friday, 7 October 2005 16:25 (eighteen years ago) link

All together now: "Come on and listen to me baby now oooooh... I got the hots for you. Boom boom-boom ba-ba-ba bye-bye."

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 7 October 2005 16:48 (eighteen years ago) link

"Yellow Submarine"

― veritay, Friday, 7 October 2005 19:40 (eighteen years ago) link

lock this mutha !

― blunt (blunt), Friday, 7 October 2005 20:06 (eighteen years ago) link

All together now: "Come on and listen to me baby now oooooh... I got the hots for you. Boom boom-boom ba-ba-ba bye-bye."

Dammit, now I have that AND "Ride On Time" playing simultaneously in my head.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Saturday, 8 October 2005 14:45 (eighteen years ago) link

"Dammit"?

― kit brash (kit brash), Saturday, 8 October 2005 23:40 (eighteen years ago) link

I would either "Work It" by Missy Elliott or "Take it Easy" by the Eagles.

― Chris O., Sunday, 9 October 2005 00:22 (eighteen years ago) link

"Revolution" by Spacemen 3.

― darren (darren), Sunday, 9 October 2005 09:31 (eighteen years ago) link

twelve years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq9-5FjQb8g

― Le Bateau Ivre, Thursday, 26 October 2017 21:32 (six years ago) link

So someone doubts my credentials huh, well ned raggett I doubt your name!?

― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 26 October 2017 21:47 (six years ago) link

haha

― Le Bateau Ivre, Thursday, 26 October 2017 21:47 (six years ago) link

2005 ilx sure was... something

― clouds, Thursday, 26 October 2017 21:54 (six years ago) link

the ketchup song!

― Treeship, Monday, 30 October 2017 00:34 (six years ago) link

i had forgotten about that song until this thread was bumped recently. thank u dr. rupert till

― Treeship, Monday, 30 October 2017 00:37 (six years ago) link

Maybe not the catchiest but Zombie by Cranberries has that annoyingly catchy “inni your heayeyead” chorus that always sticks

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Monday, 30 October 2017 06:46 (six years ago) link

Speaking about Las Ketchup I saw this t-shirt a week ago and I have to get it next time I’m there:

https://m.imgur.com/a/3iBbC

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Monday, 30 October 2017 06:51 (six years ago) link

The joke might be lost in translation but in spanish ACDC sounds like Asereje.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Monday, 30 October 2017 06:53 (six years ago) link

two months pass...

depends on the day, but probably steal my sunshine

― kolakube (Ross), Sunday, 7 January 2018 20:08 (six years ago) link

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