This is the most iconic song of all time and it may surprise you

When we heard research was carried out to see what song was the most iconic of all time, a few artists came to mind – but not Nirvana.

Scientists at the University of London have created an algorithm to find out which songs are the most iconic of all time.

They researched lists of greatest songs from sources including Rolling Stone and VH1 and then they studied each song's key, the beats per minute, chords and song variance to see how musicians make their songs more memorable.

The study, carried out for Fiat in order to find the best song to promote their new car, was conducted by Dr Mick Grierson. 

Mick said, "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."

However, he told the Daily Mail that there is no "formula" for creating an iconic song.  It just has to "sound great".

"Even by applying scientific process, what is considered iconic is ultimately up to the individual.”


Very vague, but we understand!

Coming in at the top spot is Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, which was released in 1991 and featured on the band's second album, Nevermind.  It beat John Lennon's Imagine into second place and U2's One came third.

Here's the songs that made the top 10:

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 Of Mine, Guns N' Rose