A research group at the University of Amsterdam partnered with the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester to devise a method that would definitively prove what were the catchiest songs of all time. To measure the “earworm effect” of how effectively certain songs get stuck in your head, the team put the top-40 songs of each decade going back 70 years into a web-app called “Hooked on Music.” The tool allows users to hear a portion of a song, and click a button as soon as they recognize it enough to sing-a-long.
To showcase their methodology, they’ve been kind enough to put the music game online so you too can get pop songs stuck in your head all day. After a year of testing with more than 12,000 volunteers, the results are in, and the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” took the title as the catchiest ever. Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5”, Survivor’s “Eye Of The Tiger”, Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and ABBA’s “SOS” rounded out the top five. You can go here to see the full list of the top 200 …