🤯 Music's Secret: BPM & Instant Vibes 🎶

Tech & Science

Have you ever been unexpectedly swept up by an irresistibly catchy tune? One moment you might be driving calmly, and the next, a song like the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” fills the radio, triggering a spontaneous burst of pop-star enthusiasm, complete with enthusiastic singing and steering-wheel banging? Or perhaps you've experienced a similar phenomenon at a wedding, where the opening notes of Journey's “Don’t Stop Believin’” initiate a mass singalong. I found myself considering these questions while at my daughter’s all-night graduation party. Following an evening spent at an arcade, we took the graduates to a private nightclub, which featured unlimited soda, a photo booth, and a DJ playing music until 5 a.m. – the dance floor quickly became the primary focus. It proved to be a real-life experiment in the power of catchy music. Songs like Y.M.C.A. and Uptown Funk exerted an almost magnetic pull, drawing everyone to the dance floor. I observed with fascination as the crowd ebbed and flowed, having spent the day celebrating their graduation in the shadow of the Space Needle, posing for endless photos, hugging friends and grandparents, playing laser tag, and driving go-karts – all while chugging Red Bulls. Despite their exhaustion, if the DJ played the right song – Chappell Roan’s “Hot To Go!” was a particular favorite – the teens would erupt, spinning, twirling, and singing the lyrics with such fervor that my Apple Watch illuminated yellow, warning me to protect my ears.

Seeking to understand what makes a song truly memorable, I investigated the phenomenon of instant recognition. It became immediately apparent that even a catchy tune could erase the effects of 22 hours without sleep. To explore this, I consulted both human experts and AI chatbots, including tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity, which are increasingly relied upon for rapid, authoritative summaries delivered with a remarkably human voice. Furthermore, the rise of AI DJs on platforms like Spotify suggests that artificial intelligence is developing a sophisticated understanding of musical appeal.

My investigation focused on identifying the key elements that contribute to a song’s catchiness. Specifically, I examined the time it takes for individuals to recognize familiar musical clips. The results revealed a clear hierarchy, with Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” (2.48 seconds) leading the pack, followed by Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” (2.62 seconds) and the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” (the most recognizable song, containing the lyric “Tell me what you want, what you really, really want”). The average recognition time across the top 10 catchiest songs was 5 seconds. Here’s a list of the top 10:

1. Spice Girls: Wannabe
2. Lou Bega: Mambo No. 5
3. Survivor: Eye of the Tiger
4. Lady Gaga: Just Dance
5. ABBA: SOS
6. Roy Orbison: Pretty

Microsoft’s Copilot AI compiled a list of catchiest songs, identifying key elements like repeated choruses, simple melodies, and a strong beat as crucial to a song’s stickiness – as explained by ChatGPT, which defined a “catchy” song as one that easily gets stuck in your head and encourages singing, humming, or movement. The AI’s list included well-known titles such as the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” Pharrell Williams’ “Happy,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” It aligned with ChatGPT and Gemini on several selections, notably including Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” and The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” as well as the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.” Furthermore, Copilot’s analysis mirrored a 2014 museum study, which also recognized the catchiness of Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” and Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” along with Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”

Lists of popular songs often surprise, and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” remains an irresistible hit for those of us raised in the Gen X era. Similarly, “Call Me Maybe” achieved a viral sensation, with videos from groups as diverse as the Harvard baseball team and Cookie Monster contributing to its widespread popularity. This suggests a potentially effective strategy for a party planner: crafting a Spotify playlist designed to keep guests dancing. However, to gain a deeper understanding of what truly makes a song catchy, I turned to a professional: a New Jersey DJ. Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration,” frequently played at weddings, birthday parties, and reunions, exemplifies a consistently popular party track. Mark Pomeroy, a New Jersey DJ with 35 years of experience working weddings, bar mitzvahs, private parties, and other events, began his career in 1989 – a time before the rise of digital music. “Back then, there was no Spotify, no Napster, no online streaming, we didn’t even have CDs,” he recalled with a laugh. “But one thing was the same: Music bringing people together.” Pomeroy emphasizes the importance of connection. “It’s all about the connection,” he stated. “You’re always trying to connect with the crowd, whether you’re a lowly bar mitzvah DJ or Elton John playing to a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden.” According to Pomeroy, catchy songs can span a wide range of genres and eras.

All genres are represented in DJ Pomeroy’s extensive playlist, with the key factor being the song’s ability to forge an emotional connection with the listener. His selections include classic favorites such as Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl” – frequently requested by, as he puts it, “brown-eyed girls,” Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration,” and the iconic line dance “Macarena” by Los Del Rio. Given that Pomeroy’s events are often held in New Jersey, a region synonymous with the legendary rock band Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” or “Livin’ on a Prayer” consistently generates enthusiastic responses from the Jersey crowds. Notably, this song appeared on two of the three catchiest song lists compiled by AI chatbots. Pomeroy attributes the success of a catchy tune to “beats per minute,” referencing the old DJ adage, “no speeding before midnight,” which suggests that faster songs are most effective when played later in the evening as a party or club gains momentum. ChatGPT corroborates this sentiment, explaining that “our brains love to sync movement with rhythm.” It adds that tempos aligning with natural human rhythms – such as walking (around 100 to 120 BPM) or heartbeat rhythms (60 to 100 BPM) – are particularly engaging. An Atlanta DJ active on TikTok has observed a similar trend.

“Our brains love to sync movement with rhythm,” notes ChatGPT, agreeing that tempos matching natural human rhythms – such as walking (around 100 to 120 BPM) or heartbeats (60 to 100 BPM) – feel particularly engaging. An Atlanta DJ on TikTok, known for “vibes and earworms,” explains that he meticulously tracks the beats per minute of the songs he plays. He references a common DJ adage: “no speeding before midnight,” which suggests that faster songs are most effective when a club or party has reached its peak energy.

“When it comes to creating catchy songs,” explains Pomeroy, an Atlanta DJ who shares his insights on TikTok, “our brains naturally gravitate toward rhythms that sync with movement, like walking (around 100 to 120 BPM) or even our heartbeats (60 to 100 BPM), which feel particularly engaging.” He references an old DJ saying, “no speeding before midnight,” indicating that faster songs are most effective when a party or club is already in full swing. ChatGPT also confirms the importance of BPM, stating that “our brains love to sync movement with rhythm. Tempos that match natural human rhythms -- like walking (around 100 to 120 BPM) or heartbeats (60 to 100 BPM) -- feel especially engaging.”