Smells Like Teen Spirit Named Most Iconic
Nirvana's smash 1991-hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is the most iconic song of all time. This, according to University of London computer scientist Dr. Mick Grierson. Grierson used seven different "all-time best song" lists from notable magazines including "Rolling Stone," "VH1," and "NME" alongside select lists from newspapers. He then applied analytic software to the songs in order to extract a type of "iconic-song formula" based on key, beats per minute, chord variety, and lyrics among other variables. After examining which songs best fit his formula, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was found to be the best fit. Grierson says he was commissioned by FIAT to do the research in order to best name a song for an upcoming ad campaign.
John Lennon's "Imagine" came in at number-two. "One" by Irish-rockers U2 came in third. The top-five was rounded off by Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" at number four followed by Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
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