5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
The world's best karaoke songs officially revealed by scientist – with surprise throwback topping list
AN Oxford university boffin has come up with a mathematical formula to determine the best endorphin-boosting karaoke songs of all-time.
Dr Tom Crawford uses V for number of verses, C as repetition of chorus, Y for when the track was released, combined with BPM beats per minute to scientifically grade songs out of 100.
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The ultimate karaoke songs of all time have been revealed
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Dr Tom Crawford and his unique formula.
His formula says that the 2,000 folk who took part in the Three Mobile survey prefer fast-paced songs with an average of 126 BPM and three repeated choruses for every two verses.
Chief Features Writer MATT BENDORIS asks Dr Crawford to apply his calculations to some classic Scots karaoke favourites to see how our chart stars compare
THE Proclaimers I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) almost walked away with being crowned kings of the karaoke charts, according to Dr Crawford's formula.
It ticked all the right boxes with 132 Beats Per Minute - just over the perfect rate of 126 BPM - but was let down slightly by having four choruses instead of the ideal three.
Instead Craig and Charlie Reid slipped to No5 in the overall rankings with Shania Twain, Oasis, Whitney Houston and the winner Bon Jovi all ahead of them.
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Bon Jovi rocked their way to the top of the karaoke charts.
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The Proclaimers 500 Miles is the best Scots karaoke song
However had 'foot stomping' being part of the doc's unique formula, he is certain the twins from Leith would have come out on top.
He said: 'What I really liked about some songs, especially 500 miles, is that it just makes you want to get up, stamp your feet and join in.
'It kind of has that euphoric, mood-lifting ability, so it's not just songs people like to sing, but how they make you feel.'
Dr Crawford believes that was the whole point of the survey which has launched the 'Kathartic Karaoke' initiative as part of Three and the Samaritans' ongoing commitment to mental health support and wellbeing.
A special karaoke booth will be erected from August 15 to 16 on The Mound at the Edinburgh Fringe to help festival goers boost their mood with music and singing.
TOP 10 KARAOKE SONGS
1) Livin' On a Prayer – Bon Jovi (91%)
2) I Wanna Dance with Somebody – Whitney Houston (90%)
3) Don't Look Back in Anger – Oasis (89%)
4) Man! I Feel Like a Woman – Shania Twain (88%)
5) I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers (88%)
6) Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) – ABBA (85%)
7) Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield (84%)
8) Someone Like You – Adele (84%)
9) Wannabe – Spice Girls (84%)
10) Let Me Love You – Mario (83%)
That's after Dr Crawford's research found that nine out of ten (90 per cent) people felt that singing gave them an emotional uplift, made them feel empowered (81 per cent) while 70 per cent found it cathartic.
There is also evidence to suggest music can improve happiness and help sustain a healthy immune system, by reducing stress and boosting the production of endorphins and immunity antibodies – whilst singing can specifically improve breathing, posture and muscle tension.
Dr Crawford, 35, who also has 225,000 subscribers on YouTube under the handle @TomRocksMaths, said: 'I've been trying to make maths fun for years now on YouTube and through my teaching at university and this is why I was so excited to be involved in this project.
'I think the whole idea of talking about karaoke and mood boosting and linking it back to mental health and working with the Samaritans is a fantastic thing, especially as young men in particular are pretty bad about discussing these topics.
'So talking more about mental health and using karaoke singing as a way to boost that and also bringing in the maths and the fun are things that I am passionate about.'
During his study Dr Crawford discovered that age of a song was also a big defining factor where it finished in the karaoke charts too.
TOP 10 SCOTTISH KARAOKE SONGS
1) 500 Miles - The Proclaimers (88%)
2) Why Does it Always Rain on Me - Travis (87%)
3) It's Got to be Perfect - Fairground Attraction (80%)
4) Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi (78%)
5) Dignity - Deacon Blue (77%)
6) Vienna - Ultravox (76%)
7) Maggie May - Rod Stewart (73%)
8) Caledonia - Dougie Maclean (65%)
9) Shout - Lulu (65%)
10) Leave a Light On - Tom Walker (61%)
He explained: 'Older songs didn't do so well, with the 70s doing really badly, with the exception to the rule being ABBA who were the most popular individual artists.
'Adele did well, although many of her tracks were from the 2010s, which were actually a bit too modern for the best performing songs in this formula.
'Lewis Capaldi also scored well with Someone You Loved as he's a kind of Scottish Adele really, isn't he?
'But the best performing tracks were roughly from the 90s with Britpop, Oasis, Spice Girls, all that kind of thing.'
And even being a terracing favourite was no guarantee of doing well under the doctor's figures.
He said: 'Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline did quite badly, even though it's hugely popular with the likes of women's football fans right now.
'Similarly Caledonia is a favourite on the rugby terraces in Scotland but it didn't do well either.'
However, Dr Crawford insists he also wanted to create a debate with the exercise.
He says: 'People can look at our top 10 and think it's nonsense, as everyone has their own personal opinion.
'But this was all about trying to determine how a song makes you feel when singing it and even if you wouldn't score these tracks exactly as we have, you can also have a lot of fun discussing them and what songs you say lift your mood best.
'At the end of the day it's all part of the fun.'
