The 20 All-Time Catchiest Songs

A year-long survey by the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester has revealed what they consider to be the top 20 most catchiest songs.

There are two interesting things about the list: first of all, most songs are at least 20 years old and some more than 50. Secondly, even though the list comes from the UK, most of the artists are not from there. Also, Elvis, Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson all placed more than one song.

So here we go with the top 20 catchiest songs of all time:

1. Spice Girls - Wannabe: 2.29 seconds
2. Lou Bega - Mambo No 5: 2.48 seconds
3. Survivor - Eye of the Tiger: 2.62 seconds
4. Lady Gaga - Just Dance: 2.66 seconds
5. ABBA - SOS: 2.73 seconds
6. Roy Orbison - Pretty Woman: 2.73 seconds
7. Michael Jackson - Beat It: 2.80 seconds
8. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You: 2.83 seconds
9. The Human League - Don't You Want Me: 2.83 seconds
10. Aerosmith - I Don't Want to Miss a Thing: 2.84 seconds
11. Lady Gaga - Poker Face: 2.88 seconds
12. Hanson - MMMbop: 2.89 seconds
13. Elvis Presley - It's Now Or Never: 2.91 seconds
14. Bachman-Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet: 2.94 seconds
15. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean: 2.97 seconds
16. Culture Club - Karma Chameleon: 2.99 seconds
17. Britney Spears - Baby One More Time: 2.99 seconds
18. Elvis Presley - Devil in Disguise: 3.01 seconds
19. Boney M - Rivers of Babylon: 3.03 seconds
20. Elton John - Candle in the Wind: 3.04 seconds

Songwriters, start your engines.

Which songs do you agree with and which would you replace?

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Clear Channel Puts Another Nail In Radio's Coffin

As if radio couldn't get any lamer, radio conglomerate Clear Channel is about to implement national playlists for all its formats on all its stations. This means that there will be one playlist that every station of that particular format of music will use across the country.

Why is this so bad? Radio is a local medium. People listen for local news and weather, as well as announcements for social events. But musical tastes are local as well and through the years that's proven to be the force behind many of the musical trends that started locally and eventually grew nationally and internationally. With a single national playlist, local music is strangled at birth with no chance of even getting heard. In fact, a study last year found that 82% of the music played on radio was from major labels. Where's the diversity in that?

As an example of how music grows from a local scene, note the following:

• Elvis broke out of Memphis and the South before signing with RCA

• James Brown broke out of Atlanta and Cincinnati

• Al Green, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and all the Stax/Volt artists broke out of Memphis

• The world-wide hits from The Romantics started in Ohio first

• Aerosmith broke out of Baltimore (although they were from Boston)

• REM and the B-52's broke out of Athens, Georgia

• Nirvana and the whole Grunge movement broke out of Seattle

New music needs local radio more than ever. Homogenized radio that conglomerates like Clear Channel offer has been the cause of radio falling further and further into irrelevance. Nationalizing the playlists only causes traditional, terrestrial radio to slip closer and closer to death.