Interopia is proud to announce the results of a decade-long scientific study concerning the best songs of all time. Today we can conclusively declare 1986 as the best year in the history of music. First proposed in a 2004 study, the “1986 Theory” has now been confirmed by more accurate tests and a larger data sample. The previous study considered 84 of the best songs of all time and found the following results:
As you can see, the songs were clustered in the late 60s/early 70s and again in the mid-80s, with local maximums at 1968 and 1986. 1986 of course had the most (with 12 songs).
A decade later, best song detection technology (BSDT) has improved. The scientists at Interopia have now identified 243 of the best songs of all time. We were curious to see whether the 1986 spike would still hold up with the larger sample:
2013 Results
Sure enough, it did. There were also some other years that emerged with unexpectedly large numbers of songs: 1972 and 1994. On the other hand, we were surprised that even with 243 songs, none of them were first released in 1962 or 1979 (the most likely candidate for worst year in music).
With the number of new discoveries now diminishing with each passing year, it seems unlikely that more accurate studies will lead to a different conclusion any time soon. It also seems unlikely, given the current musical landscape, that a musical revolution will return us to the heights reached during the 1984-87 heyday.
Are you surprised by the results of the study? Let us know in the comments!
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