They’re the shameful songs you would never admit to knowing all the words to – but now Spotify has exposed our top 10 guilty pleasures.
The online music streaming service analysed more than 120,000 “guilty pleasure” playlists and found listeners were partial to a little bit of Lou Bega, with his 1999 smash hit Mambo No 5 coming out on top as the most streamed track.
Playlists were also analysed by gender, which revealed Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2012 earworm Call Me Maybe to be a favourite guilty pleasure of men. Women could not resist the dulcet tones of British boy band One Direction and their single, What Makes You Beautiful.
University of Groningen professor in cognitive psychology and neuroscience Jacob Jolij said guilty pleasures were typically tracks that required little brain effort to listen to, compared to more complex music such as jazz or progressive rock.
People’s guilt was led by what is culturally defined as “cool”, he said.
Top 10 Guiltiest Pleasures
1. Mambo No 5 – Lou Bega
2. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go – Wham!
3. My Sharona – The Knack
4. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
5. Cotton Eye Joe – Rednex
6. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) – Dead Or Alive
7. Who Let The Dogs Out – Baha Men
8. Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley
9. U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
10. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
Women’s Guiltiest Pleasures
1. What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction
2. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
3. I Want It That Way – Backstreet Boys
4. Wannabe – Spice Girls
5. Wrecking Ball – Miley Cyrus
Men’s Guiltiest Pleasures
1. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
2. I Want It That Way – Backstreet Boys
3. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
4. Toxic – Britney Spears
5. Wannabe – Spice Girls
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