There have been some pretty iconic songs since someone worked out how to put music onto a slab of wax with grooves in it - and even before then, with songs being passed down orally from generation to generation.

However, researchers at London university Goldsmiths have devised a formula that has decided what they are declaring 'the most iconic song of all time'.

Could it be something by Elvis? The Beatles? The Who? Even something older, from a bluesman like Leadbelly or similar?

Nope. According to their research - which was formulated via 'all-time best' lists from various sources and run through analytical software that measured stuff like chord variety, BPM and lyrical content - the most iconic song of all time is Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.

The grunge track featured on the band's seminal album 'Nevermind'.

The top 10 tracks on the list were:

1. Nirvana - 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'

2. John Lennon - 'Imagine'

3. U2 - 'One'

4. Michael Jackson - 'Billie Jean'

5. Queen - 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

6. The Beatles - 'Hey Jude'

7. Bob Dylan - 'Like a Rolling Stone'

8. The Rolling Stones - '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'

9. Sex Pistols - 'God Save the Queen'

10. Guns 'n' Roses - 'Sweet Child O' Mine'

 

Mind you, the whole process was a result of the university being charged by car company FIAT to find the right song to advertise with - so you can take what you will from that. In the end, pop star Ella Eyre covered the Nirvana song for a car ad. So, yeah.