Here are the most iconic songs of all time, according to science

Another amazing breakthrough has come from researchers doing science-y stuff.

What is this incredible new information that will change our lives for the better?

An official list of the most iconic songs of all time.

OK, we might have oversold this a little bit, but it's still pretty cool how Dr. Mick Grierson, from the University of London was able to figure out which songs are truly iconic, based on certain parameters.

First, he pulled songs from that made lists of "Greatest Songs of All Time" from places like Rolling Stone, VH1 and the like. Obviously the most iconic song of all time needs to be on those lists of critically loved tunes. What's the difference between "greatest" and "most iconic?" Doesn't matter, just go with it.

Grierson then examined each song's key, the beats per minute, chords and song variance to analyze how the musicians made their song more dynamic and memorable.

"We looked at a range of measures for each song and compared them to see if there were similarities in these recordings which occur less in other songs," said Grierson, who did this study for Fiat so they could pick the best song to promote their new car.

And the most iconic song of all time according science is…

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" took the number one spot!

The late Kurt Cobain would probably hate to know that his song was crowned as iconic enough to promote a vehicle but…

The 1991 grunge hit beat out songs like John Lennon's "Imagine," Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." Oddly enough, Ace of Base's "The Sign" did not make this list so we deem these findings null and void, personally.

So now that there is basically a formula to making an iconic song, should songwriters and artist be following these findings? Not really, according to the doctor himself.

"Ultimately there is no 'formula' for this, other than to make your song sound as different, diverse and exciting as possible," he told The Daily Mail. "Even by applying scientific process, what is considered iconic is ultimately up to the individual. My conclusion is that if you want a formula for creating great music, there is one: you just have to make something that sounds great."

Here is the full list of songs that Dr. Grierson deemed to be the most iconic:

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit,"" Nirvana

2. "Imagine,"" John Lennon

3. "One,"" U2

4. "Billie Jean,"" Michael Jackson

5. "Bohemian Rhapsody,"" Queen

6. "Hey Jude," The Beatles

7. "Like A Rolling Stone," Bob Dylan

8. "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," Rolling Stones

9. "God Save The Queen," Sex Pistols

10. "Sweet Child O'Mine," Guns N' Roses

11. "London Calling," The Clash

12. "Waterloo Sunset," The Kinks

13. "Hotel California," The Eagles

14. "Your Song," Elton John

15. "Stairway To Heaven," Led Zeppelin

16. "The Twist," Chubby Checker

17. "Live Forever," Oasis

18. "I Will Always Love You," Whitney Houston

19. "Life On Mars? David Bowie

20. "Heartbreak Hotel," Elvis Presley

21. "Over The Rainbow," Judy Garland

22. "What's Goin' On," Marvin Gaye

23. "Born To Run," Bruce Springsteen

24. "Be My Baby," The Ronettes

25. "Creep," Radiohead

26. "Bridge Over Troubled Water," Simon & Garfunkel

27. "Respect," Aretha Franklin

28. "Family Affair," Sky And The Family Stone

29. "Dancing Queen," ABBA

30. "Good Vibrations," The Beach Boys

31. "Purple Haze," Jimi Hendrix

32. "Yesterday," The Beatles

33. "Jonny B Good," Chuck Berry

34. "No Woman No Cry," Bob Marley

35. "Hallelujah," Jeff Buckley

36. "Every Breath You Take," The Police

37. "A Day In The Life," The Beatles

38. "Stand By Me," Ben E King

39. "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag," James Brown

40. "Gimme Shelter," The Rolling Stones

41. "What'd I Say," Ray Charles

42. "Sultans Of Swing," Dire Straits

43. "God Only Knows," The Beach Boys

44. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," The Righteous Brothers

45. "My Generation," The Who

46. "Dancing In The Street," Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

47. "When Doves Cry," Prince

48. "A Change Is Gonna Come," Sam Cooke

49. "River Deep Mountain High," Ike and Tina Turner

50. "Best Of My Love," The Emotions