Songs with a sunny vibe become summertime hits, Oxford study finds

The key to a hit feel-good summer song might be good weather, according to a University of Oxford study.

Energetic, loud and danceable songs full of positive emotions were found to flourish in the summer, which helped to propel singles to the top of the charts, while they performed less well in the winter.

In contrast, sad and melancholy songs had a year-round appeal.

Every top 100 song in the UK Singles chart since its inception in the 1950s was analysed and compared with weather records - including the time of year, amount of sunshine, temperature and rainfall.

“The success of hit songs depends on a complex interplay of many factors, including music itself (e.g. style and genre), the listener and the listening situation (whether we are alone or with friends, or going to work or partying),” study lead author Dr Manuel Anglada-Tort, a lecturer in the Faculty of Music at the University of Oxford, told the Daily Telegraph.

“In this study, we looked at another factor that has been previously overlooked - that is whether music preferences of a given population and, in turn, music market success, may also be influenced by broad environmental factors, such as weather and seasonal patterns.”

Sunny songs sell less in winter

The data show a correlation between energetic, danceable songs that evoke positivity and warm, sunny weather. They were also less likely to do well in the charts in the winter.

Negative, sad and sombre music was not linked to any type of weather, however.

“This suggests that negative emotional states may be more influenced by individual situational factors rather than general environmental conditions,” said Dr Anglada-Tort.

The scientists believed sunny weather conditions created a positive state of mind among listeners, which influenced them to listen to energetic, upbeat music.

However, they stressed that the findings are correlational and cannot imply causation on their own.

Music arouses happiness

External factors might also be at play, such as “industry gatekeepers or recommender systems that decide which music is available to consumers”, Dr Anglada-Tort added.

Writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the study authors say: “We only found significant weather associations with music features reflecting high-arousing, positive music.

“That is, songs that are danceable, energetic, loud, fast and evoke positive emotions such as happiness, joy and activeness.

“Songs scoring high in this music factor include Ice Ice Baby by Glee Cast, Temperature by Sean Paul and Get Loose by Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King.

“In conclusion, our results are consistent with the notion that prevailing weather conditions are associated with the popularity of music that is energetic and evokes positive emotions.”