Research has confirmed that the Spice Girls' music is, in fact, infectious material.
A recent study conducted in the UK found that "Wannabe," in particular, is the most recognizable pop song since the 1940s — for Brits, at least.
Using an online game called Hooked On Music, study participants recorded how quickly they recognized about 1,000 clips of music. On average, it took users five seconds to place a track, but "Wannabe" took a mere 2.3 seconds.
Led by a computational musicologist from the University of Amsterdam, the study involved more than 12,000 participants who, if not Spice Girls fans themselves, were clearly inundated by the song throughout the mid to late '90s.
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Oddly enough, the number two most-recognizable track was Lou Bega's earworm "Mambo Number Five." And, Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," Lady Gaga's "Just Dance," and even ABBA's "SOS" all beat out Michael Jackson's "Beat It."
We'd like to think that Michael Jackson would get a little more love over on this side of the pond, but who's to say?
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