Commuting, huh? That inescapable hamster wheel of life, where the daily grind meets your Spotify playlist. Thankfully, researchers at Rail Delivery Group, have cracked the code to make your slog to work bearable and apparently, it involves belting out Survivor’s iconic Eye of the Tiger. Yep, that 1982 rock anthem has clawed its way to the top spot for getting us into beast mode at 36%. Forget the coffee, just slap on some Survivor and watch your soul start shadow-boxing on the train – ‘I piddy the damn fool!’
Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 (a solid 28%) also makes a bold case for kicking the capitalist blues in rhinestone style, while Happy by Pharrell Williams (24%), I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas (24%), and the eternal plight of Manic Monday by The Bangles (24%) round out the “get your butt to work” anthem list. Not feeling it? Elton John’s I’m Still Standing (23%) might scream, “I’m alive, you can’t break me!” even if your boss’s emails already have. Let’s not forget Espresso (21%) by Sabrina Carpenter, because apparently caffeine jingles are now songs too.
By the numbers, the average commuter is glued to tunes for an eye-watering 360 hours a year, with train commuters clocking a staggering 492 hours – which, if you’re counting, is enough for 114 round trips between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. You’re basically walking playlists on legs. As for genre preferences, morning vibes lean into pop (65%), rock (40%), and hip hop (30%). By the time work crushes your soul, you’ll unwind with mellow genres like country (16%), indie (14%), and classical (11%) on the way home.
Different professions? They’re as predictable as their LinkedIn profiles. HR folks (43%) vibe to R&B, IT nerds prefer electronic (67%), and marketing peeps blast indie to feel quirky while pitching slogans no one asked for (22%). Builders? Disco fever, clearly (23%). Bonus fun fact: one in ten bankers prefer metal to shred through their day – take that, stereotypes!
Of course, even with all this variety, 75% of commuters admit to giving their playlists the ol’ Netflix-treatment: replay, repeat, rinse, yawn. Dr. Michael Bonshor says this habit might be comforting, like a musical blankie, but warns that stepping out of your sonic comfort zone can actually boost your mood and help ‘get you in the zone.’ Translation? Swap your usual bangers for something fresh, or risk turning into a sleepwalking cliché.
If you’re curious, the full commuter-approved hype list includes Rihanna ft. Drake’s Work (22%), Queen’s I Want to Break Free (23%), and, yep, even the feel-good crowd pleasers Shake It Off by Taylor Swift and Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves. But hey, the next time you’re stuck on some delayed train, maybe follow Jacqueline Starr’s advice: explore new tunes. Who knows, you might discover your next guilty pleasure… or at least drown out the chaos of public transport.
What’s your favourite commute track – aside from a V8 soundtrack?
