Scientist Claims Adele Track Is The Perfect Love Song
A Professor in Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience releases his findings
A scientist has hailed Adele’s emotional cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ as the “perfect love song.”
Music streaming service Spotify joined forces with Jacob Jolij, a Professor in Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience, to find the quintessential elements of the greatest love songs.
Adele’s 2008 reworking of the Dylan classic apparently couples a perfect rhythm (mirroring the heartbeat you hear in the womb) with pitch-perfect sentimental lyrics.
According to Jolij’s calculations, Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing’ is a close second with Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ in third spot.
Explaining his findings, the professor said: "On ‘Make You Feel My Love', you clearly hear the syncopated rhythm in the melody - it's (approximately) ONE - and - two - and - THREE - and - four - AND - ONE - and - two - and - THREE - and - four - AND - ONE - and etc.
"You see that there are two accents close together, repeating every bar. This creates the feel of a relaxed heartbeat, a sound we are very familiar with, as that is what we heard during our period in the womb.
"Some researchers believe this is the reason why these rhythms have a soothing and relaxing quality." Spotify and Jolij’s top 14 perfect love songs are as follows:
- ‘Make You Feel My Love’ - Adele 2. ‘Sexual Healing’ – Marvin Gaye 3. ‘I Will Always Love You’ – Dolly Parton / Whitney Houston 4. ‘Wonderful Tonight’ – Eric Clapton 5. ‘Love Me Tender’ - Elvis 6. ‘Let Her Go’ - Passenger 7. ‘Unchained Melody’ – The Righteous Brothers 8. ‘She’ – Elvis Costello 9. ‘If I Ain't Got You’ – Alicia Keys 10. ‘Think Twice’ – Celine Dion 11. ‘Vision of Love’ – Mariah Carey 12. ‘Bleeding Love’ – Leona Lewis 13. ‘If You Don't Know Me By Now’ – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes 14. ‘Un-break My Heart’ – Toni Braxton
Adele’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ also features on our countdown of the 21 Greatest 21st Century Love Songs’.