The happy song

Scientists investigated what babies like most in a song.

What kind of music appeals to a baby? Caspar Addyman, an expert in child development, and Lauren Stewart, a music psychologist, were determined to find out. Their goal was to create the perfect pop hit for babies. They came to understand several essential factors. Babies respond best to simple, repetitive songs with a wide range of dynamics and in a major key.

It is also important that the tempo is high and that a female is the lead voice. Fun expressions like “beep, beep!” and “pee!” topped the list. The key is for the song to be fun and social. After all their scientific research, Addyman and Stewart hired Grammy-winning songwriter and vocalist Imogen Heap. Imogen composed the song when their daughter was 18 months old. The result is “The Happy Song”, which already has millions of views on YouTube.