Not just a song that can be found in the archives, but one that almost everyone can hum, even today.
(Somebody asked what was meant by "today's...." Throw whatever you want out, somebody tossed out "Love me tender" as being a tune from in the 1860s.)
One thing people might not realise, is that memorable old music can come and go. Until someone recorded a successful rendition in the 60's, Cannon in D had been forgotten for centuries. Now it's almost synonymous with wedding music, and seems completely timeless.
It's possible everyone will be crazy about 1919's El sombrero de tres picos in 2450, and (with this all being indistinct distant history) will picture us in 2024 playing it on boombox at a 2050's-style holo-orgy.
B.P.E. by Girls5Eva I had this song in my head all day yesterday. https://open.spotify.com/track/7jYbX7gU0Pe2b0nZR7OSH5?si=P9aE_s8ER3unRraCRrV0dA Surely it will be known by all in the future... hehe.
Belgian techno anthem Pump Up the Jam by Technotronic is one for the ages. Some say it has always been with us.
I say this with the deepest respect for the King of Ragtime, but Joplin has been dead for over a century now.
As much as I want TiK ToK by Kesha to be a recognizable tune in half a millenia I know that's not happening. Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode is one of the most covered songs of the past 50 years so that very well may become immortalized through diffusion alone. There's a couple dozen jazz standards that could have that kind of staying power as well, especially considering their ubiquity in performance repitoires and books of sheet music.
As much as I want TiK ToK by Kesha to be a recognizable tune in half a millenia I know that's not happening.
I heard it on the radio recently and they censored the beginning:
Wake up in the morning feeling like [redacted]
P Diddy/Sean Combs has a lot of ongoing allegations right now
I heard a live performance where the line was changed to:
Wake up in the morning saying Fuck P Diddy
Bored music teacher in 2200: "and here children, we find the most important contributions to late 20th centure music: a phonograph of Depeche Mode's Violator."
Happy Birthday, Pop Goes the Weasel, Auld Lang Syne, Here Comes the Bride are obviously here to stay. Lots of Christmas music has potential as well: Jingle Bells, and POSSIBLY Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano, as well as All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey.
But I also think Barbie Girl by Aqua has a decent chance of being practically universal. In that vein, maybe the Hampster Dance too, but idk. Dragostea Din Tei?
I think the real answer though is that most of the popular songs are probably ones that are connected to specific uses outside of the song itself. Pop Goes the Weasel is used in like, every pop-goes-the-weasel type toy, and even in movies when something scary is about to pop out at you. Happy Birthday is literally sung at every birthday. (That reminds me of For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow as well.) Auld Lang Syne is a popular New Years song across the world at this point. Here Comes the Bride at every wedding, etc. Maybe National Anthems will also hold the test of time, depending on if the nation lasts long enough and doesn’t change its anthem.
The point is, if it’s a practical and traditional tune it’s more likely to last, I think.
Oh. I forgot Reveille which is the military wake-up call bugle song lmao
Dragostea Din Tei
I don't think that one outlasts the next couple decades. Yeah, it's fun and the lyrics are weird, but Romanian isn't all that widely spoken, so the vast majority of the world population cannot sing it.
IDK, i was obsessed with that song as a teenager and learned to enunciate the whole song without knowing what it said. but, i have 99 Luftballons on my personal playlist so maybe i just like catchy foreign songs lol
Oh, I totally get it, I loved it too. I just don't think it will stick in quite the same way when people don't have lyrics to attach to the song. Like, I can't play it at karaoke night.
Oh this is easy, but you may not thank me for it. Hum, whistle or sing, anyone near you will do the same after a minute or so. It's timeless and it even has it's own website
I give you Lipps Inc. - Funky Town
While not what one would think of when they think of songs that survive hundreds of years from now, the only song I can think of that's not a folk song that's both archived and hummable (and actually has a tune, so that excludes pop songs)...... is the Pokémon theme song. Go up to anyone and say in tune that you wanna be the very best and someone's gonna ask "like no one ever was".
I don't know what it is but I hear it at sports stadiums. Duh duh duh duh- duh duh duh-duh It repeats
Edit: I've just found out it's called papas got a brand new pigbag.
Fly me to the Moon - Frank Sinatra
Simple, yet very recognizable melody. Easy to whistle, but could also be extended to a whole orchestra with vocals.
