The Ultimate Shower Playlist
Music accompanies us in many aspects of our lives, whether it be exercise or trying to focus on work, but nothing is as the music you listen to in the shower. According to Crystal Jackson (a former therapist with a master of Arts in Psychology): “Listening to music in the shower is a common practice, and people often have a preference for certain songs or types of music while they bathe. One reason for this preference is the inherent sensory experience of showering. The warm water and steam provide a relaxing and calming atmosphere, and the sound of the water can be soothing and help to mask external noises. This creates an ideal environment for the enjoyment of music.”
UK Radiators decide to use Spotify data to create the ultimate shower playlist. They analysed all the songs in the top 50 most-liked Spotify shower playlists to find out the different criteria for the most popular songs, such as speed, danceability, energy, and more. These were the average song criteria from the top 50 shower playlists:
| Song Criteria | Maximum Value | Average Value | Minimum Value |
| Duration (mins) | 10.2 | 3.6 | 1.0 |
| Popularity | 97.0 | 62.0 | 0.0 |
| Danceability | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Energy | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Key | 11.0 | 5.2 | 0.0 |
| Loudness | -1.2 | -6.6 | -25.6 |
| Mode | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Speechiness | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Acousticness | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Instrumentalness | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Liveness | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Valence | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Tempo | 210.9 | 119.7 | 43.5 |
| Time Signature | 5.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 |
Using the averages we were able to find the perfect shower song which was the classic All Star by Smash mouth.
We also asked Crystal Jackson if there were any underlying reasons why the data revealed All Star to be the perfect shower song and she had this to say: “The data that shows that “All Star” by Smash Mouth is the perfect shower song might be explained by the fact that it’s an upbeat, catchy song that’s easy to sing along to, and it’s also a classic that people of different ages are familiar with. Additionally, the lyrics may be seen as relatable, which can also contribute to the song’s popularity as a shower song. It’s also possible that the song’s association with the movie “Shrek” makes it a popular choice as it evokes positive memories and emotions for many people.”
We also used the data to generate the ultimate shower playlist to make every shower more enjoyable!
Methodology
We gathered data from Spotify’s top 50 most liked playlists that include the word shower in them. We then exported the data into a spreadsheet where we analysed all 7251 songs to find the outcome of the study and got a human behaviour expert to give additional insight on the human behaviour behind the data.
Expert Bio
Crystal is a former therapist turned author and the head writer at The Truly Charming. She has a Master of Arts in Psychology and authored the Heart of Madison series. Her work has also been featured in MSN, Yahoo, and Mind Body Green.