The Killers' Mr Brightside has been pinpointed as the definitive driving song in a new poll of British motorists.
The track from the Las Vegas band's 2004 album Hot Fuss defeated classic rock efforts such as Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild and Eye of the Tiger by Survivor to be named UK drivers' favourite sing-along song while in the car.
Though 70s and 80s favourites such as Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero and Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight - recently immortalised in the Cadbury's Dairy Milk advert - made the list, it was the Killers' tale of a jealous lover that topped the chart.
Brian Martin, manager of elephant.co.uk, who carried out the poll, admitted it was a surprise to see the most modern song in the poll topping the list.
"For a relatively new tune, it seems to have made quite an impact," he added.
The survey found marked differences between male and female drivers' favoured driving songs, with women favouring Bonnie Tyler over the Killers and tracks by Lenny Kravitz and Talking Heads favoured by men but failing to make the female top ten.
Mr Martin added: "It's women that are the most prolific in-car crooners and more than twice as many women than men admit to always singing in their car.
"Twelve per cent of men claim they drive in silence compared to only three per cent of women," he explained.
The poll also revealed regional differences in favourite travelling tracks, with Scots and south-eastern drivers favouring the modern sound of the Killers, Welsh motorists enamoured with Kenny Loggins' Danger Zone and Guns 'n' Roses Paradise City.
The overall top ten songs for British drivers were:
1 Killers: Mr Brightside
2 Bonnie Tyler: Holding Out For A Hero
3 Phil Collins: In The Air Tonight
4 Don McLean: American Pie
5 Guns 'n' Roses: Paradise City
6 Steppenwolf: Born To Be Wild
7 Cyndi Lauper: I Drove All Night
8 Survivor: Eye Of The Tiger
9 Stealer's Wheel: Stuck In The Middle With You
10 Wilson Pickett: Mustang Sally
The ten favourite driving songs for women were:
1 Bonnie Tyler: Holding Out For A Hero
2 Killers: Mr Brightside
3 Phil Collins: In The Air Tonight
4 Don McLean: American Pie
5 Cyndi Lauper: I Drove All Night
6 Survivor: Eye Of The Tiger
7 Guns 'n' Roses: Paradise City
8 Stealer's Wheel: Stuck In The Middle With You
9 Steppenwolf: Born To Be Wild
10 Europe: The Final Countdown
And men chose the following ten tracks:
1 Killers: Mr Brightside
2 Don McLean: American Pie
3 Phil Collins: In The Air Tonight
4 Guns 'n' Roses: Paradise City
5 Steppenwolf: Born To Be Wild
6 Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run
7 Talking Heads: Road to Nowhere
8 Lenny Kravitz: Are You Going To Go My Way?
9 Bonnie Tyler: Holding Out For A Hero
10 Wilson Pickett: Mustang Sally
23/05/2008 00:03:00
See Also
