For centuries, people across the world have used music as a means to regulate or enhance their emotional state.
In fact, according to reports, music is widely credited for having the ability to decrease your blood pressure, lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, promote better rest, lift the mood and reduce the heart rate, just by listening to 30 minutes a day.
The UK’s key workers are known for working some of the world’s most stressful and high-pressured jobs, so it’s no surprise music often plays a big part in their lives.
Whether listening during their commute to work, or in some cases even while they’re actually working, music is listened to by thousands of key workers every single day.
By looking at Spotify data, we at Motorfinity, the specialist emergency services, armed forces, veterans, carers and teachers’ petrol car and electric vehicle discount provider, have analysed over 15,000 playlists related to different professions to find out which tracks are topping the charts for different key workers.
If you’ve ever had major surgery, have you ever thought about what might go on while you’re unconscious on the operating table? Well, it turns out, there’s a high possibility that the surgeons who are skilfully working to save your life could well be listening to Coldplay, with the global sensations’ 2000 hit song Yellow topping the charts as the most featured song on surgery playlists.
According to our research, surgeons are fans of retro pop acts such as Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, Eagles, a-ha and Toto whose hit songs Dreams, Here Comes The Sun, Hotel California, Take On Me and Africa respectively all featured in the top ten most popular surgery songs.
Meanwhile, more recent entries included the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Californication and Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar which were the third and seventh most featured songs in surgery playlists respectively.
A police chase is no doubt one of the most high-pressured and stress-inducing aspects of working within the police force. It’s no wonder then that members of the police force are looking to high-octane tunes to keep them pumped, with our research revealing police forces to be fans of hip-hop as the soundtrack to their police chases.
Our research revealed Bad Boys (the theme from COPS) by Inner Circle was top of the tracks for police chase playlists, followed by Eminem’s ‘Till I Collapse which came in second. Other key artists that featured quite heavily across police playlists included Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, J.Cole, Lil Uzi Vert and Tyler The Creator.
Similarly, results from our study found that firefighters also share a love for modern hip-hop hits, with nine out of ten of the top ten tracks in fire fighters’ playlists being from rap stars. Taking the top spot was Travis Scott’s Goosebumps, followed by Lil Baby’s Drip Too Hard (Lil Baby & Gunna) which was second and Travis Scott’s FE!N (feat. Playboi Carti) which was crowned as the third most popular track.
Other artists that made the top ten included J.Cole, Lil Uzi Vert, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. According to some experts, hip-hop has the ability to elicit feelings of increased relaxation and calm, helping to improve the listener’s daily mood. It’s no wonder then that it’s topping the charts for high-adrenaline activities like fire-fighting and police chases.
Burnout in the UK’s educational world has been a hot topic for many years, with many teachers often clocking up hours of overtime each week, due to marking and lesson plans. In fact, according to a recent report, almost a quarter of teachers in England are regularly working 12-hour days, clocking up a minimum of 60 hours a week.
That’s according to research commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2022, which also revealed that nearly half of teachers surveyed said they would rate their anxiety levels as “high” and almost three quarters stating their workloads were unacceptable. Such sentiments have been the cause of regular strike action from many teachers across the country in recent years, with teachers calling for better pay and greater support surrounding the levels of paperwork and marking they face each week.
It’s no wonder then that many teachers turn to music to help their stress levels, with our study revealing a penchant for AC/DC when marking, with the 1970s’ rock band appearing four times in the top ten tracks for marking, and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s song Sweet Home Alabama revealed as the sixth most popular song.
American country music singer and songwriter Luke Combs also featured heavily in the top 100 list, with his song, When It Rains It Pours, ranked as teachers’ fifth most popular song for marking, and the artist featuring a further five times in the top 100 chart.
The UK’s full-time armed forces sector is made up of 152,400 personnel, with the sector offering a wealth of opportunities. Whether working as an infantry soldier in the army, a mechanical aircraft technician in the RAF or a submariner in the navy, working in the armed forces requires dedication, hard work and focus.
Analysing the top tracks for the armed forces, our research found Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Fortunate Son as the most popular track, with AC/DC also featuring quite heavily in their top tracks too, as well as The Rolling Stones with Paint it Black.
However, what might be surprising for many, is how often K-pop (short for Korean pop) featured across playlists for the armed forces, with K-pop boyband and global superstars, BTS featuring 19 times in the top 100 most popular songs featured in armed forces playlists.
Originating in South Korea, recent years have seen K-pop become a global phenomenon thanks to its addictive melodies, polished choreography and catchy beats. Providing the perfect pop escapism for music fans, its music channels feelings of joy and happiness, making it ideal for those looking for something light and feel-good. There’s little wonder then that armed forces personnel have featured the genre so heavily amongst their most listened to tracks.
From our research, the key workers with the most eclectic music taste are ambulance drivers and paramedics with their taste ranging from K-pop to Nelly Furtado, Britney Spears to Katrina & The Waves.
K-pop star and member of boy band BTS, V, topped the charts for those working an ambulance shift, with his songs FRIEND(S), Love Me Again and Slow Dancing cinching the top three songs for playlists. Meanwhile for paramedics, top tracks include the likes of Katrina & The Waves’ cheery hit Walking On Sunshine, the very fitting hit song from The Fray, How to Save a Life and Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten.
By its very nature, pop music is often created to help lift people’s moods, with catchy melodies that appeal to the masses, so it’s little surprise that paramedics and ambulances are turning to auditory mood enhancers to support them as they take on often emotional and intense shifts spent saving lives on the front line.
Music has the ability to break down barriers and can be a great support for the many workers who work tirelessly to keep the nation safe each and every day.
At Motorfinity, we’re passionate about doing our bit to offer support to those who work some of the hardest jobs around. Our exclusive car discounts ensure key workers needn’t worry about having access to a reliable car for their journeys to and from work, so they can spend time focusing on the many incredible jobs they do keeping our country running.
Our offers allow NHS, emergency services, armed forces or social care workers to enjoy substantial savings on a brand new car. Find out more about our available offers here.
And, if you’re a key worker looking for a playlist to provide the perfect soundtrack for your daily commute, we’ve compiled playlists based on the most popular tracks for each sector.
Using Playlist Miner, we analysed 15,445 playlists to discover the most popular songs and artists used in Spotify playlists related to different key worker professions.
For the surgeon related playlists, we located the top playlists with names containing the phrase ‘surgery’. For the police related playlists, we located the top playlists with names containing the phrase ‘police chase’. For the fire fighter related playlists, we located the top playlists with names containing the phrase ‘fire fighter’. For the teacher related playlists, we located the top playlists with names containing the phrase ‘marking’. For the armed forces related playlists, we located the top playlists with names containing the phrase ‘armed forces’. For the paramedic related playlists, we located the top playlists with names containing the phrase ‘ambulance shift’ and ‘paramedic’.
We then established the 100 songs most commonly found across those playlists.