The rail industry has polled the nation’s commuters and discovered the top tracks that accompany our journeys into work, with 1982 rock anthem Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (34 percent) topping the list for commuters in London.
9 to 5 by Dolly Parton (28 percent), Work by Rihanna ft. Drake (27 percent), Happy by Pharrell Williams (23 percent), and Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling (23 percent), feature in London commuters’ top 10, along with I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor (23 percent), Sabrina Carpenter’s pop smash Espresso (22 percent), and late London icon Amy Winehouse’s classic Back to Black (22 percent).
The aptly named 1983 Elton John hit I'm Still Standing’ (21 percent) also made an appearance in the top 30 list, alongside Eminem’s noughties anthem Lose Yourself (21 percent).
In fact, the research, commissioned by the rail industry, found that the average London commuter listens to a staggering 425.5 hours of music over a year.
Pop (59 percent), Rock (36 percent) and Hip Hop (36 percent) are the most popular genres to accompany London commuters on their way to work, according to the study, while on the way back, more mellow genres like R&B (30 percent), country (16 percent) and classical (15 percent) soundtrack their journeys.
Almost one in three (31 percent) commuting Londoners rely on the grooves to wake them up, with a further 29 percent turning to tunes to get them ready for the day ahead and improve their mental health (26 percent).
Music not only plays an important role in gearing the city up for the day ahead, but it also helps commuters face any challenges that might come their way in the workplace. Pop (42 percent) and rock (28 percent) are the top choices for psyching workers up for a presentation, while hip hop (24 percent) and R&B (21 percent) are some of the go-tos when building up for difficult conversations.
Dr Michael Bonshor, Programme Director, MA Music Psychology in Education, Performance and Wellbeing at the University of Sheffield, explains how music can enhance your train commute and the health and wellbeing benefits of exploring new genres:
“Listening to familiar music on the train is often enjoyable because it can create pleasurable feelings of relaxation and nostalgia. We associate past experiences with particular songs, so we choose tracks that we know will be uplifting, relaxing or help us prepare for our working day. Through our regular listening habits, we learn which music will help us to create our desired mood, so we choose that music more often.
“But if we are too familiar with the music, it might become boring and less immersive. At this point, we could explore other music to stimulate our interest, and to develop some new ‘favourites’ to help us continue being able to benefit from ‘getting in the zone’ on our train commute.”
Despite being a city of music-lovers and the birthplace of iconic acts like The Rolling Stones, Adele and Stormzy, four in five Londoners (80 percent) admit they listen to the same music on repeat, with more than one in four (27 percent) confessing they NEVER listen to new artists on their commute. To bring the joy of live music to commuters and provide them with a unique opportunity to discover new and upcoming musical talent for their commuter playlist, the rail industry has launched a series of surprise live gigs at train stations across Britain.
Sevenoaks station will be host to a pop-up gig on 12 February 2025, featuring the energetic pop sounds of singer-songwriter Ethan Hodges, to help commuters discover new music for their playlists and soundtrack their journey home.
Speaking about the upcoming gig at Sevenoaks, Sevenoaks Station Manager, Jack Heidrey said:
"We were thrilled to welcome Ethan Hodges to Sevenoaks station for this special performance. Live music has such a unique way of brightening up people's commutes, and we enjoyed seeing how our customers responded to having their regular journey made a little bit different. It's a fantastic way to encourage our commuters to discover new music that could become part of their daily travel soundtrack.”
Jacqueline Starr, CEO of Rail Delivery Group, commented:
“Our research shows that music is a favourite way for many of our customers to pass the time on their journey, whether it's to energise them on the way to work or help them relax on the way home. To celebrate 2025 marking 200 years since the birth of the modern railway we’re making it easier for commuters to discover new music for their commuter playlists, and the health and wellbeing benefits that comes with listening to a variety of music on your train commute.”
The series of surprise live gigs has been taking place at commuter hotspots across the country, introducing commuters to unique and up-and-coming musical talent for their journeys.
To learn about the benefits of listening to different types of music on your train commute and to discover new musical talent for your commuter playlist – including an exclusive 30% discount to Sofar Sounds Shows - visit nationalrail.co.uk/topofthetracks. Nothing beats being there.
