Britons put their faith in Preacher Man as best tune

IT HAS been covered by artists as diverse as Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton and Joss Stone, and is synonymous with the cult classic movie Pulp Fiction.

Now, Dusty Springfield's rendition of Son of a Preacher Man has been named the nation's favourite song.

The song, which was released 40 years ago and only reached number nine in the charts, topped a poll of those which Britons would have on a playlist of favourites.

It beat the Rolling Stones' Paint it Black into second place and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, which has won similar polls in the past, into third.

The favourites, compiled from a survey of 2,000 people, reinforce the old adage that they don't make 'em like they used to, with Robbie Williams' Angels, released 12 years ago, the most modern tune to make the list.

Mark Sheridan, research co-ordinator in the Department of Creative and Aesthetic Studies at the University of Strathclyde, said the list showed how people tended to favour nostalgia when it came to picking songs.

"As people get older, they tend to find themselves sounding like their parents in the sense of wanting tunes, so they hark back to a period when melodic songs were very dominant," he said.

"So you get classics from the Beatles, Queen and the Rolling Stones. All are extremely memorable for a melodic hook of some sort.

"But there also is no denying the appeal of these songs to all generations.

"Many of our students use them as influences in the music they create on the course."

Mr Sheridan said that he believed the advent of music downloading would continue to reinforce the popular taste for nostalgic songs, but said that such surveys did not tell the whole story.

He added: "I think this reflects what people carry around in their top pocket, musically speaking – they're catchy and easy to recall off the top of their heads.

"But when people get home and sit down with their friends to listen to a record, you can bet it's a different story."

Psychologist Dr Aleksander Aksentijevic said that while the top song seemed an unusual choice, the results reflected a shift in the way Britons viewed themselves. "It conveys a sense of empowerment, rebellion, urban sophistication and symbolises the new Britain at ease with itself," he said.

Preacher Man was to be the last major chart hit for Springfield for almost 20 years until she teamed up with Pet Shop Boys for the single What Have I Done to Deserve This? in 1987.

Dr Aksentijevic added that the songs chosen had a strong psychological resonance for fans. He said that Paint it Black was a "rebellious and evocative" song that represented a strong liberal outlook, as did Queen's mini-opera Bohemian Rhapsody, which he believed both "appeals to libertarians" and those of a hedonistic bent.

TOP TEN

BRITAIN'S favourite songs:

1 Dusty Springfield – Son of a Preacher Man (1969)

2 The Rolling Stones – Paint It Black (1966)

3 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (1975) Freddie Mercury

4 The Beatles – Hey Jude (1968)

5 Robbie Williams – Angels (1997)

6 Frank Sinatra – My Way (1969)

7 Michael Jackson – Thriller (1983)

8 Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You (1992)

9 Aretha Franklin – Respect (1967)

10 Elvis Presley – Suspicious Minds (1969)