Researchers in Spain used a huge archive known as the Million Song Dataset, which breaks down audio and lyrical content into data that can be computer crunched, to study pop songs from 1955 to 2010.

A team led by artificial intelligence specialist Joan Serra, at the Spanish National Research Council, ran music from the last 50 years through some complex algorithms and found that pop songs have become intrinsically louder and more bland in terms of the chords, melodies and types of sound used.

The study, a report on which appears in the journal Scientific Reports, offers a handy recipe for musicians in a creative drought.

Old tunes re-recorded with increased loudness, simpler chord progressions and different instruments could sound new and fashionable. The Rolling Stones, in their 50th anniversary year, should take note.