A poll of 2,000 music lovers declared the 1992 track as the ultimate tearjerker, ahead of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ by Sinead O’Connor and Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears in Heaven’.
Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles completed the top five.
Almost half (48 per cent) of adults believe a tune can have a huge impact on their mood.
As a result, 36 per cent tune into sad songs when they are feeling nostalgic, and 24 per cent will have them on rotation following a break-up.
And almost half claim sad songs can brighten up their mood.
Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA and ‘Walking on Sunshine’ by Katrina and The Waves were considered to be the happiest songs recorded.
While Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’, ‘Eye of The Tiger’ by Survivor and Elton John’s singalong anthem ‘I’m Still Standing’ were revealed to be the ultimate motivation tracks.
The soothing sounds of Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ and The Beatles title track from their final album ‘Let It Be’ were named the most relaxing.
The research was commissioned by ear care brand Earex, which has teamed up with Professor Robert Till, professor of music at the University of Huddersfield, and chair of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music,
Professor Till said: “What’s interesting is many of the top choices in this survey weren’t simply about their overall popularity, some of the most mentioned sad songs have far fewer plays on streaming platforms than others, indicating there really is something special about these particular songs.
“As one might expect, people’s age affected their choices, with younger audiences voting for Adele rather than REM – but what’s revealing for the saddest song is the youngest age range selected The Beatles’ Yesterday.
“Perhaps this reflects the recent film of the same title and the importance of films and videos in providing context for songs.
“Music has a powerful ability to take us back in time where we associate particular songs with special moments in our lives, or memories of particular periods.
“Remembering how important music is right through our lives, this study is a timely reminder to look after our ears and our hearing while we are young, and throughout our lifetime, so that when we are older, we can continue enjoying the significant part music plays in our lives”.
The survey found the three key components to making a great song is a good beat, memorable melody and evoking an emotional reaction – while nearly a fifth (19 per cent) believe a good song must be relatable.
Simply having the power to raise a smile was found to be the top reason why music is important, along with its ability to give them a lift when needed (54 per cent) and because they can share it with others (30 per cent).
As a result, 56 per cent have a bank of songs they will always turn to in certain situations or with specific people.
More than a quarter (26 per cent) turn on happy music when with friends and a further 25 per cent plug into motivating songs in the gym.
It also found the average adult listens to 25 songs each day, with at home, in the car and at work the top places to play their beloved songs.
But one in five (20 per cent) will always plug their earphones in when on a walk or run.
Although, while most listen to music at a regular volume around the home, 29 per cent admit they love to listen loudly either at home or in the car.
In fact, nearly half (48 per cent) of those polled via OnePoll sometimes listen to music at such a loud volume that it could impact their ear health and hearing.
And more than eight in 10 would be ‘devastated’ if they could no longer listen to music.
Claire Campbell, from Earex, said: “The findings clearly demonstrate just how much we value what music can bring to our lives, as well as highlighting the importance of looking after our ear health so we can continue to keep immersing ourselves in the sounds we love.
“Listening to the music we love using in-ear buds or at loud volume can have a detrimental impact on our ear health and if excessive, could damage our hearing.
"Music and sound in general can bring so much joy so it’s crucial that we raise as much awareness as possible to look after our ears.
“Our ears provide our ability to recognise, appreciate and reproduce sounds. They are complex and delicate and that’s why, when you get a problem, like a build-up of earwax or hardened earwax, your ears need special care.”
TOP 30 SADDEST SONGS
1. REM – Everybody Hurts
2. Sinead O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U
3. Eric Clapton – Tears in Heaven
4. Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You
5. The Beatles – Yesterday
6. Adele – Someone Like You
7. Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On
8. Roy Orbison – Crying
9. Eric Carmen – All by Myself
10. Robbie Williams - Angels
11. Bill Withers – Ain’t No Sunshine
12. James Blunt – Goodbye My Lover
13. Toni Braxton – Unbreak My Heart
14. Eva Cassidy - Songbird
15. Coldplay – Fix You
16. U2 – With or Without You
17. The Beatles – The Long and Winding Road
18. Al Green – How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?
19. Sam Smith – Stay with Me
20. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
21. Carole King – It’s Too Late
22. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
23. John Lennon – Jealous Guy
24. Simon & Garfunkel – The Boxer
25. Gary Jules – Mad World
26. Adele - Easy on Me
27. Boyz II Men – End of The Road
28. Neil Young - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
29. Passenger - Let Her Go
30. The Fray – How to Save a Life
