AI struggles to write a good jingle. You'd be forgiven if you can't hum the 18th-century Cumbrian folk song "Do Ye Ken John Peel." But in 1942, a version of that tune, reworked with lyrics about Pepsi-Cola, was the most recognized melody in America. Three years earlier, two men walked into the office of Pepsi-Cola's president, carrying a phonograph. They played a demo of what would become one of America's earliest advertising jingles.

The ability to identify or produce any musical note from memory without reference, aka true perfect pitch, is a rare gift. In fact, less than one in 10,000 people have it--but you don't need the ability to spontaneously recall a melody with decent accuracy. If anything, you may not be as tone deaf as you think. Past research in lab settings shows people tasked with remembering and singing a well-known song can do so at least 15-percent of the time, more than can be chalked up to chance. Even so, psychologists' understanding of this recall process remains incomplete.

In fact, a recent study named it the highest earning song on Spotify in the UK, despite it being released by The Killers 20 years ago. The track has so far brought the Las Vegas-born band more than £1 million in royalties ($1,254,087) through the streaming service. Indeed, since 2004, 'Mr Brightside' has spent 358 non-consecutive weeks in the UK singles charts, and is currently at number 62. But why exactly has Mr Brightside stood the test of time? MailOnline takes a look at the science behind this rock anthem.

During the last months of my mother's life, as she ventured further from lucidity, she was visited by music. In collusion with her dementia, her hearing loss filled her consciousness with musical hallucinations. Sometimes welcome, more often not, her musical visitations were vivid, yet segmented and tattered. She would occasionally comment on the singers. On rare occasions she would identify the performer. Mitch Miller, who wrote oppressively cheerful arrangements of popular songs from the 1950s, seemed to command a prominent role in her hallucinations.

During the last months of my mother's life, as she ventured further from lucidity, she was visited by music. In collusion with her dementia, her hearing loss filled her consciousness with musical hallucinations. Sometimes welcome, more often not, her musical visitations were vivid, yet segmented and tattered. She would occasionally comment on the singers. On rare occasions she would identify the performer. Mitch Miller, who wrote oppressively cheerful arrangements of popular songs from the 1950s, seemed to command a prominent role in her hallucinations.