The World’s 21 Most Popular Work-From-Home Songs, According to Spotify

By Ellen Gutoskey |
Working from home means getting to belt out Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" without your coworkers shushing you.
Working from home means getting to belt out Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" without your coworkers shushing you. / Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

While some people prefer complete silence or soft rain sounds as a backdrop for their work-from-home experiences, other employees are currently filling their makeshift offices with the musical works of everyone from Johann Sebastian Bach to the Jonas Brothers.

UK-based business consultant service BusinessComparison pored over 393 Spotify playlists—a combination of those created by users and ones posted by Spotify—that featured “work from home” and various derivative phrases in the titles to discover which tracks are most popular among self-isolating staff members.

The top 21 songs are a unique jumble of upbeat classics, newly released pop chart-toppers, and tracks that not-so-subtly allude to the coronavirus pandemic. Of the 50,000 songs found across all playlists in the study, Fifth Harmony’s 2016 hit single “Work From Home” was the most common, featuring on 54 playlists. Close behind was “Blinding Lights,” a single off The Weeknd’s album After Hours, released in March 2020, and Dolly Parton's perennially beloved—and circumstantially appropriate—song “9 to 5.”

As for cheeky nods to life in quarantine, the list also includes The Police’s “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” MC Hammer's “U Can’t Touch This,” R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It,” and the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.”

Though certain ultra-popular artists didn’t have any individual songs crack the top 21 list, some of them made the list of top artists. Altogether, songs by Taylor Swift were seen on work-from-home playlists a total of 217 times, making her the second most popular work-from-home artist; Bach bested her by a grand margin of one to take the top spot. Fleetwood Mac, Queen, and The Beatles all made the list, too.

Peruse the full list of songs below, and find out how to boost your productivity while working remotely here.

  1. "Work From Home" // Fifth Harmony feat. Ty Dolla $ign
  1. "Blinding Lights" // The Weeknd
  1. "9 to 5" // Dolly Parton
  1. "Mr. Brightside" // The Killers
  1. "Don’t Stand So Close to Me" // The Police
  1. "Don’t Start Now" // Dua Lipa
  1. "Adore You" // Harry Styles
  1. "Toxic" // Britney Spears
  1. "U Can’t Touch This" // MC Hammer
  1. "Don’t Stop Believin’" // Journey
  1. "It’s the End of the World As We Know It" // R.E.M.
  1. "Say So" // Doja Cat
  1. "Watermelon Sugar" // Harry Styles
  1. "I’m Still Standing" // Elton John
  1. "everything i wanted" // Billie Eilish
  1. "Survivor" // Destiny’s Child
  1. "Stupid Love" // Lady Gaga
  1. "What a Man Gotta Do" // Jonas Brothers
  1. "Stayin’ Alive" // Bee Gees
  1. "Mr. Blue Sky" // Electric Light Orchestra
  1. "Circles" // Post Malone

[h/t BusinessComparison]

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