According to Spotify, these are the BEST NFL touchdown songs

Writer: Patrik Lidin Principal Writer and Editor / Head of Content

Experience: Sports Trader, Market Maker, Product Owner Sportsbook, Professional Gambler, Poker Player

Updated: 3 weeks ago

Reviewed by:   Expert review board

Our most recent study has revealed the best NFL touchdown songs, with When The Saints Go Marching In taking the top spot.

Our sports betting experts at JustGamblers, used Spotify’s API to analyze 25 songs played by NFL teams following a touchdown, to determine which should theoretically generate the most hype. They looked at four factors which included ‘danceability’, ‘energy’, ‘loudness’, and ‘valence’ (how positive a song is), to create a total score out of 100 for each song.

Top Touchdown Song: When The Saints Go Marching In by Fats Domino

In first place is New Orleans Saints’ When The Saints Go Marching In by Fats Domino, scoring 79.23 out of 100. 

First recorded by the Paramount Jubilee Singers in mid-November 1923, New Orleans’ own Fats Domino helped popularize the song, bringing it to more of a mainstream audience. Scoring a perfect 10 out of 10 for valence, this is by far the most positive song on the list, according to Spotify. The song also scores 6.06 out of 10 for danceability, 8.08 out of 10 for energy, and 7.56 out of 10 for loudness.

Second Place: The Next Episode by Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg

In second place are the Los Angeles Chargers’ The Next Episode by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, scoring 73.94 out of 100. The only song on the list to score 10 out of 10 for both danceability and loudness. The song also scored 8.77 out of 10 for energy but just 0.8 out of 10 for valence, according to Spotify. The song has amassed more than 960 million plays on Spotify – the equivalent to 4,904 years of play time.

Third Place: The Whip by Locksley

The Whip by Locksley takes the third spot on the list, scoring 68.76 out of 100. Used by the Denver Broncos as their touchdown song, this 2010 song scored 4.2 out of 10 for danceability, 9.38 out of 10 for energy, 7.59 out of 10 for loudness, and 6.33 out of 10 for valence.

Other Notable Songs

Fourth place goes to the Buffalo Bills’ touchdown song, Fluxland by Ma. Bra., scoring 68.52 out of 100. According to Spotify, Fluxland scored 6.52 out of 10 for danceability, 8.97 out of 10 for energy, 9.07 out of 10 for loudness, and 2.85 out of 10 for valence. 

X Gon’ Give It To Ya by DMX takes the fifth spot on the list, scoring 67.2 out of 100. Used by the Seattle Seahawks, this 2002 release scored 7.33 out of 10 for danceability, 7.23 out of 10 for energy, 6.94 out of 10 for loudness, and 5.38 out of ten for valence, according to Spotify.

The remainder of the top ten features Pittsburgh Steelers’ touchdown song, Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones in at sixth place, scoring 67.06 out of 100. Detroit Lions’ Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars comes in at seventh, scoring 66.48 out of 100.

Eighth place goes to Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) by Fall Out Boy, which scores 64.09 out of 100

Ninth place goes to Party Up by DMX, scoring 63.93 out of 100. Notably, this is the only song in the top ten to be used by two teams, both the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles. DMX is also the only artist to have two separate tracks used as NFL touchdown songs.

Arizona Cardinals’ Surfin Bird by The Trashmen rounds out the list in tenth place, scoring 61.7 out of 100.

Least Popular Song

The Baltimore Ravens’ touchdown song, Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, was found to be the worst rated, scoring just 30.52 out of 100. While scoring well in danceability (7.15 out of 10), the song was let down by low scores in energy (0.29), loudness (4.39), and valence (0.37).

Complete Rankings:

"While some fans passionately embrace the anthems as integral parts of their game-day rituals, others express frustration or disappointment with selections that fail to resonate with their tastes or expectations. This nuanced interplay between fandom and musical identity underscores the multifaceted nature of sports culture and the diverse ways in which individuals connect with their teams.” 

Patrik Lidin, Head of Content at JustGamblers.

Methodology

We found the touchdown songs for each NFL team through desk research. Using Spotify’s API, each song was scored out of ten for, ‘danceability’, ‘energy’, ‘loudness’, and ‘valence’ (how positive a song is). A total score out of 100 was then allocated to each song, with a higher score indicating it would hypothetically generate more hype from a team’s fans.

Some NFL teams sound like a bullhorn following a touchdown rather than playing a specific song, and some teams touchdown songs were not available on Spotify. In both cases, these were omitted from the final ranking.

Below is a table of extended results:

Sources: Spotify for Developers