Right on the heels of National Flag Day, Canadians get confirmation of what we've always believed -- our national anthem is among the best.
At least, according to a new study commissioned by Sing-a-long-a Productions, the folks who put on such family-friendly fare as "Sing-A-Long-A Grease" (playing next weekend in Toronto) and "Sing-A-Long-A Sound Of Music."
Not a subject to be approached casually, the data was pulled together by the University of London's Dr. Alison Pawley, a musicologist and singing teacher, and Dr. Daniel Müllensiefen, a music psychologist, who analyzed eight national anthems to determine which ones most compelled listeners to join in.
While their list appears slightly skewed toward UK and European culture, with France's "La Marseillaise" and Wales' "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau/Land of My Fathers" taking the top two spots, "O Canada" lands squarely in the middle at number five, above both "The Star-Spangled Banner" (number six) and "God Save The Queen" (number seven).
"O Canada" had many versions during the country's evolution, but the one that's being lauded for its "sing-a-long-ability" came from a French poem written by Judge Adolphe-Basile Routhier and set to music by Calixa Lavallée in 1880. An English version was crafted by Montreal lawyer, Robert Stanley Weir, in 1908, but thanks to legal hold-ups, it wasn't officially made the national anthem until July 1, 1980.
Though "O Canada" has not been without its controversy in recent years, the widespread love for the song is likely thanks to the relative simplicity of its lyrics, the heart-pulling crescendoing of its tune and of course, the option for bilingualism.
The researchers had previously used their methods to figure out what made particular pop songs so catchy, hitting on results like "We are the Champions" and "Y.M.C.A."
WATCH: Some of the most memorable performances of O Canada ever: