The anatomy of a hit song has remained a mystery to researchers looking to dissect what makes some songs soar to the top of the charts and others land with an embarrassing flop.

Thus far, figuring out what qualities may link very different anthems — say, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It” — has been more a matter of alchemy than science.

Now European researchers are challenging that notion. Using 50 years’ worth of hit songs on Britain’s top 40 charts, they’ve come up with a computer program that can predict whether a song will catch fire on the airwaves or fizzle out.