With Moon River making its sixth appearance on the Show in Movie Week, along with a fifth Samba outing for Barry Manilow’s Copacabana this coming weekend, we look back at some of the most frequently used musical tracks for routines on Strictly Come Dancing. Can you guess which one is Strictly’s Top of the Bops?

Note: Routines danced more than once (or by multiple couples) are only counted as a single use of that particular track.

Musical tracks with 5 appearances

12 tracks have been used 5 times. This is an eclectic group ranging from Rat Pack crooner classics such as ‘It Had To Be You’ (Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick Junior) and ‘New York, New York’ (Frank Sinatra) used for Foxtrot and American Smooth routines to operatic and orchestral pieces for Paso routines such as ‘El Gato Montés’ (Manuel Penella) plus pop songs by such artists as Elton John (‘I’m Still Standing’), Whitney Houston (‘Run To You’) and Dee C. Lee (‘See the Day’).

• Bamboleo by José Feliciano or Gipsy Kings: 4 Sambas (High score – 35 Natalie & Artem), 1 Paso (15 Christopher & Hanna)
• Do Your Thing by Basement Jaxx: 3 Charlestons (High score – 38 Peter & Janette), 1 Quickstep (23 Bill & Karen), 1 Lindy Hop-a-Thon (won by Ashley & Pasha)
• El Gato Montés by Manuel Penella, various versions: 5 Pasos (High score – 35 Natalie & Artem)
• I’m Still Standing by Elton John: 2 Jives (High score – 40 Jill & Darren, first 40 awarded), 1 Salsa (34 Harry & Aliona), 1 Quickstep (31 Jake & Janette), 1 Showdance (29/30 Jamie & Karen)
• It Had To Be You by Frank Sinatra or Harry Connick Jr: 3 American Smooths (High score – 37 Patrick & Anya), 2 Foxtrots (High score – 31 Aston & Janette)
• Malaguena by Ernesto Lecuona, Connie Francis & various versions: 5 Pasos (High score – 40 Chelsee & Pasha)
• New York, New York by Frank Sinatra: 3 Foxtrots (High score – 38 Saffron & AJ), 2 American Smooths (High score – 38 Hamza & Jowita)
• Pencil Full of Lead by Paolo Nutini: 4 Charlestons (High score – 39 Hamza & Jowita), 1 Quickstep (26 Will & Janette)
• Por Una Cabeza by Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera: 2 Tangos (High score – 36 Sara & Aljaž), 3 Argentinian Tangos (High score – 40 Debbie & Giovanni)
• Run To You by Whitney Houston: 5 Waltzes (High score – 24 Willie & Erin)
• See The Day by Dee C. Lee or Girls Aloud: 5 Waltzes (High score – 39 Faye & Giovanni)
• You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone or Whitney Houston: 5 Waltzes (High score – 36 Susanna & Kevin)

Regrettably, of the 3 perfect-scoring routines above – Jill & Darren’s Jive, Chelsee & Pasha’s Paso and Debbie & Giovanni’s Argentine Tango – only this last dance is currently available. So here to enjoy is Debbie & Gio’s Argentine Tango to the dramatic Por Una Cabeza from the 2017 Final, which scored 40 and remains a show-stealing performance. This distinctive piece of music has been used in several films including Scent of a Woman and Schindler’s List and according to Wikipedia its creators (Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera) tragically died in an aeroplane crash not long after writing it in 1935.

Musical tracks with 6 appearances

5 tracks have been used 6 times. Another varied collection, with Oscar-winning classics such as ‘Moon River’ written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer and performed by Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, big band swing numbers as well as famous, internationally recognisable Tango compositions.

• La Cumparsita by Gerardo Matos Rodríguez, various versions: 4 Tangos (High score – 35 Lisa & Brendan), 2 Argentinian Tangos (High score – 39 Caroline & Pasha and Faye & Giovanni)
• Libertango by Ástor Piazzolla, various versions: 2 Tangos (High score – 38 Austin & Erin), 4 Argentinian Tangos (High score – 38 Dani & Vincent)
• Moon River by Audrey Hepburn from ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s: 6 Waltzes (High score – 35 Tom & Camilla)
• Sing, Sing, Sing by Louis Prima, various versions: 4 Quicksteps (High score – 40 AJ & Kai), 1 Lindy Hop (Chris & Ola 44/50 and Ricky & Natalie 43/50) and 1 Quickstep-a-Thon (won by Helen & Aljaž)
• With You I’m Born Again by Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright: 6 Waltzes (High score – 36 Natasha & Brendan and Mark & Karen)

In a one-off, the 2009 Final included a group Lindy Hop danced simultaneously by both couples with Chris & Ola and Ricky & Natalie sharing the dancefloor to perform to Louis Prima’s swing number ‘Sing, Sing. Sing’. Darcey Bussell had joined the judging panel from the Quarter-Finals, so the couples were scored out of 50 with Chris & Ola winning this particular battle by just one point – they went on to win the glitterball although trailing Ricky & Natalie by 4 points on the Leaderboard.

Both Lindy Hops were the lowest scoring dances of the Final which possibly explains why this unique format was never repeated.

Musical tracks with 8 (yes, 8!) appearances

1 track has been used 8 times though you’ll need to think again if you are expecting the Top of the Strictly Bops to be a Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston or Michael Bublé number (which is what we expected!). In fact, the track which tops the Strictly charts is a Paso Doble piece originally written by Pascual Marquina Narro in the 1920s which has been used for 8 Pasos, the scores of which range from 10 points (David James & Nadiya) to 38 points (Austin Healy & Erin) and which includes a fantastic Paso Doble-thon from 2017 won by Alexandra & Gorka.

España cañí – also known as the Spanish Gypsy Dance – is often cited as the definitive Paso Doble music, which had its origins in the fast-paced military tunes played to accompany marching infantry soldiers. Other roots of this musical genre in Spanish bullfighting are well established, manifested in the dance by dramatic movements representing both the matador and his cape. The use of España cañí to accompany these 8 different Paso performances is due its unique historical and cultural position as the music of choice for this dance, with numerous other Paso Doble pieces being very similar in style and structure to Pascual Marquina Narro’s composition.

• España cañí by Pascual Marquina Narro, various versions: 7 Paso Dobles (High score – 38 Austin & Erin) and 1 Paso Doble-thon (won by Alexandra & Gorka)

From Week 11 of Series 6, here is Austin & Erin’s impressive Paso Doble to España cañí, which scored 38 and placed them third on the Leaderboard (though they were eliminated the following week) – perhaps surprisingly it was Len (and not Craig) who marked the routine lower than the other judges, awarding it 8.

Before we go, it’s worth just remembering Strictly’s amazing musical team who consistently deliver all these fantastic tunes, show after show, week after week. Their extraordinary talents are always heard but rarely seen – other than the brief glimpse we catch of Dave Arch each week, the Show’s Musical Director since 2006. The incredible talent of Dave and the rest of the Strictly Production team was deservedly recognised with a Special BAFTA Television Craft Award back in 2014. Nine years on from this the creative work on the show remains truly outstanding.