“One is the Likeliest Number”

lyrics written 2007 Lawrence M. Lesser

may be sung to tune of Harry Nilsson’s “One”

that was a #5 hit (and 1st gold record) for Three Dog Night in 1969

appears on the inside back cover of the spring 2011 issue of Teaching Statistics

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9639.2010.00431.x/pdf

One is the likeliest number that you'll ever view
Two’s the next most likely one -- it's the likeliest number since the number one
Benford’s the oddest law you’ll ever know

Frequency falls as the digits grow

‘Cause one is the likeliest number that you’ll ever view

One is the likeliest number, more than two

BRIDGE: They came and took our head accountant away

They caught his fraud using Benford’s law yesterday

One is the likeliest number, one is the likeliest number

One is the likeliest number that you’ll ever view

One is the likeliest, one is the likeliest

One is the likeliest from a power rule

(repeat first line of bridge)

(Number) one is the likeliest (Number) one is the likeliest

(Number) one is the likeliest number that you’ll ever view

(Number) one is the likeliest (Number) one is the likeliest

(Number) one is the likeliest number that you’ll ever view