Can't Get it out of my Head (Ear Worms)

[orioles70]

I was standing in the driveway, singing a song last night while waiting for my dog to do his business. Had it in my head when I lay down in bed. Still there when the alarm went off this morning. (Rebirth in New England was the song)

started wondering - how does a song get that stuck? found this article. I'm a little miffed that no Jeff songs are mentioned in the top 10 ear worm list.

www.cbsnews.com/news/psychologists-identify-why-certain-songs-get-stuck-in-your-head/


what songs get stuck in your head?
do you have a technique for washing them out when the song is an annoying one?
does it improve your day, when it's a Jeff song?


earworms typically have an unusual interval structure, such as unexpected leaps or more repeated notes than you would expect to hear in an average pop song, the researchers found. Examples of this include “My Sharona” by the Knack and “In The Mood” by Glen Miller

Previous research has shown a person might be more prone to earworms if they are constantly exposed to music, and certain personality traits — such as obsessive-compulsive or neurotic tendencies — can make people more likely to get songs stuck in their heads

researchers found that the frequency with which people were affected by earworms depended upon the thickness of several brain regions (likely caused by the over exposure to music).

a study published last year in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests a simple way to disrupt the voluntary memory recollection that gets songs stuck in your head: chew a piece of gum

[queenofthehours]

At the beginning of my ELO obsession I used to specifically make sure before I left the house that 'Ma-Ma-Ma Belle' was my ear worm for the day. I found that singing it made me feel loads better and got rid of any nerves! I used to hum the riff, the first verse and the chorus but not in that order, just randomly.

[eloneen]

Both my husband and I (mostly him)  had a "Jungle" earworm for a few days after hearing A New World Record play it live in 2017 in Virginia Beach. 

[BIuebird]

Songs do tend to get stuck in my head. I guess my mild OCD doesn't help matters, according to the article. If it's a good song, it doesn't bother me. For instance, I had "Julie Don't Live Here" stuck in my head for about two weeks, that was fine. If I get an annoying one stuck, I usually listen to other music until it goes away, or until it gets replaced by something less aggrivating.

[Horacewimp]

After reading the article I’ve now got Poker Face stuck in my head, seems like a good excuse to put on Wembley or Bust DVD.

[unomusette]

If I ever hear Two Princes by the Spin Doctors on the radio or something it immediately sets up inside my head until it drives me nearly insane.

Sometimes I can wash it out by concentrating really hard on a Muse song to try and replace it, but it often sneaks back in. And now I've thought about it, it's probably already booting up - doh!

[BSJ]

All Dave has to do is play Benny Hills song "Ernie The Fastest Milkman In The West" and I'm screwed. Dave will also play it so he can hear me laugh myself silly. Errrrrnie...



And this one. For BIuebird.

[Helmut83]

Oct 3, 2018 18:20:07 GMT eloneen said:

Both my husband and I (mostly him)  had a "Jungle" earworm for a few days after hearing A New World Record play it live in 2017 in Virginia Beach. 

Having a worm from the jungle inside your ear can be a complicated thing, particularly if you can't get it out of your head. 

I still remember the video you uploaded, so far it's the only time I've known of "Jungle" being played live. Of course I approve of both the cover and your earworm.  When I first discovered ELO I had "Jungle" stuck in my head for days too.

[Helmut83]

Oct 3, 2018 21:27:01 GMT unomusette said:

If I ever hear Two Princes by the Spin Doctors on the radio or something it immediately sets up inside my head until it drives me nearly insane.

I used to like "Two Princes" when it first came out during my youth, but because of overplay (not by me but by the radios, night clubs, everywhere) I ended up hating it. Now when the first drum fill sounds and the chords kick in I feel an intense displeasure, to say it elegantly (you imagine the not-elegant way of saying it).

[Helmut83]

OK, I'll leave elegance aside and say the list on the article is pure shit because the examples are terrible. Most of those songs don't even have good hooks. The fact that they are corny doesn't automatically mean they are the kind that will get stuck in your head.

The fact that a song is a masterpiece doesn't imply being an earworm either. "Bohemian Rhapsody" doesn't even have a chorus which gets repeated. I'm not going to question the quality of the song, but it's not what I'd call earworm. In fact Queen has lots of more hooky, catchy songs.

And this goes on my account: the artists chosen suggest that the "sample" was comprised by a group of young people, a generation which was exposed to little good music and tons of shit, whatever the big records company wanted to sell them: Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, etc... Forget about Jeff Lynne, orioles70 , he's not on the radar of today's sub-25s which have their musical taste destroyed since they are young kids.


I'd grab those kids by the shirt and tell them: do you want a real hook? Here, have this chorus! Now you'll learn what a good old sticky earworm is, bitches!



 Seriously, catchiest chorus ever.  ♪♫ Cause we got a great big convoy rockin' through the night... ♫♪  

[orioles70]

I remember "Convoy" well. It was all over AM radio in 1976. #1 on both pop and country charts. And I'm pretty sure it inspired the movie Smokey and the Bandit (1977). Here's an NPR piece. Kind of funny that NPR tries to do a serious article explaining the popularity of a novelty song. But the song rose above novelty.
www.npr.org/2017/06/06/531749486/the-legacy-of-convoy-how-a-trucker-s-protest-anthem-became-a-70s-hit

[eloneen]

I remember "Convoy" and my very, very funny uncle who got a CB and would talk on it with his friends. He was legally blind and didn't have a driver's license, but he used his CB and loved it nonetheless.

"Let them truckers roll "

10-4 good buddies!

[queenofthehours]

My mum loves Convoy and is apt to just shout "convoy!" at random times. There aren't enough movies featuring trucks.

[Horacewimp]

Of course everything you Americans do in the U.K. we can always do better.

[BSJ]

Oh, no doubt zooming in on the legs helps this song be a whoooooole lot better!