Song Stuck in Your Head? You're Not Alone

Reuters ^ | Monday, Feb 24, 2003 | Alison McCook

[InShanghai]

 

Song Stuck in Your Head? You're Not Alone

By Alison McCook

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The vast majority of people say they have been mentally tortured at one point in their lives by a song that keeps repeating itself over and over in their heads.

And new research shows that people most frequently plagued by this phenomenon are those with slightly neurotic tendencies , and people who enjoy and listen to music often.

These mental broken records are also more likely to play the first or last song we hear in different situations, such as the first song that comes on in the morning alarm, or the last song playing before we turn off the car, study findings show.

Songs that topped the list as being most likely to stick around in someone's head included the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out?" and the Chili's restaurant jingle about Baby Back Ribs.

But the number one song rated most likely to cause this phenomenon, referred to as an "earworm" in Germany, is "other"--indicating that many different songs can become stuck in our heads.

"Just about anything can get stuck in people's heads," study author Dr. James Kellaris of the University of Cincinnati told Reuters Health.

"We each have our personal demonic tunes that get stuck in our heads, I guess," he added.

Kellaris presented results from his current study on Saturday at the Society for Consumer Psychology Winter Conference in New Orleans.

Kellaris's previous research into the phenomenon of earworms revealed that "sticky" songs are those that are relatively simple, repetitive, and contain an element that surprises the listener. This incongruous element can be an interrupted pattern, or something that violates expectations of what comes next.

During the current study, Kellaris distributed surveys to 559 people aged 18 to 49 asking them about their personalities, how often tunes got stuck in their heads, how long the episodes lasted, and when the phenomenon was most likely to happen.

Ninety-eight percent of respondents said they had experienced stuck songs. Most said the episodes occurred "frequently," and lasted an average of a few hours.

Songs with lyrics were most often the culprits, a trend that Kellaris said is not surprising. Often what gets sticky is not just a tune, but also lyrics, a trend he calls "stupid lyrics syndrome." Combining a tune and lyrics ups the chance of song snippets staying with the listener for hours, he said.

Episodes of earworms also tend to strike people with neurotic tendencies more often. These people are not seriously neurotic, Kellaris said, but may simply be more prone to worrying and anxiety, and may have neurotic habits like biting pencils or tapping fingernails.

Women were more likely than men to report feeling annoyed, frustrated, or irritated about having songs stuck in their heads--a trend Kellaris said he is hard pressed to explain.

In terms of how to protect yourself from earworms, Kellaris recommended that people not worry about a stuck song as soon as it appears, and perhaps avoid listening to music for a spell if it becomes too sticky.

Strategies people report using to rid themselves of stuck tunes involved trying to listen to something else, distracting themselves with another activity, and trying to erase the repetition of one song snippet by singing the song all the way through.

"If they can't remember the lyrics, sometimes it helps for them to sing through the entire song, and then it will go away," Kellaris said.

Kellaris said he has also heard a "folkloric" recommendation of chewing on cinnamon sticks to rid the brain of a sticky song.

"Some people swear that will unstick a stuck tune," he said.

[speedy]

Oh -- Epic Records -- was it "The Big Black Hat"? Remember Nick Teen and Al K. Hall?

[Charles Henrickson]

I was once out strolling one very hot summer's day, when I thought I'd lay myself down to rest in a big field of tall grass. I lay there in the sun and felt it caressing my face. And I fell asleep and dreamed. I dreamed I was in a Hollywood movie and that I was the star of the movie. This really blew my mind, the fact that me, an overfed, long-haired leaping gnome should be the star of a Hollywood movie. But there I was. I was taken to a place, the hall of the mountain kings. I stood high upon a mountain top, naked to the world in front of every kind of girl--there was black ones, round ones, big ones, crazy ones. Out of the middle came a lady. She whispered in my ear something crazy. She said. . . .

[RecentConvert]

I look at you and see the passion eyes of May.

Speaking of May.

I've translated Maggie May into two languages. Once translated they stop being "stuck" songs. But only if the melody is perfect. I'm interested in melodies, or what most of you call tune.

[speedy]

Don't remember one for her -- I think Nadia cornered the market on gymnast musical tributes!!

[CARDINALRULES]

Straight'nin' the curve,
Flat'nin' the hills.
Someday the moutain might get 'em, but the law never will.


Makin' their way,
The only way they know how,
That's just a little bit more than the law will allow.


Just good ol' boys,
Wouldn't change if they could,
Fightin' the system like a true modern day Robin Hood..

[speedy]

Early in the morning, very very early without warning.

[Poser]

Winnah again!
I don't remember A1 K. Hall. Nick Teen rings a bell.

My two favorite one hit wonders of all time:

Merilee Rush
? and the Mysterians

I've seen them both in concert.

I have more songs going around in my head than I can count. They're making me... uh... Happy!

[T Minus Four]

Well, to bed with me. After two nights of this delightful nonsense, I don't have songs running through my head any more - he voices are too loud and they drown them out.

I'll try to catch back up tomorrow. Night all!

[speedy]

After all this build up, I don't know -- is this "Spill The Wine"?

[CARDINALRULES]

Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
(Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
Theres a man in the funny papers we all know (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
He lived 'way back a long time ago (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
He dont eat nothin' but a bear cat stew (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
Well this cat's name is-a Alley Oop (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)

He got a chauffeur that's a genuwine dinosawruh (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
And he can knuckle your head before you count to fawruh (Alley Oop, oop, oop-
oop)

He got a big ugly club and a head fulla hairuh (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
Like great big lions and grizzly bearuhs (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
(Alley Oop) He's the toughest man there is alive
(Alley Oop) Wearin' clothes from a wildcat's hide
(Alley Oop) He's the king of the jungle jive
(Look at that cave man go!!) (SCREAM)

He rides thru the jungle tearin' limbs offa trees (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
Knockin' great big monstahs dead on their knees (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
The cats don't bug him cuz they know bettah (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
Cuz he's a mean motah scootah and a bad go-gettah (Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
(Alley Oop) He's the toughest man there is alive
(Alley Oop) Wearin' clothes from a wildcat's hide
(Alley Oop) He's the king of the jungle jive
(Look at that cave man go!!) (SCREAM)

Thair he goes, look at that cave man go
He sure is hip ain't he?
Like what's happening?
He's too much
Ride, Daddy, ride
Hi-yo dinosawruh
Ride, Daddy, ride
Get 'em, man
Like--hipsville.

[speedy]

We'll be here and looking for you!!

[always paddle your own canoe]

Suicide is painless
It's the theme from M*A*S*H-
dadadada dada daaaa
dadadadadddaada...you get the point!

[Charles Henrickson]

Yes. I was in an "Eric" kind of mood: Eric Carmen's "All By Myself," Eric Burdon (and War)'s "Spill the Wine."

[Charles Henrickson]

We'll sing in the sunshine, we'll laugh every day. We'll sing in the sunshine, and I'll be on my way.

[Poser]

"Eric Burdon"

Oh lord...

Skyyyyyyyy Pilot!
How high can you fly!

We gotta get out of this place!

[speedy]

Great concert finds!! Especially ? and the Mysterians. Although they did have some other minor hits like "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby." I once saw The Critters ("Mr. Dieingly Sad" and "The Younger Girl") in concert and also The Music Machine ("Talk Talk"). Just two years ago I saw The Soul Survivors in NYC -- they sounded great!!

[Willie Green]

Well, if we weren't neurotic when this thread started, we most certainly are now.

Grandmas sit in chairs and reminisce
Boys keep chasing girls to get a kiss.
The cars keep going faster all the time.
Bums still cry 'Hey buddy, have you got a dime?'

And the beat goes on, the beat goes on.
Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain.
La de da de dee,
La de da de daa.

[speedy]

It's my life, and I'll do what I want -- It's my mind, and I'll say what I want.

[unspun]

I don't know what you're talking about.

HERE SHE COMES JUST A WALKIN' DOWN THE STREET, SINGIN' DOO WAH DIDDIE DIDDIE DUM DIDDIE DUM - - -
SHE LOOKED GOOD!
SHE LOOKED FINE!
AND I'M ABOUT,
TO LOOSE MY MIND!
S-I-I-I-N-G--I-N' DOOOO WAH DIDDIE DIDDIE DUM DIDDIE DUM

[reg45]

Hard to forget:

OK! Sing along!