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This is a song that never ends….

mmessina
Adventurer C

“When I grow up…” that musical masterpiece by the Pussycat Dolls, has been playing over and over in my head for about a week now…and I’m about at my wit’s end.  It’s not that it’s a bad song (or a particularly good one) but for some reason, the high pitched part of the chorus that goes “Be careful what you wish for cuz’ you just might get it, cuz’ you just might get it, cuz’ you just might get it,” has become for me the stuff nightmares are made of. 

I spent the last several days traveling for work, the lovely Pussycat Dolls song playing in my mind the entire time.  On the flight home, I found a discarded copy of the latest issue of Time magazine, the one with a big picture of Barak Obama’s face on it in honor of the Democratic National Convention, the one that would surely in no way lead to yet another song getting stuck in my brain on repeat; boy was I fooled.  After scouring over articles on Obama, his family, his campaign aides, and opinion pieces on the party, there was one page—ONE PAGE—dedicated to typical Time content like current events and quotes.  Lo and behold, what did I see, but a piece about the definitive summer song of 2008. 

It turns out there isn’t one particular song that stands out from the crowd like Rhianna’s “Umbrella” did last year (“ella, ella, ella…”), but the song that comes closest is Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long.”  You know the one: it mixes the hook from “Sweet Home Alabama” and the piano from “Werewolf in London” behind some sugary sweet lyrics that are impossible not to sing along to.  Yep, that one. How many of you right now are “Singing “Sweet Home Alabama’ all summer long…”?  Good, now I know I’m not alone. 

Well, Pussycat Dolls, you have finally (thankfully!) been replaced.  But why were you even there in the first place?  I’m a big enough dork that I actually turned to google for the answer.  I found this great site: http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/questions/earworm.html.  It explains that there is actually a science behind this annoyance and these songs that get stuck in our minds are technically called “earworms.”  Gross. 

I decided to blog about this for a few reasons.  One, because I am evil, and I know there will be a handful of you cursing me for getting that darned Kid Rock song stuck in your head for the next few days. Two, because I want to know what songs haunt you.  Don’t be embarrassed, according to that website it’s songs from our first fifteen years of life that seem to sneak up when we least expect it and drive us crazy. And, finally, I want to know if anyone has any good tips for getting these songs out of our heads!

In the meantime, I’ll busy finding an ear “dewormer”.  Eww.


 

7 Comments
blusk
Aviator C
Well Mallory, I'm not sure about putting the Pussycat Dolls into the same category as Mozart or Lennon, but I do know what it is like to be devoured by an ear worm. This time of year, I get fight songs from colleges far away stuck in my brain. Stuff like USC's "Fight On," Michigan's "Hail to the Victor," or "On Wisconsin." BTW, "All Summer Long" is great. Paula Berg and I heard Kid Rock do that at Letterman. http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/blog-boy-david-letterman-and-big-apple
Jenni_Chasteen
Explorer C
I usually have to go with the method suggested on that earworm page of memorizing the song... Once I know the whole thing, it leaves my mind--I could not explain why, but it works... it just sucks when you find yourself listening to a song you loathe because nothing else gets it out of your mind!
stove
Explorer A
The song I love to hate is "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell. I can't hit the button fast enough when it starts on the radio - usually on Jack FM. Luckily, it's not that bad of an earworm. But I still hate it. : )
Anonymous4083
Explorer C
Brian who is USC. hahaha That's something i haven't seen this year yet the traditional rivallry going back and forth with the football games.
Anonymous3099
Explorer C
NYC's public radio show, Radio Lab, devoted an episode this season to this topic. Check it out here: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2008/03/21
chuchoteur
Adventurer B
Fool's Garden - Lemon Tree don't ask me why, it just springs up randomly, and stays for days on end. "I wonder how, I wonder why, yesterday you told me 'bout the blue blue sky, and all that I can see... is just a yellow lemon tree..." (daaamn that's it stuck again!) Generally, it goes away when it's replaced by another one, but that one does keep coming back! Raphael 🐵
blusk
Aviator C
Anyone hear "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"? I also see that Stephen Pastis in my favorite comic strip, "Pearls Before Swine" covered this subject yesterday: http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20080929.html