Replace it with "It's a Small World After All." Guaranteed to eradicate all prior earworms from now till eternity. You're welcome and I'll show myself out now.
There is no getting "It's a small world" out of your head. You just make your peace with it picking up permanent residence in your head, and learn to adapt. 😎
It’s kind of like replacing meth with cocaine. You might keep your teeth a little longer but you are still out of your mind. I think I’ll keep using the “Fight Fire with Water” method and cross my fingers.;)
The worst earworm I ever had was “Love and Marriage,” sung by Frank Sinatra, words and music by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. I was in the yard reading Musicophilia by the neurologist Oliver Sacks, who wrote often about music and the brain. He talks about earworms and cites “Love and Marriage” as an insidious example. The “wow!” factor knocked that earworm out of my head! Then I played some Black Sabbath, just to be sure.
Fun read! I get song one-liners stick in my head all the time, sometimes because I hear someone speak a phrase that sounds like a particular song lyric. My mom was this way too. Sometimes she would burst out into song at seemingly random moments, but I knew she had just hear something that reminded her of a song lyric. 🤭
yeah - sometimes every single sentence my wife speaks triggers a song in my head. I have to not say them all out loud in order to preserve her sanity and our marriage!
I was laughing my ass off until I got to Manilow. You sadist. Clever, a column what works like an earworm--lulls you in and then digs in the claws. The problem with Manilow, sort of like the problem with pollen, is that method 2 is suicidal. It's all just different degrees of anaphylaxis. Thanks Steve. i am now going to put on some screamo metal as loud as I can.
Hahaha! That's my MO: make 'em laugh then make them cry. Yes, the methods need to be properly utilized for the appropriate earworm. You wouldn't snort cocaine for insomnia and you wouldn't guzzle Nyquil before running a marathon.:)
So, I'll sometimes wake up, yes, with an earworm, but often the song in my head will be something I can't recall hearing for years (sometimes decades)! It just pops up! Ever had that, or heard of it (or written about it), Steve?
When I was singing in the men's chorus I was in, I'd wake up and have the song we spent the most time with in our last rehearsal...I get that. And, if there are songs I've heard a lot in an article I'm writing, those, too...but again, expected! I'm talking long-ago heard songs!
Any of your readers...feel free to reply with your experiences, if any!
Those are the earworms that are trying to get you to work on issues that stem from your childhood. I bet if you examine the song choice or lyric bit closely, you'll find a connection to something going on in your life. I should do earworm readings. Like palm readings but wormier.
I think earworm readings might lead you to needing to knead lobes. But, you'd have your new job's theme song: "I Lobe Rock'n'Roll." No? "I Ear You Knocking"? "I Got Tears in My Ears From Lying on My Back Crying in My Sleep Over You"? Hmmm....I think I'm drifting again!
Opening riff to BOC “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. Don’t even have to listen to the whole song (but why wouldn’t you?). Your mileage may vary. Works every time (this time too) for me. It’s a
"Mandy" done in by "The Reaper"......somehow fitting? BOC, to their credit, Michael, never tried to replicate that song/sound (not that they didn't have other hits, like "Godzilla" and a couple others....I'm not talking hits, here).
That song's a perfect example of the merging of song (riff) with production to make a once-in-a-lifetime moment (not to mention 'worm)! Another IMO, was "My Sharona" by The Knack. Singularly unique beat/riff/song, and, similar to BOC (who, deservedly, enjoyed a longer career), never equaled.
I have always loved BOC and the fact that they never repeat themselves and have dabbled in a lot of different genres often goes unrecognized. And one of the most fun live acts back in the day.
All true. I saw them once, too, probably around '78. Their Allen Lanier used to share a domicile with Patti Smith! Along with the brilliance of producing a song like "Reaper," I'm willing to bet CBS leaned on them to replicate that sound/song!
More genius to avoid actually doing that, and to your point, producing other shining songs, and were far more influential to bands who followed than has been given credit for.
I have a real problem with Möbius strip like ear worms. Meaning part of one song will segue way into another and then then back again, creating an infinite loop that you’re stuck with. Don’t know if any of the suggested remedies would help (although they are very good recommendations). It’s also important to ask yourself « so what’s really going on?!? » I tend to be more ear worm prone if I am dealing with a stressful situation. « This magic moment » by the Drifters drifted in and out of my head for a good stretch when I was planning a big intercontinental move!! 😮💨😮💨
Yes! Those event specific earworms, that if one is able to step back, speak directly to the intensity of said event (like your Drifters example) can be hard to eradicate. I clearly need to do a follow-up post with 5 additional tips. Recognizing it is more than half the battle I think.
The Möbius strip earworm — would morphing be another accurate description? — is another one I must examine. I did write about that happening to me just recently, with a Styx and R.E.M. song alternating back and forth. You can check that out here.
Replace it with "It's a Small World After All." Guaranteed to eradicate all prior earworms from now till eternity. You're welcome and I'll show myself out now.
Thank you (not at all) for triggering a flashback: in a parade in my small hometown, I was on a float that featured that song on endless loop. UGH.
On the bright side, I now have a great reason to dive in to my music library... not that I need one...
I'm fairly certain the CIA ranks "It's a Small World" on repeat in a small room high on its list of ways to extort information from enemy agents....
Hahaha! But what if you want “it’s a small world” out of your head?
There is no getting "It's a small world" out of your head. You just make your peace with it picking up permanent residence in your head, and learn to adapt. 😎
It’s kind of like replacing meth with cocaine. You might keep your teeth a little longer but you are still out of your mind. I think I’ll keep using the “Fight Fire with Water” method and cross my fingers.;)
A wise choice.
The worst earworm I ever had was “Love and Marriage,” sung by Frank Sinatra, words and music by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. I was in the yard reading Musicophilia by the neurologist Oliver Sacks, who wrote often about music and the brain. He talks about earworms and cites “Love and Marriage” as an insidious example. The “wow!” factor knocked that earworm out of my head! Then I played some Black Sabbath, just to be sure.
Fun read! I get song one-liners stick in my head all the time, sometimes because I hear someone speak a phrase that sounds like a particular song lyric. My mom was this way too. Sometimes she would burst out into song at seemingly random moments, but I knew she had just hear something that reminded her of a song lyric. 🤭
yeah - sometimes every single sentence my wife speaks triggers a song in my head. I have to not say them all out loud in order to preserve her sanity and our marriage!
I was laughing my ass off until I got to Manilow. You sadist. Clever, a column what works like an earworm--lulls you in and then digs in the claws. The problem with Manilow, sort of like the problem with pollen, is that method 2 is suicidal. It's all just different degrees of anaphylaxis. Thanks Steve. i am now going to put on some screamo metal as loud as I can.
Hahaha! That's my MO: make 'em laugh then make them cry. Yes, the methods need to be properly utilized for the appropriate earworm. You wouldn't snort cocaine for insomnia and you wouldn't guzzle Nyquil before running a marathon.:)
Colorful analogies. I'll keep those in mind.
So, I'll sometimes wake up, yes, with an earworm, but often the song in my head will be something I can't recall hearing for years (sometimes decades)! It just pops up! Ever had that, or heard of it (or written about it), Steve?
When I was singing in the men's chorus I was in, I'd wake up and have the song we spent the most time with in our last rehearsal...I get that. And, if there are songs I've heard a lot in an article I'm writing, those, too...but again, expected! I'm talking long-ago heard songs!
Any of your readers...feel free to reply with your experiences, if any!
Those are the earworms that are trying to get you to work on issues that stem from your childhood. I bet if you examine the song choice or lyric bit closely, you'll find a connection to something going on in your life. I should do earworm readings. Like palm readings but wormier.
I think earworm readings might lead you to needing to knead lobes. But, you'd have your new job's theme song: "I Lobe Rock'n'Roll." No? "I Ear You Knocking"? "I Got Tears in My Ears From Lying on My Back Crying in My Sleep Over You"? Hmmm....I think I'm drifting again!
Opening riff to BOC “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. Don’t even have to listen to the whole song (but why wouldn’t you?). Your mileage may vary. Works every time (this time too) for me. It’s a
Mandy killer for sure....
"Mandy" done in by "The Reaper"......somehow fitting? BOC, to their credit, Michael, never tried to replicate that song/sound (not that they didn't have other hits, like "Godzilla" and a couple others....I'm not talking hits, here).
That song's a perfect example of the merging of song (riff) with production to make a once-in-a-lifetime moment (not to mention 'worm)! Another IMO, was "My Sharona" by The Knack. Singularly unique beat/riff/song, and, similar to BOC (who, deservedly, enjoyed a longer career), never equaled.
I have always loved BOC and the fact that they never repeat themselves and have dabbled in a lot of different genres often goes unrecognized. And one of the most fun live acts back in the day.
All true. I saw them once, too, probably around '78. Their Allen Lanier used to share a domicile with Patti Smith! Along with the brilliance of producing a song like "Reaper," I'm willing to bet CBS leaned on them to replicate that sound/song!
More genius to avoid actually doing that, and to your point, producing other shining songs, and were far more influential to bands who followed than has been given credit for.
I agree it's unique. The only valid criticism I've ever seen is that the cowbell could have been a bit more prominent....
HA! Any more prominent, and that earworm would've turned into an earbrontosaurus!😁
Ooh, good one! That’s definitely an earworm riff!
I have a real problem with Möbius strip like ear worms. Meaning part of one song will segue way into another and then then back again, creating an infinite loop that you’re stuck with. Don’t know if any of the suggested remedies would help (although they are very good recommendations). It’s also important to ask yourself « so what’s really going on?!? » I tend to be more ear worm prone if I am dealing with a stressful situation. « This magic moment » by the Drifters drifted in and out of my head for a good stretch when I was planning a big intercontinental move!! 😮💨😮💨
Yes! Those event specific earworms, that if one is able to step back, speak directly to the intensity of said event (like your Drifters example) can be hard to eradicate. I clearly need to do a follow-up post with 5 additional tips. Recognizing it is more than half the battle I think.
The Möbius strip earworm — would morphing be another accurate description? — is another one I must examine. I did write about that happening to me just recently, with a Styx and R.E.M. song alternating back and forth. You can check that out here.
https://open.substack.com/pub/earworm/p/mr-roboto-gardening-at-night?r=1046qe&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Yes. That is true! Morphing is accurate, but how often do we get to use the word Möbius strip?!
Not nearly enough! I had to copy and paste your usage of it though, as I couldn’t find the umlaut on my phone’s keyboard!:)
😆