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this week’s unaccountable ear worm

(59 Posts)
SORES Mon 27-Apr-26 11:02:43

which is so persistent it is breaking through everything else, voices, music, even upon waking, it isn’t even someone in my playlist, but the background to something on youtube which I cannot even recall, a narrative song which intrigued m, so explored
I have only myself to blame…

My worst one ever was Cliff Richards ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ which lasted for weeks, an awful time, I was nearly demented

anyone else?

the subliminal influence of current popular songs excepted

sankev Wed 29-Apr-26 19:58:44

🎼 ‘ When you have nausea, heartburn indigestion’🎼 the whole Pepto advertisement- ever since my lovely granddaughters sang the whole thing, complete with dance, to me yesterday. Absolutely hilarious but now I can’t get it out of my head 😬😬😬

ClicketyClick Wed 29-Apr-26 13:33:15

58JPB123

Mine is The Fields of Athenry after a rugby match when Ireland are playing.

I love that song.

My earworm for a long time was Rescue Me that played constantly while waiting in Green Flag's phone queue.

MiniMoon Wed 29-Apr-26 12:02:14

I have God only Knows by the Beach Boys in my head at present. YouTube kindly recommend it, sung by a boys choir on BGT. It's been with me for several days. Fortunately I quite like the song.

Witzend Wed 29-Apr-26 11:49:24

I’ve got the G&S Major General’s song earworm - because on FB I saw a hilarious and very clever parody about Trump - by an American comedian called Randy Rainbow.

I know nearly all the words of the G&S because my father used to sing it in the bath! - but one bit I mostly remember from the Trump parody went,
‘Although his brain is smaller than his tiny little penius,
He is the very model of a (something something) genius.’
😂😂

WithNobsOnIt Wed 29-Apr-26 05:30:02

That truly terrible advert and music Ginsters make the effort. It is embarrassing in it's Am Dram approach.

But maybe being ironic has come back into fashion. Do you remember the ironic guff from a few decades back.

Apparently, the actress has
West Country roots but has probably been to RADA as well.

Plus their Pasties are not very nice and leave a lot to be desired.

Mamar2 Tue 28-Apr-26 23:18:52

My earworm is from a present day group called Yungblud. The song is Zombie. One of the lines is "would you still want me looking like a zombie"? Well at 75 with a painful back I sometimes walk like a zombie. Makes me smile.

Faxgran Tue 28-Apr-26 23:08:18

kittylester

I had that one for a while, Hiraeth.

With a name so near Ketty Lester, it ought to be ‘Love Letters’…

Grammajules Tue 28-Apr-26 21:59:30

Loved Badfinger. Think they wrote ‘without you’ the Neilson classic and had links to the Beatles but a tragic end with sad deaths

JPB123 Tue 28-Apr-26 21:58:10

Mine is The Fields of Athenry after a rugby match when Ireland are playing.

Basgetti Tue 28-Apr-26 21:28:35

Oh, sorry: that’s not unaccountable at all!

Basgetti Tue 28-Apr-26 21:21:26

Staying Alive, BeeGees, since dad mentioned it on phone 😱

narrowboatnan Tue 28-Apr-26 19:42:34

I often have hymns as ear worms too. If I can’t remember the words, I find them on YouTube and learn them so I can sing along to my ear worm when I’m walking the dog. This morning’s ear worm wasn’t a hymn, though, it was Any Dream Will Do.

SunnySusie Tue 28-Apr-26 19:17:41

Mine is frequently a song called Little Boxes from the 1960s sung by Pete Seeger:
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes all the same
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

Sad to say quite a lot of the new developments being built on all the fields around here tend to spark it off.

win Tue 28-Apr-26 18:24:06

This is how you apparently break them if they drive you nutsChew Gum: Chewing engages the jaw muscles, which are linked to the vocal motor cortex used for sub-vocalizing music, breaking the auditory cycle.
Listen to the Whole Song: Earworms are often just fragments. Listening to the entire track helps your brain reach a resolution.
Engage in Distraction: Focus on a task requiring concentration, such as puzzles, reading, or working, to occupy the "phonological loop" in your brain.
Listen to a "Cure" Song: Replace the earworm with a specifically non-catchy song, or a "cure tune" like "God Save the Queen".
Use Mental Puzzles: Try to do something cognitively demanding, like math problems (long division) or writing words backward.
Physical Movement: Walk at a different pace than the song's tempo to interrupt your internal rhythm.
Acknowledge It: Sometimes, simply accepting the song and letting it pass is the best approach.
BBC
BBC
+9
Why They Stick
Earworms, or "involuntary musical imagery," are often triggered by recent exposure, repetition, or stress. They frequently appear when the mind is bored and in a passive, wandering state.
BBC
BBC
+2
Ten readers' cures for earworms - BBC News
There are many ways to get rid of an earworm: * Sing * Sing "Simply The Best" by Tina Turner * Sing the song as if you are per...

BBC

How to get rid of an earworm | Dr Clare Jonas - That Thinking Feeling
Well, if you're not very engaged in a task it's easy for your attention to slide, which might happen because you're bored with it ...

That Thinking Feeling

Tortured by an earworm? How to get it out of your head | Wicked | The Guardian
Here are some things you can try to get rid of an earworm: * *Listen to a different song* * **Think of a familiar but not too en...

The Guardian

Earworm - Wikipedia
Listening to the tune in a different tempo or lower pitch, or a remixed version if it exists, can be an antidote. Listening to the...

Wikipedia
How to get rid of earworms - Counselling Directory
Strategies to bid farewell to earworms * Listen to the entire song: If you find yourself stuck on a particular part of a song, try...

Counselling Directory

3m
Stop the Music! How to Evict an Earworm | Kia-Rai Prewitt, PhD

YouTube·Cleveland Clinic
Earworms: Why do they stick and how can you shift them? - BBC
How do you dislodge an earworm? Researchers found that people had a variety of techniques for shifting earworms. A popular method ...

BBC

57s
Why we get earworms (and how to get rid of them) | The Project NZ

YouTube·Newshub
‘I just can’t get you out of my head’: how to eradicate earworms
2. Physical remedies. But should these earworm prevention tips have failed, how can we get rid of intrusive musical thoughts? A re...

The Conversation

Experts reveal how to get that annoying earworm out of your head
Do something, do anything - as long as it takes your mind off the song. Dr Jakubowski's study shows that earworms hit hardest when...

BBC

54s
How to get rid of earworms

YouTube·9NEWS

0:35
Key to beating earworms

YouTube·FOX59 News
This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or a diagnosis, consult a professional. AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more
Chew Gum
Listen to the whole tune

Lilypops Tue 28-Apr-26 17:52:28

Mine is the Song of the advert for Pepto Bimoth. Heartburn. Indigestion, upset stomach. Diareeeeeahhh ! I can’t get it out of my head. It’s driving me mad.

Notthecatsmother Tue 28-Apr-26 17:22:13

Whenever I hear the word phenomena I think of the muppets "mahna mahna" and I can't get the tune out of my head

grannybuy Tue 28-Apr-26 15:59:33

Mine at the moment is Barbara Streisand’s song from the Way We Were. No idea why.

Valels Tue 28-Apr-26 15:51:58

"I can be brown, I can be blue, I can be violet skies
I can be hurtful, I can be purple, I can be anything you like"

There's a video on FB and Instagram of Ryan Reynolds (I think!) and Will Ferrell singing this - its been stuck in my head for over a week 🙃
We're currently on holiday and doing quite a lot of walking - this tune fits perfectly with my pace!!! HELP!!

poppysmum Tue 28-Apr-26 15:36:54

White Horse by Chris Stapleton. Always been a fave but I recently found the dvd to it even if you do not like the song the video is amazing really powerful

Elless Tue 28-Apr-26 15:04:03

Mine is from the Country Life advert - 🎶We are the lads from country life, you can't put a better bit of butter on you knife, if you haven't got it innnnn have a word with the wife, and spread it on your toast in the mornin 🎶😂

Roswell Tue 28-Apr-26 14:51:28

@midgey "Stately as a galleon ..." was a phrase used to describe my headmistress, I have not heard it since!

Scrappydo Tue 28-Apr-26 14:41:44

‘Star Trekking across the universe’ often pops into my head at random times🤷‍♀️

Septimia Tue 28-Apr-26 14:35:01

I'm another who often has hymns as earworms. Usually it's one from the previous Sunday, but I play the organ at our church so it's not just hearing it at the service but the days of practice beforehand. Since I have a say in the choice of hymns I suppose that any earworm is my own fault!

grandMattie Tue 28-Apr-26 14:29:14

My late DH was always singing, often only a few bars of any particular song - from "You can't roolerskeate in a buffalo herd" to "my way", always leaving me with an earworm...
Now he's gone, ridiculously, I miss these dreadful songs.
But me too, it's often the last hymn we had in church, especially if it's one I dont like!

DamaskRose Tue 28-Apr-26 14:24:32

Do You Know the Way to San Jose? - frequently!