Earwormery

[muninnhuginn]

Just out of interest, dear reader, have a question or two:

1. Is your earworm only occasional or pretty much constant?

2. Are there triggers that start your earworm?

3. Can you hear more than one track simultaneously?

4. Does your earworm play you particular tracks or arrangements of whatever tune it wants to irritate you with?

5. Does your earworm have a playlist?

Or, do you not have an earworm and not understand what the heck I'm going on about?

(For extra credit, what is the cure for a month-long infestation of early Chris de Burgh?)

Comments

Your earworm may vary

[hilarita]

My earworm experience is a little bit different. I do get earworms, but not usually the same earworm all the time. Also, frequency of earworms depends on lots of things, like how tired I am, how stressed I am, how bored I am. I can get earwormed when I hear particular songs, or people reference particular songs. There's a shortlist of songs that are particularly likely to earworm me if they come up in conversations, or on TV or something.
I don't precisely hear multiple tracks, but one earworm can morph into another one. Things mostly earworm me if I only know short phrases - anything where I know the whole song/tune/piece of music tend not to, because I can get past the sticky phrase and onto the whole thing. If I can remember more than 8 bars (and it's not the same 8 bars over again), I tend not to get very earwormed, or I can move it on a bit.
If something is very annoying, I'll play a literal playlist of earwormy songs that I know well, so I can displace the earworm with something I can get rid of. Or I'll play something complex (like Mozart's Requiem) to attract my attention instead.

Re: Your earworm may vary

[muninnhuginn]

Fascinating. I also get the fading from one track to another.

I find a good dose of Radio 4 sends most things away. If I listen to classical music I can still have an earworm on top.

[clothsprogs]

1. Is your earworm only occasional or pretty much constant?

Not constant but very frequent



2. Are there triggers that start your earworm?

Not that I've ever been able to figure out


3. Can you hear more than one track simultaneously?

Only rarely


4. Does your earworm play you particular tracks or arrangements of whatever tune it wants to irritate you with?

Definately. If The Carpenters have covered the song it will usually be their cover that the earworm plays.


5. Does your earworm have a playlist?


There are songs that crop up requently, songs that crop up occasionally and the odd one-off.

Keep Young and Beautiful, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, I Feel Pretty, snatches of No More Whiskey and Come Down From Your Soapbox (but seldom the entire sonn in either case) are all frequent repeaters.


(For extra credit, what is the cure for a month-long infestation of early Chris de Burgh?)

Listen to Disney's "It's a Small World"... but be warned - it coould earworm you itself.

Teddy

[muninnhuginn]

I was earwormed by "It's a Small World" years ago (at Eurodisney, on the appropriate ride, which was rather sweet, although the song always strikes me as being just the thing for a Soviet-era youth rally. My least favourite's from "The Lego Movie" and I shall not type its name for fear of setting it off.

You have a very upbeat earworm.

[clothsprogs]

Upbeat and persistent...

And I know just the one you mean from the Lego Movie.

Today's earworm: https://youtu.be/ZNefKO78Llk

Teddy

[muninnhuginn]

No, I'm not clicking the link. No, not at all.

[clothsprogs]

{grin!} Probably wise.

It's Extreme's "Mutha Don't Wanna Go To School Today" and finding the link led to me listening to an awful lot of other old favoutie Extreme numbers yesteray.

Teddy

[deborah_c]

1. Only occasional, fortunately!
2. Yes, although quite diverse and random
3. No, I don't think so. I certainly hope not!
4. Of course. Specific performances, usually
5. No, it generally manages to loop itself before it gets to the end

Extra credit: I think decapitation may be the only answer. Turning you instantly, in the process, into a Lady In Red...

[muninnhuginn]

Specific performances is cool!

And somehow I can't quite get my head around your cure for de Burgh.... No, wait....