Saturday, April 30, 2005

Get It Out!

Waking up early on Saturdays sucks. Problem is you get in a rhythm, and you can't get out without disaterous consequences.
Ohrworm. This is a German term for a sound or song that gets stuck in your head. The German's describe it as a song that literally wraps itself around your eardum. I like to think of it as a tapeworm in your ear. I know, that's disgusting. Moving on....
So much music out there now is Ohrworms. Some of it is good and some of it is bad. When you have a good Ohrworm, you don't mind that it's stuck in your head. But, when you have a bad Ohrworm, you want to claw your ears and brain out. The key to an Ohrworm is that it has a repeating melody and is usually quick. If you think or hear a piece of that song, the entire song begins playing in your head.
Have you seen, for example, the Vonage commercials? The ones where someone does something incredibly stupid (like cut down a tree and have it crash on to a car)? Well, the music in that commercial is a guy saying, "woo, woo. Woo, woo, woo," in a high pitched voice over and over again while a fast bass line runs. You can't help but get that song in your head. That song, to me, is a bad ohrworm. Another bad ohrworm is that song "Toxic" by Britney Spears. I don't know the name of this song, but it's on the radio all the time now. It has a guy in a hamster-like voice singing "Lonely. I'm so lonely." You find yourself laughing at it the first time you hear it, but as it plays over and over again, you want it to stop. Soon, it's in your head, and you hear it ALL THE TIME.
There is, of course, the ultimate Ohrworm. In this case, there are two. These are songs that are so powerful that even the tiniest note from them can cause the whole song to come into your head. What are these two devilish songs? "It's a Small World After All," (UGH, just writing it makes the song pop into my head!) and, "This Is the Song That Never Ends." They can never be expunged from the brain. This is where good Ohrworms come in to play (and, yes, good ohrworms can go bad).
Thankfully, there are songs that you don't mind popping into your head. Ever been on the subway, in your car, or somewhere when a song pops into your head, and your start humming it. I used to do that all the time when taking tests. If you went to college with me and had classes with me, I apologize. Anyway, there are these songs. For me, Looper's "Mondo '77" is one of those songs. Another one is Moby's "Lift Me Up." Both of these songs fit into the Ohrworm category with quick bass lines and easy words to fill up the ears. I don't mind, however, if these songs stick, and that's the key. Find some songs that if they pop into your head at random points, you don't mind.
So, feel free to tell
me if you have ever experienced an Ohrworm. Maybe you still have the theme from Disney's Robin Hood in your ear, (Remember that was sped up to become "The Hamster Dance") or maybe you look out your window and hear Suzanne Vega singing "Tom's Diner." Either way, take precautions, because Ohrworms can eventually, if strong enough, keep you up at night, and who wants that?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Outkast - Buggface, and Justin Timberlake's Senorita.

Little snippet shave been playing in my head for days. It sucks!

Anonymous said...

"The sun'll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be suuuuuuuuhn."

Annies Song .... Big Big YUCK!