Thursday, November 11, 2010

Because I Was Afraid of Worms, Roxanne!

I have a disease.  I'm fairly certain it's not curable.  I've learned to live with it over the years.  Most times it's really annoying, but occasionally it can be fun, like today.

I have chronic earworms.

Earworm (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), a loan translation of the German Ohrwurm, is a portion of a song or other music that repeats compulsively within one's mind, put colloquially as "music being stuck in one's head."

The Official Earworm Synonym List includes alternative terms such as "music meme", "humsickness" , "repetunitis", "obsessive musical thought" and "tune wedgy." (a personal favorite)

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are more likely to report being troubled by ear worms - in some cases, medications for OCD can minimize the effects.  (Hmmm, does this mean I'm OCD?  This could explain a lot...)

Earworms should not be confused with endomusia or musical hallucinations, a serious affliction, through which a sufferer actually hears music that is not playing externally.  I'm not quite this bad off, but I find I am able to dance to my own tune...

Earworms are a feature of the Shaun Keaveny Breakfast Show on BBC 6 Music, when listeners are asked to phone in with tunes that are stuck in their heads when they wake up.

If the song is annoying, this is a brutal affliction.  It does have its benefits, though.  When I was singing in choir I was able to memorize songs in like a day...I mean, it's hard not to when your head radio is on repeat rather than shuffle.

On today's playlist (all together now):

        You.  make.   me.
        feel like I'm livin' a
        teen.  age.  dream.
        the way you turn me on
        I.  can't.  sleep.
        let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back...


3 comments:

  1. ALL of Katy Perry's songs do that to me.. that eat my brain and I can't get them out!!!

    On a side note "musical hallucinations" is the best term I think I've ever heard.

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  2. "...your head radio is on repeat rather than shuffle."

    Hahahaha!! It's true....your head is AMAZING with a tune!

    Lately, at night (and night only) "I Dreamed a Dream" (Glee Version) is stuck in my head when I go to bed. It's weird. And it won't leave.

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  3. I get like that too! But you are so right, it makes memorizing songs so easy!

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