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- [00:00]
Caller 1
Foreign.
- [00:09]
Alison Stewart
This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Let's talk involuntary musical imagery, otherwise known as earworms. You know them when you hear them because you can't stop hearing them over and over again in your head. One of my personal reoccurring earworms is Nelly Furtado's I'm Like a Bird. Okay, so now that is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. But why do songs like this get stuck in our heads? Rachel Feltman is the host of the podcast Science Quickly for Scientific American, and she's here to break down the science of the earworm. Rachel, welcome.
- [00:57]
Rachel Feltman
Thank you so much for having me.
- [00:58]
Alison Stewart
Listeners. What's a song you consider an earworm? Do you have a song that gets stuck in your head right now? Call and tell us what you think makes a good earworm. 2124-3396-9221-2433, WNYC. Rachel, how would you define an earworm in simple terms?
- [01:18]
Rachel Feltman
Yeah, so like you said, scientists call them involuntary musical imagery. But simply put, these are songs that get some stuck in your head, usually about 15 to 30 seconds worth, and you can't get them out.
- [01:29]
Alison Stewart
When you. When you made this episode for your podcast, you said you had this song stuck in your head. Let's listen.
- [01:50]
Muppets Theme Song
It's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights. It's time to meet the Muppets of. It's time to put on makeup. It's time to dress up right. It's time to raise the Continental movie show tonight.
- [02:06]
Uncrustables Podcast Host
Why do we always come here? I guess we'll never know. It's like a kind of torture to
- [02:13]
Rachel Feltman
have to watch the show.
- [02:15]
Alison Stewart
Had to have that one line in there. So what makes this song ear worm worthy?
- [02:21]
Rachel Feltman
So it's really interesting that you use that example because it got stuck in my head again waiting in the green room here. And one of the things that triggers earworms, according to researchers, are associations with memory. So trigger words in the song that are, you know, either literal words or things associated with stuff you encounter throughout the day, very likely to trigger an earworm. And then also just, you know, the same way you might associate a smell with a memory, you might smell baking bread and think of your grandmother. There are certain scenarios that you associate with. And now I associate talking about the science of earworms with meeting the Muppets.
- [03:02]
Interviewer/Producer
What do we know about the term earworms?
- [03:05]
Alison Stewart
What's the origin of earworms?
- [03:07]
Rachel Feltman
So it comes from the German word for literal earworm. I'm not sure who came up with it and when, but it does make a lot of sense if you think about it. They kind of squirm their way in there and won't get out.
- [03:21]
Interviewer/Producer
So what do you think the term conveys about the songs that we hear? Earworm.
- [03:27]
Rachel Feltman
Yeah. So these are songs that just have a way of really embedding themselves in our head, and researchers have a few potential explanations for that. My colleague Josh Fishman did a bunch of reporting on this for episode at Science Quickly, and one of the things that comes up is that songs that have a sort of musical shape that's very common in Western music. There are many different examples of that. But if the melody sort of feels familiar, it's more likely to get stuck in our head. But then if there are things that are unique about it, like a surprising interval, jump in the notes, that also sort of helps it hook into us. Repetition, very important, which makes sense. So there are songs that do seem to have a way of worming their way into our brains, for sure.
- [04:20]
Alison Stewart
We are talking about earworms, and we are taking your calls. What songs get stuck in your head? Call or text us now at 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Rachel Feltman is the host of Science Quickly for Scientific American. That's the podcast, and she's here to talk about earworms. You know, there was a list in
- [04:42]
Interviewer/Producer
doing research, there was a list from St. Andrews of 25 songs they considered earworms.
- [04:46]
Alison Stewart
And I wanted to ask you before
- [04:48]
Interviewer/Producer
I said their names and will saying their names have the song stuck in
- [04:53]
Alison Stewart
people's head, or do you have to hear it?
- [04:55]
Rachel Feltman
Absolutely. I mean, of course, it depends. Hearing a song is the best way to get it stuck in your head. And research does show people who listen to more music are more likely to get songs stuck in their heads. And hearing a song, a lot popular songs more likely to be earworms. But like I was saying, you know, in terms of trigger words, you know, things triggering memories and that evoking the song, if you already know the song, and especially if it's one that's been stuck in your head before, hearing the name of it is certainly enough to get it in there like they're on the list.
- [05:27]
Alison Stewart
They have Queen, We Will Rock youk,
- [05:29]
Interviewer/Producer
Pharrell Williams, Happy Bon Jovi, Living on a Prayer, who Let the Dogs Out, Uptown Funk, Meghan Trainor, all about the Base Culture Club Karma Chameleon and the Rocky Horror show, the Time Warp, those are all different genres. It's. What do they have in common?
- [05:49]
Rachel Feltman
So something that a lot of songs that are earworms have in common, according to this 2017 study, is that they average out to around 124 beats per minute. There's variation, but they found that average was really holding up. And what's really interesting about that is that it's very close to something called the spontaneous preferred tempo. So 120 beats per minute is the cadence that an average human will have if they walk with, you know, no external force, force, or hindrance. And we also, if somebody asks you to clap or tap, and especially if we do it in a group, we tend to average around 120 beats per minute. There seems to be something about our brain that sort of operates around 120 beats per minute, at least on average. So it does seem like being around that sweet spot for a song is a great way to become an earworm.
- [06:44]
Alison Stewart
We got a bunch of texts here. Like a Star. Corrine Bailey, Ray man at Works. Land down under has been on replay in my head for the past week. Earworm songs that get stuck in my head are Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears. It reminds me of my high school years in the 80s. That's interesting. Is nostalgia a part of this?
- [07:04]
Rachel Feltman
Absolutely. Yeah. You know, that memory component, the same way that smells can evoke memories, songs can evoke memories, and then it can work in the other direction if you're feeling nostalgic, even if you're just feeling a particular mood that you associate even unconsciously with a song. You know, researchers say if you're sad and there's a song you associate with being sad, you might end up with that song stuck in your head.
- [07:29]
Alison Stewart
Let's talk to Jim, who's calling from Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Hey, Jim, thanks for calling all of it.
- [07:37]
Caller 2
Hi.
- [07:38]
Caller 3
There's a charity that advertises on a lot of stations. Fortunately, you're. You don't take ads on wnyc and they want your donation of a car to help children. It's a terrible charity. I'm not even going to mention the name of it, but I think you know what I mean.
- [07:56]
Alison Stewart
Oh, yes.
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Caller 3
That. That earworm is just terrible. And it's a terrible. As I said, it's a terrible charity. I mean, they've done investigations on the amount of money that goes really to help children. And so that's an earworm.
- [08:12]
Alison Stewart
That is an earworm.
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Rachel Feltman
It really is.
- [08:15]
Alison Stewart
We will say one of their names, one of the worst. Let's talk to Joe from Harlem. Hey, Joe, thanks for calling, all of it. You're on the air.
- [08:22]
Caller 3
Hello.
- [08:24]
Caller 1
Yeah, I had a sort of a treatment for earworms about a year ago. I kept, I kept, I was buried in an earworm, or one buried me, I should say. And I was trying to get rid of it and, and I realized that if I, if I took some little two line jingle off a television ad and just repeated it to myself to sort of make that my earworm, then it would displace the much longer, more consuming one. And, and then of course, because I had no attraction to the jingle, it would disappear and then I'd be on with my life.
- [09:03]
Alison Stewart
Go on with your life, as they say. Thank you so much for calling in. Paul from Essex county is on line one. Hey, Paul, thanks for taking the time to call, all of it. What's your earworm?
- [09:14]
Caller 4
Hey, thanks for taking my call. Well, my earworm song is an earworm song of an earworm Seinfeld episode. I don't know if you remember George gets master of the house from Les Miserables stuck in his head. And for the entire episode, it's like a contagion. It like spreads. Well, I don't know how many decades later that's still my earworm song, master of the house. And it takes me back to Seinfeld, to George. And if I could see him on the street right now, I would really give it back to him.
- [09:47]
Alison Stewart
Thanks for calling in. We're talking to Rachel Feltman. She's host of the Science Quickly podcast for Scientific American. She went down the rabbit hole of earworms and we want to hear from you. What earworm do you get stuck in your head? Our phone number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Or maybe you want to tell us what you think makes a good earworm. I'd be interested in that as well. Our number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Let's focus on a song that's in your, in your podcast Science Quickly. This is Bad Romance by la. Why did you choose this song?
- [10:40]
Rachel Feltman
Yeah, so my colleague Josh, he actually this was one of the songs that the researchers talked about a lot. It was number one in this study where they asked a bunch of people for their earworms. But it makes a lot of sense based on the qualities they found in other songs. It is just under 120 beats per minute. So it hits that sweet spot we were talking about. It has a repetitive chorus, easy for you to remember. There are things about the melody that, you know, sort of fit a very common western music shape, but there's that unusual, you know, interval jump. So there are all these things about it that make it simple enough to remember but stand out enough. And also, it was so popular, and a song that we hear a lot is very likely to become an earworm. Number two in that study, by the way, was I can't get you out of my head, which is sort of a meta text.
- [11:34]
Alison Stewart
That's incredible. A couple people have texted us this. I don't know if you know the answer, but maybe you found it in your research that people have texted about either getting earworm when they sleep or when they wake up in the middle of the night.
- [11:48]
Rachel Feltman
Yeah, so we didn't dive into that. But I have seen a couple of experts talk about how listening to music right before bed or as you fall asleep might make that more likely to happen. I do have some tips for getting earworms out of your head in general, though.
- [12:04]
Interviewer/Producer
Let's hear them.
- [12:05]
Rachel Feltman
Yeah. So the first one, whatever your listeners alluded to listening to something else, you know, it uses sort of the same real estate of the brain, so you can sort of change the channel of the radio station in your head. That's sort of the simplest thing to do, though. You won't always be lucky enough to have that second song fall out of your head. You should pick one that you're actually going to be happy to listen to mentally for a while, focusing on something. It seems like we tend to get earworms when our minds are wandering a little bit. So, you know, whether you like doing crossword puzzles or you want to write something down by hand, you know, anything that really, like, requires your full attention. That should help with an earworm as well. And there's some really interesting research on chewing gum to get rid of earworms, actually, because I'm going to simplify this. Please do it. But when you think of words or lyrics in your head, the nerves in your throat and your neck and your mout, they're sort of firing up as if they're practicing saying those words. It's all below your notice. It's sub vocalization. You're not moving your lips, but basically your body's getting ready to say that thing as if because you're thinking it, you must be getting ready to say it. And if you chew gum, you're activating all those nerves and keeping them from practicing. So apparently, vigorous gum chewing can help get an earworm out of your head.
- [13:38]
Alison Stewart
This is a funny text. It says, I've tried this recipe for getting rid of earworms. Sing to yourself. Shave in a haircut. Two bits and voila. Earworm stops. It could work.
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Rachel Feltman
Yeah.
- [13:50]
Alison Stewart
Let's talk to Carol from Summit. Hey, Carol, thanks for making the time to call. All of it. We're talking ear worms. What do you think?
- [13:57]
Caller 5
Hi. Well, I've always loved Paul McCartney, and when he was with Winx, he had that song, someone Knocking at the back Door, and I would walk down in my office singing it. Now, the woman that I worked with hated Paul McCartney, and she hated that song, but she would wind up singing it, and she would say, why am I singing that? I hate that song. And I don't know what it was. It was just so catchy. So that's my earworm story.
- [14:22]
Alison Stewart
Thanks so much for calling. Let's talk to Jeff in Greenpoint. Jeff, you're on the air.
- [14:29]
Caller 1
Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire ruined eighth grade for me. We had to do reports on it. We had to listen to it literally every day in class, and everyone had to talk about one particular time in that song. It was torture.
- [14:45]
Alison Stewart
I'm sorry. Let's talk to Rose in Floral Park. Hey, Rose, you're on the air.
- [14:51]
Rachel Feltman
Hi.
- [14:51]
Caller 6
Thanks for taking my call. So I was a teacher prior to becoming a mom, and one of the things that we would do is turn music, take common songs, and then change the words to help the kids remember things. And one in particular was Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me maybe. And we changed the words so that it would help them to remember. And it was promoting water conservation. And now every time I hear that song, it's a worm in my head, but brings back good memories. It's not a bad thing. And I wonder if there's other ways that we could use that music worm to promote good things and help people remember things.
- [15:29]
Interviewer/Producer
I like that idea. Rose, thank you so much for calling in. My guest is Rachel Feldman. She's the host of the Science Quickly podcast for Scientific American. We are talking ear worms. This is interesting because a gentleman on our team, Luke, says that he's constantly whistling for by the Miles Davis Quintet. Let's.
- [15:47]
Alison Stewart
Let's listen.
- [16:01]
Interviewer/Producer
It sort of made us wonder, can an earworm be instrumental, or does it have to have lyrics attached to it?
- [16:09]
Rachel Feltman
That's a really interesting question. And, you know, I don't know that researchers have looked at that specifically. But speaking from experience and based on the research I have read, you know, I think they can totally be instrumental. I think the lyrics are often a hook that helps something get stuck in our head. But, you know, phrases can get stuck in your head. You can get things stuck in your head that don't have music. And I think you can definitely get music stuck in your head that don't have lyrics.
- [16:36]
Alison Stewart
This says, my earworm, Don't Cry Out Loud by Melissa Manchester for decades now. Why? And that's an interesting question, like, why does one particular song get stuck in people's heads?
- [16:51]
Rachel Feltman
Yeah, you know, I think it's so dependent on the individual. That's certainly a song that was very popular, and probably this person heard it a lot. But I think the answer is the luck of the draw.
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Alison Stewart
Sure.
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Rachel Feltman
Yeah.
- [17:08]
Alison Stewart
Well, this is interesting because we got another text that says, love me do was my earworm for decades. Then during COVID I heard Harry Styles watermelon sugar, and that's been it. It switched over for her. This person, another person in our staff recently, whenever Simon says you're welcome, the song of the same name from Moana jumps in his head. And then when Jordan sings this time every time, it's a nice day outside.
- [17:48]
Muppets Theme Song
The road, but you got no destination in the mind.
- [17:58]
Alison Stewart
So, Rachel, are these earworms, or are they something else?
- [18:01]
Rachel Feltman
Well, it's really interesting because we usually talk about earworms as a negative thing, but one study found that actually only a third of people. Actually, only a third of people want to get rid of their earworms. And there might be kind of a cognitive bias there where when you hear someone say, we're talking about ear worms, you're more likely to think of something that annoyed you, because things that annoy us are front of mind all the time. But you probably go through your day and think of little snippets of a song, maybe even on repeat. And if it doesn't bother you, you don't think, oh, gosh, I can't get this darn earworm out of my head. But they're all the same thing cognitively. So that's a great reason to try to replace an annoying earworm with another random snippet of song that maybe you'll enjoy listening to on repeat.
- [18:51]
Interviewer/Producer
Let's talk to Bullet Dylan in Bushwick. Dylan, you're our last caller.
- [18:56]
Caller 2
Oh, hi. So I work as a filmmaker. My editor, she taught me a trick. Her name is Melissa. She told me to do this trick that if you listen to Walk down through Electric Avenue. You know, like the weird funk song. It will get rid of the earworm. Like, it just gets it out of
- [19:13]
Caller 3
your head and it doesn't replace it,
- [19:15]
Caller 2
so it actually fixes the earworm. That's worked with me ever since I've heard that.
- [19:22]
Interviewer/Producer
Well, I appreciate your comment. Anything else about earworms you want to tell us?
- [19:27]
Rachel Feltman
I love that, and I'll definitely have to try that one. You know, I think that the main takeaway for me is again, remembering that earworms aren't inherently negative and we get to have a radio inside our heads, which is pretty cool. I will say from personal experience, if you're trying to get a song out of your head by listening to another one, make sure you're actually paying attention to the song you're putting on. Because you can have one song in the background while continuing to have a different song stuck in your head, and that's terrible. Give it your focus. Focusing on something is really the key.
- [19:58]
Interviewer/Producer
The name of the podcast is Science Quickly from Scientific American. Rachel Feltman is its host.
- [20:03]
Alison Stewart
Thank you for walking us through the world of earworms.
- [20:06]
Rachel Feltman
Thank you so much for having me.
- [20:08]
Uncrustables Podcast Host
It's the Smucker's Uncrustables podcast with your host, Uncrustables. Okay, today's guest is rough around the edges. Please welcome crust. Thanks for having me. Today's topic is round with soft, pillowy bread.
- [20:23]
Caller 6
Hey.
- [20:23]
Uncrustables Podcast Host
Filled with delicious PB and J. Are you talking about yourself? And you can take them anywhere. Why'd you invite. And we are out of time. Are you really cutting me off? Uncrustables are the best part of the sandwich. Sorry, crust.
- [20:38]
Pacifico Beer Advertiser
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- [20:48]
Muppets Theme Song
It.
- [20:49]
Pacifico Beer Advertiser
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