The Earworm Effect

Marianne Eloise has had the same Fall Out Boy song stuck in her head for over three years. "It’s Hard to Say 'I Do,' When I Don’t," an relatively obscure cut from the band's 2007 album Infinity on High has taken up permanent residence in her brain as the ultimate earworm. Everybody has had a riff or a melody stuck in their head, but not at this . Eloise, a journalist and music writer, decided to turn her malady into a story. Her pursuit of the science behind "stuck songs" led her to our unique bureau of forensic musicology.

On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate talk about earworms: what they are, why are they so catchy, and how we might get rid of them. Then, Nate confronts his own stuck song: The Lemon Twigs's "In My Head," and in talking to the two brothers behind the group, finds a novel approach to giving an unwanted musical guest the boot.

Songs Discussed

• Fall Out Boy - It’s Hard to Say “I Do,” When I Don’t
• The Lemon Twigs - In My Head
• Kylie Minogue - Can’t Get You Out of My Head
• Gene Wilder - Pure Imagination
• Dave Harrington Group - Pure Imagination

More

• Read Marianne Eloise’s Vulture article, “My Quest to Exterminate an Earworm”
• Catch the Lemon Twigs on Tour (at your own peril)

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