Songs that Stay in Your Head

[The Lone Liberal]

Last evening I posted some piece of nonsense involving a song that was playing in the background. The post and song produced an interesting reaction. The reaction of some of the posters was protest relating to the fact that the song having been thought of would stay in their heads beyond a reasonable time.

That started me thinking about why do songs stay in our conscious mind. What is it about a song that permits it to linger? Is it the melody, is it the words, is it because of some experience we associate with the song, is it the simplicity of the song that allows us to reproduce both the melody and words with consistency? Just why do we lock on a song and then for hours, days, weeks hum, whistle and sing that blasted song.

The song that is my nemesis is an old WWII song, called “Bless them all” which was changed to a more scatological rendition called “Sod em All”

Sod 'em all. Sod 'em all,
The long and the short and the tall,
Sod all the sergeants and WO ones,
Sod all the corporals and their bastard sons,
For we're saying goodbye to them all,
As back to their billets they crawl,
You'll get no promotion
This side of the ocean,
So cheer up, my lads, sod 'em all

Running a close second in the race for songs that will not go away is another WWII song

“We’ll meet again”
We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But we shall meet again
Some sunny day.


After that the repertoire includes

New Orleans Ladies
Black Magic Woman
Great Speckled Bird
Yellow Submarine
Vietnam Rag
Ballad of the Green Berets (which I detest)
Bridge over Troubled Water.

All of the above songs have staying power and the power to drive me nuts.

Do you have an explanation as to why certain songs stay in our heads? What is your song?

I don’t an explanation and of course I am not humming Bless em all , bless em all, the long and the short and tall, bless all the boys…….Ah me I shall have background music all day.

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. People react to songs differently.

It depends on one's memories of the particular song, perhaps what you were doing when you first heard it or associate some particular experience with that piece of music. "Midnight at the Oasis" went out of my mind as soon as my head hit the pillows.

The song in my head changes. But they are all good. "The Ballad of the Green Berets" in one's head could make one certifiable.

[The Lone Liberal]

2. You think that would make me certifiable

This is a little ditty that was learned in jump school. Which has such a compelling cadence that it last for a long time, whistled, hummed and sung under the breath.

The most poignant and provocative refrain goes:

There was blood upon the risers, there were brains upon the 'chute.
Intestines were a-dangling from his paratrooper suit.
He was a mess, they picked him up and poured him from his boots.
And he ain't gonna jump no more.

Try singing that on a five mile run.

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. What a lovely visual image that conveys!

Now I think that I am certifiable.

On edit: And here I thought you learned how to jump out of planes in jump school. Yet still with the five-mile runs. :eyes:

[izzie]

4. I have songs from childhood and one by a man called Frankie Carle

It starts 'Every little bird'and it is because my mother used to play it a lot and we had all his records.Also the old camp songs we used to sing every night at camp. I know now they were WW1 songs and college songs but did not know it then.I went to camp fron 1939 to 1945 so it was lots of nights of group singings.Funny how they stay in your mind. It is like a smell. I can not smell garden phlox without thinking of my grandmother. Brings me right back to her garden.She died in 1946.

[boilerbabe]

5. not gonna download that one off Kazaa

yoinks! I guess that your skydiving was not of a recreational type!
I made the mistake of asking a co-worker (beloved friend, passed away in 1999) if he wanted to go skydiving with us. He was like vehemently not into it...come to find out...he was one of the Vietnam vets that had to parachute into a place where they shot the shit out of everyone while they were coming down..(and that was the reason he never was seen in shorts, or short-sleeved shirts, because he was all scarred up)...I will NEVER ever forget that.XXXOOO

[laura888]

21. "Take it Easy" by the Eagles - n/t

n/t

[sweetheart]

6. old songs by rush

On reading your post, two words emerged <again> from deep in the songs that i can't forget zone... "big bang..." its some "Rush" song from the late 80's.... that still sticks when i ain't heard it for a decade... geezh!! :-)

Why do some brain cells die leaving all the stupid ones alive? Really, if i had that cell dedicated to remembering what my partner wants at the grocery shop i'd be so much better for it.. ;-)

[CO Liberal]

7. "The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow" from "Annie"

Sometimes I have that damn song running through my head for WEEKS at a time.

:crazy:

[The Lone Liberal]

14. Oh yes, that damn song, plus the one from Cats

which only knew the first line to "Midnight an the .... something something.

[lpbk2713]

8. Theme from "Victory at Sea"........

........an old TV series from 40 years ago or more. It's funny, when I saw the topic I just let my mind go blank for a moment and that was the first tune that came into my consciousness.

[realFedUp]

9. "I can't get no....satisfaction." Happy Birthday Mick.

:-)

[BurtWorm]

10. "All the Things You Said" by T.a.T.U.

I heard it this morning and now it's

running through my head running through my head running through my head...

[Kat45]

11. And it's always the most dreadful songs that stay in your head.

I remember for a while, that awful song "Mambo Number (whatever the number was)" kept running through my head. And even worse--yes it can get worse than that one--remember that "hamster dance" website? The vile music on that site running through your head can have you pulling your hair out!

[Cush]

12. Yatta!

it doesn't matter that it's in Japanese (99% japanese)

http://www.mit.edu/people/patil/yatta.html

(look for the video file links)

[OneBlueSky]

13. every cloud has a silver lining . . .

the latest song to stick with me (and I do mean STICK) was "I Hate Republicans" from that online music video . . . couldn't get it out of my head for days . . . which, I suppose, is not an entirely bad thing . . . :)

[Bossy Monkey]

15. Dunno, but here's some more

My previous thread on the same subject: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=11564&mesg_id=11564&page=98

[ornotna]

16. All of those a nice ones

But THE one song that does it to me is "It's A Small World"

It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all

There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev'ryone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

Kinda catchy....ain't it.

[ornotna]

17. All of those a nice ones

But THE one song that does it to me is "It's A Small World"

It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all

There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev'ryone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

Kinda catchy....ain't it.


I meant to do that. :silly:

[Skittles]

18. I'M GOING TO KILL YOU LONE LIBERAL

I WAS IN A TWO HOUR MEETING TODAY AND "MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS" STAYED IN MY HEAD. IT'S STILL THERE NOW. I'LL KILL YOU. WHY DID IT STAY IN MY HEAD? BECAUSE LONE LIBERAL F***ING PUT IT THERE. :P

[greatauntoftriplets]

19. Someone's in trouble! Someone's in trouble!

:scared:

[The Lone Liberal]

22. Well at least you stayed awake which is better than I did.

and believe me it not too damn cool to have you head bang down against the conference table while drool runs out of your mouth during the boss' presentation. You should thank me,

"I know you daddy's a sultan......"

[The Lone Liberal]

23. I could have reminded everyone of the ultimate hanger on

In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines

So we sailed up to the sun
Till we found the sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine

We all live in our yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in our yellow submarine,
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine

And our friends are all on board
Many more of them live next door
And the band begins to play

[greatauntoftriplets]

24. This one has been in my mind all day.

Am still making up the tune to go with the oh-so-charming lyrics.

There was blood upon the risers, there were brains upon the 'chute.
Intestines were a-dangling from his paratrooper suit.
He was a mess, they picked him up and poured him from his boots.
And he ain't gonna jump no more.

[The Lone Liberal]

25. Forgot to mention that is sung to the tune of

The Battle Hymn of the Republic,

----------------------------------give it a try, nice social ditty.

More socially accepted than the other ones that we sang, which went:

I don’t know but I been told…… (from here you just make up any scatological refrain you desire.)

[greatauntoftriplets]

26. Sort of like the one to the tune of "Reveille" that goes something like...

Drop your *ocks
Grab your socks.

"Battle Hymn of the Republic" is perfect. Yes, the cadences are so correct. Thank you. I definitely will try it next time I am out in polite company. OOH! The company Christmas dinner would be the perfect occasion.

[FloridaJudy]

20. Stuck in my head

I usually listen to the local indie/alternative rock stations, and there is one seriously annoying popular song they keep playing at least once an hour. I don't know - and don't *want* to know - the song's title, but the group is "White Stripe", and it features some guy singing in a whiny falsetto and a monotonous five-note melody (DE ta-ta TUM tum). I have to hit "mute" the moment I hear the first few notes or it gets stuck in my head all day. I recently heard the the lead guitarist from White Stripe broke a finger. Great! I'm seriously considering hiring Two Guys Named Vinnie to go break the other nine. Even better, let's hire the group to go play outside of whatever bunker Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are hiding in. This is the Rock Song of Mass Destruction. :spank:

I think it's the repetitious rhythm and melody of stuff like that that makes it imprint on your brain.

There is an antidote to this affliction. Slam a song with a catchy melody that you *like* into the CD player as soon as possible. "Hey Jude", "Sheep May Safely Graze", and "Tango to Evora" work for me. :thumbsup: