Make It Stop - MAKE IT STOP!!!

      I think I did it to myself...and I'm sure the same thing has happened to you at least once; probably many times over here and there.  What is going on here and how do we get rid of it?  I'm talking about a song that pops into your head and just won't go away...and it's driving you insane

      I planted the seed last evening right here on Gather when I was making a comment about a post someone had made.  Depending on the article I've read, I'll make a serious comment, a wise remark or try to throw in a little humor.  I was being funny and mentioned an artist along with one of her hit songs from the past.  I didn't think anything of it.  Of course, I do very little thinking in the first place, so why should last night be any different. 

      This morning, while checking my E-mail, I got something from one of the comedy networks I subscribe to...and what is the background music for the the skit I'm watching?  The very song I mentioned in my comment not more than 12 hours ago.  It was a seven minute extended re-mix of the original version; something you'd hear a deejay spinning off in a dance club.  (It was a catchy rendition, too!) 

      Off to the kitchen I go to grab another cup off coffee...and the song I just heard; I can still hear it.  It's playing inside my head; reverberating in my mind; stuck in my brain.  Okay, enough of this now.  Nope!  It's still there.  I try and think of other things.  I read a few articles and every single one of the came along with background music...that same damn song.  I've got it!  I'll just listen to some other tunes and that should take care of that.  It's funny how I can be listening to one thing, yet hearing something else...and the two songs don't even match. 

      This is now going on a good 15 minutes.  It's starting to wear on me.  The song is okay, but not anywhere close to being one of my favorites.  I've had enough of it now.  Change the channel!!!  It's as if I can hear snickering inside my head and some little man in there saying, "One more time!"...and it starts all over...again. 

      It's snowed overnight and thinking I might have company drop by for a quick visit, I decide to sweep off the verranda and front sidewalk.  I bundle up, grab my broom and head outdoors to clear off the dusting that's fallen.  Being so early (5:30 AM), it's deafeningly silent out; no people that early in the day; not even any cars going by.  And there I am, broom going back and forth...to the beat of that song still repeating...and I find myself even dancing to it now.  "Like a virgin...Hey!...Touched for the very first time...Woo...Like a vir-ir-ir-ir-gin"  I so don't compare to Madonna.  (I'm glad there's no one around to see this sight, as I'm on the main drag of the village not a block away from the downtown business district.  Just what I'd need; having someone come up to me and tell me how much they enjoyed my performance.)

      If you're someone who has never experienced this strange phenomenon; you're in the very small minority.  Get this...the rest of us are not alone.  98% of all people have this happen to them at some point in their life; most, many times over.  We are having a "brain itch" when this occurs...and I can't figure out how to get a finger in there to scratch it.  But that's the worst thing you can do.  The more you try to erase that song; the more it repeats over and over and over and over. 

      We can blame the Germans for this.  No, it wasn't some secret experiment Hilter and his mad scientists were working on to take control of everyone's brain so they could take over the world.  The Germans were the first ones to coin a phrase for this condition - Ohrwurm..."Ear worm".  An ear worm is usually a high, up-beat melody with repetitive lyrics which are on the verge of being between catchy and annoying.  On the average, this can last over an hour.  As I check the clock, I've been "like a virgin" a good 45 minutes now...Woo...Hey!  And how do you get rid of an ear worm?  You don't!  It finally disappears on it's own and there's nothing; not a damn thing you can do to hurry it along.  And it's recommended you don't try to thing of another song, either.  Sure, you might get rid of the tune that's been driving you crazy...only to be replaced by another ear worm that will continue making you nuts for the next hour!

      You probably never even knew this irritation had a name.  Or maybe you've heard it referred to by one of its other terms...sound virus, stuck tune syndrome, melodymania.  Bottom line is you're brain is "infected"...you've got worms inside your head.  Of course, with actual studies having been done on this topic, you knew it was only a matter of time before someone somewhere had to find out which songs people get stuck in people's cranial matter the most.  Are you ready for this?  Here are the Top 10 ear worm songs of all time!

10. It's A Small World After All

  9. The Lion Sleeps Tonight

  8. Whoomp! There It Is

  7. YMCA

  6. Theme from Mission Impossible

  5. The Kit Kat candy bar jingle - "Gimme A Break"

  4. We Will Rock You

  3. Who Let the Dogs Out

  2. The jingle for Chili's Baby Back Ribs

And the #1 song that gets stuck in our head the most...drum roll please...There is none!  Each one of us has our own different song, tune, jingle, theme that is our personal "favorite".  What's yours?

      Hey, it's gone!  No more Madonna "Like A Virgin"!  I can't believe it.  Simply by writing about it, it's been erradicated.  I've found a cure!  Wait...oh, no...ARGH!!!  While one song is gone, now it's been replaced by another one!  Why do I, all of a sudden, have this craving to nibble beef off a bone that's been smothered in barbeque sauce?  Whatever you do, do NOT...I repeat...do NOT check out this website:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9r2OHrWsOA&mode=related&search=

      Sure, you just had to go do it, didn't you?  I warned you!  The power of suggestion.  Hope you can enjoy the rest of your weekend.  I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back...I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back...I want my............