Ear Worm/Video Games

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When a game feels the need to drive you even more insane...

Subpages

• Castlevania
• Dance Dance Revolution
• Final Fantasy
• Kirby
• Mega Man
• Metroid
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
• Pokémon
• Portal (series)
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Super Mario (franchise)
• The Legend of Zelda
• The World Ends With You
• Touhou

Other Examples

• The Sims 3 theme and the pets remix as well as the late night one
• Civilization IV: Baba yetu, yetu uliye, Mbinguni yetu, yetu amina! Baba yetu yetu uliye, Jina lako lituku... Amen. You're welcome.
  • Also Saladin's theme music from the same game qualifies, and The People Are The Heroes Now from the Modern Era soundtrack.
• Zoo Tycoon. The song that plays on the menu screen...
• The Clock Cleaners tune from Epic Mickey. Even better is the 15 minute version...
• The NES version of Shadowgate has some pretty catchy tunes. The one that will burn into your brain, though is the death theme, since you will be hearing it so often.
• Mass Effect: "I am the very model of a scientist Salarian..."
  • Go play Mass Effect 2. Mine resources for an hour or more. Try to get the galaxy theme out of your head.
  • Even if it's not ingame music, the Commander Shepard fan video. "You can fight like a krogan, run like a leopard, but you'll never be better than Commander Shepard!". You'll be humming it in the shower in no time.
• Bully. Every second of every song. They never get old, they never leave your mind.
• Buck Bumble. End of discussion. See it for yourself: [1]
  • The theme song is catchy enough to even earn it a spot in Screwattack's Video Game Vault
• The Battlefield Heroes theme music is so catchy there's even a loading screen tip asking you if you can whistle the whole song yet.
  • The core "dun-dun-dun da-DUN DUN" riff has been earworming gamers since the original BF1942 in 2002. I'd say it's more catchy in its raw form. Although, since BF2 was made of loading screens, the MEC theme oft appearing there is a pretty wormy version too. Recurring Riff much?
• Psychonauts has the theater level with them Happy Freakin' Flowers...
  • I'd also like to nominate the background music from the Meat Circus, despite it being That One Level for many Psychonauts players.
  • "Napoleon's Final Conflict Revisited". It's actually a pretty boring tune, but damn it stays with ya...
• Several background themes in Ace Combat 5, especially the latin chant-cum-rock music in the last level.
• XIII: "You can fly, you can hide..."
• The Mortal Kombat theme, especially the movie version. do do do do test your might...
  • Have you even heard the remix by The Immortals, Techno Syndrome? That song will stick to your brain like it has been injected with a hot glue gun.
  • Speaking of The Immortals, Chinese Ninja Warrior from the album is an unholy combination of Ear Worm and Narm Charm straight from the Netherrealm. And there's a fan made rock version that's arguably better.
• Hotel Dusk, having a heavy emphasis on dialogue to move the story along, has a mountain of ear-worms to help keep you interested: Namely Hangover Blues, Rainy Night and Monochrome; the latter of which will get stuck in your head.
• Gears of War - YEAH! (WOO!) BRING IT ON SUCKAH! THIS MAH KINDA SHIT!
  • Stand up! Fall down! Stand up! Fall down!
    • To the left! To the right!
      • See what I mean?!
  • The theme from the second game. The fact that it's arranged a million different ways during the game and plays at basically every menu screen doesn't help either...
• The Saboteur: "Freedom is mine, and that's how I feel! It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life . . . for me. And I'm feelin' good!"
• Robot Unicorn Attack: ALWAYS I WANT TO BE WITH YOU AND MAKE BELIEVE WITH YOU AND LIVE IN HARMONY HARMONY OOH LOOOVE!!
  • GAME OF THE YEAR. EVERY YEAR.
  • The Heavy Metal version song. IT CAN'T BE SEEN BUT THERE'S BLOOD ON THE GREEN, ONLY GOD KNOWS IM INNOCENT, TAKE ME TAKE ME HOME!!
• If you plan on doing La-Mulana 's Bonus Level of Hell, be sure to turn the in-game music all the way down if you don't want Hell Temple's insanity-inducing background music to ring in your ears for all eternity.
  • Or you can listen to it here. Have fun losing your mind! Muahahahahahahaha.
• Anything in Elite Beat Agents. Nintendo Power said it best; "In EBA, even songs we don't like get our blood pumping." - and the set list includes "Sk8er B01", "Material Girl", "Walkie Talkie Man", "La La", and Cher's "Believe". Made worse by the fact that in order to win you have to pound the beat of each song into your head until you memorize it. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" would be one of the worst if it weren't so awesome.
  • "Walkie Talkie Man". "He's fat and he don't run too fast/But he's faster than me..."
  • Same goes for Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan.
    • Ore! Ore! Oretachi!
    • But it's aaall riiiight now! In fact, it's a gas! Yes it's aaaaall riiiiight (Jumping Jack Flash--it's a gas, gas, gas!) (The song starts at 2:05)
    • With a little bit of monkey magic, there'll be fireworks tonight! With a little bit of monkey magic, everything will be all right!
    • Don't let me down my sweet baby Bambina! The Mario Brothers also make an appearance.
• Everything in the Grand Theft Auto series: Good Thing, Change, See Through You, Bump to The Music, Feels Like I Just Can't Take No More, Joyride [the theme song,] I've been Waiting [for A Girl Like You,] especially Tempted, Keep on Loving You, [I Just] Died in Your Arms Tonight, Sister Christian, All Night Long, Owner of A Lonely Heart, Video Killed The Radio Star, One Thing Leads to Another, Dance Hall Days, Billie Jean, You've Got Another Thing Coming, Fist Fury, Yankee Rose, I Wanna Rock, Cum on Feel The Noise, Two Minutes to Midnight, Working for The Weekend, Cars, Fascination, Obsession, I Ran [so far Away]" and many more.
  • It's quite fun to gun down criminals in an Apache while blasting Running Down a Dream or White Wedding, part 2.
    • Greenkeepers' "Vagabond": "I'm gonna shoot you down now for the things you've done..."
  • TAXI DRIVERS MUST DIE!
  • "Schweine" from GTA4. That is all.
• Pick a song from NiGHTs. ANY song from NiGHTs.
  • In the Ni GHTS/Dream delight/I want to see you standing there...
  • In the Ni GHTS, dream delight, I've found someone who really cares...
• Both Final Destination themes from Super Smash Bros. Melee (link) and Brawl ([2]), all thanks to NO ITEMS, FOX ONLY, FINAL DESTINATION.
• The "death by Guitar Warrior" in Total Distortion, described as "Best "Game Over" EVER!".

You are dead! Dead! Dead!

• Anything from either Rock Band or Guitar Hero can quickly get stuck in your head regardless of how much you've played it...however, the number of times you play it multiplies the chances of getting it stuck in either your or someone else's head.
  • Ace of Spades by Motorhead.
  • Less Talk More Rokk. It's that damn intro.
  • Rob The Pres-O-Dent. Nuff said.
  • DragonForce's Through the Fire and Flames, a true test of a man's Guitar Hero prowess. Guitar Hero also helped make this song the band's "mainstream" song, both on YouTube and in real life.
• Just about any piece of music from the entire Banjo series.
  • For starters, Grunty fighting music.
  • HAG 1 plays during a tough boss fight so you will hear it for a while.
• Katamari Damacy's famous "Na naaaah nah nanana nah na na na Katamari Damashiiiii!" Just don't crash into any mailboxes. And do not buy the album unless you want to be infected with bubbly j-pop fiends singing engrish to a jazzy tune.
  • • ACAPELLA VERSION!
    • The worst part? Almost every song on the album is built upon that same four-measure theme.
• Korobeiniki, AKA "The Tetris Theme," is Ear Worm incarnate.
  • • With the proper orchestration and the proper sprite pictures though, it can be quite awesome.
  • The Tetris Project guidelines for officially licensed Tetris games stipulate that all Tetris games must have this song as an option.
  • ((BROKEN))As it appears in Super Smash Brothers Brawl
  • Deep in a girl's dainty brain, there's a spot near a vein, which regulates their bliss... Once they see falling blocks, their T-spot unlocks and they start to sing like this
  • It only gets better as a techno remix.
  • The best of all the Tetris Techno Remixes.
  • ((BROKEN))Tetris remix done proper
  • There's a hard rock version too.
  • I am the man who arranges the blocks... Russian history AND tetris? Awesome!
• Super Robot Wars: "TROMBE!" is now overriding your thoughts.
  • Steel Beowulf.
  • With a helping of Platinum Lucifer as a side. Extra points if you not only get the song stuck, but also spontaneously start hearing Excellen's wisecracks over the music as well. "Ges-chan JUMP!"
  • To say nothing of Shippu! Jinrai!, Touma's theme in the DaiRaiOh, which is one giant love-song to old-school super robots.
  • "((BROKEN))WARE KOSO WAAAAA WARE KOSO WAAAAAA BARAN DOBAN!"
  • Land Crasher!!
    • The theme song for EVERY SINGLE BANPRESTO ORIGINAL EVER.
  • Crimson Shura God.
  • The fanmade vocal version of Trombe! overrides all others, especially if you understand the lyrics.
• From Beyond Good and Evil: "Akuda House Propaganda". Who knew pseudo-French hip-hop could be so catchy?
  • "Fun and Mini-Games" is arguably worse. "Ole ole! Ole ole!" Duh duh DUH duh dah dah daaaa! ARRGGG GET OUT OF MY HEAD.
• Donkey Kong Country brings you the one and only STICKERBRUSH SYMPHONY.
  • MINING MELANCHOLY.
  • ((BROKEN))DISCO TRAIN.
  • HORNET HOLE.
  • Fear Factory from the first game was a great song.
  • Guess what? All the Donkey Kong Country 2 songs were remix by OverClocked Remix. They turned it into an entire album. Have fun with all the worminess.
• The official Warcraft band Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain (it's their fourth name)'s "I am Murloc".
  • "I am the Son of the Wind and Rain, Thunder beckons and I heed the call..."
  • "Well, I'm a convict, In a siege tank I ride, Not protossin', not zergin', No, ((BROKEN))I'm terran up the night!"
  • Nightfall: "A voice from the north whispers to me, all that I am is what you can be, I forsake the light, I forsake the cold, with unholy steel, I'll serve his throne. Within Ebon Hold, I am born again-- my deeds will bring the fall of Man!"
    • Studio Version here.
• Speaking of, World of Warcraft has some very nice music, particularly with the expansions.
  • The Wrath of the Lich King main menu song is one of the best openings songs for a Warcraft game: once you listen to it a couple of times it really gets stuck.
  • Nagrand's Oshu'Gun and Dalaran.
  • Lament Of The Highborne is a song you get to hear as a reward for completing a certain quest. Is it worth it? Hell, yeah!
• "Kokoro Scan, Kokoro Scan suru kokoro..."
• "In the Hall of the Mountain King", as used in the old Manic Miner ZX Spectrum game.
  • Also used in Lemmings, as listed below.
• Likewise If I Were a Rich Man as used in Jet Set Willy
• "((BROKEN))Calling to the Night" and "Snake Eater" from the Metal Gear Solid games.
  • For the first game, the boss battle music.
    • Mantis Hymn, Cavern and of course Rex's Lair (ZOOM!)
  • For instrumentals, the theme from 2 (also the Metal Gear theme)... and "Encounter" (the one that plays when Snake is discovered).
  • ((BROKEN))"Yell 'Dead Cell'" was MGS2's boss theme. It became so popular that it now a rule that when old MGS music is used in a game, Yell "Dead Cell" must be included or remixed. And its percussion makes it insanely catchy, too.
  • SOME DAYS, YOU GO THROUGH THE RAAIIIIINNN, (bah dah, bah-DAAAAAH) AND SOME DAYS, YOU FEED ON A TREEEE FROOOOOOOOGG~ (bah dah, bah-DAAAAAH). Congratulations, you've just heard the brilliance that is Snake Eater.
  • Sing, from Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker (yes, it was originally from Sesame Street, but it still counts). La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la-laaaa...Sing, sing along, sing a song...
    • Also from Peace Walker: The haunting "La, la-la, la-la-la, la-la-laaaa...La, la-la, la-LA, la-la-laaaa..." song.
• Mercenaries 2's Oh No You Didn't is painfully catchy, especially if you hear the full length MPE (linked on that Youtube page).
  • The orchestral title theme from the original Mercenaries will also get into your head.
• Wario Ware: "Who's the girl next door living in the haunted mansion?"
  • "Fresh sauce and cheese galore... Brought straight to your front doooor"
  • You haven't heard anything until you've heard TOMORROW. FREAKING. HILL. "IIII KNOW TOMORROW SHINES BRIGHTER AT THE TOP OF THIS HIIILLLL...IT ALWAYS WILLL"
  • My name is Mike, c'mon let's Robo-Karaoke
    • The Japanese version of that. The Japanese lyrics are so simple you could be singing it all day.
  • WARIO DE MAMBO!!!
  • ((BROKEN))Jimmy's Aerobics. The English version even more so.
• DAY-TO-NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! ((BROKEN))Daytona! Let's go away, DAY-TO-NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
  • ((BROKEN))ROOOOLLLLIIIINGGG STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRT! ROOOOLLLLIIIINGGG STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRT! Ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah, oh oh...
  • GEE, AY, EM, EE OH, VEE, EE, AR, GEE-AY-EM-EE-OH-VEE-EE-AR GAMEOVER GAMEOVER GAMEOVER GAMEOVER
  • JAM JAM REGGAE COME FROM JAMAICA
• Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Has the 'Galdrar Of Rebirth", vocoded in the Simlish-esque language of the herons. Rafiel sings it: once to free Maurim from being turned to a feral,And Reyson uses it after that to restore Renning A.K.A Bertram.
  • The series' theme song is one in its own right.
• Maximum Tune 3: "I...feeeeeeel...the distaaaaaaaaance...so faaaaaarrrr awaaaaaaay..."
  • And while we're on that, ((BROKEN))Phantom Of Blue wouldn't get out of my head for 1 whole year.
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2: I wanna take you for a ride...
• Rogue Trip is a Car Combat game for the PS 1. The Mighty Mighty Bosstone's The Rascal King was set to the first level of the game.
• Twisted Metal 3 has a stage where Rob Zombie's "Meet the Creeper" was the stage's music.
  • How 'bout the song that made the game more awesome than it already was:

DIG through the ditches, And BURN through the witches, And SLAM in the back of mah, DRAGULAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

• Any of the background scores for Kingdom Hearts could get stuck in your head if you play in a certain world/area for long enough. As mentioned above, This is Halloween could drive everyone crazy. It's worse if you know the lyrics to the Disney BGM. You will be singing the Mickey Mouse Club theme for DAYS. Not to mention 'Bibbidi Boppidi Boo' while you're playing BBS.
  • What's the worst is the songs from Atlantica in KH2. It's a bit better in Japanese, where you can't understand them if you don't know Japanese. Fortunately, the visual cues are obvious enough that you can still beat the required Rhythm Game with your television muted.
    • At least they have decent renditions of songs from the actual movie, but God help you if you manage to get "Swim This Way" stuck in your head. Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play...! ... Oh goddammit.
  • Also, within a year of the game's release, its theme song ((BROKEN))Simple and Clean became pretty well known.
    • The Japanese version, 'Hikari', is just as awesome. Listen enough times and you will start picking up on the words.
    • Sanctuary and Passion can be very addictive.
  • The Afternoon Streets, the official BGM song for the Prolonged Prologue.
• Apogee Software (now 3D Realms) put a lot of catchy tunes into the games they published.
  • Probably one of the best-known examples is the Apogee Fanfare, which practically any Apogee fan can whistle or hum.
  • The Duke Nukem 3D ((BROKEN))theme song (the cover by Megadeth as well)
    • Duke Nukem 3D's soundtrack is woefully underrated in general. Hey, how about "Aliens, Say Your Prayers!"?
    • More catchy tunes: "Missing? Impossible!", "The City Streets", "Taking Names", "Layers of Dust" and what little melody there is in "The Call of Death".
  • One hidden song in Rise of the Triad is very catchy. It goes by the name of the Fish Polka and is almost certain to get stuck in your head.
  • It's possible to argue that virtually every Apogee game with music has at least one catchy tune in it.
• Id Software are also guilty of putting catchy tunes into their games.
  • The Commander Keen series has several examples.
    • The Game Over music from episode 5 is worth mentioning as it's both catchy, and mocking.
  • Not to mention Wolfenstein 3D (with its "Zero Hour" and the beautiful "Wondering about my Loved Ones") and Spear of Destiny.
  • Doom 1 and 2 also have a few catchy tunes.
    • You are now rocking at DooM's Gate. Bring your own chainsaw and shotgun.
    • More Doomworms: "The Imp's Song", "Kitchen Ace", "Hiding the Secrets" (oh lord), the latter half of "Nobody Told Me About Id", "Donna to the Rescue", "In The Dark", "The Demon's Dead", Doom II text screen music...
    • Playing Doom: The Roguelike does NOT make it any better.
    • Along with "Into Sandy's City" and "Getting too Tense".
• The end-of-match victory music from Quake III Arena is extremely catchy.
• Epic Megagames (now just Epic Games) are also responsible for some catchy pieces of game music.
  • The theme music from Jazz Jackrabbit and its sequel definitely qualifies.
  • Tyrian is a goldmine for catchy music.
    • Tyrian: The Level
    • Sarah's Song
  • One Must Fall 2097 may only have seven pieces of music in the entire game, but they're all pretty catchy, especially the menu music.
• Unreal Tournament: The theme of DM-Deck16, Go Down.
  • Also ((BROKEN))Superfist, especially the crazy 80's solo.
  • And DM-Fractal's Mechanism 8. And damn you. Damn you all. Especially you, Alexander Brandon.
  • The theme of CTF-Face, a.k.a. Facing Worlds, Foregone Destruction. Damn you too, Michiel van den Bos.
• Geeks rule. Even if you can't place all the songs they sing, you'll be humming at least one of them for a long while.
• They Hunger: You are what I eat, with so much flesh, so much meat...
• 3D World Runner. There is only one song for most of the game. It loops constantly. Apparently, Nobuo Uematsu composed that before working on Final Fantasy. Strangely enough, if not for this simple little Ear Worm and its game, Final Fantasy as we know it may have never come to be. Suddenly, this game is a lot more important.
• I Wanna Be the Guy makes up for its insane difficulty with some of the catchiest Game Over music ever.
  • It may interest you to know that Guilty Gear got to it first.
• Lets Tap and let's tap future tapping game. Also, someone Three Youtube videos featuring the song.
  • The entire soundtrack is ((BROKEN))composed ((BROKEN))of ((BROKEN))ear ((BROKEN))worms.
• Devil May Cry: "The flinch in your eye calls your bluff/Feel free to die when you've had enough/Useless cause is breaking your back/Your life will end when you attack"
  • Steal a soul for a second chance/But you will never become a man/My chosen torture makes me stronger/In a life that craves the hunger/A Freedom and a quest for life/Until the end of the judgment night!
    • Bless me/With the/Leaf off of the tree/On it/I see/The freedom reign~
    • Praise to my father/blessed by the water/black night, dark skies/the devils crrrrrrrrrryyyy!
    • Now you've really crossed the line/Your hate for me is divine/My love yearns for your suffer/On your grave lurks my prosper
    • The time has come and so have I/I'll laugh last 'cause you came to die/The damage done, the pain subsides/And I can see the fear clear when I look in your eye
    • Hail to a father of divine/To the son the light will shine/From the angst of lost memories/A just revenge to cure misery
• The random battle theme from Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army. Unfortunately, Atlus didn't include it in the soundtrack.
  • Also, the incidental battle theme (whenever you fight a Shikimi no Kage or a sub-boss).
• Persona 3's songs: BABY BABY BABY BABY BABY YEAAAAAHHHH...
  • I will--BUURRRRNNNN MYYYY DREEEAAAD....
    • Don't ease your pace/Cuz enemy is brutal/Moment of truth/There ain't no truce/You're the only one/One world/One love/But the battle goes on/Shadows of mass destruction OOH YEAH!
    • Want to be Clooooooooooooooooose! To be Cloooooooooooooooose!
  • Anata no terebi ni, Jika-netto Tanakaaaa!

"You hear an irritatingly catchy song...."

• • Over the airwaves to youuuu....Granter of your desires!
  • I never felt like...
  • In Persona 3 Portable, brand new music is added to the female protagonist's route, and it's just as ear-infesting. For example, the regular battle music is possibly catchier than the original.

You cannot run away! /(Hell naw no man can run away)/For me I stay in your head as one big threat!

• • Write me an endress song! It may not be Burn My Dread but it sure is catchy!
• Persona 4 continues the ear-worming with: "EVERY DAY'S GREAT AT YOUR JUN-ES!"
  • We are living our lives...(dunit doo do doo dunit doo do doo)...Abound with so much information...
  • How about with every battle, having this wriggle in your brain: "I FACE OUT, I HOLD OUT, I REACH OUT to the truth of my life seeking to seize on the whole moment to now. Break. AWAAAAY! Will you LET ME OUT? Can you LET ME OUT? Can you set me free..."
    • How about the fact that the absolutely gorgeous orchestral mix used for part of the Izanami boss battle is not on the included soundtrack?
  • YOUR AFFECTION, YOUR AFFECTION, TAKING PRIDE FROM FEAR~
  • Lost destiny. Far Outcry. They hear you. No more. This is probably the biggest Ear Worm in the game, and it's not on the included soundtrack.
  • Heaven. So much that battles were intentionally avoided by many players just to hear the dungeon song.
  • "I am a shadow...the true self..." And cue ="I'll Face Myself -Battle-"! DADA NE-YEER, NE-YEER, NE-YEER, NE-YEER, DADA NE-YEER, NE-YEER, NE-YEER, NE-YEER
  • "A New World Fool" has a marvelous electronic beat that will stay in your head even after beating Namatame and Adachi.
• The older Persona games had lots of earworm as well. One example being Persona 2: Eternal Punishment's catchy ((BROKEN))first map theme.
  • Although this was mentioned on the main page, the Satomi Tadashi Pharmacy song from Persona is such a mighty earworm, it is actually referred to as such in-game. And it gets remixed a fair few times in Persona 2, guaranteeing that it won't leave your brain without a fight.
  • Haa~, peru peru Persona! It's on par with the Satomi Tadashi Pharmacy song in terms of sheer Ear Worm and plain old WTF-ness. It doesn't help that the song is an Ondo, making the beat very easy to remember.
  • Persona2: Innocent Sin's remake opening has a really crazy beat and a classic Lotus Juice rap-- oh, and the female singer's lyrics are actually understandable! Have fun!
• Gungrave has its theme, Gunlock Overdrive. "Ba-bum da-bum bum bum doo liddle doo doo doo doo dododo...dum, dum duum dum...dooom dumm dumm, one moment please..." (It's the trumpets man...the trumpets...)
  • Family, the theme of the anime.
  • Rain, rain....here comes the rain (here cooomes thee raaain)/here it comes again...
  • And the world, keeps on spinning.../round and round.../will we ever have the words?/Will we ever know the pain?/Will we ever....be back here again?
  • "Divine Decision". A suprisingly sad tune that will not leave you.
• ((BROKEN))"This is True Love Makin'", the London stage BGM from Capcom vs. SNK 2. This is true love we're makin', this is true love we're makin', this is true love we're makin', all the time!
• "Falalalan, fala, falalaleera..." If you're a Europa Universalis II fan, you're welcome.
  • Most Paradox games have Ear Worms. For EU2 in particular, there is "The Whip Song".
• EVERYTHING from Loco Roco has shades of this, no matter if the song is song by a locoroco, mui mui, moja or bui bui.
  • The main theme to Loco Roco is already mentioned in the Web Original section of this entry, but "Bu Bu Poruche" deserves equal mention.
  • The Villain Song from Loco Roco 2, Mojya's Theme. (Especially the third variant sung by Majoliné.)
• Jet Set Radio Future: High and a winner, play the front line, take the don'ts...he's coming out again for a new point, get your bets down, ladies and gentlemen...
  • UNDERSTAND UNDERSTAND UNDERSTAND UNDERSTAND UNDERSTAND UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF LOVE! HUAH!
  • Hello Allison!/I wanna hold your hand/I haven't been/The same man since I saw you comin' in/LET'S HAVE A TOAST TO THE GIRL IN AISLE 10!
  • SHUT UP AND EAT!/TOO BAD NO BON APPETITE!/SHUT UP AND EAT!/You know my love is sweet.
  • You don't have to make it,/Complicated,/You don't have to make it,/Complicated...
  • Pretty much anything from Jet Set Radio Future counts, but this is one of the worst offenders.
  • Since we're on the subject of Hideki Naganuma (the Jet Set Radio soundtrack guy), pretty much everything from Sonic Rush counts as well. See the "Sonic the Hedgehog" section above.
• None of Fallout 3's original music is particularly catchy, but Galaxy News Radio is a collection of some of the ear wormiest Ear Worms from the first half of the twentieth century. Examples include:
  • Oh, Bingo Bango Bongo I don't wanna leave the Congo oh no no no no no...
  • ((BROKEN))Hey, everybody, there's a news gettin' 'round 'bout a guy named Butcher Pete... HE KEEPS HACKIN AN' WHACKIN AN' SMACKIN HE KEEPS HACKING AN' WHACKIN AN' SMACKIN HE KEEPS HACKIN AN' WHACKIN AN' SMACKIN HE KEEPS HACKIN WHACKIN CHOPPIN THAT MEAT~
  • Best part about it? This is only the first part of the song! Listen to the end and you can hear, "Say, turn this record over, you ain't heard nothing yet!" Don't worry! There is another part. Well, they let ole Pete out of the jail/He went back to his store/All the women who payed his bail/Were waitin' on Pete to chop some more
  • ((BROKEN))The roads are the dustiest, the winds are the gustiest...
  • I am as corny as Kansas in August, high as a flag on the Fourth of July...
  • The main menu/credits theme is pretty damn catchy, if only for its tune.
  • I don't want to set the world on fire...
  • "Maaaaaybe...you'll think of me...."
  • On that same note: Maybe, you'll think of me, when you are all alone...
    • Somewhere...beyond the sea/somewhere, waiting for me...my lover stands upon/golden SAND! And watches the ships/that go saaaaaaaaaaaaailin'
  • Tunnel Snakes rule!
  • Fallout: New Vegas is getting off to a very promising start. I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle / (Jingle, jangle) / As I go ridin' merrily along...
    • Like the fella once said / "Ain't that a kick in the head?" No kidding, Deano.
    • Yes, I've got haaartaches by the number / troubles by the score / everyday you love me less / each day I love you more.
    • Twenty men had tried to take him, twenty men had made a slip./Twenty-one would be the ranger with the big iron on his hip./Big iron on his hip.
  • Fallout 4: Nuka-World has a very catchy “jingle” for the Nuka-World theme park, which also sounds like something out of a Disney movie even though the game clearly does not fall within Disney’s target audience.
• God Hand has its ending theme.

"God or demon, what am I? It's time for me to choose my path..."

• • Elvis's theme, "Smoking Roll".
• Daigasso Band Brothers. Just everything in the entire game. One thing that helps is that Nintendo deliberately placed several earworms on the game (from this list alone, there's a medley from Wario Ware, the Super Mario Bros. theme, the Zelda theme, "Dragostei din Tei", "Japan Break Industries", and "Ready Steady Go!"). In fact, the songs that might not otherwise be earworms end up becoming them due to proximity.
• Most if not all of the music from Lemmings, both the original tracks and the remixes of public domain music.
  • This game and Loom have both worked to solidify the insurance that "Dance of the Little Swans" from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake will never, ever leave you.
• Sensei's theme from Advance Wars: Black Hole Rising and Advance Wars: Dual Strike. Combined with the Goddamned Bats effect of his Mech- and Infantry-spawning CO Powers, this makes Sensei doubly annoying to play against, and doubly hilarious to play as.
  • The credits music of Advance Wars: Dual Strike.
  • ((BROKEN))Jugger's theme. Techno music is pretty fitting for the mechanical brute of the Black Hole Army.
  • Both Sami's and Andy's themes from Advance Wars. Really, a lot of themes from the games are catchy.
  • Jess's Theme. METAL!
  • The menu theme to Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict.
    • Tabitha's theme, Cruel Rose; Penny's theme, Mr. Bear; and Isabella's theme, Lost Memories. Very fitting, considering they are all related.
    • Gage's theme, Proud Soldier. Badass bagpipes make the song.
    • Greyfield's theme, Madman's Reign. The perfect theme for a megalomaniacal dictator.
• The main theme from Fable. Epic.
• ((BROKEN))Skyrim's main theme.Many probably know it from its parody.
• Frog's theme from Chrono Trigger. This is perfectly understandable.
  • Chrono Cross has ((BROKEN))the music that plays in the version of Termina in Another World.
  • Chrono Cross also has ((BROKEN))A Gift of Spring, Dream Of The Shore Near Another World, ((BROKEN))Scars of Time, and Chronopolis.
  • Magical Dreamers the electric guitar makes it especially Ear Worm-y
  • Robo's theme. Its resemblance to another famous earworm helps.
• "Toppy's Theme" from World Destruction, also composed by Mitsuda, is similarly capable of lodging itself in your head. The guy just does epically catchy heroic leitmotifs so damn well...
• The Fairlight theme. Here's a remix.
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic had relatively low-key music for the bulk of the game... then there's the Sith theme...
  • The sequel gives us the hauntingly beautiful Jedi theme.
• Bubble Bobble. That is all.
  • Also appears in other games in the series.
  • The Mad Hatter track AFS, based on the music from Bubble Bobble, actually references "this is the song that never ends". The lyrics added only serve to increase the Ear Worm properties of an already Annoying F*** in' Song. It may be found here
  • What about the theme to Puzzle Bobble?
• The M.U.L.E. Theme definitely applies here. And it's been introduced to a whole new generation thanks to Spore.
• Speaking of Spore... Believe it or not, the music your tribe plays to impress another is an Ear Worm. It can be made worse by combining it with Jazz Jackrabbit above, yielding this.
  • There's also the song that plays in Adventure Town(from the expansion pack).
  • Nobody has mentioned the main theme yet? It's incredibly long, but it gets stuck in your head easily.
• Tales of the Abyss has an irresistibly catchy J-rock song accompanying its anime intro, which is covered with a just-as-catchy electric guitar in place of the lyrics in the English version.
  • Also Tales of the Abyss's Grand Fonic Hymn.
  • And the opening song for Tales of Destiny 2: Key to My Heart Get ready to hum the words "You will always have the key to my heart" countless times without realizing it.
  • At that, Tales of Vesperia's Kane wo Narashite and it's American counterpart Ring a Bell. Fully blames younger sister's love of "Tales of" games.
  • And both of KOKIA's songs, ((BROKEN))Follow the Nightengale and ((BROKEN))say goodbye & good day.
• It doesn't help that half of the theme songs in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom consist of the Tatsunoko guys' ear-wormy Anime Theme Songs. If the fact that we already listed the Gatchaman theme lines and lines above doesn't tell you anything...
• The Neverhood has Operator Plays a Little Pingpong, Olley Oxen Free, or Potatoes Tomatoes Gravy and Peas.
  • Klaymen's Theme and The Battle of Robot Bil deserve a special mention as well.
• Just listen to the extremely cheerful and peppy Bonus Round/High Scores music for Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz. Now imagine the effect of it being heard again and again across the levels.
• Metal Slug 5's Fierce Battle music (boss music). It's awesome, yes, but can stick for a LOOOOONG time. The latest episode of Super Mario Bros. Z did not help matters.
  • Heavy African, Midnight Wandering and of course Final Battle from Metal Slug 5.
• Disgaea: Sono na mo, LA-HA-RL-SA-MA!
  • This. Not to mention Running Fire and Etna Boogie....
  • Cyber Dance, the BGM from the Item World dungeon of the second game.
  • Asagi Metamorphose is insanely catchy and makes her boss fight in Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten that much more... interesting.
  • Sinful Rose, the main theme of Disgaea 2.
• The Imperial Guard song from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
  • While we're on the subject of Elder Scrolls: "Nerevar Rising" from Morrowind.
• The Monkey Island theme ("Curse of Monkey Island" version).
  • A pirate I was meant to be...
  • "Oh... there's... a... monkey in my pocket and he's stealing all my change, his stare is blank and glassy, I suspect that he's deranged!"
  • "The leg bone's connected to the...arm bone!"
  • LeChuck's theme.
• Crash Bandicoot - KRASH BANDY KOO! KRASH BANDY KOOOOOOOO! KRASH BANDY-BANDY KOO!
  • ((BROKEN))The Warp Room theme from Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped.
  • The theme that plays in the Bandicoots' backyard from Crash: Mind over Mutant.
  • The Happily Ever Faster theme from Tag Team Racing. Na na, nanana na naaaah...
    • Track and the Beanstalk from the same game also qualifies.
  • The Twinsanity main theme. Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doooooo...
• Ta ta ta, da da DA DAH! (Baldur's Gate)
  • Second one is pretty catchy as well
    • Or this one.
• StarCraft Terran Theme 1
  • Shotgun! Zerg! You! Got a zerg and a shotgun, and I'm bringin' 'em home to you!
  • Pickup, Protoss and you! Got a pickup and a Protoss, and I'm bringin' 'em home to you!
• Half the music in the original Star FOX (1993 on Super NES). Musical chocolate dancing on the neurons over and over and over again, such that we're still annoyed as hell that Hajime Hirasawa quit game music after that game. At the very least: the Training Mission, Corneria Boss, the Andross Space Armada, Sector Y, the Planet Fortuna (HOLY SHIT!), the Planet Macbeth, Macbeth Boss, Boss Roll...
• SaGa Frontier 2 music is an eargasm.
• The Space Quest theme. It's very catchy and Sierra have scattered at least a dozen versions of it throughout the Space Quest installments that have music. Probably the best version is the one heard in the opening credits of Space Quest 1 VGA.
  • Also of note from the Space Quest series, the Monolith Burger music from the third and fourth games is irritatingly catchy.
  • Another catchy tune is from Space Quest V. It's played when Roger's pet face-hugger is around. It sounds really goofy, but it's certainly catchy. You're likely to wind up humming it after listening to it a couple of times.
• Killer7: "Next, please. Where to? To the Vinculum Gate? Yes, all received. Proceed."
• Pikmin has the Forest Navel theme.
• Neon FM: Wanna know what I did today? I was lookin' at girlz buttz. Hangin' out in the subway, lookin' at girlz' buttz. LOOKIN' AT GIRLZ, LOOKIN' AT GIRLZ, LOOKIN' AT GIRLZ BUTTZ! LOOKIN' AT GIRLZ, LOOKIN' AT GIRLZ, LOOKIN' AT GIRLZ BUTTZ!
• Attention Plants vs. Zombies fans! PopCap Games would like you to know there's a zombie on your lawn.
• The Doom mod Congestion 1024, map 21: Corpse Yard.
  • On the topic of Doom Wad songs. Invasion Uac uses this song a few times and Doom Barracks Zones uses this awesome song.
• Get It Up by Ox, played in the first motorcycle stage of MadWorld. If the funky beat don't get you, the brass will.
  • Speaking of MadWorld: S to the U to the R to the V to the I to the V to the A to the L!
• Street Fighter: INDESTRUCTIBLE, I WON'T LET ANYBODY TAKE ME DOWN! INDESTRUCTIBLE, NOTHING'S GONNA KEEP ME DOWN!
• Legend of Dragoon has its title theme, "If You Still Believe". I had a dream that/I could fly/I could feel each moment/as time goes by. We'd never be too/far away/you would always be here/I heard you say Let's be perfectly honest: for all the narm and engrish this game pulled off, this song is genuinely heartstring-tugging.
• The soundtracks of anything done by Taito Corporation's Zuntata team are likely to give you multiple Ear Worms, especially their shmup soundtracks. Try one of them out for yourself!
• Leisure Suit Larry has a pretty silly-sounding, yet really catchy theme tune.
  • The Leisure Suit Larry 7 (6?): Love for Sail theme can be downloaded from www.allowe.com I believe.
  • Now that we're on the subject of old Sierra games: the theme tune of Jones In The Fast Lane is pretty catchy too.
• Some of the songs found in the Gallery in the PC game Simtunes.
• In Patapon, you order your minions around beating your talking drums in certain patterns. The repetitive nature of the game tends to mean that long after you've finished playing it the beats that you play tend to stick in your head.

Patapatapatapon Ponponpatapon Chakachakapatapon Ponponpatapon

• Totaka's Song. It's 19 notes. You will find yourself whistling it at random moments for weeks.
  • It doesn't help that the song has appeared in 14 games over 16 years.
• Panzer Dragoon has some gorgeous, catchy tracks. Some of it just has an excellent beat, some of it makes for great driving music, and some of it just stirs within your mind. A review even called Orta's boss theme "genius".
• Keep Your Head Up!! from Um Jammer Lammy. Also heard at the end of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Movie
• The Ultramarine Chant (the music itself starts at 1:00, and is one of the better quality sounding versions on YouTube) has it all. Gratuitous High Gothic? Check. Ominous chanting? Check. Strong rhythm? Check!
• The credits song from Space Channel 5, This is My Happiness (it also appears during the game).
  • "Introducing Ulala", as well.
  • DA NANA, DA NA NA.... DA NANA, DA NAH NAH! DA DA DA DA DAH DAH DAH, DA DA DA DA... DAH! DAH! DAH! DA NA NA NA NA NA NA! Mexican Flyer from Space Channel 5 will NEVER EVER get out of your head. Ever.
  • My Sweet Home, it is the place of love....
    • No love for Purge's Theme?
• The Tekken music is ridiculously catchy. Especially I'M HERE NOW! I'M DOING THE BEST I CAN!
  • And then there's Sheep Grassland from Tekken 6. Yodeling in a Tekken game? Oh hells yeah.
• Street Fighter stage/character themes really need not be mentioned anymore, but ever since SSFIV added some voice clips to a few of them, we now have these:
  • TURN THE BEAT BACK!!!
  • GET ON THE DANCE FLOOR!
  • You are now imagining Sumo wrestlers having a rave party. MANUALLY.
• Several themes from Star Control 2, especially the Melnorme, Spathi, and similar themes. See here...
  • The Yehat theme. Very clingy.
• Anyone who's played Cave Story and gotten to the Bonus Level of Hell is sure to have the theme for that stuck in their head... for quite some time.
  • The title theme and the music that plays in the Labyrinth after the fight with Balrog are also ridiculously catchy.
  • Balrog's theme itself. HUZZAH!
• The theme song for Plants vs. Zombies will never leave your head. Ever. Even the Japanese version is this way.
• Rhythm Heaven. With 50 minigames, there's 50 songs to get stuck in your head. By the time you get a Perfect (play without any mistakes) on every single game, you'll never get them out. Nintendo Power puts it best, saying that "you can play some of these games without even watching, just by hearing the music". Overlaps with Crowning Music of Awesome, though it's up to personal preference as to which tunes are the coolest stuff you're ever heard. (requires link to playlist on youtube)
  • Tears of A Dog Ninja, which you will start humming very time you start cutting vegetables.
  • Also, Drummer Duel without the drums.
  • Both versions of Munchy Monk are super-catchy, especially the second one. And the English dub of Frog Hop (also known as "Young Love Rock n' Roll"! And Lockstep (especially with the marching beat)! And don't forget RHYTHM RALLY (although this version is without the table tennis ball sound effect)!
  • Rockers (Guitar Duo in Japan). This song. THIS.
  • The Bon Odori from the first game. DON DON PAN PAN, DONDO PAN PAN! DONDO PANPAN, DONDO PANPAN, DON PAN PAN!
• Hey, Donkey Kong fans! Have some DK Rap.
  • In addition to that, pretty much the entire soundtrack to Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest really stays with you.
• From MadWorld: Ain't that funny?
  • Lord, Help me save my soul...trying not to lose control
  • Navy Seals? Special Ops? Come on, bitch!
• Heroes of Might and Magic 3, has Barbarian Town..
  • Heroes of Might and Magic V has whopping four different remixes of the Haven town theme, including the main menu theme, the Haven campaign theme, and a very upbeat combat version. And you hear them all by the end of the first campaign alone.
• Command & Conquer: "Duh, duh-duh just do it up, duh, duh-duh just do it up, juh-juh-juh-just do it up..."
  • That, plus every other track in the game(s).
  • Most of Frank Klepacki's output for Westwood; Act on Instict is a big offender. Legend of Kyrandia has the t=5m35s first forest theme.
  • Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp... die waffen... legt an!
• From the makers of the Hare Hare Yukai...we have the dancing game Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidou, featuring evil songs such as:
  • ((BROKEN))Miracle Encore
  • Greed's Accident
  • ((BROKEN))Kuuzen Miman Wa Misenaide
  • and the ((BROKEN))Toroden Dance, which makes you wonder if it was made on drugs.
  • There's also Saikyou Pare Parade, which was originally the opening for the radio show.
  • Not to mention Bouken Desho Desho and the Hare Hare Yukai are made even more catchy by having complete dances to them, as well as several of the Image Songs...
• Parappa the Rapper. "Kick, Punch, it's all in the mind!"
  • "Awright, we're here, just sittin in the car..."
  • "In the rain or in the snow got the funky funky flow..."
• From DJMAX: I want you!
  • STOP! No gravity, no matter, STOP! No gravity, no matter, STOP! No gravity, no matter, STOP, STOP STOP! STOP, STOP STOP!
  • I hope you're ready now...you ready now? You blow my mind / All the time / Wanna make you mine / So give it up / Let it out tonight! / I'm on the floor / Saying more, baby give me more / The night is young / Let the music make you hiiiiiigh...
  • Yo, Bexter's back in the building. Track called "Ruti'n". Come on!
  • NOTHING'S GONNA HURT U AT AAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!! WHATEVER U DECIDE TO DOOOOOOOOO (CAUSE I'M HERE WITH YOU)!
  • WRA WRAAAA WRAAAAAAAAAAA!!
  • JUST BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAATTT YEAH!
  • The Guilty, aka: BATMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!
    • TAN TAN TAN! TAN TAN TAN! TAN TAN TAN! TAN TAN TAN! TAN TAN TAN! TAN TAN TAN! TAN TAN TAN! TAN TAN TAN!
  • Stomp! Step! Slash! Drop dead!
    • EVEN THOOOUUUUGHH I WALK THROOOOOUGH THE VA-LLEEEEYYYY / OF THE SHADOOOOOW OF DEEEEAAAATTTTHHHH!
  • YO, I KNOW A LOT OF Y'ALL WOULDN'T EXPECT IT
  • Mojo Mojo Mojo King Bee!
• Playing BlazBlue? Try not to pay too much attention while ((BROKEN))Thin RED Line is in the background. Once you notice how many simultaneous layers there are to the song, it will graft itself directly to the nerves in your brain. At least it's a hella badass song-- just like every one of the themes in BlazBlue.
  • Iron Tager's theme, ((BROKEN))"Motor HEAD". THE POWER OF SCIENCE!
  • BA BA BA BA BANG! BAANINGU DAMASHIIIIII!
    • ((BROKEN))S-I-S-I-G-A-M-I! Shishigami Bang Bang!
  • Ao-Iconoclast is suitably epic.
  • Ever get Taokaka's theme, Catus Carnival, stuck in your head? You will now.
  • Relius' theme, Plastic Night. It's the whole "orchestral music meets rock" thing. And the guitar/violin combo.
• BioShock (series) has "Bei Mir Bist du Schön" and "You're the Top." It doesn't help that the former is played in three places in the game, more than any other track.
  • Cohen's Masterpiece.
• Freaking Splosion Man. "Everybody loves donuts, I know I do-o-o-o, everybody loves donuts, so, you and I should share a few, donuts, donuts, donuts, donuts..."
• Starfleet Command has some awesomely catchy music.
• Two words when it comes to rhythm games: ((BROKEN))July-Euromix from StepMania. The music is ALL TECHNO, and the first strings of beats repeat constantly for two full runs then it goes into a piano solo which also repeats twice then back to the beginning.
• Glider PRO. So cheerful. So catchy.
• Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. 'Headshot'. The last 30 seconds (AKA the traditional Battlefield theme in it's most badass form) will stay in you brain forever.
  • Battlefield: Bad Company has The Beast. The organ is awesome.
• Earthbound Zero: I used to walk the avenue, all by myself with nothin' to do... kickin' at cans... half of a man... till I met you, and I knew...
  • I believe the morning sun... Always gonna shine again, and... I believe a pot of gold... waits at every rainbow's end, oh... I believe in roses kissed with dew... why shouldn't I believe the same in you?
    • When you are happy/with laughter to spare/Things are twice a fun with someone to share
    • Take a melody...Simple as can be...Give it some words and...Sweet harmony...
  • EarthBound: The Onett theme. So simple, and yet so catchy.
  • Pokey Means Business indeed.
  • How about everything about these games? Yeah, there's Humoresque of a Little Dog, the Fourside theme, both both of the Eight Melodies, but one song that the Super Smash Bros. series doesn't have is the goddamn Dusty Dunes Desert theme from EarthBound...
    • New Age Retro Hippie, anyone?
    • The bicycle theme.
  • Mother 3 has this clingy piece of music (warning: song's title itself is a spoiler). Obligatory Brawl version.
    • The Pig Army anthem and its remixes in general, but "Life's An Inner Circle Gap" takes the cake.
    • It's a shame you can't return to Club Titiboo's attic after you've passed it, because-- you know what, just listen to that bassline.
    • Don't forget about Unfounded Revenge!
  • While Mother 3's soundtrack alone is filled to the brim with these, Mother3i really tops them all by being offical remixes OF the ear worms, usually at least three mixed together into one song. Examples:
    • Oh, Buta Mask is a mix of Unfounded Revenge, Piggy Guys and various bits from other songs.
    • Theme Of Bad Boy is a mix of a whopping 9 songs - first Porkies Pokies, then Master Porkys theme, then Mischievous Blues, after that comes More Audacious March, quickly followed by Etude For Ghosts, then comes Battle with Mecha Drago, followed by (would someone help me here), predictably, Piggy Guys comes afterwards, and Intense Guys tops the whole song off.
    • Twist And Battle makes the Batman-esque Mister Batty's Theme and Rock And Roll (Spicy) into one song.
• Soul Nomad and The World Eaters's Rock'n Rocks. That is all. One could say that anything Tenpei Sato touches becomes musical gold, but this just takes the damn cake.
  • While Rock'n Rocks is catchy as hell, Speed Queen is just so much more so.
  • Gig's Leitmotif, Desperado, is pretty bad too.
• Eversion. Yes. Eversion, especially the world X-5!
• Who could forget the strange childlike singing of Yoshi's Story, and endless repetition and embellishment of the central theme in every single level?
• Ever played Gitaroo Man? Well, if you have, then you probably "Flyin' to Your Heart" and "Born to be Bone" INTEGRATED in your brain.
  • Gregorio's stage music, "Tainted Lovers".

"Beauty is a SIN! EN GARDE!"

• The four-line song, which accompanies the game "You Have To Fertilize The Egg". It will not leave you.

'Swimmin' around in a vagina, I'm swimmin' around in a vagina, I'm swimmin' around in a vagina, I try to make a princess!'

• Thunder Force IV: Tan tan ta ta ta tan tan ta ta tan tan, tan tan ta ta ta tan... (Even the song's name is "Tan Tan Ta Ta Ta Tan.")
  • Really, the entire series (and most other Technosoft games) are infested with ear worms, like this for instance: Duh da da dah duh duh dah du-duh duh, Duh da da dah duh duh dah du-duh duh
• The theme for the first level in Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, Two Up is earwormy enough to have hollowed out a home for itself in my cerebral cortex. If you'd prefer something more soothing, perhaps you'd like to try the Rainforest theme?
• Dwarf Fortress has the whopping number of two tracks, the menu music and the game music, both played on a six-string guitar by the game maker himself.
• The theme to the Petz game, Catz DS.
• RuneScape has "Harmony" stuck in the head out of nowhere even after not playing the game for years.
  • Dreadnaut provides a different kind of catchy tune.
  • Root Canal due to its strange use of instruments.
  • Bard Roberts sings shanties about your adventures and each of the songs uses the same catchy tune.
• The Animal Crossing background music fits the trope, especially the Thanksgiving music.
• No More Heroes. Good luck getting the main theme out of your head. And that's just the tip of the ((BROKEN))iceberg...
  • If you want a really nasty one, try 'kill or be killed', a kicking disco theme of all things combined with some killer backup music.
  • The sequel is just as bad. Infamously, we have Margaret's battle theme, but many of the remixes from the Dark Side album that have been used in the game are just as earworm-y as the original tracks.
    • Let's not forget Nathan Copeland's rap theme, and a boss theme so fan-frigging-tastic they used it for multiple boss fights! Good luck getting those guitar licks, or that Japanese rapping, out of your head any time soon.
    • NO MOOOORE, LULLABIIIIES THE VIRGIN, CHILD SMILES FROM....HEEEEEEEELLLL!!!
  • Let's get away, flyyyyy away, I found the path to paradise... It's also a real song by the Genki Rockets. The rest of their tunes are just as catchy.
  • Reaper, Reaper, that's what people call me... Like Travis says: "Catchy as hell."
  • It doesn't help that most of the songs in the game are based off of the main theme. Seriously, good luck getting this (amazing) theme out of your head.
    • Even Travis himself isn't immune; he can heard heard whistling along to it whenever you start a new file in the first game.
• Pretty much the entire soundtrack of Cave Story, but in particular this one. It doesn't help that it's the best 6 second loop ever.
• Bust A Groove. Pick one.
  • Take you to my magic tower/In my land of make believe./All sweet lovin' in my power/You won't ever want to leave./Take you to my magic tower/In my land of blue and red./All sweet lovin' in my power/You're the prisoner of my bed.
  • "Zombie Hopper" is now invading your brain.
• Worms invokes this trope with the theme tune. There are three versions of it with words, too.
  • ((BROKEN))Wormsong 1995
  • Wormsong 1998
  • Wormsong 2003
• SILENT HILL NO UTA MINNA DE UTAOU~ (The actual song starts at about 0:40.)
  • The best word to describe "Room of Angel" is "haunting," because it is creepy, melancholy, and will not leave you.
  • Blue sky to forever/Green grass blows in the wind, dancing/It would be a much better sight/With you, With me...
  • How can you talk about Silent Hill without mentioning the main theme from the first game. It'll stay with you forever (but that's probably not a bad thing).
  • Promise (Reprise) from Silent Hill 2 is another song that gets stuck in the listener´s head.
• Rule of Rose has "A Love Suicide" Alone, but sane...* Space Invaders Extreme 2 has the theme to Stage 5-D, "Invader GIRL!" You can watch and listen to the stage here.
• Borderlands: "There ain't no rest for the wicked, money don't grow on trees..."
  • And that's not even mentioning the song featured in the games ((BROKEN))first trailer.
• Wet: Baby you're DRIVING me insane! Baby you're DRIVING me insaaaa-aaaane!"
• The Path:
  • La-la la-la-la, laaaa...
  • "Don't let the wolf in to your bed..."
  • It's even possible to get this song stuck in your head when you haven't heard the song in so long you can't remember it, but it suddenly pops into your head out of nowhere and you want to listen to the actual song to see if your memory of it is right, then it gets REALLY stuck in your head.
• The song from the Halo 3: ODST Live Action Trailer is pretty, epic, an ear worm, and... there is nowhere to buy/download/whatever this version of the song in its full, amazing glory.
  • Plus it's not even in English, adding another level of ear-worminess...
• Suikoden II gives us Gothic Neclord.
• E.V.O. The Search for Eden has the theme of the first epoch, The Ocean.
  • And the Overworld theme. It's like something out of an animated Disney movie, almost.
• Anyone who's ever played one of the games in the Professor Layton series knows exactly which theme is the ear-wormiest. The best part is that on more difficult puzzles, you get to listen to it for a good solid twenty minutes and it starts to get slightly grating.
• Maxis brings us Sim City 4's deluxe soundtrack with...
  • SAX GONE WILD (Rush Hour)
  • I can't get the bassoon out of my head... (Wheels of Progress)
  • Wannabe gangsta... (The New Hood)
• The music that plays when you're walking around the Normandy in Mass Effect is repetitive and simplistically catchy. See?
  • The ((BROKEN))Galaxy Map theme.
  • Or the closing credits for Mass Effect for that matter. Sure, it's 8 minutes long, and most of the text is repetetive. But the song (Faunt - M4 Part 2) will probably give you second thoughts about skipping it.
  • This. Doesn't help you can choose to have it playing in the captain's capin in Mass Effect 2.
  • Planning to do side quests in the first Mass Effect? Enjoy having this stuck in your head for weeks.
• Have fun getting Blast Corps's "Simian Acres" ((BROKEN))out of your head! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...
• Most of the soundtrack to Umineko no Naku Koro ni is "brain melts and runs out your ears" awesome, but nevertheless, most of it doesn't get stuck in your head. The exception is "Happiness of Marionette".
  • Try playing through arc 2 without getting the aforementioned "Tsurupettan" stuck in your head.
• Atari 8-bit first-person RPG (no, really) Alternate Reality was packed with them. With karioke! Now, that you're gone...
• Earthworm Jim: ((BROKEN))Puppy Love is probably the worst. And that level just keeps coming back.
• INCOMING!!
  • HERE I COME!!!
    • NOW IS COWARD KILLING TIME!
• ((BROKEN))Shinobi and Double Dragon have particularly ear-wormy themes.
• Of course, being a music game, Rez can often get you addicted to its catchy beats and rhythms. The first level is pretty classic.
  • KILLER the-the-the-the THE MINDKILLER. Dundun dun dun dun dun dundundun dun dundun dundundun dun...
• Myst: "Sereeeeeniiia/Sereeeeeniiia/Sereeeeeniiia/Sereeeeeniiia..."
  • And in the third game, we have the main theme. It's in a fictional language you can barely catch the lyrics of. Thankfully, it's been transliterated AND translated ^{[dead link]}.
• Telefang, pirated as Pokémon Diamond (for GBC, not the real one for DS) and Jade, has many awesome tunes, though the T-Fanger theme is totally awesome and gets stuck in my head A LOT.
• Has no-one mentioned those infernal sailors from the original Black and White and their boat yet?
• Yeah, yeah, y'all ready? It's time for the S4 League, we're about to explode like a bomb! That's right, put your finger on the trigger, we're just gettin' bigger, here we go yo, bring it on, Super Sonic!
  • "GO LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S SUPASO! GO LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S SUPASO!"
    • "SUPERSONIC! SUPERSONIC! SUPERSOOONIIIIC! SUPERSOOOOOONNNIIIICCCCC."
• Harvest Moon has a lot, with Back To Nature as the biggest offender. The title screen alone, to say nothing of the various seasonal and character themes, and the song you sing with your friend in the prologue....
• No love for the C64? How about Monty on the Run or Commando? Or Nemesis the Warlock? Hey, let's just make it simple and say "Rob Hubbard", period.
  • Thing on a Spring is another great Hubbard tune. Do note that YouTube quality doesn't really do the SID sound justice, but you can use a SID player and the appropriate SID file (many SID's are lying around on the Internet; grabbing a copy of the HVSC is the de-facto way to get your SIDucation these days) to listen to something much closer (it's emulated and doesn't sound exactly the same as the real thing, but is still much better than hearing it with audio compression artifacts).
• Everything Akiko Shikata has contributed to the Ar tonelico series. EXEC_PAJA/.# Misya extracting and EXEC_EP=NOVA/. are especially bad offenders.
  • This song is a particularly good example (this one's from Ar tonelico 3).
• Transport Tycoon. Every single song. Jazz with some gospel touch to it, and it feels so appropriate when you're just watching all those trains and cars going around. It's better with a good MIDI sound sample set, but it's still remarkably catchy using even the default Windows/QuickTime sounds (sample here).
• ((BROKEN))Faith from Ikaruga'.
• Sadly unknown and underrated, the Heavy Iron Studios SpongeBob SquarePants games music was wonderful especially Battle for Bikini bottom's final boss music, Robo Patrick and the overworld theme. Plus the movie game's final boss theme (Autobots Rock Out) and finally the ice cream party!
• The On-Fire theme in Wario Land 3.
• MARDEK has a soundtrack that you would assume was made by multiple people, and especially less, the person who made the game himself. You'd be wrong.
• Need for Speed:Underground has a bunch of Ear Worms, notably "Get Low" (Perrrrum-Dum-Dum, Da-Dum-Da-Duh-Dum!) and "The Only" (I'M WINNING! YOU'RE LOSING!).
• Plok has some seriously good tunes like the beach theme and the rocking Creepy Crags. The music for this game really pushed the SNES's sound-chip to its limits too.
• From the obscure Putt-Putt series, we have the extremely catchy (and pretty well-written) "Welcome to the Zoo" song.
  • Lookin' around in the time continum...
• From Telltale's Sam and Max games: ((BROKEN))N-O-M-A-F-I-A, OH BABY!

Welcome, welcome, generous friends/days and weeks and tokens to spend/ we're just regular businessmen/just you and me and Ted. E. Bear!

• • Then of course Secret Service Agent Superball seems unusually excited about the prospect of war, not to mention talented at singing impromptu show-tunes...

Oh war, what is it good for (what is it good for?) It strengthens the ee-con-uh-meeeeeee...

• • More Than Jerks, from Season 1, Episode 1. Especially if you got stuck on the Chasing Specs segment for 10-15 minutes, not knowing what exactly you're supposed to do.

Little Peepers, Specs, and Whizzer,/Toiling at the soda works,/Guzzling with tiny gizzards,/Soda fountain special perks...

• The Tristram town theme from Diablo (or Diablo II, in this case, as it was exactly the same as the version from the first game but with an extra 3 minutes or so of new music added to the end).
  • This theme is so memorable that at the end of Diablo II, after killing Diablo himself, the game plays this theme for five seconds. Every single person who has ever played the first game hears this and shivers at the very sound.
• Don't Cry, Jennifer from the SNES Clock Tower. A hell of a thing to have stuck in one's head, given the connotations of "OH SHIT SCISSORMAN RUN HIDE AAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
• .hack: Mecha Mecha Mecha MECHA GRUNTYYYY! (do doo doooooo!)
• You Have to Burn The Rope: Now You're a hero, you managed to Beat The Whole Damn Ga-heme...
  • "Bouncy Turn" of Magic Planet Snack
• Yume Nikki brings us the Aztec Rave Monkey and the Toriningen party.
• A good part of VVVVVV's soundtrack. Passion for Exploring is a good start.
  • As is ((BROKEN))'Pushing Onwards'.
• Quite a few in the Trauma Center series, most notably ((BROKEN))Routine and all variations ((BROKEN))thereof. There's also the ludicrously catchy ((BROKEN))Caduceus theme.
• Empire Earth Theme. The first had such epic music. So did the second, for that matter. The one German theme with the pseudo-Latin Chanting is chilling.
• Shadow Hearts gives us Brain Hopper, Near-Death Experience and Vitamin Metropolis.
  • The sequel adds the Japan battle theme. Between them the two Shadow Hearts games scored 4 of the top 100 RPG battle themes, of which we currently have three listed.
  • Oh, and HIS NAME IS GRAND PAPILLON! DEFENDER OF JUSTICE!!!! If only real pro-wrestling were remotely as entertaining as Joachim.
• There are quite a few examples in the Tomba series even if they are completely instrumental. For example the evil pig theme from Tomba 2.
• HE AIN'T MY BOY BUT THE BROTHER IS HEAVY! Anybody who was played Dead Rising will remember this song... and then cringe whenever it starts up, because it heralds the arrival of That One Boss.
• "Coz No One Lives Forever, But Evil Never Dies..."
• The ending music of The 7th Guest. I've got skeletons in my closet and they're raaaattlin' toniiiight...
• The Team Fortress 2 theme.
  • MEDIC!
  • "More Gun".
  • Intruder Alert. That is all.
  • SENTRY-GO-GO-DOWN-N-UP-N-DAMMIT-GOTTA-MOVE-THAT-GEAR!
• How about the epic musical number at the end of Limbo of the Lost?
• Rocket Knight Adventures. First Stage. Yeah, you know the one.
• From Darkwing Duck on the NES, we have the Quacker Jack stage music.
• From Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure: I AM MIGHTIER THAN THE GOD, THE DEVIL IS SLAVE!
• Soul Edge: I gotta get the Edge of Soul to carry on/Deep in my HEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaAAAAAAAAaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAAaaaaaaAAAAaaaaaaART
  • Now that it's stuck in your head, ((BROKEN))here's the full version.
• Drakengard... as crazy as that game was, one of the ending themes "Growing Wings" will stick with you for quite a bit. DRAKENGARD!
• Perfect Dark has quite a few tracks that'll get stuck in your head, especially if you set them to play during the multiplayer matches. Of particular note are Alien Conflict, Crash Site: Confrontation, and Attack Ship: Covert Assault.
• The outtakes of Ys: Oath in Felghana has an awesome song sung by Seitz, written by a fan. [3]
• From Left 4 Dead 2: ONE BAD MAN!
  • There's also two epic remixes of the Tank's theme.
  • And then there's this fan-made remix, which is probably the catchiest of them all.
  • Not to mention the intro, the music from Hard Rain. and the beginning of the credits.
• I'm suprised Spyro didn't get a mention yet. Lofty Castle, Glimmer, Sunrise Spring/Evening Lake, Midday Garden, Midnight Mountain, Sunny Villa, Cloud Spires/Haunted Tomb, Molten Crater/Dino Mines, Seashell Shore/Crystal Islands, Sheila's Alp, Buzz's Dungeon, Icy Peak, Enchanted Towers/Sgt. Byrd's Base-- hell, let's just say all of 3's soundtrack bar the speedways and the Sparx worlds.
  • The main theme from the original Spyro is just absurdly catchy.
• As actually acknowledging this trope, in Saints Row 2 there is at least two songs that comes on the in-game radios - A-ha's "Take On Me" and Europe's "The Final Countdown" - that if you simply drive around for a while without engaging police or the like, your character will actually sing along to the song. As there are six difference voices you can pick for the character, someone created a chorus version...
• Nazi Zombies: IIIII know when you're sleeeeeeeepiiiiin'...
• LittleBigPlanet: Pretty much every song used in the Little Big Planet series is an earworm.
  • "There's a ghooooooost in me, who wants to say I'm soooooory; Doesn't mean I'm soooooorry..."
  • Victoria's Lab theme.
  • Sleepyhead from the second game's trailer, another song called Sleepyhead, a cut song from the first game, Leaders Of Men from the first game and Get It Together, also from the first game.
• There was a Nintendo game made for the G.I. Joe franchise (the first one of two), and while it was relatively novel for its time with a mix of stage types, the real reason to be there was for the music. While the stage music was interesting, the really catchy songs were the boss battle themes. The tune that stuck around with burr-like tenacity, though, was the vehicle theme, which triggered whenever your Joe climbed into a captured Cobra war machine.
• From The Guardian Legend:
  • Main Title
  • Main Area (the labirynth)
  • End Titles
• River City Ransom's main theme. Especially since it plays for 85% of the game...
• God of War has ((BROKEN))The End Begins, Rage of Sparta, and End of Vengence.
• Hitman 2: Silent Assassin brings us Mission in India, Arabian Dance and Desert Sun. Less orientally, The Setup.
  • Hitman: Contracts has Streets of Hong Kong and Slaughter Club (in the latter, the part at 6:19 is practically a Worm of its own.)
  • Blood Money's Ave Maria
• Faxanadu's Overworld theme.
• The machine shop music from Samorost, on an endless loop, burns its few seconds into your brain for a long time.
• Manly games above? Pfft. Namco is a producer of such earworms too. And unless this page is dedicated to English-only earworms of videogames like NFS or such then it is a crime not to include The idolM@ster series.
  • KIRAMEKIRARI motto MORE tto Watashi o watashi to yobitai~!
• Not a video game, bit closely related. Anyone who's played the pinball machine Black Knight 2000 will recognize this:
  • "YOU GOT THE POWER! (HAHAHAHAHAHA) YOU GOT THE MIGHT! (NO WAY!) GET READY FOR BATTLE! (GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!) BEAT THE BLACK KNIGHT! (HAHAHAHAHAHA)
  • "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
  • "YOU CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT!"
• Golden Sun: There's the Garoh Theme May not be fast, but it sure can keep you up at night for hours...and its sounds pretty. And also Dark Dawn's Battle Music.
• Angry Birds. Just listen to its theme. Whistling it? Thought so.
• Nobody's mentioned Guile's theme from Street Fighter yet? It goes with everything.
• The intro of Treasures Of The Deep. Also counts as Crowning Music of Awesome.
• Godsibb from Xenosaga III.
• Fangle Forest from Trine. Dang that twinkling!
• The Town Theme from Wild ARMs.
• You Were There from Ico.
  • Speaking of Team Ico... Revived Power is something you'll be caught humming randomly throughout the day.
• Big Blue from F-Zero.
• A lot of games by Cactus can boast these: Precision, The Ultra Mission, EVAC...
• Baten Kaitos deserves a mention. How about ((BROKEN))Castle in the Sand, the theme for the Trail of Souls, Mira, and Azha?
  • Chaotic Dance, theme for That One Boss Giacomo and company. And Chaotic Dance II, used in Origins.
    • Wind up the wind, try to begin... listen to man, why you got to wear this?
  • The Valedictory Elegy. Good luck ever getting this one out of your head; it's the standard battle theme in Origins.
  • Powerful Voice of an Old Soul, which becomes this after you get lost in Tarazed and it loops to death.
• Ballblazer's theme; did you know it's generated randomly by the computer with every playthrough? But the main riff is still wormy.
• The 8-bit Atari has a number of attractive tunes. Check out Vicky.
• From Xenoblade Riki The Legendary Hero
• 1942's rendition of the March of Midway, which consists of whistling and marching noises. And plays for all 32 stages. It gets worse in the NES port, where said whistling is now beeping.
• ((BROKEN))The Prince's Adventure (the main overworld theme) from For the Frog The Bell Tolls is really simple, but catchy enough to make you whistle it all day.
• One of the new Minecraft records, Chirp, definitely counts but unfortunately starts off sounding like a clone of a LittleBigPlanet song.
• The theme to Time Warp Tickers from Action 52.
• Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne: The Game Over theme. Get used to it.
• Kandosii sa kar'ta, Vode An
• The music that plays during boss fights in Advent Rising. Dona eis requiem, dona eis requiem....
• In Katawa Shoujo Kenji's theme is one of those themes that not only follow you through the game but it also follows you everywhere.
• Land a Chef from Rayman Origins.
• Mr. Driller:
  • GO-->
  • Susumue! Driller.
• The Tetris app music. All of it.
• The soundtrack from the preschoolers' game Learning With The Poo Yoos: Episode 2.
• While several fit the bill, The Great Majority and The Way of All Flesh from Hellsinker are perhaps the most notable ones.
• Bayonetta has Fly me to the Moon as a significant portion of its background music. All together now: In other words, please be truuuueeeeee. In other words, I love you! Repeat ad nauseaum.
• Vib Ribbon's title music. It's the ultimate example.
• Monkey Island
  • In The Curse of Monkey Island, a character tells the story of how almost all of his pirate crew killed themselves, when stricken with the game's theme song.
  • Later, in Tales of Monkey Island Chapter II: Siege of Spinner Cay, Guybrush wonders why a certain tune is stuck in his head. The tune is Largo LaGrande's theme from Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge.
• In The World Ends With You, one of the thought fragments that can be read, features someone trying to get a "Dempa"(?) tune out of their head.
• Lampshaded in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. When Peach takes a shower, she hums both the overworld and underwater themes from the original Super Mario Bros.
• If you talk to Kei Nanjo in the pharmacy in Persona, you catch him singing along with the pharmacy song (a potent Ear Worm). He then realizes you're listening to him and demands you join in.
• Now on Kingdom of Loathing! At the end of the Accordion Thief's Nemesis quest, the Big Bad not only gets a demonic song stuck in your head, but physical ear worms as well! The only way to get rid of them is to sing a different Ear Worm in response, which enrages the worms and sends them back to attack the Big Bad. Awesome! The kicker? The cure is a mashup of "Feliz Navidad" and "The Fish Head Song".
• And now on Adventure Quest Worlds. At the end of the recent Mythsong Valley saga, the sixth Chaos Lord turns out not to be Discordia, but the special guest of the big Friday event, Kimberly of One Eyed Doll, whose music Discordia had been entranced by. Drakath turned her into a Chaos Lord by sticking a mind-controlling Ear Worm into her head. Only by defeating her does Kimberly manage to get the Chaos tune out of her head and return to normal.
• Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock has the "Player of the Ear Worm" trophy for playing the same song 10 or more times.
• Fortune Street has a level based on the original Super Mario Bros, complete with requisite remix of the overworld music. When selected as opponents, Mario says how much he loves the song, while Bowser roars that he'll never get the song out of his head.
• In Persona 3, NPCs are overheard talking about how insanely catchy the "Tanaka's Amazing Commodities" TV show theme is.
• In Persona 4, Teddie complains that the music playing in the old-school video game-inspired "Void Quest" dungeon has gotten stuck in his head.

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