Ear Worm: Difference between revisions

{{trope|wppage=Earworm}}

 

[[Lamb Chop's Play Along|This is the song that doesn't end...]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNTxr2NJHa0 Yes, it goes on and on, my friends...] in your head.

Compare [[The Tetris Effect]], the video game equivalent.

 

 

Some of these link to [[YouTube]], so if you wish to listen to them in stereo, add "&fmt=18" to the link without the quotation marks. This may negate some of the awesome, but in some cases it may also elevate the song to godlike status.

Please mention the work the example comes from. Simply typing out "Lalalalala (link to Youtube video)" will not be a good idea, because a) the link might get deleted, b) not everyone can play videos, and c) "Lalalalala" looks like gibberish to the average viewer.

 

 

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{{examples}}

 

=== Unsorted ===

 

* [[The Arrogant Worms]], appropriately enough, have [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmadeC8oifI "Song Inside My Head"], which is both an Ear Worm and about an Ear Worm. They even include the basic melody recorded in several different musical styles.

* Similarly, the song "Ohrwurm" by the German a capella band Wise Guys is an Ear Worm sung ''by'' an Ear Worm.

* Yet again, the song "Tosi Tarttuva Täytebiisi" ("Really Catchy Filler Song") by finnish group Allekirjoittanut (later [[Covered Up]] by Raptori, which shares two members of Allekirjoittanut) is a tongue-in-cheek dance track about the song itself being an [[Album Filler]] Ear Worm, while the Raptori version lampshades the [[Covered Up]] aspect.

* [[Jonathan Coulton]]:

{{quote|"''Shawty's like a melody in my head That I can't keep out Got me singin' like Na na na na everyday It's like my iPod stuck on replay, replay''"}}

* "That Song in My Head" is another meta-example, as the hook is "I've had that song in my head all day."

 

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[Pinky and The Brain]]''

** The three-part story "Brainwashed" deals with an Ear Worm that's spread to the whole world and is dumbing it down (it's strikingly similar to the "Macarena", which can't be coincidental). In a rare occasion of not trying to take over the world, Pinky and the Brain have to save the world.

* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' has: "''Duff beer for me, Duff beer for you, I'll have a Duff, You'll have one too...''" (repeat ad nauseam). For Massive Damage, it's set to a tune very similar to "It's a Small World".

** What's more, it's the "jackpot" music on multiple versions of the ''Simpsons''-licenced Fruit Machines. Winning £5 has never been this annoying before...

* Brad opens the "I Was a Preschool Dropout" episode of ''[[My Life as a Teenage Robot]]'' by singing an entire verse of a [[Shout-Out|song called]] "[[Minky Momo]]". Immediately upon finishing the song, he grimaces and announces, "I ''hate'' that song."

{{quote|'''Brad:''' A-minky-minky-minky-minky-minky-minky-minky-minky-MOMO!

** You're now reading everything as if Troy McClure, Morgan Freeman, and Professor Farnsworth are reading it to you at the same time. Worst voices to have stuck in your head EVER!

* The episode "Head Band" of ''[[Dexter's Laboratory|Dexters Laboratory]]'' features a "boyband virus" quite literally infecting the ears of Dexter and his family, and it does not only make them hear a song but also sing and talk to the tune of it. {{spoiler|Luckily the virus eventually cures itself, as members of the boyband leaves to pursue solo-careers...}}

* Whenever Cartman from ''[[South Park]]'' hears the first line of "Come Sail Away", he ''has'' to sing it all the way through.

* In the ''[[Robotboy]]'' episode "Traffic Slam", Tommy and his friends sing a song to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" called "I Know a Song That Gets on Everybody's Nerves", over and over, while they're stuck in traffic. You get the impression that they're doing it just to annoy Tommy's dad (it works).

* Two examples from ''[[Justice League (animation)|Justice League]]'' and ''Unlimited'':

** Batman has "Frère Jacques" on loop in his head {{spoiler|to keep Dr. Destiny out}}.

* ''[[Batman: The Brave And The Bold|Batman the Brave And The Bold]]'' and the entirety of its [[Musical Episode]], "Mayhem of the Music Meister": The heroes sing throughout it due to a music-based villain who controls them through his music.

* Poor [[Arthur (animation)|Arthur]] was constantly tormented by the theme song to D.W.'s favorite inane kid's show, "''[[The Magic School Bus|CRAZY BUS, CRAZY BUS, RIDING ON A CRAZY BUS]].''"

* ''[[Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (animation)|Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers]]'': In the episode "The Case of the Cola Cult", the Rangers discover a cult of mice who worship a defunct brand of soda after they discover a video tape of the company's most popular ad, complete with jingle... oh God, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ptsGMyEwiQ/ the jingle!]

* An episode of ''[[Family Guy]]'' features Peter hearing the song "Surfin' Bird" for the first time in years. Upon hearing that the restaurant management is going to throw away the record, he takes it and soon becomes obsessed with the song. He blares it for days upon end, he constantly brings it up in conversation so he can play it, he withdraws a large sum of money just to promote the song on TV, and he even uses the record as a sex toy. Eventually, Stewie and Brian steal the record and destroy it—and to make sure he doesn't ever play it again, they destroy every copy in town. {{spoiler|Thanks to Jesus, Peter gets another copy at the end anyway.}}

* A ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' episode (aptly titled [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|"Ear Worm"]]) has SpongeBob listening to a new song called "Musical Doodle", and [[G-Rated Drug|gaining a dangerous addiction to it.]] {{spoiler|Which turns out to be caused by an actual worm living in his ear listening to the song over and over again on a phonograph.}}

* ''[[Regular Show]]'', episode "This Is My Jam", has "Summertime Lovin', Loving in the Summer (time)" which becomes so relentless catchy that it eventually takes on physical form. The guys end up countering it by creating their own Ear Worm and blasting the Summertime Song, resulting in [[The Power of Rock|the two songs manifesting as giant glowing men who duel with guitars]]. Yeah, it's [[Widget Series|that kind of show]].

 

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{{reflist}}

[[Category:Tropes of Legend]]

[[Category:YMMV Trope]]

[[Category:Music Tropes]]

[[Category:Index]]

[[Category:Examples Need Sorting]]