Stuck In My Head

A couple of weeks ago, I watched the movie Harold and Maude (1971) for a class. It’s a great film - dark, but funny, and it leaves you with several interesting ideas to think about long after watching. It also features four songs from the peak of musical genius Cat Stevens’ (who goes by Yusuf nowadays) career. The catchiest of these songs is “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out,” which first appeared in the film.
“If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” is a manifesto, an anthem urging its listeners to do whatever they want. If you want to sing out, sing out. If you want to be free, be free. Stevens argues that there are tons of options out there, and that you can choose whatever fits you best. He makes his case with a simple, but insanely catchy, melody.
Harold and Maude director, Hal Ashby, included “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” four or six times in the film, whether or not you include the two times that the main characters play it. So, of course, this song was going to be stuck in my head for the next few days.
Earworms, or ohwurms, if you prefer the sexier German word, are a funny thing. Ultimately the goal of any form of music that isn’t avant-garde, classical, jazz or death metal is to be memorable enough to linger in the listener’s brain.
I can even think of catchy examples of all of these genres, specifically: Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman,” which accidentally became a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1982; “Ghosts” by the late jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler and “Roots Bloody Roots” by the Brazilian metal band Sepultura. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfJ_C8RjLRk&feature=related
According to a scientific study conducted by researchers at the University of London, pop tunes’ catchy hooks stimulate the production of dopamine in our brains, regardless of whether we think the song is actually good.
This dopamine, which is associated with feelings of happiness, also explains why we can’t get songs out of our heads.
Suddenly, the viral status that Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black’s monstrosity “Friday” have attained make a lot more sense. And in my case, it explains why I had Billy Joel’s “My Life” in my head for two whole days.
I am, however, still waiting on a study to explain why “Shake Some Action” by the Flamin’ Groovies