The Earworm Thread

[gradus]

Awoke to my brain playing the Funeral March of a Marionette and the tune has hung around for 3 days now. Its infuriatingly catchy, presumably why it was used in the Hitchcock TV series

[Joseph K]

Lately it's been Hellborg/Lane/Sipe's 'Hell Is Other People', particularly Shawn Lane's solo which though I've been familiar with it for years, it was only quite recently that I realised how incredibly beautiful it is - https://youtu.be/bSjGTJQyNFo

I also keep getting bits of the gigue from Bach's 996, and whenever I do, I wonder why it's that and not the Allegro from 998 which I'm much more familiar with owing to the fact that I can play it; but both pieces are utterly sublime and ecstatic.

[Serial_Apologist]

For me today, the second subject of Movt 1 from Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5: well, if not the second subject (strictly speaking) the moment the movement takes off following the very gloomy beginning. I've no idea why this tune - I was re-rigging the communal washing lines at the time. Must be some hangup of mine.

[oddoneout]

Chunks of Cantata BWV 4 very prominent the past couple of weeks, I'm hoping having finally done the concert last Saturday they'll fade away. I love the piece but the earworms have been so insistent they've intruded into other listening at times.

[gradus]

The soundtrack recording of If I only had a Brain/Heart/Nerve. Much loved by my 4 year old grandson and thus much repeated in the car and hence wormed into my ear.

[RichardB]

Not really an earworm, but the other day I decided to listen to Sibelius 6 in the car, not having heard it for many years, and I nearly crashed when the startup sound of the Sibelius software occurred for the first time and I became totally disoriented for a few seconds.

[MickyD]

I find the famous tune from the 'Trout' quintet unbelievably difficult to get out of my head once I've heard it.

[Joseph K]

Snippets of Zaric & Barrett's 'suma', recently.

edit - also the first movement of Beethoven's Eroica symphony.

[teamsaint]

One of my most frequent earworms is Skin Deep by the Stranglers.
I have no idea why this should be .

[french frank]

Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen from the Magic Flute. I'd listened to one YouTube version just now and three came along in a row

[Joseph K]

This accompanied me on my hour-and-a-half walk today, as well as previously recurring in my head generally. It is beautiful and joyous:

[Jonathan]

I bought Mark Viner's latest Alkan CD the other week. Since playing it, I've had the Etude alla barbaro and the Etude (from the Encyclopedie du Pianiste compositeur) stuck in my head! I wholeheartedly recommend the disc, by the way.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Ravenscroft for earworms?

Thomas Ravenscroft (c1582 - c1635) doesn't seem to be a big name in academic circles but I find many of his songs and catches obstinately memorable. This one in particular will haunt me for days, a complete earworm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhEVl6WVWNg

I find him a fascinating but baffling figure. Is he unique in his time for his use of 'dialect' folk or 'folksy' texts? With his interest in folk material he seems like an RVW arriving on the scene 300 years early! But then I know very little about the wider market for 'low' catches, rounds etc in the early C17.

Anyone seeking a full introduction to TR can try tracking down this excellent disc https://www.amazon.co.uk/There-Three...r%2C50&sr=1-10 but it's a bit pricey at the moment from the river-people

PS Ah, cheaper copies are available if you scroll down https://www.amazon.co.uk/Songs-Round...r%2C50&sr=1-24

[Joseph K]

For some reason, the keyboard battle with Joe Zawinul and Chick Corea on 'Miles Runs The Voodoo Down' from Bitches Brew. It's strange because not only is this among the more dissonant and free passages on the album, but I also haven't listened to it in quite some time...

[Jonathan]

After yesterday's excellent concert by Mark Viner in Aysgarth, a strange mixture of Beethoven, Op.110, Alkan's Le Festin d'Esope and the Chopin Op.49 F minor fantasy.