Gluey Songs
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
May I present Gluey Song Survival Tips. Afew strategies that will help you deal with the "I got a song stuck in my head Blues"
The Reason that a song gets stuck in your head is primarily your fault. You've listened to it too many times, listened too carefully, and now you know it all too well. The reason it stays in your head is that you let it. You feed it with continued attention and it thrives. Because of this, the first thing you should do is try to ignore it. This works in some cases with some of the not-so-virulent songs on the airwaves today. You can do this by paying close attention to any sounds that may be around you: people speaking, various car sounds, et cetera. If you pay close enough attention
to other things (not other songs; see above), then most of the time the song just slips away. Once it has left, DO NOT try to remember it in any way, or it will get stuck again. Also, your mind will be particularly receptive to new songs for a while, so stay away from radios.
If this doesn't work, then you should move on to another strategy. Some other ways to deal with Gluey Song Syndrome are replacement, which involves getting another, better song stuck, and recording.
Recording, in this instance, is the process of writing down or typing the words to the song. This method is probably the least practical, but for some it is the most effective. To work, however, you must write down all you remember of the song.
There is one more method. The reason I have left it for the end is that it may do more harm than good. It is similar to replacement, but it is forced. What you do is listen to a more virulent song for a while. These songs are often stupid in their simplicity, but I think that's what makes them so dangerous. If nothing else works, these should do the trick. Here are some examples: "Butterfly", by Smile, "Space Invaders", by Hit 'n' Hide, "Tarzan and Jane", by Toybox, "Lola", by the Kinks, and "Party Up", by DMX.
I hope I've helped.:-)