No Cure for Songs Stuck in Your Head?

I've got a fever... and the perscription is more cowbell!

I find that playing the offending song will often clear up the problem.

I also have this problem with names and interesting words. I recently spent four days with the word "samovar" stuck in my head. It eventually went away.


I feel that, in my case, the problem starts because I prematurely ended something that my mind was interested in. In the case of "samovar" it had been the answer to a crossword question that my father had asked a few days earlier. At the time I couldn't answer the question, but knew that I knew the word. I set my brain to search for the answer in the background. Once the answer presented itself - and my father was notified - I was left with something that my brain simply wouldn't let go of. I figure that my mind thought - "hey, this was pretty important, are you sure you don't want to do something with it?" Either way, it was a word that I ended up savoring for a while.

I find that singing "It's a Small World" gets songs out of my head.

On the other hand, I have that word problem Dari has. Only once I repeat the word half a dozen times, then I start doubting it even IS a word. Like Hippopotamus. Hippopotamus. Hippopotamus Hippopotamus Hippopotamus. Hippopotamus!

That is so not a word.

I have a friend that swears "Electric Avenue" is the song that clears up persistent-song syndrome.

I would also like to comment on the word problem that Katie mentioned. I know I mentioned that phenomenon several times at Doceus, but I think I cited these words - fife, boolean, apple and antidisestablishmentarianism. Oh, and let's not forget glad. That one really makes singing along to Cream's "I'm so glad" * a disturbing experience.

* http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002GFC/perfectutensi-20