Sticky Music, Sticky Buns, Sticky Toffee Apples, Sticky Notes, Sticky Fingers?

Sticky Music it’s a thing who would have thought!

It’s a thing, and it has a more official medical-sounding name. Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI). What you experience when a catchy or possibly annoying tune is stuck in your head.

It has a few other names, a popular one because it jumps out at you is an earworm. Apparently, from the German word, “ohrwurm”; however, when I tried translating it a few times, each time, it came up with Earwig. Which would be fine, but I always associate these tiny insects with camping. For some reason, I’d find a few of them crawling around my tent. Weirdly they have a pair of forceps-like pincers used to capture prey or defend themselves on their abdomen. I guess similar to a Scorpion’s sting in its tail.

There are a variety of thoughts as to how this tiny insect got their name. From the shape of their wings to the rather nasty old wives’ tale (which I’d not heard before), which suggests earwigs burrowed into the brains of humans through the ear and laid their eggs there. You’ll be pleased to learn earwigs are not known to purposefully climb into ear canals. This is good news and a fine example of fake news.

A cool thing I’ve learnt and thought it is only fitting to share but had no success with the online translator is the example of what the earwig is called in some regions of Japan. They are called “Chinpo-Badami” or “Chinpo-Kiri”, which means “penis cutter”.

Another medical-sounding name for an earworm is Stuck Song Syndrome. Although if I had to pick a label, I prefer Sticky Music over both earworm and brainworm.

All of which has nothing to do with the tune occupying my headspace, that really has no right to be there. No offence to the lyricist and creator of the classic sticky lines.

I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world

Life in plastic, it’s fantastic

I also have stuck in my head, if you know the tune (ah, ah, ah, yeah). What is more worrying still is when it transmutes from your head out of your mouth. All I will say at this point is people look, and some comment, but let’s be honest, they don’t have to say a word!

For a far more deep-dive comprehensive analysis on Dissecting an Earworm: Melodic Features and Song Popularity Predict Involuntary Musical Imagery, check out the study by the extremely clever folk below.

Kelly Jakubowski Goldsmiths, University of London

Lauren Stewart Goldsmiths, University of London & Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark

Sebastian Finkel University of Tübingen

Daniel Müllensiefen Goldsmiths, University of London

Take Away

A less comprehensive analysis for all with, I’m a Barbie girl stuck in their radio head playlist. Of course, you might be a massive fan of the pop group Aqua. It could be your favourite tune, and you like it being there — if you’re nine!

I’d suggest swiping through your music library, a treat for the head and heart and never fail to deliver irrespective of my mood. And although the song I want to listen to doesn’t necessarily present itself straight away after shuffling around for a while, I find the tune that will give me my musical fix.

I’ve opted for Its Alright, lyrics by the great Curtis Mayfield released in 1963 by The Impressions. The song features in the Disney Pixar movie Soul. But my particular favourite version is performed by Huey Lewis and The News.

A genuinely fab sticky tune.