"Earworms": melodies that stick to your eardrum

What is an earworm?

An earworm is a musical tune or song that stays in your head, whether you like it or not, coming back again and again, obsessively, without you being able to get rid of it. It's a form of auditory itch. The famous British neurologist Oliver Sacks calls it "sticky music".

[Ex: the brain of yours truly, a self-confessed pedant, is regularly assailed by this passage this passage from Vivaldi's Winter or by this this excerpt from Rossini's Barber of Seville].

The unappetizing expression "earworm" has its origins in an overly literal translation of the German Ohrwurm, a compound of Wurm ("worm") and Ohr ("ear"), which actually refers to a cute insect: the earwig.

But why do our ears fall for some melodies more than others?

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Why do certain tunes loop in our heads?

In a study published in 2017, a team of scientists attempted to "dissect" earworms, in order to map out the main risk factors that generate them.

First, there are personal factors, specific to each individual:

• Have you listened to a song recently and repeatedly?
• You sang along
• It suits your personal taste
• Listening to it is associated with an important moment for you

And then there are "universal" factors that, when combined, create that little something, that je-ne-sais-quoi that makes hits and jingles:

• A slightly faster-than-average tempo (around 124-128 bpm)
• An easily predictable melody that starts with low notes, rises to high notes, then falls back down.
• A sequence of two notes separated by a large interval (a low note followed by a much higher note - or vice versa).

Together, these elements form an interesting and singular melody, but one that's still easy to sing. It's particularly hard to get rid of when it sticks in your brain and you repeat it over and over inside, like an OCD.

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How do I get rid of an earworm?

Recent research suggests that some people find certain earworms pleasant. But we've all suffered from an earworm that we'd be willing to get rid of at any cost. Classic example: Patrick Sébastien's by Patrick Sébastien. (Sorry, it'll be stuck in your head all day...)

Worst of all, earworms are contagious. Just hum one of these tunes and your colleague is infected. And passing it on to someone else is unfortunately no way of getting rid of it...

The only remedy, according to Professor Philip Beaman of Reading University (UK), is... chewing gum!

The act of chewing gum is in fact similar to the mechanism of subvocalization, which consists of speaking or humming mentally, without saying anything out loud. By chewing, you interfere with your inner voice, your short-term memory and your ability to imagine sounds: the heady tune finally leaves your skull.

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How can you create an unforgettable sound for your customers?

As you can see, when it comes to sound marketing, there's no magic formula for creating the ideal hit or jingle. Personal factors always limit a hit's universal appeal. Everyone has their own personal anthem...

However, thanks to the methodology developed by ourIrcam amplify agency 's acoustic design department, you'll be able to create a sound signature or musical identity that sticks to the ear and to your brand image.

So let's remain optimistic and see the worm as half full :)

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