Tune wedgy

A little dab'll do ya

I've got an earworm! I'm not sure where I first heard this term, maybe when I read Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. I even thought I had written a post about it, but apparently not. The search engine didn't find it, anyway.

If you look at the Wikipedia link in the previous paragraph, you'll find that there are several terms for a song that gets stuck in your head, and the one that made me laugh the most is "tune wedgy." But the "official" term is an earworm. It is derived from a German word, Ohrwurm, a portion of a song that continues to repeat compulsively within one's mind.

The hideous song that has been going through my own head since last night (did I dream it?) is the catchy tune that I must have heard a hundred or more times long, long ago. I haven't actually heard it again for such a long time, and it amazes me that I STILL know all the words:

Brylcreem, a little dab'll do ya
Brylcreem, you'll look so debonair.
Brylcreem, the gals will all pursue ya,
Simply rub a little in your hair!

The link also gives some tips as to how one might get rid of an earworm, which I find to be a bit dubious. I thought maybe writing about my dilemma would help; but they suggest the following:

The best way to eliminate an unwanted earworm is to simply play a different song. Supposedly, some songs are better for this purpose than others, such as the theme song to 'Gilligan's Island' or 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'.

Yeah, right. Now look what I've done: I've probably caused dozens of tune wedgies in the minds of my followers. But... it's working! Now I'm hearing something else... which is being crowded out by the Brylcreem ad. A heavy conflict is going on in my brain, and I'm not sure which will win out. Why couldn't I find something else to replace it with? Ah, I've got it: I've found the ultimate tune wedgy:

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small small world

That did it! Everything else is gone now, just the repetition of that phrase, over and over and over...
:-)