What song have you gone the longest without hearing to still have it attack you as an earworm?

[Bossy Monkey]

Or, in non-truncated-for-subject-line-purposes form: What song have you gone the longest stretch of years without hearing to still have it attack you as an earworm?

For bonus points, let it be one you never heard very often either. For instance, Procol Harum had a single called "Pandora's Box," a hit in the UK, but not here. I remembered it as coming out right after the orchestral version of "Conquistador," but online discographies say it was 1975. Regardless, I heard it a few times on the radio back then. As far as I know, I've never heard it since, but between the bass line and the percussion (and Brooker's haunting singing), it's never left my head for as long as a week in all these years.

So me, 33 years. And you?

PS: In case anybody's curious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuTPoqHkpA0 Bass line becomes a marimba part; go figure.

[RandomThoughts]

1. Here is mine.

Can't remember the exact tune...., it was an old minstrel tune. o yea

Odyssey by Homer

:)

Although ear worms don't attack me, they are funny.

[Burma Jones]

2. Day After Day by Shango

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmsbNq_Iylw

I went from 1969 or so to 2000 without hearing this song....I found a 45 of it at a used record store and heard it again, after 30 years.

[Bossy Monkey]

4. I had a similar situation, though shorter, with Don Harrison Band's cover of "16 Tons"

I tracked down the lp somewhere along the line, I think in the '90s, though it may have been the '80s. So 20 years or so... Non-video video version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ucdDwFL-eY

Edit: "Day After Day" went completely under my radar in 1969, not surprisingly as I was 7. Nice tune, though.

[Jamastiene]

3. The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round n/t

[lost-in-nj]

5. for some strange reason

I have had

Look what they've done to my song ma
by Melanie

on my brain....

:shrug: have NO idea why


lost

[Bossy Monkey]

6. I actually found the triggers for two of my inexplicable earworms

Both in the kitchen. "Indian Reservation," a hit from my childhood by Paul Revere & the Raiders, was sticking in my head all the time. I noticed that this started when I bought a boning knife and figure that the trigger is the mention of the Bowie knife in the song lyrics. For this reason, even though I like the song, I try to think of it as a fillet knife as often as possible.

The other one is "After the Love Is Gone" by Earth, Wind & Fire. Triggered by a noise the microwave makes that matches the longer synthesizer note at the start of the song's intro. Fortunately I crazy mad love the song, though it isn't a number to break into should the gf and I both be in the kitchen at the same time.

Not that this explains "Look What They've Done to My Song," but it might be something like that. Here's the lyrics at a rare popup-free site: http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/lookwhat.htm Maybe you just subconsciously want to practice your French.:)

[redqueen]

7. Capital I...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=losBZCpzbi8

or one of the other ones from The Electric Company / Sesame Street.

[old mark]

8. I last heard this in the early 1970's, and have had it

intermittantly in my head ever since - say 30 years or so...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksGi7B5BdM

Credence doing the old Leadbelly song, Midnight Special, live. Starts out a little slowly, gets much better. Grandad of the garage bands from El Cerrito, CA.
This one kept me awake many hours over the years - I love their version.


mark

[Bossy Monkey]

11. I guess it was Johnny Rivers covering it as the theme song for the concert series

Midnight Special; kinda similar version, though just confined to the refrain as I recall.

Wikiland says my memory is failing me and that it was Creedence doing the TV show theme http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Midnight_Special_(TV_series) ; I, uh, am not so sure about that. Another Wikian has it my way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Rivers#1970s

[old mark]

12. I thought Johnny did the theme - I remember the Credence version

from a record (A real record, with grooves and shit...)

I really like the song, and their version just sticks in my head.

mark

[Bake]

9. AFTERNOON DELIGHT!!!!

I can't get that one out of my head!!

Bake

[TZ]

14. hehe.

Somehow thats poetic justice..:P

[Doc_Technical]

10. There are some great songs mentioned here.

This is my Beatles earworm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-gTcF6K4Wk

[Bossy Monkey]

13. Wow, I'm not sure I'd ever heard that

Now no doubt it'll stick in my head for the next 30 years.:)