The song that follows you
You leave a café after meeting a friend. On the way home, a short piece of music keeps playing in your head. You cannot remember the whole song, but you know the same four lines very well. While you make dinner, the tune returns. There is no radio on. The music is coming from your memory.
People often call this experience an “earworm”. Despite its strange name, it is not an animal. It is a tune or a piece of a song that repeats in your mind without you choosing to play it. You might enjoy the company of a favourite chorus. At other times, the repetition can become annoying.
Notice the moment
Think about where you last heard the song. Perhaps it was in a café, a short video or a shop. Sometimes you can identify the moment immediately. Sometimes you cannot. You do not need to solve the mystery before getting on with your day.
You may also notice that only a small part repeats. A chorus is the part of a song that comes back several times, often with the same words. When you say, “I have that chorus stuck in my head,” you are describing an experience, not saying that anything is physically stuck there.
Try a different focus
If you want a change, you could try one of three simple activities. First, give your attention to a short spoken text. Read a paragraph aloud, or listen to a brief conversation. Choose something interesting enough to follow without making it a difficult test. This is a change of activity, not a guaranteed way to stop the tune.
Second, do an ordinary task that needs a little attention. You could put some books in order, prepare a shopping list or describe the view from your window in English. Notice the details of what you are doing instead of repeatedly checking whether the song has gone.
Third, if you like the song, you could listen to it once at a comfortable volume. You might discover the words around the familiar chorus. Then choose what to do next. Different people prefer different approaches, and you do not have to keep trying an activity that you find irritating.
Make a little English from it
A repeating song can also become a small language activity. Choose one useful phrase from the lyrics and check its meaning. Then make your own example that has nothing to do with the song. If the phrase is “on my way”, you might say, “I usually buy bread on my way home.”
Finally, tell a friend about the experience: “That tune is so catchy. I heard it this morning, and now it is stuck in my head.” Catchy means easy to remember. You now have a few useful words for a very ordinary moment, whether the tune stays for a while or quietly disappears.
Vocabulary in context
tune: a series of musical notes; a melody. Turkish: melodi. Example: I recognise the tune, but I do not know the title.
chorus: the repeated part of a song. Turkish: nakarat. Example: Everyone joined in when the chorus began.
repetition: the act of doing or saying something again. Turkish: tekrar. Example: The repetition of the same line became annoying.
identify: recognise or name someone or something. Turkish: tanımak, belirlemek. Example: Can you identify the song?
get on with: continue doing something. Turkish: bir şeye devam etmek. Example: I put my phone away and got on with my work.
guaranteed: certain or promised to happen. Turkish: garanti edilmiş, kesin. Example: Success is not guaranteed.
catchy: easy to remember, especially about music. Turkish: akılda kalıcı. Example: The advertisement has a catchy tune.
stuck in my head: repeating in my thoughts and difficult to forget. Turkish: aklıma takılmış. Example: That chorus is stuck in my head.
Check your understanding
1. What does “earworm” mean in the article?
2. What is a chorus?
3. Name two activities the article suggests for changing your focus.
4. Does the article promise that these activities will stop the tune?
5. How can you turn a song phrase into an English activity?
Answer key
1. A tune or a piece of a song that repeats in your mind without you choosing to play it.
2. The part of a song that comes back several times, often with the same words.
3. Any two: read a paragraph aloud or listen to a brief conversation; do an ordinary task that needs attention; listen to the song once at a comfortable volume.
4. No. It says they are changes of activity, and different people prefer different approaches.
5. Choose a useful phrase, check its meaning and make your own example about a different situation.
Make it personal
Describe a song you find catchy without quoting its lyrics. Where did you first hear it? Write two sentences using “tune”, “chorus” or “stuck in my head”.