21

Is there a term for a catchy tune that stays in your head after you hear it? The Germans call it an earworm.

herisson
  • 81,803
Evan
  • 1,236
  • 8
    The German word is Ohrwurm. – Mehper C. Palavuzlar Aug 13 '10 at 19:41
  • 2
    Mark Twain wrote the short story Punch, Brothers, Punch about this phenomenon, but didn't have a specific name for it. I have heard earworm used for it for quite a while, although I don't know when the earliest usage I heard was. – Peter Shor Jul 28 '11 at 14:52
  • I call it "Back in Black." :-) – Edward Tanguay Aug 13 '10 at 23:34
  • Unfortunately, the corn earworm totally swamps any search for the term "earworm" or "ear worm", but "earworm" is the term I have used for a decade, at least. – Hot Licks Oct 30 '17 at 20:10
  • I am reminded that there was a Star Trek episode (likely in TNG from 1987-94) where some sort of worm would enter a victim's ear and take over their brain. To the large number of young people who saw this episode "earworm" would have a strong association, making it "catch on". – Hot Licks Oct 03 '18 at 01:30

5 Answers5

29

In English it is called earworm or sticky tune.

Mehper C. Palavuzlar
  • 35,654
  • 5
    Sticky tune? May I ask where you heard that? I don't remember running across it in the U.S. – mmyers Aug 13 '10 at 19:51
  • 1
    I've heard it called earworm in English, but I know that's a direct translation of the German. – Skilldrick Aug 13 '10 at 20:07
  • 2
    +1 I did not know that was a German-origin term – cori Aug 13 '10 at 20:40
  • 6
    I've never heard of either of these words. –  Aug 14 '10 at 03:22
  • @mmyers: The definition "sticky tune" can be seen on Cambridge dictionary. Some friends of mine use it. – Mehper C. Palavuzlar Aug 14 '10 at 10:50
  • 5
    "Earworm" as an English word is a bit of a neologism, but catching on fast. I heard it about ten years ago. I didn't know it was a calque from German though. – AlexC Aug 24 '10 at 13:58
  • 1
    I always thought the word for this was "catchy tune". – Kosmonaut Oct 18 '10 at 14:22
  • 1
    @Kosmonaut: See the definition in Cambridge dictionary. – Mehper C. Palavuzlar Oct 18 '10 at 14:44
  • 1
    @Mehper: I understand that "earworm" exists in the dictionary, since you already linked to it once; I am trying to consider what people actually say. I have heard people use the phrase "catchy tune" to describe such a phenomenon hundreds — if not thousands — of times in my life, but I have never heard "earworm" used once. – Kosmonaut Oct 18 '10 at 15:13
  • 1
    I can attest to 'earworm' in use amongst university students in England around the turn of the century. 'Seven Nation Army' was our canonical example, because of that amazing, insistent, repeating bass phrase it's built on. How old is the German usage? Could hat be a calque from English? – Tom Anderson Jun 21 '11 at 22:38
  • @Tom Anderson: See the blog post here. It's pretty clear that the English came from the German, although it's unclear which instance of translation is the one that caught on. – Peter Shor Jul 28 '11 at 15:01
  • @Kosmonaut - I've heard earworm "in the wild". I heard it from my choir director about a month ago. So someone acquainted with music, but also someone living in the middle of Oklahoma. If the word made it here, it's everywhere. :-) – T.E.D. Aug 23 '11 at 14:49
  • I just watched an episode of Sponge Bob titled "Earworm". – Mehper C. Palavuzlar Sep 24 '11 at 08:29
  • 2
    Upvote for earworm; downvote for sticky tune. Separate this into two answers? – Mathieu K. Aug 21 '18 at 17:09
6

I have never heard of a single word, but the phrase "stuck in your head" comes to mind.

pkaeding
  • 1,737
5

Most songs, especially of the pop variety, tend to contain a "hook" which is designed to, well, hook into your mind. Not quite the answer to your question but a part of it. You can read more about musical hooks on Wikipedia.

soutarm
  • 1,453
4

Jingle.

Having said which, I prefer to use "earworm" these days because "jingle" has such an overwhelming association with advertising.

-1

Sometimes the word "brainwashed" is used to express the state of having a tune stuck in one's head:

I'm brainwashed with that tune

Note that applies to the state of the person, not to the tune itself.

Waggers
  • 7,298