Earworms add a vital soundtrack to my life

Photo by Anamika Anand

Music floating around “its owner” throughout their day.

From time to time, people get songs stuck in their heads that they just can’t get rid of, also known as earworms. Not so long ago, the song “Amazing” by Rex Orange County was trending on TikTok and became an earworm for me. 

Because I spend countless hours scrolling through TikTok, it’s no surprise that the song became stuck in my head. However, I did not expect the impact it had on my daily life. At the most random times I would remember the song and fail to resist the urge of singing it.

In a few repetitions of listening to the song, I memorized the song’s rhythm and lyrics. The song was on repeat on Spotify for days after days. Eventually, I even, unintentionally, memorized the choreo of the TikTok dance.

As many people can relate, singing in the shower is a must. When these earworms come into play, I belt them as loud as I can. I don’t care whether I’m singing the chorus, the verse or the bridge — all that can be heard is water droplets and some questionable singing of one singular song.

Personally, earworms last at least a few weeks at a time. Still, I try not to force it out of my head whenever that music pops in out of nowhere since it feels extremely unsatisfying and unfilling. 

After countless times of listening to a song, I usually memorize it entirely. However, one part of the song always sticks out to me, the part that got me hooked to the song in the first place.

Surprisingly, earworms have started to become enjoyable. It’s something to look forward to and just overall increase the whole vibe of the moment. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m singing something and my friends judge me for it, but it doesn’t matter. 

It feels great.