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

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7  
The German word is Ohrwurm. – Mehper C. Palavuzlar Aug 13 '10 at 19:41
I call it "Back in Black." :-) – Edward Tanguay Aug 13 '10 at 23:34
+1 Thanks for teaching me a new word :-) – Vincent McNabb Aug 14 '10 at 0:12
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

5 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

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

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up vote 23 down vote

In English it is called earworm or sticky tune.

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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
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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
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+1 for earworm. – Vincent McNabb Aug 14 '10 at 0:08
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I've never heard of either of these words. – delete Aug 14 '10 at 3:22
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"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
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up vote 4 down vote

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.

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Perhaps songs like this ought to be known as "hookers". Oh wait, that's something quite different... – Splash Aug 16 '10 at 13:00
up vote 4 down vote

Jingle.

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

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up vote 0 down vote

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.

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