Have you ever...

taken from Google Images

Had a song stuck in your head? I'm sure everyone has at some time or another.

I love music, all music. I love listening to it, singing with it, humming to it. My daughter says that everything reminds me of a song. She's constantly asking me to "stop".

Then of course for some reason one get's stuck in your head. After watching the clip of her Emmy performance, I've had Pink's "Glitter in the Air" stuck in my head for a couple days now.

I've tried playing other songs over and over again. Then I get up from the computer and the glitter song pops back in.

I thought I'd "Google" "why?" this happens! Did you know that there have been "official" studies on this very topic. Aren't you glad we have researchers working on this very topic! ha!

One of the studies was actually done here locally at University of Cincinnati.

James J. Kellaris' research seeks to identify characteristics of music that make them memorable. His preliminary work points in three directions he believes play a role:

• Repetition: One theme song that respondents reported as getting stuck in their heads often was "Mission: Impossible." Kellaris was not surprised. "A repeated phrase, motif or sequence might be suggestive of the very act of repetition itself, such that the brain echoes the pattern automatically as the musical information is processed," he says.
• Musical simplicity: Simpler songs appear more likely to make your brain itch. Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of getting Barney's "I Love You, You Love Me" song stuck can attest to that. Generally, children's songs are more prone to getting stuck than classical music, Kellaris says.
• Incongruity: When a song does something unexpected, it can also spark a cognitive itch. Examples include the irregular time signatures of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" or the song "America" from West Side Story. Unpredictable melodic patterns or an unexpectedly articulated individual note can have the same impact.
  

  
  (Taken from University of Cincinnati news article by: Carey Hoffman)

Well, I know you will sleep easier tonight knowing this all important information....I know I will! ha!