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I find that giving in and singing the whole thing through aloud is often enough to get rid of it....

So it'll go once I've performed my function and tried to spread it :)

Kath
 
Niles Calder said:
"...Stuck in a rut,
Stuck in a rut for eternity,
Stuck in a rut,
Stuck in a rut for eternity...
"

Ha! I am protected from your feeble lyrics by the power of The Darkness!

"...Trailer for sale or rent..."
Sh!t

Quick! Repeat after me:

Monday cycling
Tuesday gymastics
Dancing on a fridaaay niiiiight..
 
escargot said:
There's a green one and a pink one,
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made outta ticky-tacky,
And they all look just the same.

We learnt this at school. Along with the Maori national anthem. A word to new parents: don't throw your money away on a private education...!
 
In around 1991/92/93 I was in the audience of a show, and beforehand they were playing music while everyone was taking their seats. One tune was completely eerie, and also a continuous loop, that has stayed with me to this very day despite only hearing it once. Occasionally I get reminded of it, and I eventually decided to track it down on the web to find out what it was. There's quite an interesting tale attached, and also a clip! I will warn you in advance, once it's in your mind, it's staying. It's also rather heart-rending, so you have been warned.

I lifted the back story from an online sermon which seemed to tell it best:

Like any story, it has many dimensions. At one level, it is about the impact the faith of one nameless, homeless street person has had on people over 25 years after his death. Tapes of this individual have been played in homeless shelters all across America. Thanks to the grinding of the rumor mill, this homeless person has erroneously been located in such diverse places as Miami's 7th Street and 1st Avenue, New York City's 54th and Lexington, and on the streets of other lonely, urban centers.

This true story involves Gavin Bryars, England's leading musician/composer. In 1971, Bryars agreed to help his friend Alan Powers with the audio aspects of a film Powers was making about street people. The filming took place in and around London's Waterloo Station.

Powers filmed various people living on the streets--catching with the camera's eye their daily rituals, trials and joys. Some were obviously drunk, some mentally disturbed, some articulate, some apparently incomprehensible. As Bryars made his way through the audio and video footage. He became aware of a constant undercurrent, a repeating sound that always accompanied the presence of one older man. At first the sound seemed like muttered gibberish. But after removing the background street noise and cleaning up the audio tape, Bryars discovered the old man was in fact singing.

The footage of this old man and his muttered song didn't "make the cut" in the film. However Bryars took the rejected audio tape and could not escape the haunting sounds of this homeless, nameless man. So he did some research on his own into who this homeless person might be. From the film crew, Bryars learned that this street beggar was not an alcoholic, but neither did he engage others in conversation. His speech was almost impossible to understand, but his demeanor was sunny. Though old and alone and filthy and homeless, he retained a certain playfulness. Crew members recalled that he took delight in teasingly swapping hats with various members of the film crew.

But what distinguished this old man from the other street people in this area was his song. The song he sung under his breath was a simple, repetitive Sunday-school tune, but for him it was a mantra. He would just sit and quietly sing it, uninterrupted for hours on end.

“Jesus' blood never failed me yet Never failed me yet. Jesus' blood never failed me yet. There's one thing I know For he loves me so....”

Like a film loop, the song's final line fed into its first line, starting the tune over and over again without ceasing. The man's weak, old, untrained voice never wavered from pitch, never went flat, never changed key. The simple intervals of the tune were perfectly maintained for however long he sang.

As a musician, Bryars was fascinated. He began thinking of ways he could arrange and orchestrate around the constant, repeated lines the old man sang. One day, while playing the tape as background to other work, Bryars left the door to his studio open while he ran downstairs to get a cup of coffee. When he returned several minutes later, he found a normally buzzing office environment eerily stilled. The old man's quiet, quivery voice had leaked out of the recording room and transformed the office floor.

Under the spell of this stranger's voice, an office of busy professionals had grown hushed. Those who were still moving around walked slowly, almost reverently about the room. Many more had taken their seats and were sitting motionless at their desks, transfixed by the voice. More than a few were silently weeping, tears cascading undisturbed down their faces.

Bryars was stunned. He himself was not a believer himself, but Bryars could not help but be confronted by the mysterious spiritual power of this unadorned voice. These words were able to touch a lonely, aching place that lurks in the human heart, offering an unexpected message of faith and hope in the midst of the darkest, most blighted night.

Bryars himself started yearning for the confidence and faith this old man's song celebrates, and began to face what it means to feel homeless and alone even when we are sitting in the midst of our families.

Bryars vowed to respect this person by creating a recording that would celebrate and accentuate his simple message that, no matter what one's condition, Jesus "loves me so...."

It took England's leading contemporary composer until 1993 to create and produce what he felt was a proper accomplishment to this homeless person's song of trust and obedience. This he did in partnership with one of America's leading composers, Philip Glass. The result is a CD entitled "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet."

http://esr.earlham.edu/vocal_ministry/rumors.html

The extract can be found here: http://www.gavinbryars.com/Pages/jesus_blood_never_failed_m.html

:(
 
I know the piece - well I've heard the odd excerpt. No one in their right mind could sit
through the whole thing, surely.

All it lacks is the full Hollywood closure. Like the successful musician rushing across the
sea to rescue the loop's origin.

What? Trousered it?

Didn't want to get in the way of Jesus' blood?

Funny the way that bloodline keeps on raking it in for some folks. :rolleyes:
 
Can anyone help me?

I've had a tune stuck in my head for years.

It's a track called "Liar" from the album "From Scratch" by a band called Capability Brown.

They used to play it all the time in the Hole in the Wall pub at the Borough in London in the early seventies.

It's not available on CD, or on any filesharing site I've visited. I've seen a couple of Vinyl copies for sale on eBay, but I haven't got a turntable any more.

I REALLY want to hear that song again.

Oh the agony......
 
Jesus' blood never failed me yet Never failed me yet. Jesus' blood never failed me yet.

Just listened to it


here, not sure about heart warming but weird...
 
RE:TED NUGENT

Saw/heard him live once,at the end of the gig the first 3 rows of seats were empty(a sit down concert you say!!!!)yes,he was that friging loud the was no choice(unless you had ear plugs)
Weasel ripped my flesh.
Bill.
 
I've had Harmar Superstar's latest stuck in my head, and I can't stand it.

I didn't like any of his other stuff, either.

ARRRRGH!
 
Har Mar Superstar's latest sounds like Bobby Conn to me.

Anyway, I've listened to Gavin Bryars' "Jesus' Blood" many times, I think it's a beautiful piece of music.
 
The first time I heard "Jesus blood" was about 2am in the morning on Classic FM when it was in one of their chart run downs with Paul Gambiccini, of all people. A very eerie and strange experience it was too. I knew I had to try to seek out the source.

I later got the full version from the library which I taped but I can't listen to the whole thing yet. There's a section with Tom Waits doing some vocals.


It's very striking and powerful but would have to be in the right mood to play the whole thing.
 
I believe there are two versions of Jesus' Blood, one lasting about half an hour and a later one, which has Tom Waits on it, which lasts about an hour.
 
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Follow the Yellow Brick Road

:shock:
 
What about this. When I walk, my brain comes up automatically with the same song everytime, which is "Wake me up before you go-go" and I have to walk to that rythm. But it winds me up because it's always the same song. It seems to be my personal walking speed song.
However once I didn't sing it and I instantly noticed and all the trying wouldn't make me sing it, so I was quite glad to be rid of it...up to the next time when it was back with a vengeance. So you basically now know exactly how fast I walk, that's something. :smokin:
 
I get tunes stuck in my head permamently, it drives me mad. I also get phrases, lines of poetry and names occasionally. Does anyone know who Max Quordlepleen is?
 
associations

I'm sure I mentioned this on another thread, but I used to get the 'Indiana Jones' theme stuck in my brain every time I ate an ice cream cone. Over several years the effect faded away, but I have no idea where the association came from.

The way I get a bad catchy tune out of my head is to replace it with a better one. *Usually* works.

On the reverse side, when I come up with an idea for a song then I _try_ to get it stuck in my head. Unfortunately I usually lose it in a few minutes if I don't have a way to record it. Curses.
 
I've had a certain Manics' song on my mind for a few days. :( Just can't help it.
 
I get a different one every morning. Yesterday it was Master of Puppets, by Metallica. Today it's that 'Oompa-Loompa' song from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. :roll:
 
mike_legs said:
I'm sure I mentioned this on another thread, but I used to get the 'Indiana Jones' theme stuck in my brain every time I ate an ice cream cone. Over several years the effect faded away, but I have no idea where the association came from.

Actually I meant to start a new thread with this phenomenon because it is really obvious to me and happens regularily and I can't think for the life of me where I got those associations from. For example every time I clean a particular one of my cooking pots, I remember my mother in law going shopping....EH???
Another one is that whenever I squeeze a teabag, Stephen King's "Pet Cemetary" comes to mind... There are lots of others but I can't remember right now. The thing is that the first couple of times you don't notice it but then suddenly you think: "Hang on, I keep thinking the same thing everytime". It even happens when you don't expect it so its not conditioning.
This is one of those things that you need to know about in order to watch out for unless it happens so often that you can't iognore it.
Are there any other really bizarre links in peoples heads?
 
Dingo666, I can't think of a single example right now - but I know exactly what you mean!!
 
I've only once suffered from a stuck tune, and I hated it.

I was in hospital recovering from pneumonia and 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' by Britney Spears started going through my head. I don't even like the song.

At that time I was feverish and all over the place mentally and emotionally, having weird thoughts and vivid, scary dreams. I knew I was getting better when Britney finally shut up.

There's a short story by John (Day of the Triffids) Wyndham in which he talks about tunes 'squirreling about in your brain.' I think some of us know exactly what he means.
 
I once mentioned the 'Stuck Tune' syndrome to a work colleague who seemed interested, - then started singing the one that goes 'I know a Song that'll Get on Your Nerves' which I think is by the Muppets.

After a few hours, I could stand it no longer. Reader, I killed her.
 
Does anyone know who Max Quordlepleen is?

I'm sure it's from ' A Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy ' Or one of those books,James H.
 
James H said:
I get tunes stuck in my head permamently, it drives me mad. I also get phrases, lines of poetry and names occasionally. Does anyone know who Max Quordlepleen is?

hes the mc at milliways(tm) the resturant at the end of the universe (played by roy hudd)
 
Over the christmas period one of the local radio stations turns itself over to playing 'seasonal' music - some of it rather loosely seasonal.

Anyway, the end result was hearing one particular Carpenters song over and over and over. I know the words by heart but not the title. After a week of this I found my Inner DJ playing it any time I saw a Christmas decoration.

I cured the problem by simple dint of dropping anvils on Karen Carpenter. Inserting the sound of a cartoon anvil hitting something was enough to create a pythonesque mental image that kicked the song off track. Admittedly it's not a technique you can use in public if you find that sort of mental image funny, but it works a lot better than the other method I used to use to dislodge songs - listening to Slipknot.
 
Has anyone got a Guide To Memes for Idiots reference?

There's a short story by John (Day of the Triffids) Wyndham in which he talks about tunes 'squirreling about in your brain.' I think some of us know exactly what he means.

Another good fictional piece about meme's, earworms is Grant Morrison's Invisibles comic book. Volume 5 as a trade paperback for anyone that wants to check it out I think. Apparently sinister forces use them for advertising. :shock:
 
BAD TASTE REMARK ALERT!

Doctor Occupant said:
Anyway, the end result was hearing one particular Carpenters song over and over and over.
Too much Karen Carpenter? That's what she thought, too..

Coat time?

END OF BAD TASTE REMARK ALERT!

For years now, I've had Kylie's "Can't get you out of my head" recurring in my brain at idle moments. Such irony.
 
stuck tunes

Years ago, we lived in a house on the edge of a town centre (I've posted about it here in other threads as it was a VERY Fortean house)

There was nothing Fortean about this experience however. The house was in sight (and earshot) of the town's market square, which contained, not unnaturally, the Town Hall. It was the usual Christmas custom to deck up the Town Hall with lights etc, and (unfortunately) play Christmas carols and songs through a giant tannoy system to the town at large.

This was bad enough, but as we both spent most of our normal days' work out of the town, it wasn't THAT bad. It would be turned off at around the time the staff in the Town Hall finished work.

On Christmas Eve, the staff party must have been a little generous with the booze, because, once the Town Hall was plunged into darkness around 5.30pm, THE MUSIC CARRIED ON .....AND ON ...AND ON ....

Someone must have forgotten to switch it off, and this horrendous racket carried on until 2nd January ..... It just so happened that it was the one Christmas in ages we hadn't arranged to go away somewhere ....

(To make matters worse, it wasn't somethnig edifying and soothing, like Carols from Kings - oh no, it was The Mike Sammes Singers, or something of that ilk - with forced jollity and a jazzed up beat - makes me ill to think of it to this day .....)

...and in the New Year, they put up the Council Tax ......

...we moved house very shortly after this episode.
 
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