# Common Words or Phrases that Trigger the Melodic Reflex Effect **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348 "2007-01-09T23:19:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/21 "2007-01-10T15:18:33Z")
A lot of times when I hear any 3 digits that end with 7 (could be 157 or 237 or whatever), I silently sing, “do a one-eight-seven on a mother fucking cop.” ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/22 "2007-01-10T15:33:32Z")
I’m another one that does this all day, every day. Many times it’s not a mainstream song but some random thing that’s been stuck in my brain for no discernible reason. If somebody asks “what day is it?” I have to bust out with “today is Tuesday, you know what that means. . . we’re gonna have a special guest” , which in case you don’t recognize it, is a song from the original Mickey Mouse Club. I vaguely remember watching old reruns when I was a wee WOOK, and somehow that stuck with me. And about two minutes ago, as I was handing our graphic artist a layout for Intervest Bank, I felt compelled, as I always do, to sing "See my vest, see my vest, see my veeeeeeeeeeest ". Luckily she’s a Simpson’s fan and got the reference. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/23 "2007-01-10T15:39:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Melodic Reflex Effect SONG LYRIC! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/24 "2007-01-10T15:40:22Z")
Damn you and your triggery username, **WOOKIN**! Argh, it’s going to be in my head all day now!!! And following on its heels will be “Fee times a mady”. If my head explodes, I blame it on this thread! ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/25 "2007-01-10T15:42:04Z")
[QUOTE=minlokwat] I’m in the midst of typing my supervisor an email and decided to go with the phrase, “not to point too fine a point on it…” This served to activate the uncontrollable urge to sing this identical line from _Birdhouse in Your Soul_ from **They Might Be Giants**. In fact, if any poster is familiar with that song I would assume that this would bring about an identical reaction. What words or phrases do you come across that force you to think of the lyrical interpretation of that phrasing? And then what do you do about it? Do you immediately break out into song or simply allow it to rattle about mentally before it quietly dissolves until the next one arises? [/QUOTE] :eek: I thought the phrase was ‘not to **put** too fine a point on it’… Sometimes when playing chess I get a tune stuck in my head for hours. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/26 "2007-01-10T15:55:53Z")
I quite often have to fiddle about with Windows PCs at work, and whenever I right-click on the taskbar and click on “Lock the Taskbar” I have the irresistable urge to sing “Rock the Casbah” to myself. Possibly works better if you have an English accent. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/27 "2007-01-10T16:04:59Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] A lot of times when I hear any 3 digits that end with 7 (could be 157 or 237 or whatever), I silently sing, “do a one-eight-seven on a mother fucking cop.” [/QUOTE] When I worked at the consignment store, all our consignors had three digit numbers assigned to them. Every time number 187 came into the store to check on her account, that particular lyric came to mind. I never did tell her just how I was able to remember her account number, though. Every time I’m cooking and I find myself reaching for the rosemary, “Evil” by Interpol jumps into my head. “Rooooooose-maaaaaaarreeeeeeeee…” ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/28 "2007-01-10T16:35:16Z")
I was waiting for a coworker and when he finally showed up, he said, “Here I am!” He had no clue why I responded, “Rock you like a hurricane!” A similar, but disgusting, example is from when a friend told me that blowing your nose by holding one nostril shut and letting fly is called a “Snot Rocket.” Yuck. So now, everytime I hear a commercial for “Hot Pockets” I sing the little jingle with the words “Snot Rockets.” Look out Jim Gaffigan. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/29 "2007-01-10T17:15:00Z")
[QUOTE=dangermom] Oh, golly, I do this all the time too. People give me odd looks. Can’t think of any right now; it’s too late. [/QUOTE] It’s too late,baby,yeah it’s too late. Whenever somebody says Jesus Christ! I always chime in with Superstar. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/30 "2007-01-10T17:22:54Z")
Whenever anyone says “I’m tired”… In my head it’s: > [@](#): > > Cause I’ve been walkin’ all day > Tryin’ to find a job ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/31 "2007-01-10T17:28:28Z")
[QUOTE=minlokwat] In fact, if any poster is familiar with that song I would assume that this would bring about an identical reaction. [/QUOTE] Yep. > [@](#): > > What words or phrases do you come across that force you to think of the lyrical interpretation of that phrasing? Among what I’m sure are many other examples which don’t come to mind right now, just about every woman’s name in existence has a song written about it, so that upon encountering an even slightly unusual woman’s name the song about it becomes stuck in my head. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/32 "2007-01-10T17:39:22Z")
Nope, not me. Unless, of course, _I feel good (nah nah nah nah nah nah nah…)_ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Blue-Sighted\_Shadow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@The\_Blue-Sighted\_Shadow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Blue-Sighted_Shadow)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/33 "2007-01-10T17:49:34Z")
For a while I had a US expat in Thailand, Bangkok to be exact. So every time I got an email from His Name - Bangkok, my brain would go “One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble.” He “gets his kicks above the waistline, sunshine.” I now have the extended remix of One Night in Bangkok on iTunes because of that. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/34 "2007-01-10T19:00:23Z")
When I was a teenager, my mom had a starring role in a community theater production of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Thus, in our family, if you say, “There’s no coffee”, someone will sing, “No coffee? No coffee!” Likewise, if you say, “It’s been a long day”, you’ll get, “Well it’s been a long day…well it’s been a long, been a long, been a long, been a long day.” ---
**Author:** ![Spiratu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@Spiratu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiratu)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/35 "2007-01-10T22:44:56Z")
[QUOTE=NoCoolUserName] Whenever anyone says “I’m tired”… In my head it’s: > [@](#): > > Quote: > Cause I’ve been walkin’ all day > Tryin’ to find a job [/quote] That’s odd, I always get Lily Von Schtupp’s song from _Blazing Saddles_ in my head when people say that. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/36 "2007-01-10T22:49:09Z")
Everytime I read or hear the TV show, _My Name is Earl_, I immeidately flash to “My Name is Prince”. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/37 "2007-01-20T09:35:11Z")
Back in the day, I went on a film shoot where the 1 AC (first assistant camera operator) was named Brandy. Because Brandy the singer was still in grade school, this was an unusual name. When my boss, my co-worker and I drove off, boss said, “Okay, now you can. [in unison]_The sailors say Brandy, you’re a fine girl…_” (And for the record, she _was_ fine.) Working at McDonald’s. Someone asked me, “You make eighteen Macs?” “_And whaddya get? Another year older and deeper in debt!_” Not exactly a trigger, but I was once in a class with a guy named Nick and another guy whose name I forget. Nick walked into the room, and the other guy said, completely deadpan, “Oh, Nicky, you’re so fine. You’re so fine you blow my mind.” BIL once brought home a can of Strawberry Quik. Mr. Rilch immediately said, “_You make me sick, like Strawberry Quik/You can’t be down, punk – get off my dick!_” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/38 "2007-01-20T13:34:38Z")
“Jesus Christ” gets an immediate response “Superstar.” So does “Cheese & Rice” (with a thought of lyricist Tim Rice). And anyone who calls me “the B word” gets a very long rendition of “The Bitch is Back.” ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/39 "2007-01-20T15:35:44Z")
**Hal Briston** , thanks for a good long laugh. In the same vein as “Lock the Taskbar,” (which, thanks a lot, will now be embedded in my brain), whenever I read \*Dune \* or discussions thereof, and read the words “Bene Gesserit,” my mind takes off in an uncontrollable Elton John riff: “Buh buh buh Bene Gesserit.” (Benny and the Jets) It kind of takes away from the mood. Also, I can’t believe this thread is so long without a mention of “phenomenon (doo, doo, da doo doo)!” ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348/40 "2007-01-20T16:18:53Z")
I don’t know if I can compete with the silliness here, and that shames me. Mr. Olives and I have had long discussions about how easy it would be to create entire conversations with song lyrics. This is totally random and only kind of related, but at the very beginning of our relationship sophomore year of college he went through a very hard time and I brought him out of it with the words, “I’m not afraid of who you are. Talk to me.” He was horrified when I later admitted I got the lyrics from Madonna’s “Justify my Love.” I admit I have done this in other instances, but I assumed he _knew_, dammit! I have a penchant for melodrama. Sometimes in the middle of an intense conversation I’ll bust out with song lyrics (example: me, standing up in the living room: “Don’t you patronize me! I don’t have to take sh\*t from anybody. There’s no reason for me to be afraid! I am immortal!” _pause_ “I have inside me blood of kings… I have no rival…no man can be my equal… _busts into song_ Heeeeeere we are, born to be kings, we’re the Princes of the Universe!”) I’d say roughly 60% of all our conversations involve either the insertion of song lyrics or references to “Futurama”: “That just raises MORE questions!” _"I’ll_ save me!" “No fair! You just changed the outcome by measuring it!” “Fool me seven times, shame on you. Fool me eight or more times…” “Help! I can’t swim in jelly as far as I know!” _cue blank stares from everyone else in the room_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-or-phrases-that-trigger-the-melodic-reflex-effect/387348.md?page=1)