# Damn songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 17, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791 "2000-08-17T21:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/1 "2000-08-17T21:50:16Z")
I went to bed last night with some older song stuck in my head – from a commercial, I think a Hanes commercial. It also coulda been that Gloria Gaynor song (forget the title at the moment) that was playing on Conan O’Brian last night. I woke up this morning to Britney Spears stuck in my head, from the McDonalds commercial. UGH – this commercialization of songs is really getting out of hand. Any tips on how to get these tunes out of my head? I am going crazy – but you knew that already. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/2 "2000-08-17T21:52:23Z")
You could try an ice-pick in your ear. It’s drastic, I know, but it works. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/3 "2000-08-17T21:55:10Z")
Try singing a song you like…especially one where you have to concentrate to remember the words. Either that, or learn to like Britney Spears. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/4 "2000-08-17T21:56:28Z")
The best solution would be to offer a technology that automatically detects a commercial and mutes the volumn and in turn puts in some nice soothing sounds (or music if you prefer) of waves or a stream trickling then clicks back when your program starts again. Oh that would be cool. Although the ice pick would be a radical solution. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/5 "2000-08-17T21:57:41Z")
The only way to drive one song out is when something even worse comes in to replace it. I had the Smelly Cat song from _Friends_ stuck in my head a while ago. I don’t recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/6 "2000-08-17T21:58:17Z")
ricepad, I don’t hate nor like Britney Spears I just prefer not to wake up with one of her songs stuck in my head LOL. In fact I would prefer not to have any music stuck in my head when I first wake up, my wheels aren’t spinning for about an hour after I get up. ---
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/7 "2000-08-17T22:12:51Z")
try listening to a lot of stuff you like afterward, it may help in getting rid of that pesky spears crap! ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Derfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@Lord\_Derfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Derfel)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/8 "2000-08-17T22:54:44Z")
Could be worse. I realized I spend too much time reading threads here when I went home singing, to the tune of Olivia Newton-John’s _Let’s get Physical_ (or whatever it’s called): _Mis-ter Cynical, Cynical, I want to get Cynical…_ Repeat until your head explodes. It’s hell, I tell you. It was stuck in my head for days. Uh, oh. Here it comes again… ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/9 "2000-08-17T22:59:33Z")
The best way to avoid having your brain taken hostage by those songs: On the radio, listen to NPR. Or have several music stations programmed on your car radio (like I do) and as soon as a commercial comes on, **immediately** switch stations. If I’m watching television and a commercial cuts in, I immediately hit the mute button. Voilà! problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/10 "2000-08-17T23:03:59Z")
Two solutions. Don’t listen to commercial radio, you should have a good college station arround. Also, the V-chip will have the ability to block unrated programs. I’m sure it won’t be long before someone comes up with an add on that blocks commercials that are unrated too. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-songs/29791/11 "2000-08-17T23:52:31Z")
I was just reading something about this problem. Evidently, the answer is to sing the song out loud a few times until your brain gets tired of it. I don’t know if it’s ever be a popular cure.