# Do you have a constant soundtrack in your head? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145 "2005-07-05T15:32:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/41 "2005-07-08T17:30:52Z")
Count another one of the music-headed people. For me, my personal jukebox is very well behaved–if I have external music playing (as right now, on my computer), it shuts down and I only hear the music coming out of the speakers. Otherwise, the PJ fills in the gaps when there is no other music playing. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/42 "2005-07-08T18:27:10Z")
I often find Michael Crawford’s rendition of Music of the Night running in my head. In my fantasies I’ve got his voice and Brooke Shields is playing Christine. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/43 "2005-07-08T18:34:35Z")
All the time. Even if it’s a song that I don’t like. For example, last week, “These Boots Are Made For Walking” by Jessica Simpson was playing in my head and I absolutely hate the song AND the video. Now, I’ve got “Some Say” by Sum-41 in my head, which is much more acceptable than the aforementioned song. Usually, it’s a music video that keeps getting played on TV, so the song gets stuck in my head. So, I carry my mp3 player around everywhere so I can hear the actual song and it sounds better than me singing it. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/44 "2005-07-08T18:43:33Z")
I have one that runs occasionally. It goes _Bow-chika-bow-bow_ and usually starts when I’m cleaning the pool or fixing a leaky faucet. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/45 "2005-07-08T19:08:15Z")
I don’t remember a second of my life when the jukebox in my mind wasn’t playing something. Sometimes I have to play some “real” music, just to drown it out. I also occasionally dream music, entire long works like operas or symphonies, just like listening to them in real time. I’m curious to know exactly how long these dreams actually take. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/46 "2005-07-08T19:14:45Z")
I don’t know if it’s totally constant, because I’ve never contemplated this before. But nearly all the time, at least. Right now _Holiday_ by Green Day has been playing for a while, although earlier this morning it was a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Also, as a bonus, many thread titles in the SDMB suggest songs to me. I have no idea why some people need iPods. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/47 "2005-07-08T20:13:09Z")
Yes. Almost always, and quite frequently it’s music that I hate, or something I haven’t listened to in years. It’s just background noise, though, and doesn’t usually bother me. I had _Eye of the Tiger_ stuck in my head all yesterday. Right now it’s _Floorkiller_ by Covenant, and mostly the weird beeping part. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/48 "2005-07-08T21:53:31Z")
> [@Ol'Gaffer](#): > > I have one that runs occasionally. > > It goes _Bow-chika-bow-bow_ and usually starts when I’m cleaning the pool or fixing a leaky faucet. Does it still happen when you deliver pizza to a Sorority house? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/49 "2005-07-08T22:19:19Z")
Constant. From the moment I wake up (or possibly even before I wake up) to the moment I go to sleep (and possibly continues into my sleep). Sometimes the record breaks and skips for a while… but it’s mostly backround noise. In my head. Right now it’s “That Girl” by Esthero. I will forget about it, tune back in later and find some other song I haven’t heard in years. Or perhaps just heard yesterday. My inner DJ is capricious. ---
**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:** [July 8, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/50 "2005-07-08T22:29:18Z")
The only time I don’t have a song running through my head is when I’m actively listening to music. If the music is just on in the background, it’s possible for me to have a completely different song running through my mind. You mean everyone doesn’t do this? **Jayn** - I get the medley effect, too. Yesterday, it was an earworms twofer - “Milk and Cereal” by G Love and Special Sauce mixed with “Bananaphone.” I had to put Suzanne Vega on to drown it out. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/51 "2005-07-09T06:06:43Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > Oh, thanks so much. Now Kylie Minogue is in my head. 😛 Hee hee hee. Just out of curiosity, did any of you other people with the personal jukebox listen to the radio while you slept as a kid? ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/52 "2005-07-09T10:28:28Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Just out of curiosity, did any of you other people with the personal jukebox listen to the radio while you slept as a kid? I did! For the period 1970-1975 I listened to the radio at every opportunity, and went to sleep with it on. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/53 "2005-07-09T10:57:38Z")
I have two soundtracks, both by Miles Davis. Kind Of Blue and Bitches Brew will play in my head if I’m not listening to other music or concentrating on something else. They just kind of mellow me out. ---
**Author:** ![marque\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@marque\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marque_elf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/54 "2005-07-09T19:24:14Z")
I usually wake up and song pops into mind. If I listen to it right away, then the next day a diffferent song is playing. If not, then after a few days it goes away to bereplaced by something new. I don’t have a constant soundtrack but I do have parts of songs that pop into mind at odd times of the day, often with no clue as to what triggered it. It is almost always some song that I haven’t memorized completely. Memorizing the song seems to remove it from my pop-up soundscape. I’ve often wondered why this is. Yesterday the song was Leonard Cohen’s _Coming Back To You_, the part where he sings “You must promise me this is true. Or all I’ve said is just instead of coming back to you.” Interestingly, it was alive version rather than the studio version. Usually it’s the other way around. My real problem is with interesting last names. I read a history of the World Cup and Jairzinho name got stuck in my head for weeks. During the Solidarity crisis in Poland, I had General Jarelzewski’s name haunting me. It isn’t just multi-syllabic names beginning with “J” either. It sometimes is company names. I can get really annoying and I know of no way to stop it. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/55 "2005-07-09T20:51:30Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Just out of curiosity, did any of you other people with the personal jukebox listen to the radio while you slept as a kid? Nope. Like **marque elf** , I get words or phrases stuck in my head too, though not usually names. I’ll find myself repeating the same phrase over and over mentally. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/56 "2005-07-09T21:15:42Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Hee hee hee. > > Just out of curiosity, did any of you other people with the personal jukebox listen to the radio while you slept as a kid? As a matter of fact, I did. Kinda. It was an old-fashioned transistor radio. Only, while I do like New Wave, it was always classical music. Not classic rock, or New Wave, unlike the songs I hear. Thus, I assume my listening to the radio has nothing to do with this. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Wing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/51bf81/32.png) [@Little\_Wing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Wing)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/57 "2005-07-09T23:13:35Z")
Oh, yeah, this happens to me as well. It’s mostly in the mornings, though, as if some mad DJ has been running rampant through my head during the night, picking the oddest tunes to play. And, boy, does he stink. If I’m lucky, it’ll be a song I like. I’ll wake up with a song in my head that I haven’t heard for years (like Wildwood Flower by Jim Stafford…what the hell?). And one memorable morning, I had that stupid whistling jingle from the Enzyte commercial stuck in my head. And–great. Guess what’s playing in my head now? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/58 "2005-07-10T04:07:11Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Hee hee hee. > > Just out of curiosity, did any of you other people with the personal jukebox listen to the radio while you slept as a kid? Funny you should ask. I got a cheapie transistor radio when I was 10 or 11, and would listen to Top 40, usually falling asleep with it still on. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145/59 "2005-07-10T04:16:31Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > As a matter of fact, I did. Kinda. It was an old-fashioned transistor radio. Only, while I do like New Wave, it was always classical music. Not classic rock, or New Wave, unlike the songs I hear. Thus, I assume my listening to the radio has nothing to do with this. I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it. I don’t think that **featherlou** was implying that the music you hear now is related to the music you used to hear as you fell asleep. I think it’s more related to the fact that you hear music all the time because you have trained yourself to listen to it all the time - even when you’re sleeping. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-constant-soundtrack-in-your-head/311145.md?page=2)