# Does anyone else find repeated screaming sounds in a song really annoying? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922 "2013-07-30T17:07:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/1 "2013-07-30T17:07:38Z")
There’s this popular song on the radio. Today I found out what it’s called: “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke. (you can listen to the song on YouTube - I didn’t want to link to it because the lyrics and video may be NSFW.) What annoys me is that there’s this screaming sound in the background that appears every few bars, regularly, throughout the song. It becomes the only thing I can hear in the song (similar to situations described in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=688070).) I hate the song “Jump Around” by House of Pain for the same reason - that song has an even more annoying screaming sound in it. There’s also this music called “Bookshelf Riddim” which features something that sounds like either screaming or howling in it, regularly (starting at around 0:56 in [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp6SQl6McS0).) Can you guys think of any more songs that have screaming sounds in them? Are you annoyed by them? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/2 "2013-07-30T17:16:37Z")
I used to have problems listening to anything by Prince during a certain period because he’d be screaching at the end of every goddamned song. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/3 "2013-07-30T17:43:11Z")
Lord, yes. There’s a commercial that’s been airing for a while now that has this “whoooo!” scream in the background through the music that’s playing. Makes me stabby. Heaven help me, I think it’s Yoplait or some similar thing. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/4 "2013-07-30T18:07:01Z")
Pink Floyd-“Careful With That Axe, Eugene” [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYMyxTFwuz8) ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/5 "2013-07-30T18:15:13Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I hate the song “Jump Around” by House of Pain for the same reason - that song has an even more annoying screaming sound in it. I know exactly what you mean. It’s not like a person screaming, but a rising “EEEEEEEEE” sound effect. I hate that too. Seemed to be common in the 90s, but I don’t remember specific songs offhand. Just stuff from the pop music station I only heard at work or in other people’s cars or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/6 "2013-07-30T18:22:39Z")
Straight-up distortion really irritates me too. Like Karma Police, which ends with a bunch of [horrible feedback screeching](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IBH97ma9YiI&t=221). Or [this](http://youtu.be/S2whdGwK84Y) Beck song, which I love except for this part just past the middle where I’m pretty sure it was designed to make you scream and throw your headphones off your head. (Skip to ~3:17 to see what I mean) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/7 "2013-07-30T18:36:19Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > There’s this popular song on the radio. Today I found out what it’s called: “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke. (you can listen to the song on YouTube - I didn’t want to link to it because the lyrics and video may be NSFW.) What annoys me is that there’s this screaming sound in the background that appears every few bars, regularly, throughout the song. It becomes the only thing I can hear in the song (similar to situations described in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=688070).) I hated this song for that exact same reason when I first started hearing it. Then I started hearing it ALL THE TIME and couldn’t get away from it. (I spend a lot of time bowling, and most bowling alleys play music on the same loop, repeated every hour – I’m not really exaggerating.) I finally heard it so much and caved in to it being catchy, and was able to ignore the sound you refer to (which I think of as someone imitating Michael Jackson, rather than a scream). ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/8 "2013-07-30T19:18:25Z")
Screaming is practically a requirement for music that I will listen to. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/9 "2013-07-30T19:36:46Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I hated this song for that exact same reason when I first started hearing it. Then I started hearing it ALL THE TIME and couldn’t get away from it. (I spend a lot of time bowling, and most bowling alleys play music on the same loop, repeated every hour – I’m not really exaggerating.) I finally heard it so much and caved in to it being catchy, and was able to ignore the sound you refer to (which I think of as someone imitating Michael Jackson, rather than a scream). It is really catchy, but that’s only because they borrowed liberally from Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/10 "2013-07-30T19:40:06Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I hate the song “Jump Around” by House of Pain for the same reason - that song has an even more annoying screaming sound in it. > [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > I know exactly what you mean. It’s not like a person screaming, but a rising “EEEEEEEEE” sound effect. That’s a sax sample from the beginning of Junior Walker & the All Stars’ [“Shoot Your Shot.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk3bF6iVzwE) ETA: And here’s where they got the [opening horn fanfare](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjrvEeQowRk). ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/11 "2013-07-30T19:41:53Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > I know exactly what you mean. It’s not like a person screaming, but a rising “EEEEEEEEE” sound effect. I hate that too. > > Seemed to be common in the 90s, but I don’t remember specific songs offhand. Just stuff from the pop music station I only heard at work or in other people’s cars or whatever. Songs like that make me look up and wonder aloud, “Who is kicking a horse and why was that included on a musical track?” 😕 That sounds like a horse screaming to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/12 "2013-07-30T20:00:57Z")
I can’t think of a circumstance under which I _don’t_ find repetitive screaming unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/13 "2013-07-30T21:10:30Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I can’t think of a circumstance under which I _don’t_ find repetitive screaming unpleasant. Um… not even one? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/14 "2013-07-30T21:20:28Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I hate the song “Jump Around” by House of Pain for the same reason - that song has an even more annoying screaming sound in it. That was exactly the song I thought of when I read the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![tripthicket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripthicket/32/297_2.png) [@tripthicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tripthicket)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/15 "2013-07-30T23:29:15Z")
I think I’d be interested in hearing a song where the Wilhelm Scream was featured repeatedly, perhaps even as the main reason for the song. Of course, either the band or the lead singer would have to be named Wilhelm. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/16 "2013-07-31T00:11:33Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Screaming is practically a requirement for music that I will listen to. I’m generally not adverse to screaming in music - screamo where it’s incoherent the whole song aside - but the song in the OP \*is \*really annoying. But then again, I don’t like Robin Thicke anyway. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/17 "2013-07-31T00:20:50Z")
“Blurred Lines” will continue to be inescapable for the next few months I reckon. For some different screaming try Lorde’s [“Tennis Court”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Ymd-OCucs) ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/18 "2013-07-31T00:29:40Z")
Ha ha, Jump Around is one of my favorite songs of all time, and I absolutely adore Blurred Lines. Different strokes and all that. 🙂 :: toddles off to watch the vid for Blurred Lines for the umpteenth time :: ---
**Author:** ![Girlundone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Girlundone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girlundone)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/19 "2013-07-31T17:12:04Z")
I love screaming in music. I am also a big fan of the death metal growl. ---
**Author:** ![Girlundone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Girlundone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girlundone)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922/20 "2013-07-31T19:23:41Z")
[QUOTE=Green Beans] :: toddles off to watch the vid for Blurred Lines for the umpteenth time :: [/QUOTE] I like [this version](http://youtu.be/tKfwCjgiodg) better. Do not click if you are offended by men in thongs or your workplace frowns upon men in thongs. In the original, they seriously couldn’t have found any better looking feet to rub Robin Thicke’s face?? Those are some bustin’ up lookin’ feet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-find-repeated-screaming-sounds-in-a-song-really-annoying/664922.md?page=2)