# Ever have a \*non-musical\* earworm? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 30, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209 "2008-12-30T14:21:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/1 "2008-12-30T14:21:56Z")
Sometimes after hearing a bit of memorable spoken dialogue, I’ll have it in my head all day. Always the most ridiculous things, however, and generally inexplicable. Last night I caught a bit of Tim Burton’s second Batman movie, with Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken. Two things stuck with me from the scene where the DeVito’s Penguin is on a rooftop, coming on to Pfeiffer’s Catwoman. He offers champagne and says in a low, grinding voice: “Touch of the bubbly?” A moment later she retorts: “I wouldn’t touch you to scratch you.” _All day_ those two bits of dialogue have been randomly popping up in my mind. Open a spreadsheet and the Penguin growls, “Touch of the bubbly?” I might as well make it my ringtone or something. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/2 "2008-12-30T14:24:49Z")
All the freaking time. If it’s not music it’ll be a quote, or sometimes just a single word. After rewatching _Dark Knight_ I had that mixed up with Jeff Dunham– “Where is Dent?” “Over there, over there, and up there.” ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/3 "2008-12-30T14:26:03Z")
“The ticking crocodile catches up with us all.”( or words to that effect ) from the movie “Neverland”. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/4 "2008-12-30T14:31:30Z")
> [@Jayn\_Newell](#): > > All the freaking time. Yep. When a comedian I like has a new special, I will invariably wind up repeating certain lines from it for days if not weeks. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/5 "2008-12-30T14:34:15Z")
When JFK Jr’s plane went down, Dan Rather ended his broadcast by saying “Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, [here his voice cracked] for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.” I can still hear the way he said it. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/6 "2008-12-30T17:25:52Z")
LISA NEEDS BRACERS! DENTAL PLAN Over and over again for days at a time. ---
**Author:** ![bufftabby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bufftabby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bufftabby)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/7 "2008-12-30T18:14:20Z")
All the time. It’s usually random people’s names. It drives me insane. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/8 "2008-12-30T18:35:39Z")
Left left left left Left a wife with seventeen children In a starving condition with nothing but gingerbread left left left left . . . . 😉 ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/9 "2008-12-30T18:46:52Z")
A friend quickly and casually ordered _carne guisada_ in a Mexican food place thirty years ago, and to this day any mention of that dish has me hearing his voice saying “Carnegie salad” for the rest of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/10 "2008-12-30T19:26:05Z")
“Why so serious?” and “Let’s put a smile on that face” (in an angry, growly voice) from _The Dark Knight_ have been going through my head for the last few days. ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/11 "2008-12-30T23:48:25Z")
You know you’ve been lurking the Dope for too long when… This happens to me now and then with weird usernames or phrases I see in thread titles. I can’t think of one off the top of my head right now, and I’m rather pleased by that so I won’t go searching… ---
**Author:** ![Dosipede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dosipede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dosipede)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/12 "2008-12-31T02:29:58Z")
“Kif!” “Yes, c–ugh. Yes, captain?” “I have made it with a woman. Inform the men.” This little sound byte resides both on my comuter hard drive and in the back of my brain. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/13 "2008-12-31T02:40:35Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Last night I caught a bit of Tim Burton’s second Batman movie, with Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken. Two things stuck with me from the scene where the DeVito’s Penguin is on a rooftop, coming on to Pfeiffer’s Catwoman. He offers champagne and says in a low, grinding voice: “Touch of the bubbly?” A moment later she retorts: “I wouldn’t touch you to scratch you.” Sometimes I get the Penguin in my head saying, “I played this city like a harp from hell!” And the lines about mistletoe being deadly if you eat it. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/14 "2008-12-31T02:42:46Z")
“Ah, Frog.” “S. Frog, sir.” “[Shut up](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYwVlMsbk6g).” ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/15 "2009-01-15T22:52:46Z")
Sorry to resurrect this, but today I have a non-musical earworm. A friend’s kid was at a playground that had one of those metal geodesic domes. Not a bright kid, he got his tongue stuck to the frozen metal. Anyway, it reminded me of when I was a kid and one summer a pack of girls had turned the dome in the playground into their own club house. They were all standing on it chanting “No boys allowed! No boys allowed!” and any boy who tried to climb it got the snot beat out of him. So when I heard about my friend’s kid stuck to the dome, I thought “Gee, he’s lucky no girls had taken it over.” And I have ever since been sitting here at my work desk, mentally chanting: “No boys allowed! No boys allowed! No boys allowed!” I’m a guy! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/16 "2009-01-15T23:03:48Z")
I’ve been driving my wife crazy the last two days by constantly saying “You promised me dog or higher!” (Mayor Quimby) ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/17 "2009-01-15T23:35:52Z")
Yes. I get movie or image clips playing in my brain. Like the pink marching elephants from Dumbo. “It puts the lotion on!” “Lady, I _am_ the bad element.” ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/18 "2009-01-15T23:46:36Z")
My mom and I both have a running gag involving the way the King of Hyrule says “My boy…” in the oft-mocked-online opening to the CD-I game _Link: The Faces of Evil_. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/19 "2009-01-16T00:19:14Z")
I have a (partially) non-musical earworm. Last weekend my partner and I watched _Burn After Reading_. There was a scene in which Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand are going to call John Malkovich to blackmail him and Brad Pitt dances across the kitchen going: “I got his NUMbah! I got his NUMbah!” I have been doing a version of that on a daily basis ever since. For instance I had to feed the minions. _dancing_ “I got the CAT food! I got the CAT food!” Next day I had to take her dog for a walk and put salt-proof dog boots on his paws. _dancing_ “I got the BOOties! I got the BOOties!” Edit: I’m annoying myself. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209/20 "2012-06-29T07:11:02Z")
Am I allowed to resurrect this? 'Cause all day in my mind Missy Elliott has been insisting, “Range rover, bitch move over. Wear more ice than the bears in the polar.” And I had to tell somebody. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-have-a-non-musical-earworm/479209.md?page=2)