# For the love of Pete, get this song outta my head! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 15, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337 "2002-10-15T15:18:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [October 16, 2002, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/41 "2002-10-16T18:40:34Z")
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PURGING A SONG: Sing the words of _Amazing Grace_ to the tune of _Gilligan’s Island_. Your brain will have to think of the words of one song and the tune of another while keeping them distinct-yet-together. It will keep your brain busy figuring out the trick so that neither song will get stuck in your head while they shove the other one out of your noggin. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/42 "2002-10-16T19:08:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*What I hate is when you know the tune but not the words and you have to make up your own. My personal ditty makes me cringe but I don’t know how it’s suppossed to go… > > _Jesus Christ, Superstar > Who in the hell do you think you are?_ > > :eek: \*\* Jesus Christ, Superstar Do you think you’re what they say you are? complete lyrics [here](http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mac/hudba/jcsmore.html) ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/43 "2002-10-16T23:35:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Charmian \* > \*\*INSTRUCTIONS FOR PURGING A SONG: > > Sing the words of _Amazing Grace_ to the tune of _Gilligan’s Island_. > \*\* Hey, that _does_ work! But now I’m totally obsessed with how odd it is that the words to _Amazing Grace_ fit so well into the tune of _Gilligan’s Island_. That has to mean…something. Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/44 "2002-10-16T23:57:31Z")
For those of you who know the Australian National Anthem, it’s also Gilligan-ready. Actually, the _Gilligan’s Island_ version is a vast improvement on the original. It’s also strangely apt. 😃 [sub]psst… Aussies, you can also sing it to Jimmy Barnes’ _Working Class Man_![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/45 "2002-10-16T23:57:38Z")
Ya see, that Amazing Grace thing wouldn’t work for me. I’m not a big fan of the song (been to too many funerals) so I avoid the song at all costs. I can’t be bursting out in tears every time I think about the Love Boat theme song. (Although I am at the point now where it’s going to make me cry, since I can’t get it out of my friggin’ head!) Now my smart-aleck research assistants have been slipping pictures of cruise ships under my door, and every once in a while I will catch them humming it. I swear, they’re all out to get me committed. Dirty rats. Oh well. _…the LOVE BOAT…soon will be making another run…_ ---
**Author:** ![Kimmom2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Kimmom2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmom2)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/46 "2002-10-17T00:29:43Z")
I don’t wanna grow up I’m a Toys-R-Us kid There’s a million toys at Toys-R-Us That I can play with… ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/47 "2002-10-17T01:21:27Z")
**Skerri** , all I can do is sympathize. Monday night, I had DaVinci’s Notebook’s _Title Of The Song_ stuck in my head. It’s a brilliant parody of every boy band hit single you ever heard, but when you’ve heard it in your head for the 20th time, it gets annoying. **Happy Heathen** , be careful, I still remember the 80’s dreck thread, and I’m not afraid to quote lyrics! 😃 CJ ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/48 "2002-10-17T02:18:39Z")
And then there’s the hole Emily Dickenson/“Yellow Rose of Texas” trick, you might try that… o/-I would not stop to wait for death, so he kindly stopped for meeee…o/- ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/49 "2002-10-17T02:34:09Z")
**CJ -** So, \***now[/i** you’re ready to play? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/50 "2002-10-17T02:35:37Z")
well, _something_ like that… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337/51 "2002-10-17T02:39:05Z")
You can pretty much switch lyrics/tunes from any two songs in ballad meter. Experiment with these for some hilarious results: - Amazing Grace - Gilligan’s Island - Stairway to Heaven - The U.S. Marines song (“From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli”: that one) - Darling Clementine That should keep you queasily occupied for a while. (I especially recommend lyrics to “Gilligan’s Island” to tune of “Stairway.”) Personally, I find “It’s a Small World” the hands-down worst song for sticking in one’s head. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-pete-get-this-song-outta-my-head/132337.md?page=2)