Warning: Read this report at your own risk — especially if you are prone to getting songs stuck in your head.
As our Central Standard prepared for a talk show on music and memory this week, that got us thinking about ear worms.
We took to social media and the airwaves and asked: What songs get stuck in your head?
The biggest recurring hits stemmed from theme music for TV shows and movies, according to feedback from Kansas Citians:
• Star Wars
• “My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music
• Friends
• Gilligan’s Island
• The Addams Family
• “The Lumberjack Song” from Monty Python
• Les Misérables
• The Phantom of the Opera
Listeners also cited a lot of songs from the 1970s and 1980s. Abba’s “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” was the only song that came up more than once. Here’s a sampling of the others:
• “Love Will Keep Us Together,” by Captain & Tennille
• “I Was Born to Love You,” by Queen
• “Oh Girl,” by the Chi-Lites
• “The Final Countdown,” by Europe
Listeners also listed several children’s songs, such as “The Song That Never Ends.” And this public service announcement, “Dumb Ways to Die,” aimed at curbing railroad-crossing deaths, was catchy enough to warrant a mention.
See some other highlights from the KCUR Twitter conversation below.
For the full Twitter stream, follow the #TellKCUR hashtag or see other responses on our Facebook page.
Tell KCUR is part of an initiative to engage the community and shine a light on your experiences and opinions. We’ll ask a new question every week and then share your feedback on the air and online. Everyone has knowledge and insight to share. Be a source for KCUR and let us know more about your expertise.