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The 10 Worst Songs to Have Stuck in Your Head Hiking
You’ve been there, you know the pain. For social, weight, or practical issues, the iPod stays home, not in the backpack. And despite one last listen of a really cool tune before you lock your vehicle and head into the backcountry, it happens: The worst song in the world gets stuck in your head. Over and over and over….
In German, they’re called ohrwurms, in English earworms, and short of a self-lobotomy or drunken stupor, there’s no real cure. Scientists don’t even know what causes them, though some have proposed that certain songs have “resonant frequencies” that make them more likely to stick. The University of Cincinnati’s Dr. James Kellaris, a.k.a. Dr. Earworm, has suggested the Theory of Cognitive Itch–some songs act as histamines do on the skin and the only way to scratch them is by playing them repeatedly in your head.
Regardless of how or why, here’s my list (feel free to post your own)…but be careful…you might want to put on some good music first. Just reading these titles shows how contagious these tunes really are.
10. “We Built This City,” by Starship
9. “Achy Breaky Heart,” by Billy Ray Cyrus
8. “Tom’s Diner‚” by Suzanne Vega
7. “Whoomp! There It Is,” by Tag Team
6. “Who Let the Dogs Out,” by Baha Men
5. “Copacabana,” by Barry Manilow
4. “Ants Go Marching,” by artist unknown
3. “Tie a Yellow Ribbon,” by Tony Orlando
2. “My Sharona,” by The Knack
1. “My Humps,” by Black Eyed Peas
Tags: Discussion
12 comments for “The 10 Worst Songs to Have Stuck in Your Head Hiking”
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With 2 kids under 4 my current “earworm” list is slightly different-
top 5:
5. Big Red Car- the Wiggles
4. Dora Theme- Dora the Explorer
3. ABC- Super Why
2. Bah Bah blacksheep- unknown
1. Wonderific Your Terrific- Super Why
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Sorry to do this folks, but…
I love to go a-wandering
Along the mountain track
And when I go, I love to sing
My knapsack on my back
Valderee, valderah,
Valderee, valderah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha,
Valderee, valderah,
My knapsack on my back
Ugh! Just shoot me!!
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The question is, are there some songs which are more annoying to have stuck in your head when you’re hiking rather than when you’re, say, just washing dishes at home? My vote goes for anything that rings of campfire kitsch, Kum Ba Yah anyone?
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Two Words: Phil Collins
When trekking, kayaking or even sailing getting “su-su-sussudio” stuck in your head is the absolute worst! Although Philly Boy’s lyrics might have captivated my former five year old self, I now loathe the fact that its embedded in my hiking sub conscious.
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I imagine that “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” would be bad if you’re thirsty and if you like beer.
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Thanks for getting the Growing Pains’ theme (show me that smile again…) out of my head!
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How about “It’s a Small World After All” !
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paulo Reply:
April 21st, 2009 at 11:44 am
@Bernice Klaben, omg that song came right from hell! Once it’s in, hang it up!
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one time I had “dinah won’t you blow your horn” lodged for, like, 2 days in an otherwise beautiful and silent camping trip. that was the closest i’ve come to hammering two tenpenny nails into my ears (if i only had them on hand!). the antidote turned out to be “scooby doo” theme.
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For me, the theme from “My Three Sons” is a surefire cure for earworms
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Man, has to be:
1) You’re Beautiful – James Blunt
2) Macarena – Los del Río
3) Umbrella – Rihanna
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Paradise by the Dashboard Light gets stuck in my cranium for weeks sometimes- it’s been the only awful one to get lodged, and it’s been going on for years.
I feel for the “su-su-sussudio” girl- that would be wayyyyyy worse than “…Till the end of time…I said that I’d love you till the end of time, and now I’m waiting for the time to come…….”
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