Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?

Subject: Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Jan 06 - 01:56 AM

The recent thread about a certain noise being a virus prompted me to think about 'ear-worms'. I have in mind the medieval "musician's curse" or The Bear Dance....

Subject: RE: Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?
From: Dead Horse
Date: 17 Jan 06 - 04:36 AM

Is that the one that strips your mental capacity and leaves your ear drums bare? Or am I thinking of The Hokey Kokey?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 17 Jan 06 - 08:23 AM

Well, Waltzing With Bears...

Subject: RE: Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?
From: Emma B
Date: 17 Jan 06 - 11:38 AM

Came home from Straw Bear on Sunday - chttp://www.mudcat.org/blickifier2.cfm can't get rid of the tune....

Subject: RE: Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?
From: Emma B
Date: 17 Jan 06 - 11:40 AM

http://www.strawbear.org.uk/Saturday%20Procession.htm - Straw Bear tune                                                             darn! - still can't do those links!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?
From: Peace
Date: 17 Jan 06 - 09:16 PM

http://www.strawbear.org.uk/Saturday%20Procession.htm

Subject: RE: Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?
From: CapriUni
Date: 18 Jan 06 - 01:00 AM

Can you elaborate on the "musician's curse," Foolestroupe?

I have heard one folk remedy for getting rid of a tune stuck in your head is to whistle or hum it, until someone else starts picks it up.

...is that what you mean?

Or is "Musician's curse" something else (or the name of a specific song)?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Jan 06 - 07:09 AM

The Bear Dance referred to above was called by that name in the SCA, but I suppose any musical ear worm would qualify.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Is this tune/song a virus ?
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 18 Jan 06 - 07:55 AM

My folk remedy is to sing an even catchier song over in my head silently at great internal volume until it grinds the offending tune to powder.

Sometimes this works....

If necessary I bellow them out loud, but there are a lot of places you can't do that. Still, I haven't noticed that bellowing them out loud is any better than bellowing them internally. Sometimes you can quite silently deafen the stupid thing and thus break its grip on your neurons.

Favorite "remedy" songs can be of this type:

Music, Music, Music
All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Of course the big worry is that the cure will become your next disease.

Bob