6A the university daily kansan
news
friday,may 7,2004
TUNES: Music makes the people crazy, students reflect
CONTINUED FROM 1A
cognitive itch," or just another case of song-stuck in the-head
Ruth Ann Atchley, assistant professor of cognitive neuroscience, pointed to the superior temporal lobe, which is the area that helps to detect complex musical sounds such as harmony, melody and rythm yesterday in Fraser Hall. Atchley said that in her reading and research she had found that most of the time a song got stuck in your head because of the music and not the individual who was listening to it. "The last song to get stuck in my head is that song that they play at all the basketball games and everyone yells 'hey,'" Professor Atchley said. The song Atchley was referring to was actually called Rock and Roll Part 2 by Gary Glitter.
in her office, Aitchie grabbed a plastic brain model from a book-shelf and pointed at different areas of the brain.
Brent Carter/Kansas
Rent Carter/Kansas
When you listen to music, areas such as the frontal lobes, prefrontal cortex, parietal lobes and temporal lobes function to receive it, she said.
"These structures would be very active," Atchley said. "The areas would all light up.
Then, what you hear is processed by an area of the brain called the rostromedial prefrontal cortex. The long-worded area is located just above and behind the eyes.
The primary function of this section of the brain is communication, processing and what's called working memory, an important factor in the "cognitive itch." Atchlev said.
"It's sort of keeping stuff on line while we're using it," Aatchley said. "Like when you're trying to remember a phone number and you keep repeating it."
In a way, when a particular song gets stuck in your head, it's running a neurological track around the prefrontal cortex, Aitchley said.
"To every day, Turn, Turn,
Turn, There is a season, turn,
turn, turn."
-The Byrds
The processing track also houses episodic memory, which is everyday events that happen to all of us. People with damage to this area behave in interesting ways. Atchley said.
For example, if a person had damage to that part of their brain and a glass of water was placed in front of them, he would feel as though they had to drink it, even if he wasn't thirsty. And if you poured more water in after he finished, he would drink it again.
"Then you ask them 'why are you doing that, are you thirsty?' and they would say 'No, but I can't help myself. I wish it stop pouring it." Aitchley said.
As far as music getting stuck in your head goes, this is the closest phenomenon to explain it, Atchley said. The prefrontal cortex houses elements of self-control as well.
This explains where the song gets stuck but not why it gets stuck.
Aitchley said when we hear something, it gets processed by the prefrontal cortex. And in another part of the brain, all the songs we've heard are stored in a warehouse called the auditory cortex. When what hear is being
processed, it sometimes triggers a song from the auditory cortex, which then "joins" the memory in the rostromedial prefrontal cortex on the track.
"M us i c makes the people come together, yeah." Madonna
-Madonna
Debra Hedden, associate professor of music education and music therapy, has been teaching music to students for more than 20 years. Hedden said a song could get stuck in your head because it often reminded a person of something that was pleasing or displeasing to them. "The last song that got stuck in my head was Somewhere over the rainbow. It's a pretty appropriate song for Kansas," Hedden said.
She said often times the lyrics of a song are the biggest factor in instances of trapped tunes.
"It also has to do with preference," Hedden said. "Either a song that you really like or really don't like can get lodged in there."
ditty, it has a higher probability of getting wedged,Hedden said.
Hedden used the Bobby McFerrin opus Don't Worry, Be Happy as an example of lyrics that people either love or hate.
"The lyrics were irritating to me," Hedden said. "And a song like that gets stuck in your head because of it."
The combination of the repetition of the song's musical mantra and the story-style simplicity caused the song to get to her, she said.
The song was one that had many of the qualities that would cause a "cognitive itch."
Songs with lyrics are the most frequent'y stuck, according to Kellaris' survey, with 74 percent of the people surveyed saying that's what made their brains the itchiest.
Another typical type of song that itches the cortex is one that has nonsense syllables that are fun to sing along with, such as Hey, Jude by The Beatles, Hedden said.
The last song Hedden had stuck in her head, walking through the hallways of Murphy Hall was a street chant, My Landlord, which had its roots in African-American culture.
Songs that are the most likely to get trapped in your head are extremely simple and repetitive with catchy rhythmic tunes, that progress in a predictable fashion, like It's a Small World After All.
"Help! I need somebody,
Help! Not just anybody, Help!
You know I need someone,
Heeelp!"
-The Beatles
"When you list to someone singing something, you automatically get it stuck in your head." Angela Rodriguez Bogota, Colombia, senior
There are several qualities that make a certain song the kind of song that will cause one of these cognitive itches, said Debra Hedden, associate professor of music education and theory.
If a song has similar lines and the melody alters itself in slight, but predictable ways like the Disney
"I get really frustrated at myself, but it's an ongoing cycle," Loffredo said. "I have to tell myself to shut up."
Her last song was a Hilary Duff tune that she still doesn't know the words to, but surely knows the melody. Beth Jones had the same problem as Loffredo. The Lenexa senior said she would always get Ace of Base's masterpiece *The Sign* stuck in her head and would walk
Though there has been plenty of research about the brain and the phenomenon of trapped tunes, there is no scientific cure.
Whatever the cause may be — radio overplay, catchy melodies or sheer annoyance — Jon Arkin, Reedsburg, Wisc., sophomore, said he had a way to get rid of it.
Many students at the University have their own methods for extracting melodies that infect their brains.
The last song he had stuck in his head was I Swear by All 4 One. The song got trapped because it annoyed him but the chorus was just so catchy, he said.
around singing it.
"I just try to fall asleep as soon as possible," Arkin said.
Angela Loffredo, Des Moines, Iowa, junior, often finds herself simply replacing a stuck song with something else.
"Then someone says 'stop,' Jones said. "And you say 'in the name of love.' And then you h a v e another song stuck."
"I'm Blue, da ba dee
da ba dah, ee da ba dee da
ba dah"
Angela Rodriguez,
Buenos Aires, Colombia
Bogota, Colombia, senior, has seen people fall victim to this kind of musical transference while in the
"When you listen to someone singing something,you automatically get it stuck in your head," Rodriguez said.
transference while in the Kansas Union. Rodriguez said she would see someone singing a song, and then someone who was standing by that person would start singing the same song later.
When she can't avoid the game of musical tag, she whistles to shake songs out that get lodged in her brain.
Delia Kimbrel, Wichita sophmore, said the last song she caught herself walking around singing was 1 *Hate Everything About You* by Three Days Grace.
After about a minute of singing the song on Wescoe Beach, she said she didn't even worry about it. It was OK because she liked the song.
"I just try to deal with it," Kimbrel said. "Eventually, it 'v' will go away."
For many people, though, it doesn't. It's a continuous cycle that we may have to deal with for a long time.
Songs like My Sharona by the Knacl, *Shout* by the Isley Brothers, Gone Till November by Wyclef Jean and Mr. Roboto by Styx will continue to get stranded in our brains, and we'll continue to look for ways to get them out.
ways to get them out.
Good luck.
"I can't get you out of my head."
-Kylie Minogue
Get out of my head
Here's The Kansan's top 10 list of
— Edited by Louise Stauffer and Stephanie Lovett
irritatingly catchy tunes.
Warning: Reading this may torture you for hours.
1. We Will Rock You: Queen
3. Hey Mickey: Toni Basil
4. Henry the Eighth: Herman's Hermits
5. Who Let The Dogs Out:
Baha Men
6. Don't Worry, Be Happy.
Bobby McFerrin
7. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da: The Beatles
8. Hey Ya: Outkast
9. Louie, Louie; The Kingsmen
10. Down Under. Men At Work
Others receiving votes:
What's Up : 4 Non Blondes
Brick House:
Commodores
Lady Marmalade: Paul
LaBelle (the new version is
just as bad)
Smoke on the Water: Deep Purple
Rock Me, Amadeus: Falco
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