As the worm turns...

This morning I went to wake up my children for school, and in my best effort to not appear to growl at them in my just-awoken state, I sing-songed, “Get out of beeeeed!!!”

And just like that, I was screwed for the rest of the day.

Not because they grumbled and growled (they come by it honestly) about not wanting to get up. That’s an everyday occurrence. And not because being in their bedrooms enlightens me as to how much they need to pick up the Legos, American Girl doll clothes, and Barbies (another everyday occurrence.)




I’m screwed because now I have the theme song for "PeeWee’s Playhouse" stuck in my head.

The second I sang out, “Get out of beeeeed,” the song jumped, unbidden, unwanted, into my brain, and I’ve been unable to shake it loose since.


And I’m not in the habit of watching "PeeWee’s Playhouse" (anymore), so while I can’t seem to stop replaying the song in my head, it’s just bits and pieces on a loop, with lots of muffled la-las for the words I have no hope of remembering.

“Get out of beeeed…there’ll be no more nappin’! (Wake u-up!)
It’s a la la la la la where anything can happen!
It’s a la la la la la…
It’s gonna be that kind of morning.
For getting wacky…
For blah blah blah blah
Getting cuckooooooo
AT PEEWEE’S PLAAAAYHOOOOUSE!!!”

Ba-dum-bum.

So, I’ve been struck with the dreaded ‘earworm’.

It has always surprised me that this phenomenon has a name, and a downright creepy one, at that.


From the Discovery Health Website…

“Why do songs get inextricably stuck in our heads? Experts say the culprits are earworms (or "ohrwurms," as they're called in Germany). No, they're not parasites that crawl into your ear and lay musical eggs in your brain, but they are parasitic in the sense that they get lodged in your head and cause a sort of "cognitive itch" or "brain itch" -- a need for the brain to fill in the gaps in a song's rhythm.”

And the article goes on to mention that unfortunately, there's no tried and true way to get songs out of your head once they're stuck in there. They can stick in your brain for anywhere from a few minutes to several days. But here were some suggestions that they offered up if you (or I!) were on the verge of insanity:


1. Sing another song, or play another melody on an instrument. (Guess I could use my fourth-grader’s spit-filled recorder.)


2. Switch to an activity that keeps you busy, such as working out, or doing housework. (‘Discovery Health sponsored by Clorox’...No thanks!)


3. Listen to the song all the way through.

(I did finally do this… went to YouTube and watched the show’s opening credits. And I saw all my old friends… Chairy, Pterry, Jambi, and Clocky!

Um… not that I used to WATCH it, or anything.
Uh, I mean it was always on in the background on, uh, Saturday mornings. I didn’t WATCH it…I was a teenager, after all, with, uh, WAY more important things to do than watch a Saturday morning cartoon. Geez. ;)


4. Turn on the radio or a CD to get your brain tuned in to another song.


5. Picture the earworm as a real creature crawling out of your head, and imagine stomping on it. (Um… ick?)



6. Share the song with a friend. (Soooo… you’re welcome.)


Discovery Health was kind enough to reassure me that nothing is inherently wrong with me. It is perfectly natural to have a catchy jingle stuck in your head.

And the fact that it’s been over twenty years since that show has even been on television, and probably equally as long since I’ve heard the theme song??





Just a b*tch of a brain itch, I guess.