musical memory - phrases triggering off lyrics

[HelloMist]

Does anyone else read or hear words or phrases that trigger off a song lyric? I get this. Not sure if there's a name for it, like synesthesia with colours? Maybe it happens now and then to lots of music lovers but I feel like it's more than that as I get it quite a lot. I hear that part of the song or want to start singing it rather than it being a conscious decision to connect something to a song.

If I know the song and can listen immediately I'll do that, if I don't I'll spend a while trying to figure out what it is! It may be new or something I haven't heard in a long time.

Examples: just now I saw a child's top on eBay with the slogan "chasing rainbows" and it made me think of TLC's Waterfalls. (I wasn't a particular fan and haven't heard it in years). Another day I was doing "home learning" with my child and talking about mistakes. Straight away "mistakes mis-shapes" in my head so wanted to play "Misshapes" by Pulp. 🙂 Just wondered if anyone else experiences similar. Or whether there's a name for it!

Intrigued to know if it's a known phenomenon too! This is me all the time.

Yes all the time, just as you've described, a random word or phrase can set it off and the song might stay with me for weeks or months. When it's particularly bad I'll hear the same part of the song over and over, even if I briefly wake in the night it'll be there. I don't normally mind much but it can be irritating if it's a song I don't like.

I don't know if there's a name for it, I'd call it an earworm but I guess that's when you hear a song and can't get it out of your head.

I get this all the time. I wake up in the morning with a song in my head every day. I don't have any control over what song it is. It often can be stuck with me for most of the rest of the day. The things people say trigger song lyrics for me and I'm off with a new song in my head.

Today someone said "it's left me in the dark". Cue hours of my brain playing "Dancing in the Dark" on repeat. I'll often go to YouTube and play the song. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't.

I love music and have a good ear for songs and bands. When we're in the shops or in a restaurant and there's music playing I'll announce who the band/artist is to my partner.

Yes, definitely. This is where my username comes from actually - this isn't very outing because only a few people IRL outside of my immediate family know this now, but my first name is actually Carrie, although I've gone by my middle name for years.

I don't have a 'visual' memory of my grandad because he died when I was 3 or 4, but he used to sing that song to me ("Swing on a star" by Bing Crosby) and whenever I hear someone say "would you like to..." whatever, I start humming the song and then I can remember his voice so clearly 🤗.

It happens with other songs too of course. Just in the past few days I've had:

1. I was browsing Rightmove earlier and saw a house in Orchard Road, so I played that (Leo Sayer) on YouTube and have been humming it on and off for hours.

2. I was watching a programme about London. The Underground signs sent me on a Wombles loop for days!

3. My neighbour has a lovely little dog called Lucy, so I'll have the Beatles song "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" going round in my head for hours after I see them too.

4. my DH remarked that one of our Ddogs is very "protective" towards one of the others who is a rather wonky rescued dog, he gently steers her out of the way of big puddles etc 😍. I had to watch "The power of love" by Frankie goes to Hollywood, twice (for the bit about "I'll protect you from the hooded claw" bit), and then look at the Jennifer Rush song of the same name!

I have songs going on in my head nearly all of the time. I like it though.

Thanks for the replies, interesting and good to know I'm in good company! Sorry for the slow reply.

To me, ear worms aren't quite the same (unless triggered off by something heard etc), although I do get those too.

Today's trigger was "pressure". Can't remember the conversation now. I got a snippet in my head "apply some pressure". Luckily remembered that it was Maximo Park and now happily listening to it for the second time.

I bet this thread had lots of songs running through heads!

Yes. Or poems.
I have a never ending stock of poems that I can quote for different occasions. Unfortunately I don't remember things that would be more useful. 😂