Mark Twain was familiar with the concept of an ear worm.  https://acephalous.typepad.com/acephalous/mark-twain-a-literary-nig.html 

Robert McCloskey's Homer Price also encountered an ear worm in "Pie and Punch and You-Know-Whats", the last chapter of "Centerburg Tales".  https://www.audible.com/pd/Homer-Price-and-Centerburg-Tales-by-Robert-McCloskey-Pie-and-Punch-and-You-Know-Whats-Podcast/B08ZM4JTQF

The key to ear worm relief is that the substitute tune must (a) not have any tempting/endless-loop repeats in it, (b) should be interesting/varied enough to hold your attention long enough to blot out the ear worm, and (c) must have a clear & final/satisfying ending. 

My go-to is Stars & Stripes Forever (yes, there are repeats, but first you add the trombones, then you add the piccolo, and trying to keep both countermelodies going in your head at the same time is enough of a challenge to stamp out any worm). 

Becky

On May 3, 2022, at 11:52 AM, Robert Golder via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

I find earworm relief in Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy (solo piano). Best wishes … Bob

On May 3, 2022, at 11:23 AM, Amy Cann via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

You need an EarwormCancellationDevice  (I forget how to say it in German).

It's a tune -- personal to you, everyone has their own -- that when
you sing or hum it will nudge the parasite out and take its place, and
then you can stop singing *it*. It's a two-step process.

The person who educated me about this uses "Simple Gifts", my own is
Le Marche De Rois from Bizet's L'Arlesienne.

On 5/3/22, Ridge Kennedy via Contra Callers
<contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

Curse you callers & musicians. I am now infected with one of the most
insidious of parasites: The earworm Baumontum Raggus. The nasty little
creature is crawling through my subconscious at a leisurely 86 bpm,
frequently raising its volume and causing erratic shoulder shimmies and the
occasional bobbing of the head. Shame on all of you for allowing
this beastly little bug to spread.

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