I asked a friend about this (ok he is also very musical so it may have been a bit of deck stacking). When it is quiet, a song will start playing in my head and I asked if this happens to him also. And I think I have mentioned that most mornings when I wake up, a song for the day starts to play unaided in my head (today was she’s cute but psycho). And I can change the song if I focus but if I don’t focus, it just plays in my head or at least as much as I remember and then starts again or I put music on from an outside source.
Anyway, he said yeah when it is quiet it does happen if he is not actively listening to music but most of the time these days, he is listening to music so that trumps the brain playlist. I did feel a bit better and not so odd.
I went to my friend Google and no it is not an earworm. I do get those also but that is really not it. And then after about 20 minutes down rabbit holes, I realized I had not written a word on this post. There did seem to be others that this happens too so that helped. I did remember my mom, who worked many years in a nursing home, talking about how speech and singing came from different parts of the brain (hence the abilities of people after stroke) and wondered what part of the brain was “music in your head.”
I feel better knowing others have this also. It really doesn’t bother me a great deal as many times it is songs I forgot I liked or I try to see some deep profoundness my brain worked out. It is just when you mention it to people who have non song brains… and they give you the odd look, it gets unsettling.
You’re laughing out loud at the thought of just being alive
And I was wondering if I could just be you tonight
Credit: Rob Thomas/Matchbox 20
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