24 min

The Sticky Song The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry

    • Science

Why do songs get stuck in our heads? And what makes some tunes stickier than others?
Drs Rutherford and Fry investigate 'earworms', those musical refrains that infect our brains for days. Every morning 6Music DJ Shaun Keaveney asks his listeners for their earworms, and Hannah finds out which tunes keep coming back.
Adam asks Dr Lauren Stewart, from Goldsmiths University, to reveal the musical features that make some songs catchier than others.
And they find out why, in times of crisis, an earworm may just save your life.
Producer: Michelle Martin.

Why do songs get stuck in our heads? And what makes some tunes stickier than others?
Drs Rutherford and Fry investigate 'earworms', those musical refrains that infect our brains for days. Every morning 6Music DJ Shaun Keaveney asks his listeners for their earworms, and Hannah finds out which tunes keep coming back.
Adam asks Dr Lauren Stewart, from Goldsmiths University, to reveal the musical features that make some songs catchier than others.
And they find out why, in times of crisis, an earworm may just save your life.
Producer: Michelle Martin.

24 min

Top Podcasts In Science

Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Radiolab
WNYC Studios
Something You Should Know
Mike Carruthers | OmniCast Media | Cumulus Podcast Network
Ologies with Alie Ward
Alie Ward
StarTalk Radio
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas
Sean Carroll | Wondery

More by BBC

Global News Podcast
BBC World Service
6 Minute English
BBC Radio
You're Dead to Me
BBC Radio 4
In Our Time
BBC Radio 4
Newshour
BBC World Service
The English We Speak
BBC Radio