Like many, it's not hard to get songs stuck in my head with the slightest provocation. The difference is that I'll actually start singing it. How about you?
When I was working at T+E, I sat next to a kindred spirit. Tiffany was a feisty mezzo soprano architect, and the two of us were unstoppable hummers/singers. Sometimes, we'd find ourselves singing the same tune under our breath in harmony without even knowing it.
The others at the office noticed this, of course, and soon found ways to turn us into a source of entertainment. Our manager, who also sat within earshot, discovered that he could subliminally "plant" the song he wanted us to sing, as long as he did it very softly and without turning his head toward us. He tested this repeatedly before sharing with the rest of the office. A favorite plants? "Rollercoaster of Love" and "Workin at the Car Wash". Quality.
Soon, he devised a scheme. Since it was a small office, everyone could hear us. He would send an email to everyone but us, informing them that he was going to plant a song. People were asked to guess which of us would be the first to sing the song he planted. He woud then hum a snippet; just enough of the song to get us going, but not so much that we'd notice, and the whole office would wait to see. 9 times of out 10 the song would take, and either Tiffany or I would start quietly singing "rollercoaster, of love, roller coaster" and the other would chime in "wa woo woo woo"
After I left T+E, the office found a new way to torment me. They would dial my new work number, and without saying hello, I would hear several voices sing into the phone: "Roller coaster, of love" and then hang up. 10 minutes later, they would call back and see if it worked and had stuck.
To this day if I hear either of these tunes, I am right back at that desk, drafting away, singing in harmony with Tiffany.
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