"Earworm"

[Alice Faber]

Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> According to Heather Wood and the other fine folks at the Forum for Ballad Scholars (<BALLAD-L at LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>), an "earworm" is a nagging tune that is maddeningly difficult to get out of one's mind.  As far as anyone knows, it's a hot new loan-translation of German Ohrwurm, a "haunting melody."
>
> One can be "haunted" in various ways.  The calque seems to run to the horrific end of the spectrum; "Jingle Bell Rock" is a good example for me.

Loan translation, maybe, but certainly not new. Here's a 1996 use from
alt.folklore.urban, where I'm sure I saw it used earlier than that even
(but google provides no evidence):
<http://groups-beta.google.com/group/misc.health.alternative/msg/35ca911e72ac2dd5?dmode=source>.
Taking group out of the search field, I found a 1994 thread called
"Earworm from hell" in soc.motss.

--

Alice Faber