Earworms are catchy songs that get stuck in our heads. I consider a song to be a personal earworm if I’ve ever listened to it continuously for an hour or more. Here, I’m only calling out songs from bands that I haven’t already covered in this series.

Rather than rank these by importance and meaning to me, I present them alphabetically. Being earworms, they all sort of “tie” anyway.

Dave Mattingly: The Musical, Part 13

• Alaska – Resistance
  
  • Highlight: very pleasant melody
• Deer Tick – Mange
  • Highlight: three songs in one, moving from grunge to piano to hard guitar
• Divine Fits – Would That Not Be Nice
  • Highlight: hypnotic drum beat
• Elliott Smith – Sweet Adeline
  • Highlight: sad and slow, but packed with pain and meaning
• Flesh Lights – Crush on You
  • Highlight: simple and primitive with “wow mama mama mama”
• Giant Sand – Inner Flame
  • Highlight: mellow heartache
• Got a Girl – There’s a Revolution
  • Highlight: stylish girl pop reminiscent of Nancy Sinatra
• Inspiral Carpets – Find Out Why
  • Highlight: high energy with big sound
• La Roux – Bulletproof
  • Highlight: great bouncy dance hook
• Liars – Mess on a Mission
  • Highlight: aggrsive electronica with commanding vocals
• Mika – Lollipop
  
  • Highlight: incredibly fun and bouncy
• Old 97’s – Bird in a Cage
  • Highlight: rambunctious rock with evolving callback lyrics
• Rye Rye – Sunshine
  • Highlight: makes me wish I could dance
• Shakey Graves – Dearly Departed
  • Highlight: wistful sorrow with a solid beat
• Simone Felice – You and I Belong
  • Highlight: cheerful and passionate
• The Temples – Shelter Song
  • Highlight: retro psychedelic britpop
• Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose
  • Highlight: brash glee with a throwback flair
• Vic Chesnutt – Until the Led
  • Highlight: introspective and spirited
• Tom Waits – Step Right Up
  • Highlight: it’s new, it’s improved, it’s old fashioned

Go back to Part 12: Guiding Lyrics or on to Part 14: Halloween Music