Why Your Brain Won't Let Go of That Pop Song — And How Our DJs Know It Before You Do

It hits you at the worst possible moment. You're in the middle of a work meeting, trying to look professional, and suddenly — bum bum bum — that hook from the song you heard on Star 94 during your morning commute is looping on repeat somewhere deep inside your skull. You didn't ask for it. You definitely can't turn it off. And honestly? You're kind of obsessed with it.

Welcome to the world of earworms, and trust us — you are not alone.

What's Actually Going On in Your Brain

Music psychologists have a proper term for this phenomenon: involuntary musical imagery, or INMI. But "earworm" is a lot more fun to say, and it's exactly what it feels like — a tiny musical creature burrowing into your auditory cortex and refusing to leave.

Dr. James Kellaris, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati who's spent years studying why certain songs stick, found that nearly 99% of people experience earworms regularly. The brain, it turns out, craves completion. When you hear a melodic phrase that doesn't fully resolve — or one that loops naturally back to its beginning — your mind keeps replaying it, almost like it's trying to finish a sentence that never ends.

The auditory cortex, which processes sound, can actually simulate music even when no music is playing. That means your brain is essentially running a background playlist of its own, pulling from songs it found particularly stimulating or emotionally resonant. Pop music, with its tight song structures and carefully engineered hooks, is practically designed to exploit this quirk.

"It's almost unfair," laughed Marcus Webb, one of Star 94's afternoon drive DJs, when we sat down with him to talk shop. "These producers know exactly what they're doing. A great hook is like a trap — it's beautiful and you walk right into it every single time."

The Formula: Hooks, Repetition, and That Magic Tempo

So what separates a song that sticks from one that fades into the background? Music researchers point to a few consistent elements.

The Hook — That short, melodic phrase, usually between four and eight notes, that defines a song's identity. Think of the opening notes of Olivia Rodrigo's good 4 u or the chorus of Dua Lipa's Levitating. It's catchy, it's distinctive, and your brain latches onto it almost immediately.

Repetition — Pop songs repeat their choruses an average of three to four times per track. That's not laziness — that's strategy. Repetition deepens the neural pathway associated with a melody, making it easier for your brain to recall it later. The more you hear it, the more it owns real estate in your head.

Tempo — Research published in the journal Psychology of Music found that songs with tempos between 120 and 140 BPM are disproportionately likely to become earworms. That range happens to align closely with an elevated resting heart rate — which means the music literally syncs up with your body's own rhythm.

The Unexpected Interval — Here's a sneaky one. Songs that include a slightly surprising note — one that doesn't quite go where you expect — actually increase the earworm effect. Your brain keeps returning to the melody to "figure out" that unexpected twist.

Our DJs Are Basically Music Scientists (They Just Won't Admit It)

We asked Star 94's programming team to be honest: do they actually think about this stuff when they're building playlists? The answer, it turns out, is a resounding yes — even if they've never called it "neuroscience."

"I've always said I can feel a hit in the first 15 seconds," said DJ Lexi Ramirez, who handles Star 94's midday block. "There's something that happens in your chest when a hook lands right. You just know. Now I find out there's a whole brain thing behind it? Makes total sense."

Lexi described her process as one part instinct, one part listener feedback. She pays close attention to which songs generate the most text-ins and social media mentions after a spin. "If someone's tweeting at us at 2pm saying they can't get a song out of their head from the morning show, that's data. That's real."

Marcus takes a slightly more technical approach. He looks at song structure before he even listens — checking the chorus entry point (ideally before the 45-second mark), the BPM, and whether the track has what he calls "re-entry hooks," those little melodic callbacks that appear between verses to keep you engaged.

"You want the listener to feel like they're being let in on something," he said. "Like the song is talking directly to them. That's when it really sticks."

Listener Stories: The Songs That Won't Quit

We put out a call on our socials asking Star 94 listeners to share their most persistent earworms, and the responses were a lot.

Kayla from Atlanta wrote: "Star 94 played Sabrina Carpenter's 'Espresso' during my drive to work and I literally hummed it for six days straight. My coworkers were ready to stage an intervention."

Devon from Marietta shared: "I woke up at 3am with 'Flowers' by Miley Cyrus in my head. Fully awake. Couldn't stop it. Went back to sleep, still there. Went to work, still there. I don't even know when it started."

And then there was Priya from Alpharetta: "Star 94 played a new Ariana Grande song I'd never heard before and by the time I pulled into my parking garage I was already singing the chorus like I'd known it for years. HOW."

The answer, Priya, is neuroscience. And a really good hook.

So Can You Stop an Earworm?

Researchers actually have a few suggestions. Chewing gum, believe it or not, has been shown to reduce earworm frequency — something about the jaw movement interfering with the brain's internal "singing." Engaging in a mildly absorbing cognitive task (like a word puzzle) can also help redirect your brain's attention.

But honestly? Sometimes the best cure is just giving in. Play the song, let it finish properly, and your brain might finally feel like it got the closure it was looking for.

Or you could just tune into Star 94 and let us give you a new one. We're very good at that.

Catch Marcus Webb weekdays from 3–7pm and DJ Lexi Ramirez from 10am–2pm on Star 94 — streaming live at star94radio.com.