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Weekend Earworms: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. And Walk The Moon Are Perfect For Springtime

An estimated 98% of us experience earworms. Despite the annoying times that we can’t get a chorus or a hook of an overplayed pop song out of our heads, getting a really good earworm stuck can be one of the best things ever.

We here at Nerdist are dead-set on bringing you those types of songs, if only for the weekend. We’ll be scouring the internet for the best earworms we can shove into your meaty brains!

After last week’s first edition, it occurred to me that there really isn’t a formula or any sort of scientific technique that makes a song get stuck in your head. Sure, a lot of songs have catchy hooks and lyrics, but what’s earwormy for some may not be to others. So how did I choose this week’s earworms? The easy answer is: randomly wandering.

I live in Chicago which, for the last few months, has been pretty solidly frozen. I take the CTA and cabs when it’s too cold which, while great for traveling in the Midwest tundra, occasionally sucks for listening opportunities. Well, we’re finally thawing out! At least enough to allow me more time to wander in the semi-nicer weather to and from the places I need to go (read: bars) and listen to whatever I happen to dump on my phone. Occasionally I find myself re-playing songs that are particularly fun to listen to and walk around the city with.

Which brings us to our first repeatable earworm of the week:

Walk The Moon’s “Shiver Shiver”

Now before anyone criticizes the fact that a pop song is in my second edition of this column, understand that it isn’t about what’s new, cutting edge or obscure. It’s about what gets stuck in my head which, I hope, will then get stuck in yours.

The songs of Cincinnati, OH band Walk the Moon are certainly all sorts of earwormy but this one in particular burrows deep. I might even blame stream of consciousness for this song being on repeat the last few days. It could be that the city is defrosting. That I’m walking more. That I’m shivering less. Walk. Shiver? See? It makes so much sense if you don’t really think about it!

Truth be told, I can’t explain why this one got stuck in my brain this week but I’m happy for it. Trust me, listen to it while you walk down the street and odds are you’ll have a little more pep in your step. It makes me feel like I’m in a music video or the opening to a movie like Starlord at the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy. Any band, album or song you can listen to and find yourself losing track of your travels means they’re definitely doing something right.

Continuing with the stream of consciousness, the falsetto vocals in Shiver Shiver got me thinking about others with equally fun high pitched lyrics.

Falsetto vocals > vocal chords > “Vocal Chords” by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. > finally bringing me to one of my favorite’s by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – “Run”

I admit I’m a bit late to the game when it comes to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. but damn, in my opinion, they’ve defintely mastered the mysterious science of earworms. Get both of these into your ears and get out and enjoy your city or town ASAP.

Thanks for reading the second edition! I’m going to tap into other Nerdist folk’s favorite earworms soon enough but until then, share your favorites with me on Twitter (@TheBlakeRodgers) and/or let me know what you think in the comments!

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