An earworm or brainworm, also known as sticky music or stuck song syndrome, is a
    catchy or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a
    person's mind even after it is no longer being played or spoken about.

    The word earworm is a calque from the German Ohrwurm. The earliest known English 
    usage is in Desmond Bagley's 1978 novel Flyaway, where the author points out the 
    German origin of his word.