Patrick Langley Reflects on Earworms and Memory in ArtReview Essay

In an essay for ArtReview's January & February 2020 issue, critic Patrick Langley explores the persistence of earworms, linking them to art and memory. He recounts viewing Wael Shawky's 2010 film Cabaret Crusades: The Horror Show at MOMA PS1 in New York, where an infectious puppet dance melody stuck with him for years. Langley references neurologist Oliver Sacks's 2007 book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, which explains how catchy tunes become engraved in the brain. He contrasts memorable art, like Robyn's synth-pop or David Bowie's riffs, with intrusive commercial jingles, noting music's vulnerability to consumer culture. Langley also shares a personal anecdote about his step-grandmother's musical hallucinations from Chariots of Fire, describing it as torture. The essay argues that simple melodies, such as Shawky's, can convey complex histories without reducing their nuance, suggesting music transcends language and cultural divides. Based in London, Langley emphasizes art's ambivalence as a counter to viral consumerism.