Why 'Eastern Rosellas' Became the Perfect Earworm

A one-minute, thirty-nine-second song titled "Eastern Rosellas," celebrating a beloved Australian bird, has become a global earworm, garnering thousands of likes and reposts on social media. The song, performed by Miles Phillips and his father Joel, has inspired covers from notable Australian musicians like Meg Washington, Ball Park Music, and Ben Lee. Experts point to a specific formula that makes the song incredibly catchy and memorable. Music cognition researcher Emery Schubert, a professor at the University of New South Wales, explains that the song's success lies in "contiguous repetition" – a segment of the song is repeated immediately after its first playing. Schubert states this simple repetition is the primary characteristic needed to make a track an earworm. He notes that when people are relaxed, their brains often favor the simplest musical progression, making repetition highly effective. Musician Ben Lee suggests the song's appeal also lies in its wholesome nature, offering a contrast to the increasing corporatization and algorithmic influence in music and art. Lee believes "Eastern Rosellas" connects listeners back to a childlike innocence and the fundamental reasons they love music. He finds its unpredictable and chaotic nature refreshing in a world where art can feel overly predictable and algorithmically generated. Seven-year-old Miles Phillips reportedly conceived the song's idea while feeding birds at his grandparents' home, highlighting the human and spontaneous element that resonates with audiences.

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It's really interesting how music and art in general have become increasingly corporatised over recent decades. We often feel like the algorithm isn't just picking what we get to consume, but in a way it's influencing what's getting made. There's something about this experience that we're having with Eastern Rosellas where it's connecting us back to this childlike innocence and the reason we love songs and music in the first place. It's incredibly pure.