I came across these 2 Ted Ed videos on repetition in music and earworms. I found them to be worth the listen.
 

 

Very interesting.  Really nice, tasteful animation as well.  Thanks for the recommendations.

i guess i'm anti ear worm!
 

Repetition, paradoxically, is both essential and boring. The trick is to repeat a motif while adding something new to each repetition. 
 
For extreme examples, listen to Ravel's Bolero or Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King. Very repetitive earworms you can't get out of your head afterward, but no two verses are identical and there are dramatic song dynamics. 
 
For examples of the opposite extreme, turn on the radio.

bitflipper
Repetition, paradoxically, is both essential and boring. The trick is to repeat a motif while adding something new to each repetition. 
 
For extreme examples, listen to Ravel's Bolero or Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King. Very repetitive earworms you can't get out of your head afterward, but no two verses are identical and there are dramatic song dynamics. 
 
For examples of the opposite extreme, turn on the radio.

From the mouths of babes!
 
Well, no longer a babe, but this seems like one of the essential truths of modern life.