ditty
noun

- a short, simple song
- a short song or poem intended to be sung to a simple melody

Dictionary dot com

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ORIGIN

Early 14th century from Old French “ditie” a composition, poem, or treatise; from Latin “dictatum” something that is dictated (saying or reading something aloud so that it can be recorded or written down).

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WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS DITTY

According to the Guinness World Records “Happy Birthday to You” (also known as “Happy Birthday”) is the most recognized song in the English language. The song’s lyrics have been translated into at least 37 languages.

Although “Happy Birthday” is now in the public domain, Warner Chappell Music had previously claimed copyright for it in the US and had been collecting around $2-million each year in licensing fees. In 2015 the copyright claim was declared invalid and Warner Chappell agreed to pay back $14-million to ex-licence holders.

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MOST RECOGNIZABLE SONGS

A year-long survey by the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester measured the speed with which 12,000 people recognized famous songs. The Top-10 most easily recognized were:

1.  Spice Girls - Wannabe: 2.29 seconds
2.  Lou Bega - Mambo No 5: 2.48 seconds
3.  Survivor - Eye of the Tiger: 2.62 seconds
4.  Lady Gaga - Just Dance: 2.66 seconds
5.  ABBA - SOS: 2.73 seconds
6.  Roy Orbison - Pretty Woman: 2.73 seconds
7.  Michael Jackson - Beat It: 2.80 seconds
8.  Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You: 2.83 seconds
9.  The Human League - Don’t You Want Me: 2.83 seconds
10. Aerosmith - I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing: 2.84 seconds

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SYNONYMS (for song)

air, anthem, aria, ballad, canticle, canzonet, chorale, chorus, cradle song, golden oldie, DITTY, jingle, lilt, number, piece, plainsong, plainchant, refrain, release, serenade, shanty, single, song, track, tune

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“How about we hold a DITTY competition for our new product launch?”

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Paul Smith