Judge — January 12, 1924 — page 14: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical comic by cartoonist Ralph Barton tracks how a song's reception changes with repeated exposure. The progression shows: **First hearing**: Listeners enjoy it ("Got the blues") **Second time**: Still charming ("Ain't you the cutie") **Fifth time**: Fatigue sets in **20th time**: Annoyed indifference **150th time**: Complete exasperation—the song has become unbearable, with listeners actively hostile The joke satirizes how popular songs were constantly replayed on radio and in public spaces during this era, wearing out their appeal through overexposure. What begins as an entertaining tune becomes torture through repetition. Barton captures the period's frustration with inescapable commercial music, a recognizable complaint even to modern audiences familiar with "earworm" phenomena and streaming saturation.