Earache My Eye was written and performed by Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong as the fictional band Alice Bowie. Released as a single in 1974, it became their biggest hit, reaching the top ten in the United States, after first appearing on their comedy album work. The track gained a second life in the 1978 film Up in Smoke, where Alice Bowie perform it on stage in outlandish costumes. Decades later, the shouted title line circulates online as a reaction clip for fake excuses, sudden pain, and arguments that make no sense.