Elaine was suffering. In the midst of an overwhelming obsession with the song “Our Love” by Al Jarreau, she lost access to the song on her iPhone and was thrown into severe withdrawal. How could she  make it through her 45-minute train ride without it? She needed Apple’s help, and she needed it bad.

I can commiserate with Elaine — my Spotify “starred” playlist is a testament to my current and previous favorite earworms, the songs I’ve played over and over until I’m finally sated. If I’d been deprived of any of those during those bouts of obsession, I would’ve gone nutterbutters.

As she explains on her blog and an email to Consumerist, Elaine sent a customer service email to Apple explaining her auditory habits (she’d spent the weekend listening to the song, including an entire day where it was the only music in her ears) and wondering if it was something Apple had done for her own good.

So I guess my question is whether Apple proverbially cut me off from listening to “Our Love,” like a bartender who tells a patron that it’s for his own good that he not get another Maker’s Mark on the rocks because his head has been down on the table half the night, and he is saying nonsensical things. While this might be a reasonable intervention, I can assure you that I am still highly cogent after listening to a song 50 times in a row. And I love that song and would love to have it back, since I paid for it, and I couldn’t listen to it on the train this morning, and I felt a bit empty about that.

Her plea for help was met with evidence that there are real people behind the curtains at Apple, and in this case, a kindred spirit (bolding ours):

Dear Elaine,

Thank you for contacting iTunes Store Support. My name is S___. According to your email, you are unable to play the song “Our Love” on your iPhone. I certainly appreciate wanting to have access to the track you are enjoying.

Not to worry, I play the same song for quite a while when I enjoy it. Please remove the song from your iPhone by pressing your finger to the song and sliding your finger from right to left. A delete button in red will appear. Delete the song and then redownload it from your queue as I have provided a fresh copy of the song.

Follow these steps to download the item from your iOS device:

1.) From the Home screen on your iOS device, tap the iTunes icon.

2.) If you’re using an iPhone/iPod touch, tap More > Downloads. If you’re using an iPad, tap Downloads.

3.) Enter your Apple ID and password.

4.) Tap OK.

The item should begin downloading. If you lose your Internet connection, go back to the Downloads screen in the iTunes app and then tap the arrow icon that appears next to the item.

Should you have other questions, please reply back to this email and I would be happy to help, Elaine.

Sweet, sweet relief. Elaine says she was extra pleased at not only the CSR’s help in getting her song back, but with her ability to sympathize with her condition. I’m with you, Elaine. No one can keep me  from “Cavalier” by Shovels & Rope. This week, at least.

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