During the period when he was working on his novel 11/22/63, "Mambo No. 5" became his go-to track, and he blasted it so often that it wore on his wife, Tabitha. She eventually told him that if he played it one more time, she might actually leave the house — or him. King later joked about the moment, but he also admitted that he eased up on the song after realizing just how much it was driving her up the wall.