ITunes Constantly Booting Up and Playing For No Apparent Reason

Question

This problem has only started since the recent iTunes upgrade, so perhaps there is some strange bug?
Anyway, the problem initially started while I was playing the Sims. Heard mp3s playing and knew they weren't part of the game. Quit out and found that iTunes was one. I shut the program down, and went off to do something else. Heard music blasting again, came in to find iTunes playing. Quit again. A minute later, the program started up again. I checked settings, saw no anomalies, quit. The problem has persisted, with the only way I could think of for stopping it being erasing it from my computer.
Given my current infuriated state I'm not particularly mourning the loss of the now intrusive and insidious program, but I need it for my iPod.
So, my question is: why on earth is this program doing this, and how the **** do I stop it (apart from the extreme solution of purging it from my computer?)

Answer 1

One of the first things I did was boot up activity monitor to see if there was any third party cause for this little conundrum. I have never had problems with my attached speakers before, although I did try it without the speakers - the result was a ridiculous amount of swearing as Higher Ground by Red Hot Chilli Peppers suddenly blasts through the Macs speakers at top volume. Good song, but at 1am in the morning??
I have the 2.93 Intel Imac. Last years model. The F8 button is the play/pause button for iTunes.
I've just tried reinstalling the noisy little sod of a program, with any luck it will be quiet until told otherwise.