Finding an unknown song can be frustrating and seem nearly impossible. With countless songs in existence, how can you possibly figure out which one is stuck in your head? Thankfully, there are several effective methods you can use to track down mysterious melodies.
Remember Any Details
The first step is to dig into your memories and recall absolutely anything about the song. Even tiny, seemingly insignificant details can end up being the key to discovering the song’s identity. Here are some tips on mining your memories:
- What’s the genre? Is it rock, pop, R&B, country, etc.? Knowing the genre will narrow it down.
- Do you remember any words or phrases from the lyrics? Even one word could help.
- Try to hum or whistle the melody. What’s the tune like? Upbeat and fast? Slow and somber?
- Is it an older song or more recent? Knowing the era can narrow the search.
- Did you hear it on the radio? If so, what station? The radio station plays a certain style.
- Do you remember any images or feelings the song evoked? Happy? Sad? Nostalgic?
Really focus and keep mining your brain. Don’t dismiss any fragment that comes to mind about the song. Write down every single detail you can conjure up.
Search by Lyrics
If you remember even a few words or phrases from the lyrics, one of the most direct ways to find the song is searching those lyrics. Here are the top lyric search tools:
- Google: Just search some of the lyrics in quotation marks, like “I walked alone down the darkest roads.” Google will scour the web for matches.
- Genius: This lyric site has an expansive database. Search phrases in the top bar.
- Musixmatch: Paste lyrics snippets into the search bar to find matches.
- Shazam: The song ID app also lets you search lyrics by texting them to the service.
- SoundHound: Like Shazam, you can sing, hum, or search lyrics text to find a match.
Searching even short lyric excerpts like “na na na” or “woah oh oh” can instantly reveal the elusive song. Just be sure to put unique phrases in quotes for better results.
Search by Melody
If you remember the melody, these tools will identify the song by humming, whistling, or singing:
- Shazam: The classic song ID app just by singing or playing a snippet of the song out loud.
- SoundHound: Works just like Shazam – sing, hum, or play the tune to get instant results.
- Google Assistant: Say “Hey Google, what’s this song?” then hum the melody to your phone.
- Siri: Say “Hey Siri, what song is this?” then hum the tune and she’ll tell you.
- Musixmatch: Click the mic icon to hum or sing 10-15 seconds of the melody to ID the song.
You’d be surprised how little melody you need – often 5-10 seconds is enough. Humming or singing to these services taps into sophisticated music fingerprinting technology.
Search by Genre/Era/Mood
If you don’t remember exact lyrics or melody, you can still narrow down the song by genre, era, mood, or other musical qualities. Here are some approaches:
- Search Spotify playlists for terms like “90s dance hits” or “feels like summer indie rock” to find matches.
- Browse genre-specific radio stations on Spotify, Pandora, or SiriusXM until the song plays.
- Check Billboard chart archives from the year you think the song was released.
- Skim genre-specific Subreddits like r/90sHipHop or r/2000sRock for help.
- Post on music forums describing elements like vocals, instruments, tempo, feelings, etc.
Leveraging the song’s musical style and era can quickly surface the answer. You may have to listen to a lot of similar songs, but this tactic works if you recall the vibe.
Use Online Communities
Music fan communities are incredibly helpful for identifying songs. Here are some popular options:
- Reddit: Post in subreddits like r/TipOfMyTongue with any details you remember.
- Facebook: Music fan groups can often ID a song with even minimal clues.
- Quora: Very active song search community. Type in your lyrics or description.
- TuneFind: Active song ID forums with an engaged user community.
- AHA Music: You can describe the song and artists will suggest possibilities.
These collective music sleuths enjoy the challenge of discovering songs. Describe or hum the tune and the community will put their heads together to crack the case!
Use Audio Recognition Apps
Powerful song ID apps like Shazam and SoundHound are extremely accurate at instantly recognizing music from just a short sample. But there are also apps that continuously listen and log songs over time.
If you enable these apps’ background listening feature, they will monitor music playing around you and log the titles. Then if you ever get an earworm, you can simply look back through the app’s history for the song.
Some top options include:
- SoundHound: Infinite history of every song it hears when listening is turned on.
- Shazam: Automatically identifies and logs songs it hears in auto mode.
- Musixmatch: Passively IDs songs playing in your vicinity when enabled.
So next time you hear a catchy new song, switch on one of these apps. Then if it gets stuck later, your solution is right there in the history!
Ask Friends for Help
Sometimes songs linger in our memory but specific details are fuzzy. In these cases, running the melody by friends or posting on social media can trigger the answer. Here are some tips:
- Call or text friends that may know your musical tastes.
- Post the melody on Facebook or Instagram and ask your network.
- Tweet out the melody clip – someone is sure to reply with the song.
- Describe details on Nextdoor to check with neighbors.
We often hear the same songs as family, friends, and followers on social platforms. Jog their memory with a short hummed clip and you may get your “Aha!” moment.
Check Your Music History
If you have a subscription music service like Spotify or Apple Music, you may be able to dig through your listening history for clues.
Scan back through your recent playlists and stations to see if anything rings a bell. You can also search for snippets of melodies or lyrics in your history if you recall them.
You can also check platforms like:
- YouTube: Look through your search and watch history for possible song listens.
- SoundCloud: Scan your likes and stream history for forgotten tunes.
- Last.fm: Checks your music listening data across services.
Retracing your steps through streaming platforms and music sites might uncover when you heard that elusive song.
Use Radio Stations
Radio can help expose you to songs in certain genres and eras which could spark your memory. Try tuning into stations that fit the vibe of the song mystery:
- Pandora stations based around key song details.
- Spotify curated and user stations in relevant genres.
- Slacker Radio stations for decade or style.
- IHeartRadio for genre/decade tailored stations.
- Local radio stations if you heard it there initially.
Let these stations play in the background during tasks or drives. The song may pop up and trigger your memory to solve the earworm riddle.
Check TV Show and Movie Soundtracks
Often songs get stuck in our heads because we heard them on a show or movie soundtrack. In those cases, looking through the soundtracks may reveal the song.
Scan through soundtracks on sites like:
- IMDb for movie and TV show soundtracks.
- Tunefind to search shows and films by songs.
- WhatSong for movie and TV music search.
If you watched the show or movie recently, double check the exact episode too. Then you can pinpoint the pesky earworm song.
Use Developer Tools to Find Songs Online
Many songs play on websites but aren’t directly listed on the page. However, you can use developer tools in your browser to view the source code and find song titles.
When you hear an unidentified tune on a site, right click and choose Inspect Element. Go to the Network tab and look for .mp3 or other audio files. The title is often the song name.
This technique works on music blogs, playlists, background songs on websites, and other places hosting audio online. It’s a technical but effective approach.
Conclusion
With the multitude of songs in existence, mysterious earworms can seem impossible to identify. But using clever memory techniques, powerful search tools, and help from others can uncover almost any elusive song.
Start by mining your own memory for every last detail. Then leverage lyrics, melody, mood, and metadata searches across apps and communities. If the song continues to elude you, revisiting your historical listening data and habits may finally reveal the title.
So next time a musical mystery gets stuck in your head, systematically employ these techniques, and you’re sure to finally put a name to that vexing tune!
