How to Find a Song You Know Nothing About

If a melody keeps playing in your head and it's driving you crazy, there’s a solution. There are apps available for phones and computers that can analyze the song’s melody and provide a list of possible matches. Another effective method is to search for the song online and narrow down the results. Don’t let it drive you insane any longer. Read the following guide to track down the song you know nothing about.

Use Shazam or MusicID apps. These apps are designed to analyze sounds and identify songs based on their database. If you’re listening to a song on your phone and can’t identify it, and you don’t have any information about it, open the app, point it toward the sound, and wait for the results.

• You can install Shazam on iPhones, Blackberries, Androids, and most other mobile devices. It’s also available for iPads and iPod touch. Additionally, you can use MusicID for iPhones and other devices, but there’s a cost.
• These apps may not perform well at live music events. If you’re at a concert and can’t remember the name of a song, you may need to find another way to identify it.

Record that song with your phone. Even if you can only capture the first part of your favorite song and want to identify it, you can upload it to the AudioTag app to match it with its database once you're back home and at your computer.

• At the very least, you'll have a recording of the song, and you can share it with friends or music lovers to see if they recognize the melody.

Hum the melody of the song. On your phone, you can hum the tune into the SoundHound app, which is available for free. The app will analyze your humming and provide options. For your computer, you can use Midomi, which works similarly.

• Both of these apps tend to work well with modern songs. Trying to recall the name of a song your grandfather used to hum while working is nearly impossible on these apps, and you might need to try a different method.
• NameMyTune and WatZatSong are also popular options that work similarly. On these websites, you can upload a video of yourself (or sing and describe the song), and other users will provide answers for you to choose from.

Play a melody on a virtual keyboard. If you have a good ear for music and some basic keyboard knowledge, you can input the melody into apps like Musipedia or MelodyCatcher to search for it.

• These tools tend to work better for instrumental classical music and genres that aren't pop, as they have slightly different databases for analysis.

Google any lyrics you remember in quotation marks. Type any lyrics you can recall into Google, ensuring you put them in quotation marks. This will help narrow down the search results, so even if all you remember is the line "love has flown away," it will be much easier to find if it's within quotes.

Search for the context of the song to narrow it down. If you're looking for a song you heard at the end of a TV show, try a quick search like "song played at the end of the show Dad, Where Are We Going?" or "Song from the ACB commercial."

• If you think you're getting close, try using iTunes. If the song was from a TV show or movie, look for the soundtrack on iTunes. If you find it, listen to free samples of each track in the collection by clicking the track number and hitting the green button to open it.
• You can also try searching on YouTube once you've narrowed down your search.

Search for the artist by describing them. Describe whether the song was sung by a male or female singer, or if it was a group. Recall any details about the song you can remember. Ask yourself if the song sounds familiar. Does the voice stand out? Is it by someone you've heard or liked before? If it seems similar to an artist or band you know, check their website or fan page to see if they've recently released new tracks and give them a listen.

Listen to radio DJs. If you're listening to music on the radio, try to focus for a moment. DJs often replay songs they've played. Call the station or visit their website to see if they post a list of songs played that day.

• Try to type the lyrics as clearly as possible, and avoid using vague terms like "it," "and," "or," "but," etc.