Bookmark and Share

Name That Tune - Tips For When You Can?t Remember The Song Title Or Artist


For years, you have been searching for a song lodged in your brain that is driving you nuts. Unfortunately, you have forgotten both the song title and the artist and all you remember are a few words. Don't you wish you could just name that tune once and for all so that you can get on with your life??

Below is a simple yet surprisingly effective procedure for naming that tune when all you have are a few song snippets and some hazy memories. Your search will draw from the voluminous Usenet archives which contain one of the largest repositories of searchable song fragments on the Internet.

  • Write down the most unique words and phrases of whatever song fragments you can remember. Jog your memory by brainstorming on the following: Who? What? When? Where? Why?
    • The "who" could include the singer, the person(s) to whom the song is addressed, the subject of the song (e.g., as in a ballad), or any other person, animal, fictional character, or even cartoon character. Tip: If you can remember any first names, surnames, nicknames, titles, and proper nouns, you may already have an important clue as to what the title of your "mystery song" could be.
    • The "what" could include any material objects, ideas, concepts, or events that may be central to the theme or otherwise contribute in some way to the story line. The possibilities here are endless, e.g., relationships, phone numbers, first dates, current events, modes of transportation, symbolic objects, the supernatural, anatomy, flora and fauna, food and beverages, drugs and alcohol, etc. (you name it).
    • The "when" could be the time of day, a season, a day of the week, or a year.
    • The "where" could be a city, state, or country, a street address, a locale, or a direction (e.g., East, West).
    • The "why" could be an expression of love, a social commentary, or a lament about a relationship gone sour.
  • Try to remember other words and phrases that stand out in any way, e.g., colors, descriptive adjectives, acronyms, numbers, greetings, foreign language words and phrases, sets of rhyming words, and incongruous, nonsensical, or bizarre phrases (e.g., "Crystal Blue Persuasion").
  • Pay special attention to any repeating words and phrases as may occur, e.g., in a chorus or refrain, as they often point directly to the song title.
  • Verify correct spellings (names can be especially tricky) and also allow for all possible alternate spellings and misspellings as often found in Usenet postings. Here are some alternate representations of some words often found in pop tunes: tonight/tonite; love/luv; going/gonna; want to/wanna; night/nite; out of/outa; you/ya, u; and/'n. Also, for words ending in "ing" an ending apostrophe (') is often substituted for the ending "g." (To cover all bases, try searching on a word both with and without its ending "g.")
  • Right click here (to open in a new window) to access the Google Advanced Groups Search form. Enter the word "music" and up to 9 words in the "with all of the words" field. (Tip: To get as many search results on one page as possible select "100 messages" for number of results to display.)
  • If your initial search results look hopeless, cut and paste your word set in the "with at least one of the words" field, leaving "music" in the "with all of the words" field.
  • If you are getting too many hits and your song is not on the first page of search results, narrow your search using any of the following methods as appropriate.
    • Remove any unnecessary "OR"s in the search box at the top of the first page of search results. (To be systematic, shave off one "OR" at a time starting with the ones that are between those words about which you are most certain.)
    • If you find a group of words that occurs as a phrase in your song, enclose it in quotes.
    • Sometimes, certain common words such as "I," "a," "was," and "in" may be ignored in a Google search, even when the entire phrase is enclosed in quotes. In case that happens, just repeat your search with a "+" sign in front of any word that was ignored the first time around.
  • Repeat Step 7 as necessary. It is generally best to experiment with one permutation at a time. As you try different combinations, this will further jog your memory and you can weed out any words you discover to be incorrect.
  • If your first word set does not pan out, try a new set or change one or more words in your original set (e.g., see the tips above on alternate word spellings).
  • Repeat Steps 5-9 until you find your song (hurray!). If you have no luck with Google Groups repeat your search on Google. Good luck in your song search!Amy Gold
    (c) Copyright 2005, allbutforgottenoldies.net

    Amy Gold is the webmaster of http://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/. Visit her website where you can search and browse thousands of song titles from 1960-1975 with links to audio clips. Her website also has interviews, RSS feeds, and many tips and resources of interest to oldies music collectors and other music hobbyists.

    		•  RELATED ARTICLES
    Copyright Basics for Songwriters
    Should you copyright your song? If you're a songwriter, sooner or later you will probably have some questions about getting your material copyrighted. Since I've already been down this road before, you might be able to benefit from my experience. Though I am not an expert in the field, I do believe that I have some valuable information to share with you.
    Beginners Guide to Music File Formats
    Are you confused by the various types of music file formats out there? Most of you would have heard of the popular MP3 format, but are you aware there are other alternative digital music formats like WAV, WMA, RA and MIDI? Some of these give better sound quality than MP3 (e.g. the WAV format) but also need more disk storage space. Others like WMA give file sizes smaller than the MP3 format and are more suited for portable music players.
    How Any DJ Can Increase Their Gigs and Profits By This Simple Strategy
    The DJ industry is very competitive. There are many DJ's who are making huge amounts of money and then there are other DJ's who are struggling to find any gigs at all.
    Guitar Practice - Make It Your Priority!
    Every student realizes that guitar practice is important if they wish to become a better musician. Even so, many have trouble establishing a regular practice routine. Other responsibilities have a way of squeezing them into a work-a-holic lifestyle, leaving little room left for personal pursuits. Even teens and children are over-stretched these days with school and other extra-curricular activities. So, what's the secret to creating an effective guitar practicing schedule? The answer: MAKE IT YOUR PRIORITY!
    Zen and the Art of New Age Piano
    We all want to be in the moment. That's where real transformation takes place. For some, walking gets them there. Others like to play sports or watch movies. For me, it's playing the piano. When I'm in the moment, letting the music speak, it's like the world is new again.
    Facts about Betty Kresin, Eminems grandmother
    Guitar Tuning Tips
    Most new guitar players and even some experienced ones have trouble staying and playing in tune. I'll try listing here some of the common mistakes and there solutions.
    Writing Hit Songs
    There are a lot of factors to writing a hit song. First, you should focus on writing a good song. Once you've done that, you are not far away from writing a hit.Like most other things in life, it takes persistence, patience, drive, knowledge, belief and maybe some luck.Stop and think about your favorite songs. Really analyze them and figure out what it is that you like about those songs.Different factors may come to play here. Maybe it is the good beat, lyrics that hit home, a beautiful melody, something spiritual or patriotic, or maybe even that it is humorous.If you include one of these elements in your songwriting you are well on your way. If you combine two or more of these elements, you may have yourself a hit.A Good BeatRhythm is important in music. I have to laugh and think of Jerry Van Dyke on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" years ago trying to play the banjo and sing, "I've got rhy-rhy-thm, I've got mah-mah-music..."But, unless you are very funny like Jerry Van Dyke, your audience is not very likely to stay with you. Your music not only needs to have a good beat, but must fit the genre of music you are trying to write. A Metallica beat in a George Strait type song may not get you very far. A song with a good enough beat might be a hit even with no melody and no lyrics. Remember "Green Onions?"Along with the beat is the tempo. Country music is easy to write (I did not say it is easy to write well) because it is about people's lives and everyday experiences. However, too often people write slow songs for country music, when in fact the industry is starving for upbeat country material like "Country Roads" and "Rocky Top." It is much harder to write a good up-tempo country song than it is a tear jerker.Lyrics in popular music can range from broken relationships to political issues, and just about any point in between. Those that tend to be the most popular are about situations you and I may encounter in our everyday lives; "Workin' 9 To 5," "I Just Called To Say I Love You," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "God Bless The USA" (which ingeniously incorporates spiritual, political and patriotic views).A beautiful or interesting melody can get you into the ranks of hit songwriter with no lyrics required. Going back in time to prove a point about beautiful melodies, you might consider songs like "Last Date" and "Sleepwalk."Songs with great melody lines are very easy to be found in many hit TV show themes like "Peter Gunn," "Hawaii 5-0," along with many of the 60's surfer songs like "Wipe Out."Well done humorous songs usually find an audience, such as Ray Stevens "The Streak," and Jerry Reeds "She Got The Goldmine, I Got The Shaft." If you have a knack for both humor and music, you might make a fortune.Spiritual and patriotic songs, if they are well done and come out at the right time, are easy hits. Every time the U.S. gets involved in any type of world conflict, the songwriters get their pens out.Keep your ears and eyes open, and keep a shoe box to put your ideas for songs in. Every time you think of an idea for a song or a song title, write it down and drop it in the box. It could be your first, or your next, big hit.
    Guitar Practice (Part 2) - Does Practice Make Perfect?
    You've probably heard the saying "practice makes perfect" and it sounds true enough, but is t really? We all know the importance of practicing a new skill in order to become proficient at it. This is especially true when it comes to playing the guitar, or any other musical instrument for that matter. But, practicing incorrectly can actually be a detriment to your progress.
    Are iPods Changing the Way We Listen to Music
    They're everywhere, and not only are they everywhere, they look cool too. Since its launch in 2001, 10 million have sold and 8 million of those were in 2004. So welcome to the next generation. 8 tracks, records, cassettes, CDs, and now the iPod.
    Learn to Read Music Online
    If you or anyone you know wants to learn to read music, it's a lot easier to do than it used to be. The Internet gives us all access to almost unlimited information, and can deliver an incredible array of products and tools right to our desktops. Not surprisingly, there are some really clever products out there that can help you learn to read notes.
    Buying a Violin
    "How do I buy a violin, (or fiddle)?"
    Warner Music Executive Payments
    "In human life, art may arise from almost any activity, and once it does so, it is launched on a long road of exploration, invention, freedom to the limits of extravagance, interference to the point of frustration, finally discipline, controlling constant change and growth." Susanne Langer (1895-1985)
    Improvisation and Musical Form
    Do you ramble on endlessly with your improvisations? If so, good. This has its place in music making and in new age piano playing in particularly. Just listen to New Age pianist Michael Jones's music to hear an example of this kind of free-form improvisation.
    New Age Piano Playing and the Sustain Pedal
    There are 3 pedals on most pianos. The one on the left dampens the strings and makes the sound come out softer. The one in the middle - I have no idea what that one does, but the one on the right - the sustain pedal - this one is the pedal I have my foot on when I play the piano.
    Discover The Perfect Place To Perform
    Once you know what your Unique Selling Proposition is as a musician (we covered this in the last issue), it's time to ask yourself what kind of venue you want to be letting those talents out in. This is the process that will help you determine your "Perfect Performance Venue" so that you don't waste your energy and efforts searching for performances in the wrong area!
    Lori Nuic Sparkles
    A soulful vibe along with an amazing voice is what Lori Nuic is gifted with, she got the crowd grooving as she performed at Launch Pad at the Cameron House for the first time.
    MP3 Music Subscription Services. A Good Deal?
    There's a reason Apple Computer dominates the legal 99-cents-a-download digital music scene: It does it right. Apple's iPods set the style and ease-of-use standards that other portable music players must try (so far unsuccessfully) to match. Its iTunes Music Store and iTunes software are equally unparalleled.
    Open Position Piano Chords - Perfect for the New Age Style
    The Open Position Chord (OPC) allows you to create a vented sound. A sound that is open, literally, as opposed to the closed triads taught in most course books.
    Play Too Loud And Well Cut The Power!
    "Turn it down!"

    © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013