Nothing is more frustrating than having a song running through your head and not remembering the title. If you know a few lyrics or can hum a part of the song, nothing is lost. Use search engines or music recognition sites to find your lost song. If you've heard that song on the radio, check out the top music lists right now to maybe find a match.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Do some internet research
Step 1. Use the lyrics you remember
Close your eyes, focus on the words used in the song that you remember. You may remember phrases like "watching people while there are people" or "day one is remembered". Use quotes to delimit the phrase from the song when researching. The more phrases you remember, the more likely you are to find the song title.
Avoid doing searches with too many common words like "the", "and", "or", "but" or others. They could interfere with your searches
Step 2. Add context to your searches
Maybe you've heard this song on a TV show or in a movie. Look for "songs performed in episodes of Grey's Anatomy, season 6" or "song performed in The Voice in February 2017". Watch the soundtracks from movies or the sheet music for musical instruments.
Step 3. Try different spellings
The song you are looking for may contain a first name that has been repeated several times. If the way you write it during your research doesn't bring any results, try again with a less classic spelling like "Marylou" instead of "Marie-Lou" or "Lucy" for "Lucie".
- Be careful not to misspell your research.
- Sometimes pop songs use abbreviations or misspelled words on purpose like "you are" instead of "you are" or "2" to replace "from".
Step 4. Use the advanced search option
Most search engines offer an advanced settings option, if your searches do not bring you any results. You can limit your searches to pages created in a particular year or search for a page where all of your search words are included. You can also delete certain words or phrases if the popular results are not what you are looking for.
Method 2 of 3: Use apps and websites
Step 1. Learn about the music forums
Enlist the help of music lovers to find the song. Look on forums for music of a specific genre, such as metal or instrumental music. Post a message including as many details about the song as possible. Give the words you remember, the context, and anything else you remember.
- WatZatSong and Musixmatch are websites for finding all types of songs.
- The Commentçamarche website offers a Music / Radio / Clip category where you can ask Internet users to help you find your song.
Step 2. Download a music recognition app
If the song is playing in a restaurant or bookstore, some apps may allow it to be saved and downloaded. The app will then search for matches in its database and suggest the closest song to you. The most famous applications are Shazam and MusicID.
Step 3. Enter the melody in a music search site
Music apps won't be able to help you if the music is already over. If you have a microphone, some music sites allow you to hum the melody or type the beat of the song and upload the recording online. Try singing or typing the time signature of the melody into your microphone. The website will then compare your recording with the songs in their database and indicate possible matches.
The Midomi site, and the SoundHound application allow you to transmit these recordings
Step 4. Visit the artists website
You may know the artist singing, but not the title of the song. Head over to the official website and scroll through the list of their albums. Copy the title of each song to a music site like Spotify or iTunes until you find what you are looking for.
Method 3 of 3: Browse music charts
Step 1. Check out the most recent music charts
If you've heard this song in the “Top 50” on W9 or on the “M6 Music” channel, chances are you'll find it by searching the charts. Search the leaderboards for your city or country for the best results. To see current rankings, try Chartsinfrance, Hitsandclips or NRJ.
Step 2. Look at charts with specific genres of music
Some songs are known by a particular community, but unknown to the rest of the population. If you have no luck with the "Top100", try the charts specialized in a certain genre, for example rap, the French variety, country or others.
Step 3. Find rankings for previous decades
You may have heard an “old” popular song from ten years or more ago that will not be featured in today's music charts. If you know approximately when the song was released, search the charts for previous generations.
Wikipedia allows you to know the number one titles in France since 1955. Other sites list the list of "Top100" since the 1940s and even before
Step 4. Contact the local radio
Call or email the radio that played your song and ask if they know what songs they played at a certain time or at a particular time. Add all the relevant things you remember. Some radio stations post their mailing list online and you can browse it on your own.
When traveling, you can use the Radio Frequency site to find a specific radio station
Advice
- If you can't find your song after a Google search, it may be because the song lyrics are wrong. Try to simplify your search. Remove details you are unsure of.
- If you found the lyrics, but you don't recognize the song, you might have heard a cover song. Search all repeats until you find the version that interests you.
