How do you identify the song playing in the background?
We’ve all been in that situation where a great song starts playing on the radio, in a shop, or in the background of a TV show or movie. The melody immediately catches your ear and you find yourself really enjoying the music. But then the song ends and you have no idea what it was or who performed it! Not knowing the name or artist of that earworm tune can be incredibly frustrating.
Being able to identify songs quickly and easily when you hear them in public is an important skill for any music lover. In this guide, we’ll explore some techniques and tools that can help you figure out the name and artist of elusive background songs. With the right methods, you’ll be able to satisfy your curiosity and add those catchy tunes to your own playlists.
Listen Closely
One of the most straightforward ways to identify a song you hear in the background is to listen closely to catch any lyrics, the melody, or other distinguishing details. Focus your listening on the chorus if you can make it out, as this tends to be the most memorable and unique part of the song. Even just catching a phrase or two can be enough to search for song lyrics and find a match. Besides lyrics, also listen for any repetitive instrumental riffs, the genre/style, the approximate era, or the cadence of the singer’s voice. If you can hum or whistle even a short snippet of the melody, this can also help in tracking down the song through humming or other music identification methods. By tuning your ears into the song and picking out whatever pieces you can grasp, you create clues that can then guide your search.
Source: https://cloudcovermusic.com/blog/best-way-find-song-name
Use SoundHound/Shazam
SoundHound and Shazam are two popular apps that can identify songs playing in the background. They work by using the microphone on your smartphone to record a sample of the audio and create an acoustic fingerprint. This fingerprint is then compared against an extensive internal database to find a match (source).
To use these apps effectively, hold your phone near the music source so it can clearly pick up the song. Apps may take up to 30 seconds to identify the song, so allow some time. Background noise can interfere with results, so move closer or pause other sounds. Tap the “Identify” button while music is playing to start the search. Once matched, the app will display the artist, song title, and other information (source).
For best accuracy, use the apps on the chorus or a distinctive part of the song, rather than soft intros. Searching for the same song multiple times can improve match percentage. Both apps store your search history to quickly lookup previously identified songs.
Search Lyrics
If you can make out some of the lyrics while the song is playing in the background, try searching for them online. Google is very effective at finding songs based on just a few lyrics. Type the words you hear surrounded by quotation marks like “I walked this empty street” to search for that exact phrase. You can also try searching on lyric sites specifically designed to identify songs from snippets of lyrics, such as Genius or Lyrics.com. These sites allow you to type in multiple lyric phrases to cross-reference against their databases. Just a line or two is often enough to lead you to the full song and artist name. For example, searching “empty street” on Genius brings up Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” within the first few results. So listening closely to catch pieces of lyrics can quickly help you identify that background song.
According to reddit threads on r/EDM and r/NameThatSong, lyric search engines like Chosic.com/find-songs-by-lyrics are quite effective when you have a line that’s somewhat unique.
Ask Someone
One of the easiest ways to identify a song playing in the background is to simply ask someone nearby if they recognize it. If you’re at a venue, ask the staff or other patrons. Friends or family may also be familiar with the tune. Crowdsourcing the song name online by asking social media connections is another great option. Post on forums like r/NameThatSong on Reddit or in relevant Facebook groups describing the song, and someone may quickly name the title and artist.
Asking others to help identify a song leverages the power of the human ear and memory. Algorithms may fail to pinpoint a tune, but another person’s familiarity with the song can provide the answer. So don’t be shy – if you hear a catchy song playing somewhere, ask around. Chances are good someone can name that tune.
Check with Venue/Host
One of the best ways to identify background music is to directly ask the venue or host playing the music. If you hear a song you like in a bar, restaurant, store, or other public venue, ask the staff or manager what is playing. Many venues have playlists or use streaming services, so employees may be able to look up the exact song.
For live events, check with the organizers or audio engineer to see if they can provide a tracklist. They likely planned the background music in advance. For weddings or parties, the DJ or band may be able to tell you what songs are in their repertoire.
If you hear background music in a video or livestream, reach out to the creator directly to ask what songs they used. Many creators are happy to share this information. You can try commenting on the video or contacting them through social media. Just provide a timestamp for when the song plays.
Checking directly with the venue, event organizers, or content creators playing the music often provides the fastest and most authoritative answer. People responsible for the music will know exactly what is playing. Building relationships with venues you frequent can also help you identify songs in the future.
Use Music ID Apps
Specialized music ID apps like TrackID, Musixmatch, and others can be very useful for identifying songs. These apps listen to a song playing and try to match it against a database to provide song information. Features vary across apps, but most will at minimum tell you the song title and artist.
TrackID is one of the most popular options, available for both iOS and Android. It can identify songs playing through the device’s microphone, from recorded clips, or while listening to the radio or streaming music. TrackID claims to have the largest music database with over 100 million tracks. Musixmatch is another top contender known for its real-time syncing of lyrics. It also integrates with streaming apps like Spotify to view lyrics while listening.
In testing, these music ID apps correctly identify obscure and mainstream songs about 90% of the time in optimal conditions. Performance drops with audio quality, background noise, etc. TrackID and Musixmatch generally outperform competitors in speed and accuracy due to their robust databases.
Search by Humming
One way to identify a song with just the melody is to hum or whistle it into a voice assistant like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, or Cortana. The assistants will listen to your humming or whistling and try to match it against their database of songs.
For example, you can say “Hey Siri, what’s this song?” and then hum the tune. Siri will listen and then show you results of potential song matches from which you can select the correct one (Source: Apple). The assistants are able to identify melodies even with imperfect humming or whistling. So don’t worry if you can’t get the melody exactly right. Humming or whistling the main chorus is usually enough for identification.
Using a voice assistant can be a really handy way to identify a song when you only remember the melody. Just open up Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa or Cortana and hum away!
Check Album Credits
For movies, TV shows, or commercials, look up the song credits listed on the official soundtrack album. Most major productions that use licensed music will release a soundtrack album that lists all the songs included in the film or show. You can search for the movie/TV show name along with “official soundtrack” to find the album. Once you locate the soundtrack, skim through the tracklist to see if you can identify the song you’re searching for based on the title, artist name, or other clues. The album credits should accurately provide the full details on the song, including the writer(s), performer(s), and rightsholders.[1] This method works best if you can remember even a small detail about the song, which you can then match to the soundtrack tracklist.
[1] https://www.tunefind.com/
Conclusion
Identifying a song playing in the background can seem challenging, but with the right tools and techniques, it’s quite possible. The most effective approaches are to listen closely to catch key lyrics, use identifying apps like Shazam or SoundHound, search for lyrics online, or ask someone familiar with the music. Venues, hosts, and checking album credits can also provide the answer.
With all these handy methods, you now have various options to easily name that tune. Just listen closely, hum or sing any key parts, pull out your smartphone, and within minutes you can satisfy your curiosity. Whether it’s a new indie band or a throwback pop hit, the song title is now at your fingertips.