There’s nothing more annoying than a melody or a hook stuck in your head that you can’t quite name. Playing it over and over again doesn’t help either. You can either wait for the song title to come to you or you can harness the power of your smartphone. Apps like Shazam and SoundHound are famous for producing accurate song matches within seconds. But there are several other methods you can deploy if you want to avoid installing another app on your phone. Here are the top 9 ways to find a song’s name without knowing its lyrics.
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In This Article
How do apps like Shazam and SoundHound find accurate song matches?
On the surface, Shazam seems like magic. Even though the app has been around for more than a decade, it still feels surreal. To do it before AI and machine learning existed as they do in their current form is even more impressive. So, how is Shazam able to find any song within a few seconds by simply listening to a random passage?
When you play a song, Shazam creates a fingerprint for it. This fingerprint is unique to every song, even the different remixes and recordings. What is a fingerprint, you ask? It is a spectrogram that maps the frequency of the sound sample over time. This spectrogram is matched against Shazam’s database. If a match is produced, Shazam will display the song linked to it as the result.
Use Google Assistant
One of the easiest ways you can search for a song without knowing the lyrics is by using Google Assistant. Its powerful search capabilities produce a match even if you hum the tune. Here’s how you can use it on your device.
Step 1: Say “Hey Google, which song is this?”
Step 2: Play, sing, or hum the song.
Step 3: Google will produce the likely matches.
You can also use this feature by going to the Google app and selecting ‘Identify Song By Listening’.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Accurate results
Cons
- Some results for ‘hum’ searches may be off
Add the song search tile to the Quick Settings Menu
Step 1: Swipe down from the status bar to access the Quick Settings Menu.
Step 2: Hit the ellipses and select Edit tiles. If there’s a pencil icon on the menu, tap on it.
Step 3: Select the Song search tile from the bottom panel.
Step 4: Hit Done.
Step 5: Tap the Song search tile when a song is playing near you.
Step 6: Google Assistant will analyse the song and present the relevant search results.
Pros
- Ease of access
- Accurate results
Cons
- May require sacrificing a tile in the Quick Settings Menu
Use Circle to Search
Use this method when you want to search for a song playing in the background of a video on your phone.
Step 1: Go to the page where the song is playing. If the song is playing on an external speaker, keep your phone close to the source.
Step 2: Long-press the home button or the navigation bar on your phone.
Step 3: Tap the music icon.
Step 4: Your phone will listen to the song for a few seconds and then open the Google search results for the song title.
Pros
- Excellent for searching songs playing on your phone
- Quick results
Cons
- May not be available on every phone
Use Siri
Like Google Assistant, Siri can also recognise any song playing near you. But, it cannot recognise a song by humming.
Step 1: Say “Hey Siri, which song is this?”
Step 2: Play the song on another device and bring your iPhone closer to it.
Step 3: Siri will accurately find the song for you.
Pros
- Accurate results
- Quick access
Cons
- Does not have hum to search
Use Shazam to find a song name without knowing its lyrics
There are dozens of apps you can use to identify a song, but Shazam is the one that started it all. Even today, it is comfortably ahead of other song-identifying apps. You can use Shazam to identify a song playing in a bar, on your TV, and even on your phone. The last bit comes in handy when you’re watching a movie or video on your phone and want to know the name of the song playing in the background. You don’t need another device to play it for Shazam. Simply open the app and replay the part of the video with the song. Shazam will produce the name of the song in no time.
Pros
- Large database
- Quick results
Cons
- Requires downloading a third-party app
Use SoundHound – Music Discovery
SoundHound is another great app to find a song even if you don’t know the lyrics. Once the app has been installed, launch it and tap the yellow Soundhound icon. Bring your phone closer to the source of the sound. Instead of playing the song on another device, you can also hum it into your phone’s speaker. SoundHound will find the song for you and even play a 30-second snippet. It will also display the lyrics to the song and give quick links to listen to it on Spotify, YouTube, and other music services.
Pros
- Impressive database
- Displays streaming options next to search results
Cons
- Requires downloading a third-party app
Make a post on r/TipOfMyTongue
Song identifier apps can only help you so much. If Shazam and SoundHound can’t find the song, then no other app can. At this point, your only viable option is to ask other people. The r/TipOfMyTongue subreddit is the best place on the internet to find something that’s been playing over and over again in your head. From a scene in a movie to a random melody, this subreddit can help you with anything. For music-related enquiries, record a quick sample of you humming the song, upload it on Vocaroo, and link it in your post with the relevant details. The TOMT sleuths will get on it right away!
Pros
- Helps when you can’t find a match anywhere else
- Users may offer more information about the song other than just the title
- Cons
- It is possible for your query to go unanswered
Use WatZatSong
WatZatSong is a community of over 400,000 people dedicated to finding songs that are stuck in your head. To post a sample of the song, you will need to sign up first. With a diverse group of users, searching for songs in languages other than English becomes really easy. After finding the correct match for your query, you can stick around and help other users with their requests as well. WatZatSong is also a great place to discuss all things music. Its forums are neatly divided into different song genres. Once you correctly guess a song, you are awarded some points. The users with the most matches are ranked on the website.
Pros
- Great option when you can’t find the song anywhere else
- Competitive approach to song searching
Cons
- Not enough users as other message boards
Use the Now Playing feature on your Google Pixel smartphone
Using your phone’s voice assistant to find a song just by humming it is pretty cool. But you know what’s cooler? When your phone automatically detects the song and displays it on the lock screen. Right now this feature is exclusive to Google Pixel smartphones. Here’s how you can turn it on.
Step 1: Go to Settings and select Sound & Vibration.
Step 2: Tap on Now Playing.
Step 3: Turn on the toggle switch next to Identify songs playing nearby.
Pros
- Does not require the internet
- Song titles show up in the lock screen automatically
Cons
- Newer songs may not be recognised
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I find a song’s name if I don’t know its lyrics?
Use Google Assistant or Siri to find a song by simply humming its melody into your phone. Apps like Shazam and SoundHound can also assist you with this task.
Shazam can’t find the song I’m looking for. What do I do now?
If apps like Shazam and SoundHound fail to find the song you’re looking for, make a post on r/TipOfMyTongue and WatZatSong. Both communities have a user base of thousands of people who can help you find the song stuck in your head.
Is Shazam free to use?
Yes, the song identification feature on Shazam is free to use.
Does Google Pixel’s ‘Now Playing’ feature use the internet?
No, Google Pixel’s Now Playing feature relies on the on-device dataset and computation to search for a song.
Is there a shortcut to search for a song on my phone?
Go to the Quick Settings Menu, hit the edit button, add the ‘Song search’ tile to the menu, and hit ‘Done’. Use this tile whenever you want to search for a song.
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Conclusion
These are the top 9 ways to find a song’s name without knowing its lyrics. The methods we’ve mentioned in this list cover every situation you may come across. While the easiest way to find a match for your query is by using your phone’s native voice assistant, third-party apps like Shazam and SoundHound can also come in quite handy. If these can’t help you find the song, then you can outsource your problem to actual humans using r/TipOfMyTongue and WatZatSong.
