What’s That Song? 5 Apps to Find Out What Music You Just Heard

We’ve all been there. You’re walking through the grocery store, and a catchy new song starts playing. You want to know what it is, but you can’t quite catch the lyrics, so it bugs you for weeks and weeks. Or maybe a snatch of a melody comes into your mind, and you can’t for the life of you remember where you heard it.

It can be an incredibly frustrating experience, and you can spend hours online frantically trying to work out what the song is but to no avail. Search engines aren’t much help unless you know a significant portion of the lyrics or have some idea who the artist is. 

But fortunately, there are some fantastic apps designed to help you with this mission. Next time you hear a song you can’t quite recognize, use one of the following five programs, and you will be able to identify it instantly.

Photo by Vova Krasilnikov 

 

Shazam

One of the best-known music identification apps, Shazam is perfect for those moments when you can hear a song playing but can’t remember what it is. You can get Shazam for Windows or download it on your phone for use on the go. All you need to do is open the app, hold your phone towards the audio source, and after a few seconds of music, it will be able to tell you the song, artist, and the album it featured on. It’s highly effective, but you need to be fast enough to get the app open before the song finishes.

 

AudioTag

If you have a recording of the song, perhaps from a film or TV show, using AudioTag will allow you to identify it. Simply upload your recording to the app, and it will browse its vast music database to figure out what you are listening to.

 

Midomi

When you have a melody stuck in your head, but you can’t work out where it’s from, Midomi is your best bet. Simply whistle, hum, or sing the tune into your microphone and, as long as you’re not too out of tune, Midomi will give you a selection of possible songs it could be.

 

Musipedia

For those phone users who are slightly more musically talented, Musipedia gives you a much more reliable way of figuring out the song you just heard. The app features a virtual keyboard, on which you can play the tune that’s stuck in your head. The best part is, you only need a small snatch of the tune for it to work.

 

WatZatSong

Sometimes your internet search comes up with nothing, and here’s where WatZatSong comes in. Rather than trusting in apps and search engines to find a song, this app lets you throw out your search to thousands of other music lovers. Upload a recording of the song or you humming it, and other members of the site may be able to help you decipher it. And to put your query out to a broader audience, the app lets you share your request to your social media networks as well.

 

Jessica Alexander

Jessica Alexander

I've always loved to write, but I'd never want to be famous. So, I write as Jessica A. over here at ADDICTED. You can think of my like Carmen Sandiego, you trust me, but where in the world am I?
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