13 Ways to Find the Name of a Song without Knowing the Lyrics

Always have the answer to the question, “What song is this?”

Co-authored by Nicolas Adams and Bertha Isabel Crombet, PhD

Last Updated: October 2, 2025 Fact Checked

Got a tune stuck in your head but can’t remember what it’s called or who made it? Or even worse: you’re at a bar and a catchy song comes on that you love, but there are no lyrics for you to Google. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to find the names of songs, even when you can’t recall a single lyric or when the song is instrumental (has no lyrics at all). In this article, we’ll cover all of the best resources you can use to get the artist and title info you so desperately seek. Before you know it, that new track will be on your favorite Spotify playlist, playing on full blast!

Best Tools to Find a Song without Lyrics

Use Shazam, Siri, or MusicID to identify songs that are currently playing.
Hum the tune into Google or SoundHound later if you remember the melody.
Upload a recording to AudioTag to match and find the audio track.
Describe the song on WatZatSong or Reddit to enlist the internet’s help.
Play the notes of the melody in Musipedia to track down the song.
Look up films or TV shows on IMDb to find songs used in soundtracks.

1

Play the tune for Shazam.

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Shazam is a universal option that works on any platform or phone. If the song is actively playing right now, pull your phone out and quickly download Shazam. Tap the button in the middle of the app and hold the phone up near the speaker if it’s nearby. Shazam will automatically identify the song and artist for you.^{[1]
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- Shazam is totally free, and it’s available for both iOS and Android.

2

Ask Siri to help you.

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Ask Siri to listen to your song and identify it if you’ve got an iPhone. Apple has actually bought Shazam, so Siri has similar capabilities to the Shazam app. When a song is playing, simply open Siri and ask her to identify the song that’s playing. It’ll scan the audio and tell you the name of the track and artist.^{[2]
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- You can also add Shazam to the control center on your iPhone or Apple Watch by updating your phone and adding “music recognition” in the control center settings.
- Alexa, the AI assistant for the Amazon Echo, can identify songs that it’s currently playing. It can also find a song for you if you sing the lyrics. Unfortunately, it can’t name a song for you if you hum the tune or play it in the background.^{[3]
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3

Use the MusicID app.

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If you’ve got an iPhone, MusicID is a great Shazam alternative. MusicID works just like Shazam. You tap a button while a song is playing, and it pulls up the artist and the name of the song. However, MusicID also has a location-tracking function so that you can remember where you were when you heard the song, and it contains a lot more trivia and info about the song than Shazam does.^{[4]
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4

Open up the SoundHound app.

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Identify songs on the go with the SoundHound mobile app. Previously known as Midoni, SoundHound has taken over the previous software, offering new technology to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Hear a song you don’t recognize on the radio, or while you’re waiting in line for a cup of coffee? Pull up the Soundhound app on your phone and tap the orange button. In a matter of seconds, Soundhound will ID the exact song you’re currently listening to.^{[5]
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5

Let MusixMatch find your song.

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Use MusixMatch’s extensive catalog to your benefit. Users can download MusixMatch from the app store and use it like they would Shazam. The software can identify a song in seconds and offers additional perks, such as creating playlists and converting any song into a karaoke version. The app boasts over 20 million contributors, boosting your chances of finding the title of that one elusive song you heard at the grocery store last week.

6

Work with Genius.

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Genius is home to a compendium of musical knowledge. Similar to Shazam, the app can help you identify a song that is already playing. Simply download the app, use the soundwave recognition feature, and voila! The app’s advanced algorithm strives to provide the most comprehensive results possible. The software will populate the lyrics, ensuring that you’ve found the song you’re looking for.^{[6]
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7

Google it.

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Hum the tune to a Google browser on your phone or PC. Open Google on your phone and tap the little microphone icon to activate it. Say, “What’s this song?” and then hum the tune that’s stuck in your head for 10-15 seconds. Google will scan through the internet and pull up a list of potential matches based on what you hummed.^{[7]
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- You can do this in a browser if you have a microphone or webcam, too.
- If you know any lyrics from the song, you can sing them instead.

8

Allow Google Assistant to assist you.

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You have the option to play the song or hum it for Google Assistant. Downloadable from almost any device, this app can tell you the name of the song currently playing or the one you’re humming. Google Assistant is a great tool if you’re out at a bar and the song has just ended, but you still remember the general melody. Pull up the app, exercise those vocal chords, and allow the algorithm to do the rest.^{[8]
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9

Upload your recorded sound byte to AudioTag.

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If you’ve got a link or audio file, upload it to AudioTag for info. If you happen to have a link to a website where the song is playing or a random snippet of an audio file, then go to AudioTag. Click the “upload file” button to submit a sample, or “enter link” to provide a website link. If the title and artist information exist, AudioTag will pull it up!^{[9]
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- AudioTag also has a database of obscure music videos, info about current radio rotations, and a time machine function to explore old or forgotten tunes.

10

Seek help on WatZatSong.

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WatZatSong is a great option if you want human help. If algorithms and robots aren’t able to automatically identify the song, that doesn’t mean the info doesn’t exist—the file just may be corrupted, or it may be too loud in the room for something like Shazam. Post a recording of the song (or of you humming the tune) and post it on WatZatSong. Someone may help you out!^{[10]
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- People on WatZatSong get a kick out of trying to figure out where obscure songs come from.

11

Use your music training on Musipedia.

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If you know any of the notes, Musipedia is like magic. This is a really neat tool—you open a digital piano and then you press the keys with your mouse. Based on the order of the notes, Musipedia will search through sheet music records and audio logs to identify songs that use those notes.^{[11]
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- This website is pretty old and buggy, so try to be patient.
- If you get too many results to go through and you know how the song starts, enter the notes at the start of the song and select the option to only scan beginnings.
- The more notes you enter, the more accurate the results will be. Don’t worry if a few of the notes are incorrect—Musipedia will generally figure it out.

12

Find a song from a show or film on IMDb.

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IMDb is the best option if the song appeared in a movie or TV show. If you heard a tune in a movie or on a show, pull up the IMDb page for the flick or show. Then, scroll to the “Soundtracks” section and expand it. You should see a list of all songs that appeared in the media.^{[12]
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- If you don’t remember the specific movie but you can remember an actor or actress who was in it, pull up their IMDb page and scroll through the filmography until you find it.

13

Reach out to the Reddit community.

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Certain subreddits, like r/NameThatSong, have over 200K active members, ready to help you out with all your song and lyric needs. Whether it’s an obscure German jingle from a 1994 commercial about green peas or an indie rock song from a one-hit-wonder band that seemingly fell off the face of the earth, no song is too big or small—or weird—for the song sleuths on these subreddits. Other similar subreddits include r/WhatsThisSong and r/TipOfMyTongue.

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I have tried to hum a song but I can´t get the song right. They are singing something like this "It´s gonna be fine by me it´s gonna be fine by you," with a woman singing. Any ideas?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Is it "It's Gonna Be Fine" by Freedonia? That seems like a likely option given your description.

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What is the hymn with the words "We are one in the lord marching one by one?"

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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There don't appear to be any songs or hymns with those lyrics specifically in that order. Are you thinking of "When the Saints Go Marching In" or "The Battle Hymn of the Republic?" Those both seem like likely options that have similar lyrics to what you've mentioned.

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I know the name and start of a song, but can't find it anywhere. What should I do?

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Type the lyrics into Google (or any search engine) and it should pop up. Also, SoundHound and Shazam are apps that can help with this.

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If you can remember even a few of the lyrics, Googling the lyrics is probably the fastest way to identify the song if it isn’t actively playing and you don’t have Shazam open. Just enter a few words, put them all in quotes, and then add the word “lyrics” at the end.

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