Internet users have solved the decades-old mystery of a song recorded on cassette in the mid-1980s.
The search for the song’s origins became a viral phenomenon, fueled by Reddit, YouTube, and an article in Rolling Stone.
In the mid-1980s, a young German DJ named Darius S. recorded a song from a radio show onto a cassette, mixing it with tracks from bands like XTC and The Cure. He left out the hosts’ introductions, which made identifying this one track difficult. The rest of the songs on the tape were easy to recognize, but this one eluded him, earning it the title of “the most mysterious song on the Internet”—until now.
A website for lost songs. Darius’s tape remained forgotten until 20 years later when his sister, Lydia, bought him a web domain. Darius named it “Unknown Pleasures” and invited Internet users to help identify the songs in his collection.
His sister takes action. One of the songs, “Blind the Wind,” stood out. In March 2007, Lydia began searching for its origins. She initially turned to Usenet discussion forums and later uploaded fragments of the song to various websites.
A small Spanish record label. The song’s journey to popularity began in 2009 on the French platform WatZatSong—a music-identification site—before appearing on YouTube in 2011. Despite growing interest, the song remained unidentified. In 2017, the Spanish indie label Dead Wax Records posted a clip of the song on its YouTube channel, catching the attention of Gabriel Pelenson, a friend of one of the label’s founders.
Hello, Reddit. Pelenson set out to track down the song’s origin. After posting to various subreddits and YouTube channels, he created a subreddit in June 2019, r/TheMysteriousSong, where Reddit users could join the search.
The year the song went viral. That same year, the search gained momentum when YouTuber Justin Whang shared the story on his channel. As the hunt intensified, Lydia and Darius, who had long been disconnected from the search, became aware of its viral status. Lydia shared new information and higher-quality audio clips of the song, drawing even more attention. Even Rolling Stone covered the phenomenon, publishing an article about “the most mysterious song on the Internet.”
Mystery solved. Despite the buzz, the song’s origin remained elusive—until two weeks ago. Reddit user u/marijn1412, researching music groups, stumbled upon an old article from the archives of the German regional media outlet Nordwest-Zeitung. The article mentioned a band from Kiel called FEX, which had won a talent contest in Bremen in 1984. The media outlet described FEX’s music as “rock with wave and pop influences.”
“Subways of Your Mind.” The article listed the band members, and u/marijn1412 recognized one as part of a group called Phret. After reaching out to the musician and requesting old material, he discovered a track titled “Subways of Your Mind.” At last, the mystery was solved.
What’s Next? The musician has requested that the origin not be officially confirmed until he consults with his band and re-records the song. Darius and Lydia have been informed, and more information will soon be released. While there are other lost songs—the subreddit r/Lostwave is dedicated to tracking them down—this one has finally been identified. It’s a story like no other.
Image | Etienne Girardet (Unsplash)
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