How to Find a Music Video by Describing It: 17 Song ID Tricks

The best ways to identify a song or music video if you don’t know the name or artist

Last Updated: January 23, 2023

Are you having trouble finding a music video that you've seen but don't know anything about? If you can remember some of the lyrics, melodies, or video details, don't worry—there are easy ways to find a video by describing it! Even if you don't know the artist or song, you can describe the video in search engines, on YouTube, and to song-identification communities on Reddit and Facebook. You can also hum, sing, or tap out the melody using free tools like SoundHound, search for partial lyrics, check video lists, and even ask on TikTok or Quora! This wikiHow guide will teach you the most helpful tools for finding a music video when you can't remember the title or artist.

Things You Should Know

Search for any lyrics you remember on Google, YouTube, or Genius, even if you only know a few words.
When describing the video, include the genre, key elements of the video, year or era, and even physical descriptions of artists & actors.
Describe the video on song-finding communities like /r/NameThatSong and Facebook's Identification of Music Group.

1

If you remember any lyrics, search for them.

Even if you only remember some of the lyrics, you might be able to find the music video. Searching for partial lyrics using Google or YouTube is one of the best ways to find a music video without knowing the artist or title. The lyrics don't need to be 100% correct—just type in what you remember, along with the word "lyrics," and see what comes up. You may just find the music video you're looking for!
- You can also search popular lyrics sites like Genius, AZLyrics, and Lyrics.com.

2

Describe the video in a Google search.

Describing a music video can be tough, but we have some solid tips. Even if you can't find the music video by its lyrics, you may be able to find it by searching for standout details, objects, and themes from the video itself. For the best chance at identifying a video:
- When searching, include the phrase "video" in your search so it's clear what you're looking for.
- If you know when the song or video was released, include the year or era in your search. For example, "1990" or "80s" would work.
- Type some descriptors of the music in the video. For example, if it's an R&B song, include "R&B" in your search. If the song has no lyrics, add "instrumental." If it's a country song, you'll want to include "country."
- Enter a few words about the setting. For example, if it took place in a hospital, on a beach, or in a car, add those keywords to your search.
- If the video or song has a certain theme, like "breakup," "wedding," or "depression," add that to your search.
- You can also try describing the appearance of the performer(s), such as their outfits, hair styles and colors, or notable features. This will be extra helpful if there's something unique about how they dress or look.
- Using these tips, you should now have a query like "video country female singer sets house on fire" or "video singer dancing in a multicolored room in a puffy jacket 2015."
- Now that you have some ideas for how to phrase your search, enter your search terms into Google, Bing, and YouTube for the best chance at finding the music video.

3

If you've watched the video on YouTube, check your history.

YouTube saves a history of the videos you've watched. If you've ever watched the music video while signed in to your YouTube account, there's a good chance you'll find it in your history. To view your history:
- In the YouTube mobile app, tap Library and select History to see the videos you've watched.
- On a computer, go to https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity in a web browser. Then, select YouTube History and click Manage History to see videos you've watched.

4

Hum or sing it to SoundHound.

SoundHound is a mobile app that can identify a song based on the tune you sing. Even if you don't know any of the lyrics or can't describe what you saw, you can hum part of the song to the SoundHound app and it will suggest matching songs.^{[1]
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Research source} If SoundHound recognizes what you're singing or humming, it will tell you the artist and title of the song, which will help you find the music video on YouTube.
- You can download the SoundHound app for your iPhone or iPad from the App Store, or for your Android from the Play Store.

5

Try Midomi as another song-humming option.

Unlike SoundHound, Midomi works in your web browser, so you can also use it on your computer. Just go to https://www.midomi.com, click or tap the orange icon, and sing or hum the melody of the song from the music video you're looking for. Midomi will search its massive database of music and provide you with a list of matching songs.

6

Describe the video on Reddit's Name That Song.

Reddit's Name That Song community is ready to help you find songs of any genre. This friendly community is very active, so you should get some good responses. If you're new to Reddit, you'll need to sign up for an account, which you can do using the Reddit mobile app or through your web browser at https://www.reddit.com. Once you're signed up, head to https://www.reddit.com/r/NameThatSong and create a post describing as much information from the video as you can remember.
- Include as much of the following information as possible in your post: The era/year the song or video was released, the genre or style of the song, any information you know about the artist, where you saw the video (such as YouTube or MTV), the language/country, any lyrics or content you remember, and possible names.^{[2]
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- Use a descriptive title in the subject line instead of "help me find this video." Instead, try something like "80s power ballad featuring a man haunted by a ghost" or "female rapper dancing in front of a pink sugar cookie."

7

Ask the Identification of Music group on Facebook.

Facebook's Identification of Music (IOM) group is a great song identification resource. If you're on Facebook, you can easily join the group by visiting its home page (just search for "Identification of Music" in the search field and selecting Join Group. Once your invitation is accepted, do your best to describe the music video to the crowd. Chances are, somebody else has seen it and can identify it for you!
- If you're using a computer, you can get to the IOM group's home page using this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1165001636849150/
- Like the Reddit group, you'll want to include as much descriptive information as possible in your post. The year the video came out (if you know it), genre, and any identifying information you remember.

8

Check out IMVDB to see lists of music videos.

Point your web browser to https://imvdb.com and check the charts. You can use this helpful website to see lists of popular music videos, including videos that were popular in previous years. While there's no way to describe a video to IMVDB, you can find just about any recent music video on the site.
- If you know the year the music video came out, you can skip over to https://imvdb.com/calendar to see all videos released that year.
- This site will also be helpful if you know other information about the music video, such as the name of the director, production company, or even any of the people who worked on the video.

9

Make a TikTok about the video.

When you create a TikTok video, you have a chance of being seen by people all over the world. Because of this, describing the music video on TikTok could be a great way to find out the artist or song title. Even if you're not popular on TikTok, you still have a chance of your video showing up on peoples' For You pages, especially if you make the video funny or interesting. Just describe what you remember from the video, including any identifying lyrics, and wait for people to reply!
- Don't be afraid to hum or sing the song in your video. This will help people figure out which song you're looking for. It could also get you some likes and follows!
- If you're new to TikTok, check out our guide on creating your first video.

10

If the video was a cover, try Second Hand Songs.

Finding a music video for a song that's a cover by a different artist can be simple. If you know the name or artist of the original song, just head to https://secondhandsongs.com and search for it. As long as the music video you're looking for is somewhat "official," you should find the name of the artist this way.

11

If the song has a sample from another song, use WhoSampled.

WhoSampled is a site tool for identifying songs that use samples from other songs. If the music video you're looking for contains a clip, identical melody, or any other piece of a song you do know, search for the original song or artist at https://www.whosampled.com. Who Sampled will provide you a list of all known songs that have used that sample, which can help lead to the music video.^{[3]
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12

Check Tunefind if the song was in a TV show, movie, or game.

Have you ever heard the song from the music video somewhere else? If you can identify a TV show, movie, or video game that played the song (even just a little snippet), you can find it on Tunefind. Go to https://www.tunefind.com and look up the movie, TV show episode, or game that played the song from the music video.

13

Tap out the melody on Song Guesser.

Song Guesser can identify songs based on the melody or rhythm you tap on your keyboard. This is especially handy for music videos and songs that don't have lyrics, though it will also work for music videos that are tougher to describe. Just go to https://songguesser.com in any web browser, choose non-classical to rule out classical music, then use any key on your keyboard to tap out the song's most recognizable part—such as the chorus, a guitar solo, riff, or intro.^{[4]
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14

Ask the Waz Zat Song forum.

The Waz Zat Song community can help you track down any song or music video. This social forum is full of music aficionados who can help you find songs of all genres. While the main site is mainly for sharing a sample of a song you've heard to have it identified by the community, you can post a description of the song and music video you're looking for in the forum, which you'll find at https://forum.watzatsong.com/index.php.
- This site isn't as popular as Reddit's Name That Song or Facebook's Identification of Music group, but it's a great place to turn if you couldn't find results on those platforms.

15

Post about the video on Quora.

Quora is a very popular knowledge-sharing website that gets a lot of visitors. Because of its popularity (and its tendency to show up in many Google searches), you might be able to describe the music video to a pretty large audience on Quora. If anyone who sees your question knows the video, they'll let you know!
- Try sharing your question in Quora's Song Identification group for the best chance at finding a music fan who can find your video. You can go to https://www.quora.com/topic/Song-Identification or search for "Song Identification" in the Quora app for Android, iPhone, or iPad.

16

Check artist discographies on Wikipedia and other platforms.

If you know the name of the artist, try looking at a list of all of their songs. A great way to do this is to search Wikipedia for the name of the performer or band, and scroll down to the Discography section. If the artist doesn't have a Wikipedia page or is lesser known, search for them on Discogs instead.

17

Ask friends and family on social media.

If you still can't find the music video, try describing it on social media. Describe the video you're looking for in a new Facebook post, tweet, or Instagram story. Somebody you know might have the answer you're looking for!