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The clip is only 17 seconds in duration and resembles a track from the 1980s by the band Genesis, played at the bottom of a pool. Despite its bouncy and distorted sound, this snippet of popular music has remained a perplexing and enduring enigma on the internet.
The video was shared on a website called WatZatSong in 2021 by a user named Carl92. The uploader was seeking help to identify the song, stating that they did not remember where it came from but it sounded familiar to them. Despite the 17-second clip being shared on Reddit, a community known for its vast knowledge of popular culture, no one was able to identify the song or its artist.
The adventure has captured the attention of the general public. In June of last year, it even gained its own subreddit, unofficially dubbed Everyone Knows That (Ulterior Motives) or EKT, which now boasts roughly 27,000 members. And in recent times, the popular app TikTok has also become involved, resulting in mundane advice from users such as “Did you attempt to use Shazam?” which is similar to suggesting to a person who lost their keys to check their pockets.
Bas, a music reporter from the Netherlands, serves as one of the moderators for the subreddit. He attributes the popularity of the quest to societal changes. According to him, “We currently reside in an era where information is readily accessible and we have the ability to easily listen to music without limitations.” The music that vanished in the days before the internet holds significant intrigue to younger generations, as they are not accustomed to the idea of not being able to quickly find a particular song.
A twenty-year-old individual who goes by the name Kylie Boggly is an example of someone who has embraced this trend. She states, “We are currently in a time where forgotten media will be cherished in the future, and I am fortunate to be a contributor to it.”
“She highlights that EKT is the most prominent display of the “lostwave” movement, a community that uncovers obscure and neglected songs – possibly recorded from the radio or hidden in a folder of old MP3s – and attempts to identify the title and artist. There is another song that remains unidentified and has earned the title of “the most mysterious song on the internet”, and its mystery has remained unsolved for almost 20 years. However, I believe EKT has exceeded its level of popularity,” Boggly remarks. “It does seem unlikely for the artist to remain unfound.”
A major obstacle is the uncertainty surrounding the lyrics due to the inadequate sound quality. Furthermore, there is debate over the gender of the singer. However, online detectives have determined the specific drum machine and synth utilized in the song, most likely the LinnDrum and Yamaha DX7, which suggests a release date post-1983. Additionally, they have examined the background frequencies and deciphered the format of the DVD that was being played by the user “Carl92.” However, despite these efforts, the exact identification of the song remains elusive through forensic analysis.
Numerous artists with similar sounding names (such as Roxette, Savage Garden, and the performer of the Pokémon TV series theme song) have all been questioned about whether they created the song, but with no success. Predictably, there have been many hoaxes related to the song. Bas remembers a Redditor who asserted they heard it playing in a Polish McDonald’s. “This individual went as far as creating fake emails from companies to keep the search community convinced that we were close to uncovering the song,” he states. “I have to give them credit for their imagination.”
It is possible that the song was an unreleased demo or a jingle for an advertisement. Bas believes it may have been made in the United States for a movie or commercial, and accidentally recorded onto a VHS tape. It was then backed up onto a DVD and forgotten about. Some speculate that it could have originated from Japan. Currently, Boggly reports that the searchers are attempting to contact a little-known singer named White Mike Johnny Glove, who reportedly has a similar singing voice. Keep an eye out for updates.
Carl92 appears to have disappeared, possibly because he didn’t want to be bothered by online investigators asking for clues. Some speculate that he may have faked everything and used AI to create the music. If this is the case, he successfully fooled thousands of people. However, there is no proof that he was not sincere. His last message, posted a few months after sharing EKT, has a discouraged tone and seems authentic. He wrote, “It’s a dead end. Anyway, I’ve lost interest in the song.” But for everyone else, the mystery was just beginning.
Source: theguardian.com
