# Help Me ID an 80s syth song by melody only **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729 "2010-09-06T00:17:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/1 "2010-09-06T00:17:38Z")
I heard an 80s synth pop song last night. It was the first time I’d heard it since probably 1985. I don’t know a single word in the song, but I have a rough idea of the melody. I found an online keyboard and [this is as close as I could get](http://www.zshare.net/video/801042361c8b3c08/) to playing the basic chorus. The timing is off because I’m not a musician and playing an online keyboard with a mouse isn’t my thing. The vocals in the song are all male. The tone of the song is kind of haunting, not upbeat… maybe along the lines of Don Henley’s _[Sunset Grill](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6PgrK3oZ2Y)_. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/2 "2010-09-06T00:32:26Z")
Hmmm… I’m not sure why that video is only 6 seconds. I recorded 26 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/3 "2010-09-06T00:51:17Z")
This one’s the [full version](http://www.youtube.com/user/bearflag70?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/ONchvFUpopg). ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/4 "2010-09-06T01:23:32Z")
It sounds like a song that OMD might do. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/5 "2010-09-06T01:34:31Z")
OMD’s [Maid of Orleans](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig2Q4Ub4TnM)? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/6 "2010-09-06T01:36:28Z")
No, this song is a bit faster than \*Maid \*and a bit more poppy … closer to _Secret_ or _Forever Live & Die_. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/7 "2010-09-06T01:44:26Z")
I think parts of lyrics have a second male voice singing an underlying lyric. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/8 "2010-09-06T01:57:02Z")
[Puttin’ On the Ritz](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3PnQ3tgzY)? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/9 "2010-09-06T02:08:48Z")
This is driving me nuts, the midi file totally recognizable, I just can’t place it. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/10 "2010-09-06T02:41:59Z")
The part that’s driving me nuts is that it’s _not_ recognizable, in the least! And I know my 80’s synth pop. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/11 "2010-09-06T02:55:38Z")
Shit, I would recommend doing a YouTube of you humming the melody. I’m pretty synth-pop savvy and I couldn’t place it for the life of me. If you’re a really bad musician with bad rhythm it sounds vaguely like [Confusion by New Order](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcBnvjeovlU&feature=related). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/12 "2010-09-06T03:38:52Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MsW8rXPcnM0/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGEkgZShcMA8=&rs=AOn4CLAbktQwsxM9bULEKkAUqYKMMsRO9A "Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft #1 Hit(1972)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsW8rXPcnM0) Fuck yeah. (Not exactly an 80’s synth song, but you can’t tell me it’s not what the midi file sounded like) ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/13 "2010-09-06T04:28:04Z")
Haven’t got it yet. It’s not as hectic as that New Order song. It’s more a wash of synth than bleeps and bloops. It’s not as recognizable as Puttin’ on the Ritz. Maybe I will have to hum it… Tomorrow though, probably in the morning around 9 am Pacific. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/14 "2010-09-06T04:29:55Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Haven’t got it yet. It’s not as hectic as that New Order song. It’s not as recognizable as Puttin’ on the Ritz. > > Maybe I will have to hum it… > > Tomorrow though, probably in the morning around 9 am Pacific. Google things like hum sing song or what song is this whistle There’s quite a few sites that’ll attempt to ID songs that way. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/15 "2010-09-06T16:11:58Z")
[Here I am singing (butchering) it](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cnjp5Xnmrw). The Bop Bop Bops are male vocals as part of the verse. The La La Las are the chorus The Do Do Dos are keyboards as part of the chorus ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/16 "2010-09-06T16:14:31Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VDspWsK_-vQ/hqdefault.jpg "Ultravox - Reap The Wild Wind") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDspWsK_-vQ) Hang in for the chorus. And you’re welcome. ETA: and FWIW, I got it off your first keyboard post. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-an-80s-syth-song-by-melody-only/552729/17 "2010-09-06T16:15:45Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDspWsK\_-vQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDspWsK_-vQ) > > Hang in for the chorus. And you’re welcome. > > ETA: and FWIW, I got it off your first keyboard post. YES! Thanks!😃