# How to identify a melody **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503 "2006-03-08T05:16:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Neur0mancer\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@Neur0mancer\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neur0mancer_1)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/1 "2006-03-08T05:16:58Z")
I’m not sure how to go about getting this answered, and I wonder if anyone has an idea. I’m trying to trace down the origin of a simple tune. Everyone I’ve hummed it to knows exactly what it is, but no one (including some pretty music-savvy folks) knows where it comes from. The melody is familiar because it’s almost the prototypical “middle eastern” tune you hear in cartoons and such. Since I know little about musical notation, I went to a site that has a simple online simulated keyboard, and messed around with it until I came up with this as the best estimate of what the melody sounds like: C D **#D D C** C D #D G D #D **C** (the bolded notes are 1/4 notes, the rest are 1/8ths) I hope that’s enough for someone to identify it, cause I’m out of ideas. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/2 "2006-03-08T05:21:52Z")
Looks like “There’s a place in France, where the naked ladies dance…” I don’t know the real name for it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/3 "2006-03-08T05:24:19Z")
Yep, I recognize the tune and nope, I don’t know what it’s called or where it’s from. Go to the [Mudcat Cafe forum page](http://www.mudcat.org/threads.cfm) and post your question. I’d be surprised if you don’t get a knowledgeable answer within a day. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/4 "2006-03-08T05:24:48Z")
[Streets of Cairo](http://www.shira.net/streets-of-cairo.htm)? There’s a MIDI file of it available on this page. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/5 "2006-03-08T05:26:12Z")
“Oh, they don’t wear pants on the sunny side of France.” ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/6 "2006-03-08T05:38:24Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > [Streets of Cairo](http://www.shira.net/streets-of-cairo.htm)? There’s a MIDI file of it available on this page. Yes, that’s the one. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/7 "2006-03-08T05:43:50Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Yes, that’s the one. I thought so, too. But, the notes as written in the OP don’t quite fit the melody. Almost, but not quite. So, I wasn’t entirely sure this is the song he meant, although the description fits. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/8 "2006-03-08T07:16:11Z")
For your future melody identification needs: [Musipedia](http://www.musipedia.org/). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/9 "2006-03-08T16:18:23Z")
> [@II Gyan II](#): > > For your future melody identification needs: [Musipedia](http://www.musipedia.org/). Wow, what a great site! ---
**Author:** ![Neur0mancer\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@Neur0mancer\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neur0mancer_1)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/10 "2006-03-08T18:20:01Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > I thought so, too. But, the notes as written in the OP don’t quite fit the melody. Almost, but not quite. So, I wasn’t entirely sure this is the song he meant, although the description fits. That’s because the OP was written by a musical ignoramus who was happy he was able to pick out even that much of a tune on a simulated keyboard. Thanks, everyone. ---
**Author:** ![rkts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@rkts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rkts)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-identify-a-melody/347503/11 "2006-03-08T18:46:20Z")
Musipedia is a great idea, but I have never been able to identify a single melody with it.