Can *YOU* ID this song?

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Carmanah

The Fly
Joined
Apr 15, 2001
Messages
134
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
I posted this on another forum, but somebody suggested I post it here so more people will see it. Believe me, you'll WANT to see it.

Perhaps someone can help me find out what the name of this song and band is. So far I've asked hundreds of people and not ONE person has any clue as to who this is.

Someone out there has to know!!

Here's the story: When I was 12 years old I was starting to seriously get into music, and I'd record songs off the radio on cassette. It was also the time I "discovered" U2 so being the new fan that I was, anytime they'd play U2 on the radio I'd be sure to record it on my cassette. This was in 1992 or 1993.

One afternoon I turned on the radio and they were playing (what I thought was) a U2 song. The song was almost over but I decided to record it anyway. Unfortunately the DJ never did say who the band was, but I assumed it was U2 at the time. Once I became more familiar with U2 I knew it wasn't one of their songs because I had listened to all of their albums and I was familiar with all of their B-sides, and none of them ever matched the song I had recorded.

I've asked this question to several DJ's I know - both radio and club DJ's... none have figured out the song. I've asked this on several newsgroups - alt.music.lyrics, alt.music.u2, alt.fan.u2, alt.music.canada, etc... no one can figure out who it is, but they all agree it sounds vaguely familiar.

So perhaps YOU might know what this song is. This unknown song has been bothering me for a few years now (try 9!), and I know several people who want to know the identity behind this song too. I recorded the song in 1993, so do keep this in mind. The song either came out in 1993 or sometime before then.

During the chorus the singer sounds like Bono, and the guitarist sounds like Edge. Even the bass player sounds a tiny bit like Adam. It's very strange. This isn't U2 (and the music isn't U2's style...), but then who is this?

The only lyrics I can really make out are in the chorus, and they are "When I left you... you said you loved me..."

I've searched on many a search engine for those lyrics, but nothing really shows up. I probably have the lyrics wrong, but if you have a better idea of what they are, let me know!

I have three 60 second clips of the song on my website. Keep in mind they were recorded off a crappy local radio station in 1993. The sound quality is terrible but if you turn it up (LOUD!) and listen to the entire thing you can hear it alright. It's a bit staticky - please give them a listen. You too will probably be stumped and will be left guessing who these U2-soundalikes are!


http://www.robynh.com/1.wav - Verse
http://www.robynh.com/2.wav - Chorus*
http://www.robynh.com/3.wav - ending of the song

*This is the part that really sounds like U2...

Any idea? If not, this is definitely one for the X-Files!!

p.s. - if the songs aren't working, it just means my server is temporarily down.
 
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Wow.. thats very intersting. Kinda does sound like U2.
How could the radio station not know what song they're playing??

:scratch: :huh:
 
Sicy said:
Wow.. thats very intersting. Kinda does sound like U2.
How could the radio station not know what song they're playing??

:scratch: :huh:

I didn't call up the radio station the moment I recorded it...

As I was a new U2 fan, I was regularly taping songs off the radio which I assumed to be U2. I'd write down what I think would be the song title, and then I'd go to the record store, or find a U2 discography... anything... I usually found out the song title sooner or later, so I never felt the need to call up the radio station.

HOWEVER... this song is different. This is the only song in my entire LIFE that I've been stumped on. It's quite silly! I'm 22 now, and here's a song that has been puzzling me since I was 12! Yikes!

But it's only been recently that I've gone out of my way to search for this song...

And while I could call up the radio station now, I don't remember which radio station I taped that off of. It could have been one of 10 radio stations. I've tried e-mailing a few, but I never got too far.

I was hoping I could find someone on the internet who'd recognize this song before I started with the radio stations.... but I guess that's eventually what I'll have to do.
 
Hmmm... I have a suspicion, but I can't confirm 100% until I get home and check a few CD's that I haven't listened to in a while. LoL! I might be wrong (most likely...) but if right, it'll finally help end this mystery.
 
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doctorwho said:
Hmmm... I have a suspicion, but I can't confirm 100% until I get home and check a few CD's that I haven't listened to in a while. LoL! I might be wrong (most likely...) but if right, it'll finally help end this mystery.

*THAT* would be awesome.

At least it's better than a lot of other answers I've received. I even had one girl write to me, "It's U2."

And I sarcastically wrote back, "Oh really? Well, then... name the album".

And she said, "It's The Joshua Tree or Rattle and Hum... I'm not sure, I'll have to check"

I felt like smashing my head against a brick wall :huh:
 
Carmanah said:

At least it's better than a lot of other answers I've received. I even had one girl write to me, "It's U2."
And I sarcastically wrote back, "Oh really? Well, then... name the album".
And she said, "It's The Joshua Tree or Rattle and Hum... I'm not sure, I'll have to check"
I felt like smashing my head against a brick wall :huh:


LOL! Well, she got some right. It is clearly Bono and has Edge's guitar, but it's also got others - hence it's a collaboration. I haven't listened to some of my collaborations in a while, so I'm not 100% of who it might be. Hence I need to check. I might be completely wrong, but if I can find something, I'll let you know.

I'm just surprised that people like Skeek haven't already come to your rescue! He has .mp3's of EVERYTHING! ;)
 
That's what I was thinking originally... that it was a compilation, along the same lines of the Robbie Robertson compilation "Sweet Fire of Love". I remember hearing *THAT* song being played a lot in 1993 (because I taped it a lot then, hehe)...

I know Bono and Edge did other collaborations with Robbie Robertson, but I couldn't find them on mp3, and when I searched the lyrics, none of them seemed to match the "mystery song" above.
 
holy crap is that like a long lost U2 song or something?

I never ever heard that before. and if it is not Bono singing, then I don't know who it could be. Sounds just like him. at the start it sounds like the singer for oingo boingo, then it starts sounding like Bono. maybe it might be a simple minds song?
 
david said:
holy crap is that like a long lost U2 song or something?

That's kinda what I was thinkin'! :eek: It sounds like something from the Salome Outtakes...:eyebrow:
 
well for the past 3 hours i have been searching and trying to figure out who it could be. i am trying to think of every artist from the 91-93 era that could of recorded this song.
 
this is a cool thread! i am going to try and help out too....

i am even going to rope my hubby ed into this mission.

sorry--just realized i called your struggle to solve this issue a "cool thread." i am not making light of this...i am just excited!
 
this is what i made out from the chorus:

when i left you (pause) said you loved me
while the nation watched(not sure, could be nationwide)
how'd you forget me
 
well, i just listened to all three and i have NO IDEA. i didnt think i would, but i figured i'd give it a try.

anyway, i wanted to say i thought it was hysterical that i could hear you hit the stop button on the third file...cracked me up! i miss sitting around taping songs from the radio....
 
david said:
this is what i made out from the chorus:

when i left you (pause) said you loved me
while the nation watched(not sure, could be nationwide)
how'd you forget me

:huh:
OMDDDDDDD I am going MAD with this

in the beginning.....
'the war's begun......crime

..every time' ???!!!!!

when I left you said you loved me
...nation...


chorus.....
when I left you, said you loved me
all.....nation wide?
can't you forget me
when I met you you said you loved me

*CRY*
 
Thanks so much everyone!

Yes, I've pieced together the lyrics, but each time I think I'm hearing something else...

Dont' worry about calling this a cool thread. ;) The more attraction it gets, the better it becomes... :D We *NEED* to find out the song!

And yes, don't mind my amateur mono cassette recording at the age of 12 turn you off. ;)
 
hmmm Carmanah,

I just tried to listen to the files, but I couldn't download them, it said connection to server couldn't be reached...did you take the files down or somethin?
 
ABEL said:
hmmm Carmanah,

I just tried to listen to the files, but I couldn't download them, it said connection to server couldn't be reached...did you take the files down or somethin?

I'll never take those files down until I find the song.

BTW - on the very first page, I wrote

"p.s. - if the songs aren't working, it just means my server is temporarily down."

:wink:

Currently my server is temporarily down. I actually don't have my server in my house... it's at my boyfriend's house. He just bought a new switch, so I'm sure things will be a little chaotic there for a while... eventually it should work. Keep trying! :)
 
elizabeth said:
this is a cool thread! i am going to try and help out too....

i am even going to rope my hubby ed into this mission.

sorry--just realized i called your struggle to solve this issue a "cool thread." i am not making light of this...i am just excited!

Don't mind her, she uhm, had a 3 month (?) long mad search for adam's pants hosted in PLEBA, and I like to say it was successful though it seemed impossible, so if you got patience you've definately come to the right place, sherlock holmes lives here in disguise. *off to listen to your audio clips*
 
I listened to the first clip.

I honestly am stumped by this. :confused:

The music's style really reminds me of U2, and the way the he sings at the *end* of the first clip really reminds me of Bono's style. However at the beginning of the clip it does not sound like Bono hardly at all, IMO.

I think it may be a collaboration.. 2 singers?

It also occurred to me it *might* be Gavin Friday, because he has a very similar voice.. but from what I understand his first album (the only album of his I haven't heard) doesn't sound like his other 2 albums, so it's unlikely.

Hopefully doctorwho can figure out who this is. :scream:
 
The more I think about it, I think this is from the Salome out takes. I think I remember finding something like this on napster a couple of years ago -

Mostly because the song doesn't sound finished. Especially he vocals. They still sound exploratory.

Are you sure you heard this on the radio? Was it a big station? Or more of an indie type of station?


I think your better off searching bootlegs than actual records.

Mark
 
It is certainly not from the Salome bootleg. Or at least, not from the 3CD edition, as I have that set and the song is not on it.

Unfortunately, I don't know what the title/performers are.

C ya!

Marty
 
mbi16 said:


Don't mind her, she uhm, had a 3 month (?) long mad search for adam's pants hosted in PLEBA, and I like to say it was successful though it seemed impossible, so if you got patience you've definately come to the right place, sherlock holmes lives here in disguise. *off to listen to your audio clips*


thanks you.....


anyway, try posting your search in PLEBA too. i mentioned this thread to a few people and they were genuinely interested. my hubby suggested achtung baby outtakes as well?

i had even worse luck than others understanding the lyrics. i will listen to our bootleg CD that digi made for us while we pack up our house today and see if i recognize anything!

ON WITH THE SEARCH!

(by the way marina, I ALWAYS knew i would find his pants...)
 
hrm wow. still haven't figured it out yet. It sounds like Achtung Baby era U2. I dunno, I thought up so many possibilities. Is it a song from The Captive Soundtrack that Edge did back in 1986? Is it a collaboration between Bob Geldof and Bono???
 
david said:
hrm wow. still haven't figured it out yet. It sounds like Achtung Baby era U2. I dunno, I thought up so many possibilities. Is it a song from The Captive Soundtrack that Edge did back in 1986? Is it a collaboration between Bob Geldof and Bono???

No, it isn't from Captive. I haven't heard the Bob Geldof collaboration yet, so I can't say.
 
Um....WOW

I'd be very surprised if it turns out this isn't U2, cause i'd bet that it's Bono's voice - not from the very beginning, but later on it sure sounds like him.

I really dunno...could be a compilation, could be a raritiy song (?) or a collaboration (as the initial voice isn't Bono).
If it's a U2 cover band with their own material, the singer sounds spookily a lot like Bono.

How about you asking the Principle Management and sending them the MP3s? That's the only idea i can come up with now that would clear it up.
 
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MadelynIris said:
The more I think about it, I think this is from the Salome out takes. I think I remember finding something like this on napster a couple of years ago -

Mostly because the song doesn't sound finished. Especially he vocals. They still sound exploratory.

Are you sure you heard this on the radio? Was it a big station? Or more of an indie type of station?


I think your better off searching bootlegs than actual records.

Mark

I think the song sounds unfinished because it's a terrible sound quality. It actually sounds a lot better on tape than it does on .wav, so I'll try to make a better copy ASAP.

Yes, it was on the radio. It wasn't an indie station.

It could have been one of these radio stations:

1. Rock 101 - http://www.rock101.com
2. 99.3 The Fox - http://www.cfox.com
3. 100.3 The Q - http://www.theq.fm
4. Z95.3 - http://www.z95.com
5. 92.9 KISM - http://www.kism.com
6. LG73 (Now defunct but in 93 was owned by The Fox) - http://www.lg73.com/

Those were the radio stations I listed to... they were mainstream radio. I recorded the song during regular radio hours... they just didn't announce the song.
 
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