“Everybody Knows That” or Do They?: The Familiar Tune No One Recalls

What do you do when you overhear a song at the grocery store you like but do not recognize? For many of us, we open Shazam or salvage what lyrics we can for a sloppy Google search later on. 

However, finding a tune was not always so easy. Before smartphones, if you happened to miss when the radio station called out the song’s title and artist, the probability it would remain unfounded to you was high. 

Without modern technology, cassette tapes and VHS recordings became one of the few ways to document unknown audios, thus birthing the phenomenon of “lost songs.” While many restoration projects have attempted to label and digitize nameless media, even today some manage to slip by unidentified. 

On Oct. 7, 2021, user Carl92 posted a distorted 17-second recording to Watzatsong from a 1999 audio file he stumbled upon on his computer. Now almost three years later, the snippet has garnered over 500,000 views on both TikTok and YouTube, received national coverage in the Rolling Stones magazine and incited a new lost song search online.

Dubbed by internet sleuths as “Everybody Knows That” (ETK) or “Ulterior Motives,” the generic 80s-sounding melody stands out amongst other lost songs due to its catchy and familiar sound. But despite its reach and popularity, the hunt for this elusive song has remained fruitless. 

A multitude of factors complicate the search. First, the original poster left only two finite clues before abandoning the post altogether: he was from Spain and the audio predates the 2000s. 

Second, with only 17-seconds of a crackling melody to go from, much of the lyrics remain hidden outside of the chorus. 

Third, it is unknown whether the audio drew from the radio, a cassette tape or a television program, further extending its potential sources. 

One concrete piece of evidence found was the use of a LinnDrum, a popular drum machine manufactured between 1982 and 1985, meaning the song cannot predate 1982. While many other leads for possible singers and genres have surfaced, none have led to the song’s discovery thus far. 

Compared to other lost song searches, however, the quest for ETK’s origins remains relatively fresh. Between November of 2023 and February of 2024, the lost song community rejoiced after multiple songs, many with decade-long searches, received sources in the span of a few weeks. Highlights included:

A three-second video clip dubbed, “the world was so easy” found to be “Just Passin’ By” by Big Picture

Formerly titled, “How Long Will It Take?” sourced as “How Long” by Paula Toledo

Formerly dubbed “kenya dance” being linked to “Katonda Alinawe” by David SonJC

And formerly titled, “Fond my mind” being tied to Station K’s “Feels Like A Wish”

Likely all ETK will need to be discovered is time, persistence and the right pair of ears. Until then, share this clip around to the older folks in your life and perhaps “Everyone Knows That” will finally become a song everyone knows.