For nearly two decades, a global collective of online detectives has been captivated by a musical enigma, tirelessly working to uncover the identity of what has become famously known as “the Most Mysterious Song On The Internet.” This enduring puzzle, fueled by curiosity and the power of online communities, has finally reached its resolution. An astute researcher’s serendipitous discovery, shared triumphantly on Reddit, has revealed the song’s title: “Subways of Your Mind”, a hidden gem recorded by FEX, a virtually unknown German band from the 1980s.
The revelation has profoundly moved the former members of FEX. Michael Haedrich, the band’s keyboardist, guitarist, and backup vocalist, now 68 years old, expressed to Der Spiegel magazine that they are “absolutely overwhelmed” by the unexpected attention. Unbeknownst to them, their music had become the center of an expansive online phenomenon.
The Genesis of a Musical Mystery
The mystery’s origins trace back to 2007 when a brother and sister in Germany digitized a cassette tape they had recorded as teenagers from the radio. As detailed in a 2019 Rolling Stone article, the tape contained tracks from well-known artists such as XTC and The Cure. However, one particular song eluded identification, remaining an enigma until this recent breakthrough.
Seeking assistance, the German siblings shared the snippet online, sparking the interest of audiophiles and music enthusiasts. Despite extensive searches through music databases, the track remained elusive. Online sleuths meticulously analyzed the recording, dissecting the instrumentation and scrutinizing the lead singer’s accent for clues.
Initial investigations aimed at classifying the song, which many categorized within the 1980s “New Wave” genre, yielded minimal progress. However, the mystery gained significant momentum in 2019 when the track was posted on Reddit, igniting global fascination.
Reddit’s Role in Solving the Enigma
The creation of the Reddit subforum “r/TheMysteriousSong” became a focal point for the search, attracting tens of thousands of members. The collective endeavor to identify the song was also covered by German media and international outlets, further amplifying the quest.
The pivotal moment arrived earlier this week when a Reddit user, “marijn1412,” announced the song’s identification as “Subways of Your Mind.” His breakthrough stemmed from research into an event for emerging bands organized in the 1980s by a public broadcaster in northern Germany, where he encountered former members of FEX.
As “marijn1412” recounted in his Reddit post, he contacted the members of the Kiel-based quartet. They responded by sharing a version of the mysterious song and revealing its long-sought title.
“After I emailed him back that the song is actually quite a famous ‘lost song,’ he asked me not to go public with it until he spoke with his old band members. In the meantime, though, the song did get registered at [the German performance rights organization] GEMA and people found out about it. But I’m happy to say that the band members agreed for me to go public with it,” Marijn1412 explained.
Haedrich, who remains active in music, admitted to Spiegel that he was completely unaware of the extensive search effort. “I thought it was amazing that someone was interested in music by a band that was only successful regionally, if at all, and that was over 40 years ago,” he remarked.
Looking ahead, the members of FEX are eager to reissue “Subways of Your Mind” and are currently working to locate the original recording. While their widespread recognition may have been decades in coming, Haedrich noted, “for us, it has just come suddenly.”
“Mornings Memory”: The compact disc’s rise in the 80s 02:13
