After 17 years of relentless searching, a mysterious German pop song has finally been identified thanks to the efforts of a passionate online community and a former member of the band.
Dubbed "the most mysterious song on the internet," this German pop song was at the center of a virtual treasure hunt for nearly two decades. Through the dedication and passion of an online community, the song was ultimately identified as Subways of Your Mind, performed by the little-known 1980s German band FEX.
The story began in 2007, when a German brother and sister decided to digitize and share a track online that the brother had recorded on cassette from the radio over 20 years earlier. Music enthusiasts and fans of "lostwave" — a movement dedicated to uncovering the origins of forgotten songs — quickly rallied to identify this enigmatic track.
Despite numerous attempts, including analyzing the instruments and studying the singer’s accent, initial efforts proved unsuccessful. Classified by many as “new wave,” the song seemed destined to remain a mystery forever.
In 2019, however, the investigation took a new turn. Reddit brought the song back to the forefront, sparking unprecedented interest among internet users. Soon dubbed "the most mysterious song on the internet," the track attracted tens of thousands of curious listeners to a dedicated Reddit forum. German media also picked up the story, fueling this virtual treasure hunt.
After years of determined effort, it was ultimately a Reddit user known as "marijn1412" who cracked the case. Through communication with one of FEX’s former members, Michael Haedrich, now 68, he obtained the long-sought title of the song: Subways of Your Mind.
To track down Michael Haedrich, "marijn1412" showed remarkable ingenuity, sifting through archives to find groups that had performed at a concert organized by a public broadcaster in northern Germany during the 1980s. This led him to the former FEX member.
Speaking with Der Spiegel, Michael Haedrich revealed he had never known about this online “hunt” and that the band was "absolutely astonished" by this late recognition. This discovery ends 17 years of speculation and determined searching, once again demonstrating the power of collaboration and passion within online communities.
With AFP
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