You know when you forget something, and then try to remember

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!

That was my impersonation of a person who is being stabbed in the ears with screwdrivers, which is kinda like elevator-music.

But, no, it's not muzak either Just because it's 80's mellow synthpop doesn't mean it's easy listening. I remember the melody well. It's the lyrics that're tough to recall.

Also the guy who's singing is singing loudly, not whispering into the microphone, so to speak.

-Fred

Just to further cement my "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" path (as freepizza put it), is there any chance you could record your humming the tune (or melody, as you called it) of the song & post it on the board? Maybe someone here can name that tune.

Just a thought.

Hammerhead

Hi there. This is my first post. I would like to start off by saying that I'm sorry, but I can not deny the fact that I am Hammerhead's brother. :)

But on a good note. He told me a while back about your problem and I've been searching as dilligently as I can for answers. So far I've found a couple possibilities, but they're mostly between 1994 and 1996, not before 1993. But even before my findings, I had some questions that have yet to be answered that could help to bust this wide open, or at least shed some light on some currently dark areas. Please answer these following questions for me the best you can:

1. What genres of music did you and your sister prefer listening to back in "1993"?

2. If you had to pick a genre that you would consider the song you're thinking of to pick perfectly in, what would it be?

3. For the basis of figuring out if this was a local, regional, or national group; what nation and/or state did you live in "1993"? If US, please list which state.

4. Do you remember any more of the lyrics, or have you refined the previously listed lyrics in any way? If so, please freshen our memories.

5. What song(s) have you heard that remind you most of this older song? Please feel free to sub-categorize as closest beat, closest vocalization, closest over sound quality, or any other reference that could closely compare the two together.

Well, thats it. Answer those for me and I might have more questions for you; but chances are if you give me that and the right lyrical combination I can get you the song you're looking for.

Thanks,
Rison

Firstly, allow me to welcome you aboard! Seeing as your brother is already an initiate in the Cult of Tex (but we prefer to call it The Family whenever the cops come around) you hardly need introductions from all around! You however gave us yours, and so the circle closes, we're all friends here, hakuna matata!

Secondly, to answer your questions:

I was 10-11 years old in 1993, I didn't really listen much to music back then to be very honest. My sister would've been 19-20 years old at the time, and would listen to anything that was typical chick-music of the time-period, including 80's popmusic.

The song in question is also one of the first songs I remember liking, as in starting to like music altogether.

Here's my best possible description of the song: Melancholy, slow, driven by the singer's voice, the background was, as far as I can recall, synthesizers and a beatbox, typical of late 80's early 90's stuff. The theme, as far as I can tell, had something to do with either trusting God, putting your trust in God, or doubting God's plan. As I'm unsure of the full lyrics, it's difficult to dig up. But if I was to give it my best guess, I'd say something akin to Simon & Garfunkel, only with less guitar and more synth.

Dude, I'm norwegian. We didn't have many famous bands back then. I think I can name you one famous norwegian band that were international during the 80's, and that's A-ha.

The only bits of lyrics I remember, is the following bit:

"...master plan, are we really in his hands? Or is it all..."

The verses have five short syllables and two long at the end, however... like...

Nana nana-nah, naah-naaaah...
Nana nana-nah, naah-naaaah...
Nah, nana, nanah... nah-naaaah...

At least that's the tune stuck in my head for the last 14 years.

As for what it sounds the most alike to? I dunno. It's old now though, and seemingly impossible to dig up.

And to save you the time - I know it's pre-1993. Definately. And it's also not A-ha. I took the time to check all their lyrics from 1993 and back to 1985 - none of them include the words 'master plan'.

More detailed than this I cannot get. There's nothing left inside my head, I've given you all the pieces I have.

I swear - if you find me this song, I'll personally buy you an extremely large ice cream of your choice.

-Fred

I've found a potential answer to your song search, and it's actually pretty local to you even though they are from another nation. They're really popular, but until you hear it I can not be sure if this solves anything or not.

If you can find a copy of this that you can listen to without having to purchase it, and can do it through legal means to verify that this is or is not the right song, it would be appreciated.

POSSIBLE ANSWER:

Black Sabbath - Angry Heart; Seventh Star album - 1986

I still remember how it used to be
I thought the only thing
That mattered was me

You always told me it was just insane
To feel such joy while others feel pain

There's no way to change this angry heart
Cause when love goes it will tear you apart

And it's been this way since time began
It's a desperate search for a promised land
And the years slip by like so much sand

So many people who are dying to live
It tortures my heart they've got so much to give

I never saw it as a battle before
To win the fight
There has to be more

And there's no way to change this angry heart
Cause all these fears
Will tear you apart

And it's been this way since time began
It's an endless journey, it's the fate of man
To live each day and never understand

And it's been this way since time began
It's a desperate search for a master plan
And the years slip by like water through your hands


Outside of that, I've got some more question just in case this is wrong.

1. Is the lead singer a male or female?

2. Are there any guitars in the song? If so, are they electric or acoustic?

3. Are there any special sounding drums in this song? conga, bongo, etc.

4. Are there background singers? If so, how interactive are they in the song? Do you hear them often or just in the chorus?

5. Are the lyrics you remember just a verse in the song somewhere, or part of the chorus?

Well, thats it. Look forward to hearing back from you again on this.

Rison

Welcome Mr. Rison! Good to see another Tex fan in our international community.

Wish I could help, Fred. Sounds like one of those things that will bug you for years! I know the feeling.

Familiar with Tears for Fears? Something like that?

5. Are the lyrics you remember just a verse in the song somewhere, or part of the chorus?

That's a really good question, and might help in the solving of the mystery!

It's definately not Black Sabbath. No guitars, no backup-singers, just a guy and a lot of synthesizers.

Tears for Fears would be something similar, yes.

And the lyrics I remember are just a part of one of the later verses, as far as I can remember. If I could remember the chorus, I'd've probably found it myself years ago. But alas.

(Poor Yorick, I knew him...)

-Fred

Ok, sorry about that one then. And as usual, more questions.

1. How much distance do the '...'s cover between master plan and in his hands? Is it just a word missing? Is it the break from one verse line to the next? Or are they seperated greatly more than it would originally be perceived?

Thats it. Trying to take it easy on you this time. :)

Rison

The "..."'s would be about one second long, about as long as it takes you to read it.

I swear, the headaches I've had trying to find this song

How are you going about looking for it, by the way?

-Fred

http://www.google.com: entering "master plan in his hand lyric" without the "s in the search block. Then I cross reference at the following site.

http://www.allmusic.com: I type in the band name in the search block, and when it comes up it tells what years they were active, as well as giving a brief overview of the career of that group. It has a list of all of the songs they released, and for most of them it also has a 30 second snippet from somewhere in the song.

Thats all I've been doing. Give it a shot, you've got a better chance at getting luckier at this than we do. Let me know if you see anything that rings a bell.

Rison

The Google-idea is out. I've not been able to find it there yet, and I've been trying for years.

You have to remember I haven't actually listened to this song since at least 1993. That's 14 years ago. Remembering anything at all is getting harder and harder. The only thing I DO remember with perfect clarity is the melody.

If only I could just learn to let it go

-Fred

Do you have a microphone on your computer/ or borrow a friends? Use sound recorder, hum or sing as much as you can. Upload it so we all can hear it. You'll have a much better shot that way.
Or call a retro radio station or a CD store and hum a few bars. A friend of a friend that used to work in a CD store got that all the time. And she was pretty good at getting the right name. I was the same for books. I could tell you author, title and what shelf a book was on in Barnes and Noble for years. Idiot savant.

Best of luck.

The melody is the money part of a song, thats a large part of why you still remember it.

As for your song specifically, its just too bad you can't simulate it or find us an example of something really close to it; I mean, as old as you claim it to be, someone had to have emulated the beat and sound since then to use for their product in the more modern times.

In reference to google searching: I've been as far as 20 pages in using that google search and I have had little luck finding a song that matches what you're looking for. Thats not to say that there aren't constant similarities in several of the links, but the way it provides 10+ links for some things, and a randomly located 1 for something else, it is really making us look for a needle in a haystack. And even in that, its not just any needle; because it has to specifically be the one that you're looking for.

With that said, maybe we should all start looking somewhere we can have more success. I mean, you can prick your hands looking in a haystack for an elusive needle that you may find, or you may not. But you can prick your hands just as good in a cotton patch where you're there for what you're surrounded by... cotton. Just my way of trying to ask if you've been to your local music store and asked around? I mean, its true, most of the people you might end up talking to might not have a clue about anything about that song; but there is still that small chance that someone there listens to the oldies and knows exactly what it is. I ran into this kind of situation a few years back, and it wasn't necissarilly successful on the first try. But between 1 hour one-way drives and listening to the radio on the way I was able to find out what song it was that was rattling in my head; and today I now own it on CD.

Just trying to say try something different. All of us are on the outside looking in but yourself; you're instead trying to let out what you have inside you so you can find what you're looking for. Being that you have trouble relating it to us, try talking to those immediately around you to see if they can point you in the right direction. Just remember, no information is bad information. If you find something that doesn't apply to you, you know not to continue in that direction. But as for everything else, eventually all the arrows will point where you want it to go and all your answers, no matter how big or small, or where they might be located will all be revealed in time.

But with that said, I've got to say this too. Looking for this song in the real world might be just like looking for this song on the internet. It might not be popular, just rememberable. So, in a sense, our goal might not need to be to find this song, but to find another song that was closely associated with it that you can still remember and then re-associate the songs. Because then we will still find it eventually, but we will have taken what might be our best possible approach. So let us know if you remember anything more from that tape as a whole, and we'll see if we have any more luck trying to dig this song back out of the sands of time for you. It'll be like looking for a family member generations in the past that is buried in the family plot and now has a faded tombstone. Only those buried around him know who he was, but by looking into them you can find out who he was as well. Just a thought.

Let me know if you remember anything more, not just about this song, but about the tape and other things on it in particular.

Rison