The 20-Year Song Mystery I Finally Solved

"There is a supernatural power”- Steven Curtis Chapman

We’ve all been there—stuck with a melody in our heads, no lyrics, no title, and no way to find the song. These days, we have Shazam, Siri, and Google to save us, but back in the early 2000s, if you missed a song’s name on the radio, it was gone.

That’s exactly what happened to me in 2004. I was in eighth grade, at a friend’s house after school, helping with the dishes while the Christian radio station played in the background. Suddenly, a song came on that I loved. It was upbeat, catchy, and in English—a rare find on the local Christian station at the time. I didn’t know the title, the artist, or even most of the lyrics. The only thing I remembered was the energetic sound and a little “tu tu tu tu” at the end.

And just like that, the song disappeared from my life.

For years, every now and then, I'd try to remember it. But how do you find a song when all you have is a vague tune and a feeling? I even confused it with Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind and In the Secret by Sonicflood because they had a similar vibe. Still, I never found the answer.

Fast forward to today—20 years later.

I was casually talking about this unsolved mystery when someone suggested a few Christian rock songs from the early 2000s. One title stood out: Dive by Steven Curtis Chapman. I hit play, and the moment the song started, it was like I had stepped into a time machine.

There it was! The song I had been searching for, the one I had loved as a teenager, was lost in my memory for two decades. And the best part? It sounded exactly as I remembered.

And honestly, this doesn’t just happen with music—it happens to me as a designer too. I have a superpower for identifying typefaces, but sometimes, I wish there was a perfect “Shazam for fonts.” There are some tools out there, but they’re not always accurate. Just like a song can get stuck in your memory for decades, so can a brand’s reputation, communication, and visual identity.

That’s why great design isn’t just about looking good—it’s about being memorable, recognizable, and consistent. If you want your brand to have that instant recognition factor (without making people search for you for 20 years!), let’s work together.

Moral of the story? Never underestimate the power of a good memory, a little perseverance, and a great recommendation. And thankfully, we now live in the age of Shazam—so no more 20-year mysteries!