What would you do if the song you were singing seemingly never existed?
Tyler Gillette, from California like many others, was singing a tune. Intrigued, and never having heard of it before his wife asked him if he had written the song. Tyler, confident in his recollection, replied, “No, this was a huge hit in the 90s. You don’t know it?” However, as he tried to find the song title, he was met with frustration. Despite his efforts, Google yielded no results, and lyric websites provided no clues. It would appear that the song he was singing didn’t actually exist.
The only lead he found was a solitary post on a Stratocaster forum, where a user from Trinidad and Tobago shared a guitar intro of the very song Tyler was trying to identify.
Determined to uncover the mystery, Tyler reached out to the forum’s author but received no response. In a moment of sheer creativity (and perhaps desperation), he decided to record his own rendition of the song using his iPhone.
He transformed his memory of the song into a full vocal recording titled “Long Before I Held You in My Dreams.” Surprisingly, even with this new version, music recognition apps like SoundHound failed to identify the track.
As part of his quest, Tyler had reached out to a podcast called Reply All, known for exploring intriguing internet stories. The podcast team took a keen interest in Tyler’s situation and suggested he gather a band to flesh out his iPhone recording into a complete song. With their help, Tyler expanded his initial rendition, yet the song still remained unrecognized by music identification services.
In a last-ditch effort to trace the origins of the song, Tyler turned to social media. He discovered a Facebook post that contained lyrics similar to his own. In the comments section, a user named Evan Scott Olson was mentioned as the writer of the original song. This revelation was a turning point for Tyler, leading him to connect with Evan.
Evan Scott Olson had his own story to share. Years earlier, he had distributed CDs of his music for free, and one of those CDs found its way to a Universal Music employee. This fortunate encounter led to Evan being signed and his music being distributed worldwide. However, despite the initial excitement, his album saw little promotion and no tour, leading to a quick fade from the public eye. As a result, the chances of anyone hearing his song on the radio dwindled significantly after its release in 1999.
It’s crazy to think in that there was a world where songs could slip through the cracks of time and technology, the story of Tyler and Evan serves as a reminder of the power of persistence, connection, and the unexpected paths that music can lead us down. As well as the importance of correct distribution, as simply put the more platforms Evan would of been on the harder it would have been for him to disappear.
Tyler can now rest easy, knowing that he isn’t losing his mind over a song that once felt like a figment of his imagination. Instead, he has rekindled a piece of history, giving life back to a melody that deserved to be heard once more.
And you can rest easy knowing that MN2S has just launched their new online application form, now available for independent record labels and artists looking to expand their reach in the global music market. This initiative is part of our commitment to empowering independent musicians and labels by providing unparalleled digital distribution, rights management, licensing, sync. MN2S has a history of working with a select group of carefully chosen labels across a broad spectrum of genres, ensuring each client can maximize their royalties while fully realizing their creative vision. Whether you are an independent artist or a label, we are here to help get your music heard by a wider audience. Independent artists and labels can apply by completing our straightforward online application form.
Once submitted, our team will review the music and respond with feedback and potential next steps. This streamlined process is designed to make it easier than ever for talented individuals to benefit from our comprehensive suite of services. Simply reach out by filling out here and completing our application form and we’ll review your music and get back to you.