By Julia Jänisch
A small but fascinating piece of music history has been unearthed. In November 2024, an international online community solved the long-standing mystery surrounding “The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet.” After 17 years of searching, the trail led to Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and the band FEX from Kiel. For the first time since the 1980s, band members Michael Hädrich, Ture Rückwardt, Norbert Ziermann, and Hans-Reimer Sievers reunited to re-record their song Subways of Your Mind in December 2024.
A Sensational Discovery in a Box of 200 Tapes
The band members already had archived recordings of the song—both a studio version and a live performance. However, the particular version recorded from the radio in 1984, which sparked the global search, was thought to be lost—until now. Over the Christmas holidays, Michael Hädrich stumbled upon a box containing more than 200 tapes while tidying his house. Among them was a tape labeled “FEX” with two addresses: his own and that of his bandmate, Ture Rückwardt.
“Finding It is Better Than Re-recording,” Says Hädrich
When Hädrich played the tape, he immediately recognized the sound. It was a recording of the original band version of Subways of Your Mind. He believes the band recorded this version in their rehearsal space. “Back then, Ture and I often exchanged tapes. There are other song ideas on these tapes as well,” Hädrich explained. “Honestly, discovering this recording is almost better than creating a new one.”
The Original Version of “The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet”
The rediscovered cassette is a classic demo tape, just 10 minutes long. To confirm its authenticity, Hädrich compared it to versions of the song circulating online. “Cassette recorders often have different playback speeds, so I adjusted them and found that it’s the exact same analog recording, not a digital copy of what’s online,” he noted. Additional evidence supports his claim: the radio broadcast that launched the search was missing two drum beats at the beginning, likely due to a late recording start. These drum beats are present on Hädrich’s tape.
A Recording Without Transmission Errors
Another distinguishing feature is a “pre-echo” audible on the original tape. Furthermore, a noticeable 10-kilohertz frequency drop, present in all online versions due to the original 1984 NDR broadcast, is absent in this recording. “When played back at 10 kHz, the radio version is quieter in places than the original. This drop likely occurred during the transfer from radio to cassette,” Hädrich explained. The recently found tape does not have this issue, further verifying its authenticity.
Now Streaming on Spotify and Apple Music
Hädrich is confident the cassette was recorded directly from the original master tape. As of today, the authentic version of Subways of Your Mind is available on over 20 streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. NDR 1 Welle Nord broadcast the recording exclusively on Monday, marking its first worldwide airing.
One Mystery Remains Unsolved
Despite this breakthrough, one question remains: how did the tape end up with NDR? The band has no recollection of ever submitting the recording. Reddit users analyzed NDR broadcast logs and narrowed down the air date to early September 1984. However, Subways of Your Mind doesn’t appear in the logs because it wasn’t registered with GEMA, Germany’s music copyright agency.
A Post-1983 Broadcast is Certain
According to Hädrich, NDR had no reason to document the song. “The tracks played before and after the ‘Mysterious Song’ in the radio recording are logged, and the phase shift matches,” he explained. He is also confident the song aired after 1983 because it features the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, which was not released until mid-1983.
Thus, while the original recording has been found and its mystery largely solved, the story of its journey to the airwaves remains an enigma.