How to Find Songs Played on TV Shows

Many modern TV shows are fueled by music that enhances specific scenes, much as it does in movies. In some cases, the song titles are listed in the credits played at the end of the show, but if you miss the credits, there's still hope for finding out the song titles. Search the network's show list and website, or use a search engine to track down your favorite television songs.

Some networks realize the draw and power of music, even offering a dedicated music section on the company website. ABC, for instance, lists songs played on its shows and offers a search box to help narrow down the artist or song title. Even if the network website doesn't mention its music, use its search tool to track down the episode name or number so you can do additional online research. If the website allows you to watch episodes online, replay the episode and pause it, if possible, during the credits to find the song and artist's name.

Some websites catalog every song played on popular television shows, driven by user-submitted information, much the way wiki-based websites collect and store vast amounts of information on specific topics. To use this type of site to find song names and artists, enter the show's name, season number and episode number into the website's search box, then scroll through the song listings to narrow down the song title. Some offer previews of the songs, if the songs are also available on legal music-download sites for purchase or listening.

Many shows current and past have dedicated fan communities online, discussing all things relative to the show. Visit an active fan forum that focuses on the show and look for a discussion about the episode that features the song you seek. If there isn't one, join the forum and post your question, mentioning as much information as possible about the song, such as whether it sounds like one woman playing a guitar, or if it is a classic rock song that you have heard before, but simply can't recall the title. List any of the lyrics you recall, or when during the show the song aired, since some shows play snippets of many songs during any given episode.

When all else fails, a search through your favorite online search engine may help. Enter key phrases from the lyrics to track down potential options, or mention the show name, season and episode number, and the word "song" or "music" -- for current shows, there's a chance the band or artist may have mentioned the song on their own website or social media account and the information will show up in a search. In many cases, a song played on TV exists in other forms besides a brief airing during one episode of one show. Once you've narrowed down a few potential options based on your searches, type the suggested song titles into the search engine to see if they exist online in video or audio form so you can hear them again, at least in snippet form.