CIA: Difference between revisions

	ⓘ This lostwave is classified as unsolved.
	CIA
Alternative name(s)	Coming Home / This Winter / Season at the CIA
Year	c. 1984
Original poster	datafreq
Search started	2020
	File:CIA.mp3

VisualWikitext

Latest revision as of 00:22, 20 November 2024

CIA (also known as "Are You Coming Home", "This Winter" or "Season At The CIA") is an unknown post-punk song uploaded to YouTube in 2020 by DJFormaldehyde.

Origins and Search[edit | edit source]

On February 21st, 2020, user datafreq first uploaded the song to the New Wave Outpost forums, sourced from a cassette tape recorded in Canada in 1984.^[1]

DJFormaldehyde posted CIA to YouTube and the New Wave Outpost forums on July 20, 2020.^[2] The song was discovered on a tape made by a friend of DJFormaldehyde that included songs recorded from CFNY-FM Spirit of Radio,^[3] a Canadian radio station known at the time for playing new wave, electronic, and alternative music.^[4]

The song was likely not recorded after July 1984 because the song "You Think You're A Man" by American performance artist Divine, which was released in July 1984, was the newest song on the tape.^[5] The majority of the songs on the tape were British in origin, dating from 1980 to 1984.^[6]

The search for CIA gained traction in November 2021, with the song making its way to the lostwave subreddit and being reuploaded multiple times that year.^[7] This was also the year that Alan Cross, who was a radio broadcaster at CFNY from 1986 onwards, uploaded the song to his website, broadening the search.^[8]

It is assumed that CIA was aired once as part of CFNY's annual Talent Search contest. The contest airs fifty songs annually, typically broadcasting bands with zero exposure or releases.^[9]

Leads[edit | edit source]

Possible[edit | edit source]

Bradford Reaves: CIA Blues:^[10]^[11] Unlikely, because Reaves' known music is in the folk rock style.

Debunked[edit | edit source]

4th Floor - Coming Home: An early lead suggested that the song was by the Alternative Rock band 4th Floor, as they had a song on Discogs called "Coming Home" that was released in 1984.^[12] At the time, the album was not uploaded; however, when the cassette was converted and uploaded, this lead was disproven.^[13]^[14]
Zebra - CIA:^[15]
The Reform - CIA: In early 2024, speculation centered on the song "CIA" by The Reform, a rock/power pop song released in 1986 by a US band.^[16] This was aided by the fact that the track length corresponded to the commonly uploaded length for the lost song CIA.^[17] This lead was debunked after the vinyl was digitized and the song was uploaded.^[18]
Conditioned Response:^[19]
The Switch - Coming Home:^[20]

Lyrics[edit | edit source]

Presumed Lyrics

(Verse 1)

Are you comin' home for vacation

Can you leave your work behind

Will someone man your battlestation

Will you give them all your time

We all feel the same frustration

And hope to God you're on our side

(Chorus)

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend the season at the CIA

(Verse 2)

Last year you studied Russian wheatfields

Searched for silos you'd never find

And when they found out, you struck a deal

To bring back Levis on company time

But you jumpеd ship once in lsrael

And slipped away at thе Arab line

(Chorus)

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend the season at the CIA

(Guitar Solo)

(Verse 3)

Can you paint a still life of your location

Will the children wear a smile

Do you believe that's liberation

Or is it trimming for your file

If someone deserves a commendation

Let's present it at his final mile

(Chorus)

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend the season at the CIA

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend the season at the CIA

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane

Are you comin' home to stay

Or will you spend the season at the CIA

(Outro)

Are you coming

Are you coming home

References[edit | edit source]

User Richfromhell discussing the tape

[1] ttps://www.nwoutpost.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=42844

[2] ttps://www.nwoutpost.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=43033

[3] ttps://spiritofradio.ca/SongSearchAdd.asp

[4] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q46N3IYg0Y

[5] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q46N3IYg0Y&lc=Ugy8fLb1rOtbRp6ihmt4AaABAg.9eBIl25Qaqt9eE84dacDLB

[6] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/1eg9tk0/regarding_the_cia_recording_my_friend_who_owns/

[7] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/r0tr1t/cia_unknown_postpunk_song_recorded_in_canada/

[8] ttps://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/interested-in-solving-some-musical-mysteries-try-to-identify-these-songs/

[9] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/1d5nyli/cia_an_update/

[10] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/18vmgjb/i_might_have_found_the_artist_who_made_the_cia/

[11] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5fRCT1hWAw

[12] ttps://www.discogs.com/release/12448615-4th-Floor-4th-Floor

[13] ttps://www.youtube.com/embed/SDTrvxl8XOQ

[14] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q46N3IYg0Y&lc=UgzVpvg3_93l-HR2MFh4AaABAg

[15] ttps://www.youtube.com/embed/WCHmjJ72rXY

[16] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/189yuf7/hmmmmmmmmm/

[17] ttps://www.discogs.com/release/13839352-The-Reform-CIA-Gimme-Your-Love

[18] ttps://archive.org/details/the-reform-cia

[19] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/1amcyrf/conditioned_response_is_not_responsible_for_cia/

[20] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/1d4u0r8/cia_isnt_coming_home_by_the_switch/

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 |ShowBox = yes
 |Image = Cia.png
-|Alt_name = Coming Home and This Winter
+|Alt_name = Coming Home / This Winter / Season at the CIA
-|Year = c. 1985
+|Year = c. 1984
 |Genre =
 |Search_started = 2020
-|OP = DJFormaldehyde
+|OP = datafreq
-}}
+|Media=CIA.mp3}}
-'''CIA''' is an unknown Post-Punk, New Wave song uploaded to YouTube in 2020 by DJFormaldehyde.
+'''CIA''' (also known as '''"Are You Coming Home", "This Winter"''' or '''"Season At The CIA"''') is an unknown post-punk song uploaded to YouTube in 2020 by DJFormaldehyde.
 ==Origins and Search==
-CIA was uploaded to YouTube on the 20th of July 2020 by DJ Formaldehyde (u/richfromhell on reddit). The song was found on a tape created by a friend of DJ Formaldehyde full of songs recorded from CFNY FM [[Spirit of Radio]], a Canadian Radio Station known at the time for playing Alt-Rock, Post-Punk and Indie tracks as well as promoting local bands. This tape was produced no earlier than July 1984, due to the fact the song "You Think You're A Man" by Divine which was released in July 1984 was the newest song on the tape.
+On February 21st, 2020, user datafreq first uploaded the song to the New Wave Outpost forums, sourced from a cassette tape recorded in Canada in 1984.<ref>https://www.nwoutpost.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=42844</ref>
-The search for CIA gained traction in 2021, with the song making its way to the Lostwave subreddit and being reuploded multiple times that year. This was also the year that Alan Cross, who was a radio broadcaster at CFNY from 1986 onwards, uploaded the song to his website, broadening the search.
+DJFormaldehyde posted CIA to YouTube and the New Wave Outpost forums on July 20, 2020.<ref>https://www.nwoutpost.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=43033</ref> The song was discovered on a tape made by a friend of DJFormaldehyde that included songs recorded from CFNY-FM Spirit of Radio,<ref>https://spiritofradio.ca/SongSearchAdd.asp</ref> a Canadian radio station known at the time for playing new wave, electronic, and alternative music.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q46N3IYg0Y</ref>
-==Debunked Leads==
+The song was likely not recorded after July 1984 because the song "You Think You're A Man" by American performance artist Divine, which was released in July 1984, was the newest song on the tape.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q46N3IYg0Y&lc=Ugy8fLb1rOtbRp6ihmt4AaABAg.9eBIl25Qaqt9eE84dacDLB</ref> The majority of the songs on the tape were British in origin, dating from 1980 to 1984.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/1eg9tk0/regarding_the_cia_recording_my_friend_who_owns/</ref>
-=== 4th Floor - "Coming Home" ===
-An early lead suggested the song was by Alternative Rock band 4th Floor, as they had a song on Discogs titled "Coming Home" which was released in 1984 and matched a key lyric in the unknow song. At the time the album was not uploaded, however when the cassette was finally converted and uploaded, this lead was debunked.
+The search for CIA gained traction in November 2021, with the song making its way to the lostwave subreddit and being reuploaded multiple times that year.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/r0tr1t/cia_unknown_postpunk_song_recorded_in_canada/</ref> This was also the year that Alan Cross, who was a radio broadcaster at CFNY from 1986 onwards, uploaded the song to his website, broadening the search.<ref>https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/interested-in-solving-some-musical-mysteries-try-to-identify-these-songs/</ref>
-===Zebra - "CIA"===
+It is assumed that CIA was aired once as part of CFNY's annual Talent Search contest. The contest airs fifty songs annually, typically broadcasting bands with zero exposure or releases.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/1d5nyli/cia_an_update/</ref>
-This was a song uploaded to YouTube in 2010 that shares a name with the placeholder name of the unknown song, however it is a disco track and has been ruled out.
+==Leads==
-===The Reform - "CIA"===
-In early 2024, speculation began around the song "CIA" by The Reform, a Rock/Power Pop song released in 1984 by a US band. This was furthered by the fact that the track length matched the commonly uploaded length for the lost song CIA. Once the vinyl was digitized and the song was uploaded, this lead was debunked.
+=== Possible ===
-==Current Leads and Search==
+* '''Bradford Reaves: CIA Blues''':<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/18vmgjb/i_might_have_found_the_artist_who_made_the_cia/</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5fRCT1hWAw</ref> Unlikely, because Reaves' known music is in the folk rock style.
-The current search for CIA involves searching through copyright registries for songs with similar titles to the lyrics in the song. Two possible tracks called "CIA Blues", copyrighted in 1985, and "CIA" , copyrighted in 1984, are under investigation. No analysis of the instruments in the track has yet been made to possibly date the song to a timeframe further. There is speculation about the provenance of CIA as a Canadian song, with the possibility of the track as the work a UK, Australian or even German band being raised, however this does not rule out the possibility that CIA was created by a Canadian artist as CFNY used to promote local Canadian bands on air as part of the "Streets of Ontario" programme.
+=== Debunked ===
+* '''4th Floor - Coming Home''': An early lead suggested that the song was by the Alternative Rock band 4th Floor, as they had a song on Discogs called "Coming Home" that was released in 1984.<ref>https://www.discogs.com/release/12448615-4th-Floor-4th-Floor</ref> At the time, the album was not uploaded; however, when the cassette was converted and uploaded, this lead was disproven.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/embed/SDTrvxl8XOQ</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q46N3IYg0Y&lc=UgzVpvg3_93l-HR2MFh4AaABAg</ref>
+* '''Zebra - CIA''':<ref>https://www.youtube.com/embed/WCHmjJ72rXY</ref>
+* '''The Reform - CIA''': In early 2024, speculation centered on the song "CIA" by The Reform, a rock/power pop song released in 1986 by a US band.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/189yuf7/hmmmmmmmmm/</ref> This was aided by the fact that the track length corresponded to the commonly uploaded length for the lost song CIA.<ref>https://www.discogs.com/release/13839352-The-Reform-CIA-Gimme-Your-Love</ref> This lead was debunked after the vinyl was digitized and the song was uploaded.<ref>https://archive.org/details/the-reform-cia</ref>
+* '''Conditioned Response''':<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/1amcyrf/conditioned_response_is_not_responsible_for_cia/</ref>
+* '''The Switch - Coming Home''':<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/1d4u0r8/cia_isnt_coming_home_by_the_switch/</ref>
+== Lyrics ==
+{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" role="presentation"
+|'''Presumed Lyrics'''
+|-
+|'''(Verse 1)'''
+Are you comin' home for vacation
+Can you leave your work behind
+Will someone man your battlestation
+Will you give them all your time
+We all feel the same frustration
+And hope to God you're on our side
+'''(Chorus)'''
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend the season at the CIA
+'''(Verse 2)'''
+Last year you studied Russian wheatfields
+Searched for silos you'd never find
+And when they found out, you struck a deal
+To bring back Levis on company time
+But you jumpеd ship once in lsrael
+And slipped away at thе Arab line
+'''(Chorus)'''
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend the season at the CIA
+'''''(Guitar Solo)'''''
+'''(Verse 3)'''
+Can you paint a still life of your location
+Will the children wear a smile
+Do you believe that's liberation
+Or is it trimming for your file
+If someone deserves a commendation
+Let's present it at his final mile
+'''(Chorus)'''
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend the season at the CIA
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend the season at the CIA
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend this winter drivin' me insane
+Are you comin' home to stay
+Or will you spend the season at the CIA
+'''(Outro)'''
+Are you coming
+Are you coming home
+|}
 ==References==
-* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q46N3IYg0Y&pp=ygUORGpmb3JtYWxkZWh5ZGU%3D DJ Formaldehyde Upload]
-* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF6oWjRbWNY Remastered Version]
 * [https://www.reddit.com/r/Lostwave/comments/189yuf7/comment/kdc3fa1/ User Richfromhell discussing the tape]
 * [https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/interested-in-solving-some-musical-mysteries-try-to-identify-these-songs/ Alan Cross' Post about CIA]
+* [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11iWE8IWAEs5reZGiAtPqxHzukVy32QM-_cA0xbb5k2o/edit?gid=923414406#gid=923414406 CIA Leads Spreadsheet]
 [[Category:Unidentified]]
+[[Category:Full song available]]
+<references />
+[[Category:Post punk]]