Lost Song 'How Long' ('How Long Will It Take') by Paula Toledo

Over 16 years ago a song I had written 'How Long' (aka 'How Long Will It Take') was licensed to a made for TV movie 'Secret Lives' that aired world-wide. Somehow my song made its way onto a Russian bootleg DVD's menu (with no attribution). Someone in Russia asked on a Reddit community if someone knew who the author of the song was. The song became a 'lost song' and for 16 years people were searching for the author (me). Yesterday, I found out that over a thousand people all over the world have been searching for me. I had stopped making music (full-time) when my children were born as I lost my husband very suddenly and tragically, and life turned my world upside down. In the corners of my bedroom during nap time and all throughout the years, I have been writing songs as a way to reconnect to my wonder and the joy of making music. I am in complete awe of how this song has re-emerged into my life and connected me to so many beautiful people who feel the same way about music. I am filled with gratitude and awe. Thank you to everyone who was so dedicated in their search and for the outpouring of love and DMs!

#howlong #howlongwillittake #lostsong #lostmedia #paulatoledo #lostwave #mysterioussongs #wonder #musiclostmedia #socialconnection #wellbeing #socialconnection #music

[grapesoda]

Funniest part is that people have been looking for this song for 16 years and her son is also 16 so people started looking for it around when her son was born

[longlivekenny]

This is the sign. The sign to pick up where you left off. Share your talent with the rest of the world again.

[TetraIdents]

The reason why your song became lost is not because the movie didn't have your name, but rather the fact that people didn't realize the song was licensed and made an appearance on that very movie, until several years passed by and people started to catch on.

[ItzSneakyMinecraft]

7:58 still sounds like the original song

[kokosita]

how long will it take? IT TOOK 16 YEARS !!

[Іапа]

Hey Paula, I’ll explain here how your song became “lost media.”
The search started in 2007 when your song ‘How Long’ was seen in various random bootleg DVDs from russia. (30 second snippets were on the DVD menu.) No one was able to find the full song, where it came from, or any info about it for some reason. Music recognizers couldn’t get it, after googling the lyrics there weren’t any matches, and it had remained that way for the past 17 years. We haven’t known about the movie till recently, aswell. A longer search started earlier this year which led to someone eventually finding the song and you, the author. We had only low quality snippets of the song from bootleg DVDs beforehand, so finding the full song & author on a podcast was a big deal. To add, most of the DVD’s all had the same segments so we only had a little over a minute of the song before finding it.

[robmarshall]

The song became lost media because it appeared on Russian bootlegs with no credit. Somehow we all managed to miss the movie, as it was rather obscure before it got uploaded to YouTube 4 months ago.

[TWST]

I can imagine your son's reaction to all this situation 😂 "Omg I am the child of an internet legend"

[O.lostwave]

very simplistic explanation: person —> bootleg —> audio from bootleg —> lostwave —> many people watch and search for it —> user finds your podcast and that exact song —> post it everywhere —> you make video on this whole thing

[fritzsmith]

Fun fact: if you make a genuinely piece of good art, people will literally go to the ends of the earth to find it if it’s lost

[voxel]

really beautiful humanity moment, im glad i was here to witness this

[rinkooo]

I’ve been a part of the lostwave community for a few months now, and I joined r/HLWIT over a month ago. I still cant believe the song haa been found so quickly compared to other lost songs, it’s really special, and the song is a total banger! I’m so happy to see your reaction to all of this, it makes me happy to have been a part of the community :)

[romanfoster]

Paula seems like such an amazing person! I would love to hear more of her music

[WigglePup]

It's very interesting to hear what the artists of lost songs say after being discovered.

[ringkunmori]

Heartwarming when lostwave artists are still active to see people showing interest in their music. A bit gimmicky but it'll be interesting if you meet up with other former lostwave artist like Panchiko and give insight as to how musicians lose their music in obscurity, and perhaps help out lostwave searches.

[christhefella]

the fact that a song specifically made for a movie landed from a ukrainian forum in 2007, then on to a bootleg DVD player called the MULTIPARAD 1-7 (with MULTIPARAD 4 having a fragment of the song) and then on YouTube where it became found. Insane.

[frenchlad]

paula toledo is becoming the next panchiko and im all for it, she's incredibly talented

[alexanderbezrukov]

Greetings, Paula! I'm so glad to know that it's now out there in the open. I am Alex, one of the people hearing the infamous snippet of song on the DVD menu in Russia back in 2007 and trying to find it, and one of people initiating and joining the search as I've been looking for it for ages, too, making posts at one or another time at different years, until the one on WatZatSong kicked that stone off the cliff. Before that, it was nowhere to be found; searching for lyrics yielded nothing, Shazam when it appeared didn't know it.. It was clear that the song wasn't out there enough. :)) Now, I'm really happy that it has been named and got all the appreciation and attention that it deserves. It did not only get the closure for so many people, it avalanched into this rediscovery. I was very much surprised back in the day and later that a song like this remained unknown for so long up until now, and I'm elated and overjoyed that it's out there now, and that you're out there, because I was afraid that it could be something like a demo piece that wouldn't ever get its name and appreciation because it was so great. It's an amazing sight to see to what extent the search blossomed, too! I would also love to read the full lyrics when they get released and I'll be waiting for the song release, too. :) I'm so cheered to know that the people are now here, that it's taken to the community, and listening to the song and to your response really puts my heart in the happy place.It's not about identification even, my own search for it, as, I think, for the community as well, has long since become about appreciation and discovery. I'm extremely happy for finally having the opportunity to put this message here, and express my gratitude for you as the author behind it.
My own personal ode to wonder that I confirmed time and again by now, is that if someone carries the banner long enough, the cause behind it can't ever possibly falter, as long as it has even just one person on its side. And after that, who knows?..

[hailey_gandy]

Your voice is beautiful, you’re beautiful, your story is beautiful. I love you and i am overwhelmed with joy i’ve waited so long for this song and i can’t stop listening to it now

[GloriaLuizPesTV]

This was the most beautiful real-life story I have ever seen in my life. 😭I felt as if I had found lost memories of my first love.
Thank you for allowing this song to exist in the world. 😊😊