I'm currently writing it like this: Imogen's phone rang. It was that old tune, Hold Me Tightly. Look into my eyes and tell me what you see, love is just a game for only you and me! She picked up the phone and answered it. Is that correct? Thanks for reading this and even more if you take the time to answer.
Meaning, think hard about how important this snippet is to your story, and if it's major, start investigating how to get permission to use it, right away. You may find out it isn't worth the paperwork and the money. But again, it might be worth every penny.
Hilarious! I wondered why I was unable to find any trace of this "old tune" on the Internet. Which brings up another issue: if your story takes place in real-life modern society, having Imogen think of it as "that old tune" is going to throw other readers off like it threw me. And there goes their immersion in the story. Sure, go ahead and say what's running through her mind when she hears the ringtone. But set up the song ahead of time as, I don't know, as something the caller recorded as a demo tape with his garage band, whatever. Or have her think of it as "that old tune by Obvious Fictional World Band." Don't bug your readers by having them question their memories.
