What makes an old song go viral on TikTok?
From Kate Bush s Babooshka to Fleetwood Mac s Dreams , the app s gone nostalgia crazy. We asked TikTok stars, musicians and psychologists: why?
Kate Bush s 1980 weirdo-banger Babooshka has filled many a TikTokker with glee. Credit: Getty
You don’t need us to tell you that TikTok now has a huge effect on the music industry. With the power to launch careers with one viral clip, we’re seeing the birth of a new star every day. But how about the revival of an old one? Last year saw TikTok revive vintage hits, from ‘70s classics such as Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ to ‘00s deep cuts such as legendary Glasgow indie band Life Without Buildings’ ‘The Leanover’. Now ancient sea shanties are even going viral on the app, as is – perhaps more improbably still – The Wombat’s 2015 electro-pop tune ‘Greek Tragedy’.
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Every year, marketers are faced with new and exciting challenges to somehow, some way, get our attention and not only get our attention, but hold it, then somehow use it to persuade us into action. Buy our product! Love our brand! Just like us, please like us.
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This is a tough mission in the best of times, but 2020 has been a year when a pandemic, a cultural reckoning with systemic racism, and an American presidential election have made our already thin patience with advertising and other brand shenanigans even slimmer. But brands are still a part of our culture, and the best are able to use that status to contribute something meaningful to either the culture, our lives, or both. Or at least make us laugh and temporarily forget the hell of 2020, even if just for 30 seconds at a time.