TikTok is the social media app taking the world by storm. Like a new generation Vine, TikTok is popular among the younger generation for its short videos on various topics. From dancing videos to cooking videos to videos with no real subject, TikTok is dominating all other apps out there.
The app has been known to give popularity to new music and blooming artists. One main feature of the app is short song clips that can be used as a background sound for videos. Almost all the songs that can be found on music streaming services can be found as a sound on TikTok.
Almost every song you hear on a pop radio station was made popular on TikTok. Though it has been responsible for making radio hits, TikTok’s music feature has also brought popularity back to songs that are decades older than the app’s users.
One recent example of this was Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” recharting after a viral TikTok was made using a clip of the song. Nathan Apodaca, known on TikTok as “420doggface208,” made a TikTok of himself riding a skateboard to work. While riding, he can be seen drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice out of a jug while “Dreams” played in the background.
What may have seemed like a pointless video now has over 11 million likes on the app. Captioned “Morning vibe,” the TikTok became viral overnight. It has been shared in the app over 600,000 times and has even gone viral on other social media apps like Twitter.
Fleetwood Mac’s song “Dreams” was originally released in 1977 but has been dominating the charts once again because of this viral video. Fleetwood Mac members Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham followed the trend of the original video by drinking cranberry juice and vibing to their song.
The TikTok didn’t only give popularity to the old song, it also gave fame to the user and made Ocean Spray cranberry juice fly off supermarket shelves. Apodaca now has 5.7 million followers on the social media app and has gained fame almost overnight from his good vibes video. Apodaca’s viral video was even the inspiration for many Halloween costumes this year. One minute he was making a TikTok documenting his ride to work, and the next minute he was the next TikTok star.
Fleetwood Mac isn’t the only band whose songs are getting newfound fame from TikTok. John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy” has been trending lately among girls making cute videos about their boyfriends with the song backing the TikTok. Another notable song that recharted after going viral on TikTok is Melanie Martinez’s “Playdate.” This song was from Martinez’s debut album, but it never really broke out on the charts until it became a featured sound on the app.
TikTok has made an unprecedented impact on today’s pop culture. Almost all things trending among America’s youth probably originated on this app. From dances to influencers to songs, almost anything can become famous from being featured on someone’s “For You Page.” Although Generation Z has been called out for “discovering” things that were popular in other generations, I think we need to acknowledge that this app has the power to bridge the gap between generations.
TikTok is an app where the new can become the next trend and the old can be new once again. It has become a hitmaker machine when it comes to music, and it’s responsible for making new songs popular and making classic songs receive a new life among a generation who might be unfamiliar with them.