What songs are trending right now? In today’s music landscape, viral hits aren’t limited to brand-new releases topping the charts. Thanks to TikTok challenges, TV and film syncs, commercials, and even random moments of internet magic, older tracks are constantly finding new life. From Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” soundtracking a longboard ride to Connie Francis and “Pretty Little Baby” re-emerging in pop culture, these resurgent songs prove that music history can go viral all over again. In this column, we’ll break down the classic tracks trending online today — and explain what’s driving their return to the spotlight.
Massachusetts singer-songwriter Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett was a lover of horror films from a tender age, so it’s fitting that his signature song “Monster Mash” references legendary horror creations Dracula, the Wolfman and Zombies galore. Originally released in time for Halloween 1962, the song was indeed a smash, not just in the graveyard, but pretty much everywhere. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. Now widely accepted as one of rock’s most inspired novelty songs, the irrepressible “Monster Mash” has gone on to re-chart on five further occasions and it inevitably surges in popularity in the run up to Halloween.
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The son of legendary Motown label founder Berry Gordy, Detroit singer-songwriter Rockwell (aka Kenneth Gordy) caused a sensation with 1983’s “Somebody’s Watching Me”: an enduring pop classic that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went Top 10 in numerous territories around the world. Featuring an uncredited Michael Jackson supplying chorus vocals, this fine, if slightly creepy song was famously dubbed a “perennial paranoia-rock anthem” by Rolling Stone, so it’s wholly appropriate it should once again be trending with Halloween just around the corner.
A highlight of Mazzy Star’s second album So Tonight That I Might See, 1993’s somnolent and dreamy “Fade Into You” became the Hope Sandoval-fronted band’s only Billboard Hot 100 chart hit and it remains one of that decade’s most fondly-remembered alt-rock tracks. It’s flavored with a little of the chill that arrives with the coming of the fall, so “Fade Into You” is also the perfect song for TikTok creators to choose to soundtrack their posts containing autumnal content.
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Black Eyed Peas’ frontman will.i.am originally wrote “My Humps” with the Pussycat Dolls in mind, but his own band ended up recording it for their third album, 2005’s Monkey Business. That proved to be a sound move, for the Peas’ recording of this playful, dance-enhanced hip-hop hit featuring a duet between will.i.am and Fergie made it to No. 3 on the Billboard 100 and later won a Grammy Award. Twenty years on, “My Humps” is again in the spotlight due to Tyler The Creator sampling it for his song “Sugar On My Tongue.”
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Written by husband and wife songwriting team Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne, the heartfelt “Do You Hear What I Hear?” first became a U.S. hit when the Harry Simone Chorale’s recording was released in time for Christmas 1962. However, the song reached a much wider audience when Bing Crosby recorded it the following year and performed a memorable version of it on Bob Hope’s Christmas TV special during the 1963 festive season. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” has since been covered by artists as diverse as Whitney Houston and Bob Dylan, but it’s Crosby’s classic recording that’s now going viral due to a TikTok trend where creators share their thoughts on the festive season and yearn for Christmases gone by.
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The second single chosen from U.S. boy band Mindless Behavior’s 2011 debut #1 Girl, the blissful-sounding “Mrs. Right” features a guest vocal spot from rapper Diggy Simmons, the son of Run DMC’s Joseph ‘Rev. Run’ Simmons. A Top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on release, “Mrs. Right” is now right back in the spotlight thanks to a TikTok trend where creators display their go-to dance moves.
Bobby V first rose to prominence with R&B stars Mista, best known for 1996’s “Blackberry Molasses.” Following the band’s demise, Valentino embarked on a successful solo career, signing with Ludacris’ Disturbing Tha Peace imprint to release his well-received debut album, Bobby Valentino, in 2005. Peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, the album was trailed by the U.S. Top 10 hit “Slow Down,” still one of Valentino’s best-loved tracks, which is currently back in the spotlight thanks to a TikTok trend where creators display images of themselves with fake abs.
Trinidad Cardona’s cult 2017 hit “Jennifer” first went viral in 2017 when the artist posted a video of himself freestyling to the song’s chorus. This led the Arizona-based singer-songwriter and social media personality clinching a deal with Island Records and enjoying further success with tracks including “Dinero” and “Love Me Back.” Now, however, “Jennifer” is again going viral as it’s driving several TikTok trends including one where creators show off intricate dance routines.
The very definition of a sleeper hit, “Habits” first appeared as Tove Lo’s second, independently-released single in 2013. It didn’t initially trouble the charts, but a full 12 months later, it climbed to No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in reissued form (as “Habits (Stay High)”) as the second single taken from the Swedish singer’s debut studio album Queen Of The Clouds. The stark, hedonism-related song is now going viral as it’s behind several TikTok trends including a highly individual glow up (personal transformation) trend.
A collaboration between Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan, “Song For The Deaf” remains one of the many highlights from Queens Of The Stone Age’s third album Songs For The Deaf: the celebrated alt-rock band’s first album to go gold in the U.S and also sell a million copies in Europe. Now, though, this epic, brooding song is again spiking in popularity due to its usage in the recent seventh episode of FX’s Alien: Earth, filmmaker Noah Hawley’s sci-fi horror TV series based on the original Alien film franchise.
A staple of classic rock radio to this day, “Rocky Mountain Way” was first released as the lead single from Joe Walsh’s second, post-James Gang solo album, 1973’s The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get. An infectious, riff-heavy rocker inspired by the view of the Rocky Mountains afforded by Walsh’s Colorado home, the song broached the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 and its parent album later scored a Top 10 success on the way to going gold in the U.S. The evergreen “Rocky Mountain Way” is again in vogue as it’s currently powering a TikTok trend where creators reveal their favorite guilty pleasures including cheesy TV movies, dark humor and remaining friends with their ex-partners.
The highly suggestive “Sexé” (featuring Plies) remains one of the key tracks from Young Jeezy’s 2016 album Trap Or Die 3. The Georgia-based rapper’s ninth studio album, it topped the U.S. Billboard 200 and became his third U.S. No 1 album to achieve this distinction. Trap Or Die 3 did yield two spin-off singles (“Let ‘Em Know” and Bankroll Fresh collab “All There”) but it’s fan favorite ““Sexé” that’s currently going viral thanks to a TikTok trend where creators show their face and body in time to the song’s “Two for two, you got a sexy face and body” lyric.
A song full of mystery and intrigue, the classic murder ballad “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” was penned by Nashville singer-songwriter Bobby Russell in 1972, with Russell’s then-wife Vicki Lawrence taking her sublime version of the song to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following year. Country legend Reba McEntire later put her inimitable stamp on “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” when she covered it for her 1991 album For My Broken Heart and it’s Reba’s version that’s now enjoying fresh interest after Briley King’s new version of the song recently went viral on TikTok.
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Rising Toronto-based EDM star LOSTBOYJAY broke into the mainstream after his 2022 hit “COULD BE WRONG” went on to surpass over 100 million streams and later scored a nomination for a Juno in his native Canada. Now, “COULD BE WRONG” is spiking in popularity for a second time after social media creators used it in relation to a new phrase/meme “Sendy,” (deriving from an extreme sports phrase meaning “let’s go for it”) which is currently seriously hot on TikTok.
Sam Smith’s “Fire On Fire” was initially written and recorded for Netflix’s 2018 series Watership Down: a spectacular 3D adaptation of Richard Adams’ 1972 novel of the same name. Now, though, Smith’s soaring ballad is back in the spotlight due to its placement in another contemporary Netflix title. This time around, the song features significantly in the denouement to the second series of the U.S. coming-of-age drama series My Life With The Walter Boys and it’s spiked in popularity since fans of the show have used it on TikTok while sharing their thoughts on the series’ emotional finale.
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Mykko Montana’s career has so far included collaborations with numerous prominent hip-hop artists such as Young Thug and Gunna. As his recent single “Brain Pumper” reveals, he continues to make quality records, though his signature song arguably remains the confident, uptempo “Do It,” featuring K. Camp. A club-friendly hit on release in 2012, “Do It” is enjoying a resurgence on TikTok, where it’s currently soundtracking a trend involving cool choreographed dance moves.
Adapted from a folk song named “When I’m Gone,” originally recorded by The Carter Family during the 1930s, Anna Kendrick’s “Cups” first featured in the popular musical comedy Pitch Perfect in 2012. Republic Records then released a remixed version “Cups (Pitch Perfect’s “When I’m Gone)” which rewarded Kendrick with a Billboard Top 10 hit and a triple platinum certification. With its percussive backdrop based on the children’s clapping game ‘The Cup Game’ (recreated by Kendrick in the song’s video), “Cups” has a unique feel and it’s no surprise to discover it’s now trending on TikTok, with its catchy chorus line (“You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone”) providing the soundtrack for a photo swipe trend.
One of the key tracks from his eighth studio album Buddha & The Chocolate Box, the poignant “Oh Very Young” rewarded Yusuf / Cat Stevens with a U.S. Top 10 hit in 1974 and it remains a staple of his anthology collections to this day. Now, though, the song is finding a new audience due to its usage in the soundtrack to Thursday Murder Club: the Netflix film adaptation of Richard Osman’s best-selling book of the same name concerning four elderly people living in a British retirement complex who solve cold case murders for fun.
The title track from country superstar Jon Pardi’s fourth album from 2022, “Mr. Saturday Night” is likely to remain one of his key songs as it maintains a truly universal appeal. It’s a beautifully-drawn portrait of the sort of guy who is (at least superficially) the life and soul of the party. However, as its plaintive lyric implies (“Yeah, I turn it on/But all alone I’m going out of my mind/ They don’t know how much I missed her Saturday night”) the bravado masks Pardi’s narrator’s real feelings. A cult favorite from the get-go, “Mr. Saturday Night” is again spiking in popularity with Pardi fans on TikTok.
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The first of three hits from 1982’s Gap Band IV, “Early In The Morning” went on to become the long-running Tulsa funk and R&B specialists’ biggest U.S. success, peaking at No. 24 on the Hot 100 and also topping Billboard’s R&B Chart for 3 weeks. This sure-footed, funk-flavored pop song still sounds great today, so it’s no surprise that it’s currently undergoing a resurgence in a TikTok dance trend involving creators showing off their good taste in music.
Originally the second single from the Canadian rapper and producer’s debut commercial mixtape NAV from 2017, “Myself” was never a major chart hit, yet it’s gone platinum three times over in the U.S. and it remains one of Nav’s signature tracks. Though deceptively dreamy in mood, “Myself” features a hard-hitting lyric (“I’ve got a lot of enemies who used to be my friends”) and its evergreen appeal continues to attract dedicated listeners, with NAV fans currently showing their general appreciation of the song on TikTok.
Now set to return in a deluxe edition to celebrate its tenth anniversary, Halsey’s 2015 debut Badlands rapidly became one of that year’s landmark releases, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and receiving reams of critical acclaim into the bargain. The album’s success was supported by several successful singles, including “Colors,” an electro-pop classic that was by turns melancholic and euphoric. The song has remained in the public conscience ever since. It’s been certified platinum three times over in the U.S. and is now undergoing a resurgence on TikTok where it’s being used in a wide-ranging trend involving all manner of superhero edits.
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Originally a key figure in the U.K.’s Asian Underground scene during the early 2000s, R&B singer-songwriter Jay Sean first rose to prominence with Rishi Rich Project, whose “Dance With You” made the British Top 20 in 2003. Five years of solo success while signed to Virgin Records then led to a deal with the Cash Money imprint in the U.S. and the 2009 smash hit “Down” (featuring Lil Wayne) topping the Billboard Hot 100. Jay Sean became the first U.K. urban act to achieve this milestone with the song, but now “Down” is again undergoing a resurgence thanks to a viral dance trend which creators including Jay Sean’s own daughter are proudly demonstrating on TikTok.
Initially the lead single from Rehab’s second album, 2000’s Southern Discomfort, “Sittin’ At A Bar” wasn’t a hit the first time around. However, this rueful, roots-flavored song later found a huge audience via jukeboxes and internet radio and it became the Georgia-based act’s first Billboard Hot 100 hit after its 2008 remix (renamed “Bartender Song (Sittin’ At A Bar)”) launched the 2008 reissue of 2005’s Graffiti The World. It’s currently going viral all over again thanks to a photo slide trend on TikTok based around the song’s “guess it was meant to be” hook line.
Royel Otis scored a Billboard Hot 100 breakthrough with its Sirius XM radio session version of “Linger” during the summer of 2024. Twelve months later, the Australian duo’s recording of The Cranberries’ classic is again going viral after its placement in Amazon Prime’s The Summer I Turned Pretty: the same coming-of-age drama that also recently included another Cranberries classic (“Dreams”) in the soundtrack to its third series.
Buy The Cranberries’ “Linger” on vinyl now.
“Tell Me” initially featured on Mississippi-born, Atlanta-based R&B star Bobby Valentino’s self-titled debut album in 2005. Also spawning a U.K. Top 5 hit in the shape of “Slow Down,” the album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and it was followed by a remix of “Tell Me” (featuring Lil Wayne) which also performed strongly in the U.S. Still regarded as one of Valentino’s signature songs, “Tell Me” is now back in the spotlight thanks to a fun TikTok trend in which creators perform the song with help from assorted kitchen utensils.
Also famously recorded by The Flying Burrito Brothers, the yearning, country-flavored “Wild Horses” went on to become a U.S. Top 30 hit as well as one of the most essential tracks from the Rolling Stones’ widely-acclaimed Sticky Fingers in 1971. Long since accepted as one of the band’s greatest ballads, the song has now returned to the spotlight after it sound-tracked a memorably racy scene in a recent episode of the final series of Amazon Prime’s highly popular coming-of-age romantic drama The Summer I Turned Pretty. In the scene, one of the main characters, Belly (played by Lola Tung) bites into a peach, with this action sparking off a TikTok trend involving creators recreating the scene and/or posting footage of beautiful wild horses.
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It was first recorded by Bakersfield, CA-based rockers Ronnie Cook & The Gaylads in 1962, but low-riding garage-rock classic “Goo Goo Muck” really came into its own when The Cramps recorded the song’s definitive, souped-up take for 1981’s much-lauded Psychedelic Jungle. It’s already enjoyed a resurgence via social media following its placement in Netflix’s supernatural mystery comedy series Wednesday in 2022, but “Goo Goo Muck” is now spiking in popularity again as part of a TikTok trend involving some ostentatious – and often brilliantly inventive – makeup routines.
Buy The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck” on vinyl now.
Issued at the lead single from Georgia-based rapper Lloyd’s fourth album King Of Hearts (2011), the smooth “Lay It Down” featured a neat sample from Patti LaBelle’s 1983 hit “Love, Need And Want You.” Like its parent album (which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200), “Lay It Down” did brisk business, rising to the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and eventually earning a platinum certification in the U.S. It’s now finding a new audience all over again thanks to a TikTok dance trend featuring Heeseung from South Korean boy band ENHYPEN who posted a video of himself dancing to the song that’s attracted widespread attention.
A rueful song about discovering your lover cheating on you, Toby Keith’s “Wish I Didn’t Know Now” was the fourth and final single from the Oklahoman country music star’s self-titled debut album from 1994. A No. 2 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart on release, it was recently covered by Ella Langley as part of the digital-only release Apple Music Nashville Sessions: Toby Keith Covered. Interestingly, both recordings are currently in demand on TikTok. Keith’s “Wish I Didn’t Know Now” is inspiring creators posting videos showing off their different trucks, while a new trend has emerged with creators enthusiastically lip-syncing to Langley’s version of the song.
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Featuring a seductive vocal from singer and rapper Luciana, Richard Vission and Static Revenger’s 2009 collaboration “I Like That” was (and still is) an insistent electro-pop banger. Very popular on dancefloors, it was also a commercial success, going double platinum in Australia and topping the U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Irrepressible then and now, “I Like That” is again rising on TikTok thanks to a fun dance trend based on one of the song’s best lines “My body rocks a rhythm.”
The dramatic, Mediterranean-tinged “Portuguese Love” first appeared on Teena Marie’s fourth studio album, 1981’s It Must Be Magic. The pioneering soul/R&B star’s last full-length title for Motown, the album was a U.S. Top 30 success and received a Grammy nomination in 1982. Chosen as its third and last single, “Portuguese Love” wasn’t a mainstream hit, but it’s now widely-regarded as a 70s soul classic and it’s currently part of a TikTok trend where creators post videos inspired by the song’s lyrics.
“Beverly Hills” is technically Weezer’s biggest U.S. hit, yet the ultra-catchy “Buddy Holly” is still arguably the song most fans associate with Rivers Cuomo’s enduring alt-rockers. One of the key tracks from the band’s self-titled multi-platinum debut album (usually known as The Blue Album), “Buddy Holly”s longevity has surely been secured with help from director Spike Jonze’s brilliant promo film featuring footage from classic sitcom Happy Days. However, its popularity is again spiking due to Olivia Rodrigo performing with Weezer at last weekend’s Lollapalooza and delighted fans reacting to this collaboration.
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Robyn’s evergreen signature song “Dancing On My Own” went on to become her first No. 1 hit in her native Sweden in 2010 and also earned a Grammy nomination. A beautifully crafted synth-pop song in its initial guise, “Dancing On My Own” has since proved its versatility by lending itself to covers by artists as diverse as Calum Scott, Kings Of Leon and Gracie Abrams. In fact, it’s it’s recently gone viral on TikTok after Robyn joined Abrams for a high-profile performance of the song at this year’s Lollapalooza Festival.
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