Top 10 Songs That Got Popular Again for Ridiculous Reasons
#10: “Not Such an Innocent Girl”
Victoria Beckham
Despite falling just shy of the top-five upon its original release in 2001, Victoria Beckham’s “Not Such an Innocent Girl” would eventually have its moment to shine. After the heavily publicised feud that unfolded between Brooklyn Beckham and his parents, David and Victoria, the song somehow shot to the top of the charts in multiple countries. Brooklyn’s comments were pretty explosive, accusing them of emotional manipulation and some pretty humiliating behavior. Yet, a public campaign to give Victoria her first ever number 1 single sprouted out of nowhere in response. It didn’t take long until they were successful in their goal, making her the final Spice Girl, out of the five members, to have had a solo number-one hit in the UK.
#9: “Angeleyes”
ABBA
As bona fide legends of pop music, ABBA’s catalogue was bound to end up on the meme circuit before long. Sure enough, many of their biggest hits are now known to an entire generation for that exact reason. Take “Angeleyes” for example. The song found renewed life on TikTok through a trend centred on one of its more melancholic lyrical passages, typically clipped from the pre-chorus into the dramatic hook. However, as often happens on social media, sincerity gradually turned into irony. Before long, the meme became about exaggerated sadness over mundane things from history - old screensavers, cereal boxes, chocolate bars, and everything in between.
#8: “Axel F”
Harold Faltermeyer
The original “Axel F” song from “Beverly Hills Cop” was a classic slice of 80s synth pop. However, at the height of remix culture in the 2000s, the now-infamous Crazy Frog version hit the radio, and it was one of the most surprising success stories of the decade. People loved and loathed it in equal measure. It was such a huge sensation that it had yet another surge of popularity in the decades that followed, with numerous memes and video crazes centred around it. From becoming a ringtone sensation during the growth of the mobile phone, to a TikTok trend in the era of the smart-phone, the only question now is where this song will end up next.
#7: “Take On Me”
A-ha
The inimitable sound of A-ha’s “Take On Me” is probably still going to be widely loved fifty years from now. The track’s huge vocal performance, infectious synths, and iconic music video made it a prime target for every type of meme under the sun. From wacky choreographed dances to a version of the original recording that is transposed into a minor key, it’s arguably as relevant now in the modern day as it ever was before. In a cultural climate that has its fair share of anti-humor, this song’s overall vibe makes it an absolute goldmine for content creators.
#6: “Lose Yourself”
Eminem
To this day, there might not be a track in Eminem’s wide discography that has as much cultural relevance as “Lose Yourself”. With that type of popularity, though, you’ll nearly always run into some form of parody or mockery. In this case, the most memorable joke came from the “mom’s spaghetti” that Eminem used to describe vomiting due to pre-gig nerves. People took that one line and ran with it, constructing versions of the track where that ‘mom’s spaghetti’ is repeatedly cut-and-paste into place to become the song’s central theme. Eminem even got in on the joke, opening a restaurant in 2021 serving spaghetti entitled, you guessed it, “Mom’s Spaghetti”. He even served the first ten customers himself.
#5: “Dreams”
Fleetwood Mac
In 1977, if you told Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks the exact reason their song “Dreams” would achieve a second peak of popularity decades later, there’s no way they could even begin to comprehend it. The resurgence was sparked by a viral social media video featuring Nathan Apodaca skateboarding while drinking cranberry juice and lip-syncing to “Dreams”. This happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the video was seen as a reminder that not all hope was lost and that it was okay to enjoy the little things in life. If that’s not a good reason for this track to get a healthy boost, nothing is!
#4: “All Star”
Smash Mouth
The late 90s and early 2000s were truly a goldmine for carefree, upbeat, and totally infectious music. Smash Mouth’s “All Star” is a leading example of this point in time. It got a real boost in popularity thanks to its inclusion on the “Shrek” soundtrack. However, it was later recycled into meme culture thanks to a series of bizarre fan edits that made it one of the easiest targets of the era. Its unapologetically optimistic and motivational message caused it to noticeably age as the years went on. Not necessarily in a bad way, but “All Star” is very clearly a relic of a bygone era.
#3: “Macarena”
Los Del Rio
A song as catchy and iconic as the “Macarena” was never going to fully go out of style. Frequent enough dancefloors on a Saturday and it won’t take long until you hear some DJ give this one a spin. That said, when the track received a pretty substantial boost in popularity thanks to its use in a series of senior aerobics classes online, it was certainly surprising. What better way to work up a sweat than to the sound of this 1993 classic? The choreography’s rigid, instructional feel mirrors classic group-exercise routines, making it a pretty obvious pick. Add in the fact that virtually everyone knows the moves, and it's a match made in heaven.
#2: “Photograph”
Nickelback
Despite being widely mocked for what many detractors describe as extremely formulaic and uninspired songwriting, Nickelback remain a very popular band in modern culture. Their fans still flock to their gigs in the thousands to enjoy their many anthemic hits. That said, they still haven’t shaken their position as one of the most meme’d-on bands of all-time. Just take the “Photograph” meme, for example. The song’s overly melodramatic lyrics and delivery were a prime target for ridicule, and as soon as one fan edit went viral, a host of others soon followed suit. The fact that Nickelback were already so polarising made the whole thing catch on like wildfire, which, in turn, brought the song back into the mainstream eye.
#1: “Never Gonna Give You Up”
Rick Astley
There might not be a song in history that underwent such a late explosion of cultural relevance as Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. The fact that it was the subject of a pretty prevalent internet prank, “rickrolling”, just made the whole thing even more bizarre. Users would disguise hyperlinks as something enticing, usually exclusive trailers or breaking news, only for the link to redirect to Astley’s music video. At first, the craze seemed to poke fun at the rather dated promotional video. However, as time went on, the song began to break out of its absurd labelling, becoming genuinely adored by the masses. Astley himself had something of a career revival as a result.
But what’s your own personal favourite example of a song that became popular again out of nowhere? Let us know in the comments below.
