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How TikTok Gives Yesterday's Classic Tracks New Life
With Madonna, Simple Plan, Sade and More
As we all know, TikTok is about self-expression—plus singing and dancing your heart out, then sharing it with the world. But these days there’s a twist—courtesy of “Let’s Do the Twist” from Chubby Checker, and various oldies from other classic artists finding new fans on the platform.
TikTokkers are setting silly, sharable videos to yesterday’s pop hits, fueling the resurgence of those tracks across popular culture.
Example: Madonna’s “Like A Prayer.” One TikTokker used that 1989 mega-hit as the soundtrack for a story involving a potential burglary, cops and very bad hair:
Then there’s Simple Plan’s 2002 debut “I’m Just a Kid.” That tune powers this sweet daddy-daughter tale:
Another creator explored the different faces of Face-Timing with the 1984 smash “Smooth Operator” from Sade:
Discovery is key for for artists new and old, and that’s what TikTok and other social venues provide in spades, says Jay Gilbert, co-founder and head of digital strategy at Label Logic, a company that guides label infrastructure for artist managers and brands.
“Music defined as ‘catalog’ (18 months or older) represents over two-thirds of the business today,” says Gilbert. “Young people have always discovered catalog tracks. We see it in annual sales and stream numbers every year. It’s just much easier now.”
Gilbert has witnessed the resurgence of some personal faves, like Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hilll,” “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac and “A-Punk” by Vampire Weekend, which all took on new life.
Back in 2023, The Guardian noted just how “supersonic” TikTok makes acts from the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s. Basically: forget trying to get air time on terrestrial or internet radio. Gen-Z platforms are where it’s at.
“Keith Urban once said, ‘Write a hit song and you’ll have a moment; build an audience and you’ll have a career,'” adds Gilbert. “Regardless of whether it’s via TikTok, YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels, however you can reach and engage an audience is a good thing.”
