If the WeekndB次元官网网址檚 fresh hit B次元官网网址淒ie For YouB次元官网网址� seems mighty familiar, itB次元官网网址檚 probably because it first soared up the radio charts five years ago.
The Toronto pop superstarB次元官网网址檚 moody and melodic track is scaling the upper ranks of the Billboard Hot 100 B次元官网网址� a chart where new singles reign supreme. This week, it rises to No. 6 from No. 8.
But itB次元官网网址檚 hardly a new song, having appeared three studio albums ago on the WeekndB次元官网网址檚 smash 2016 record B次元官网网址淪tarboy.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淒ie For YouB次元官网网址� is part of an increasingly frequent phenomenon in which an older song climbs the music charts after a gale force of social media attention makes it impossible to ignore.
It almost always involves TikTok, which doesnB次元官网网址檛 factor into a songB次元官网网址檚 Billboard chart position, and that momentum ricochets through other places that do affect the charts, such as streaming outlets and radio stations.
Most famously, Kate BushB次元官网网址檚 1985 single B次元官网网址淩unning Up That HillB次元官网网址� got a surprise boost last summer when it appeared in NetflixB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淪tranger Things,B次元官网网址� leading online creators to use it for TikTok videos, music lovers to stream the track, and radio DJs to add it to their rotation. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100.
Sia saw a similar boost last fall after her 2016 track B次元官网网址淯nstoppableB次元官网网址� was played in a television commercial and subsequently landed in more TikToks. Radio stations then put it into heavier rotation.
Older songs becoming new chart sensations isnB次元官网网址檛 unprecedented, but itB次元官网网址檚 occurring faster and more often than ever, suggested Rudy Blair, a veteran music reporter and host of industry events.
B次元官网网址淚t can happen overnight,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪omebody grabs the song, they put it in the right place at the right time, and then it just clicks.B次元官网网址�
Before TikTok, Hollywood movies were often the vehicle that returned classic tracks to the charts.
It happened after the Righteous BrothersB次元官网网址� 1955 ballad B次元官网网址淯nchained MelodyB次元官网网址� appeared in the pottery-making love scene of 1990B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淕host.B次元官网网址� Its resurgence peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
And when Mike Myers and Dana Carvey headbanged to QueenB次元官网网址檚 1975 single B次元官网网址淏ohemian RhapsodyB次元官网网址� nearly 20 years later in the comedy B次元官网网址淲ayneB次元官网网址檚 World,B次元官网网址� the rock classic took off anew on a boom of radio play and record sales that pushed it to a high of No. 2.
The difference now is that social media has made those bursts of cultural relevance more sudden and unpredictable, especially as the influence of traditional record labels wanes and listener tastes take the lead, suggested manager Sarah Fenton.
She saw that firsthand when Mother Mother, the Vancouver rock band she helps manage, felt the TikTok bump in late 2020.
Seemingly out of nowhere, their 2008 song B次元官网网址淗ayloftB次元官网网址� became a favourite on the app, and in the months that followed they scrambled to capitalize by making a new music video and follow-up song titled B次元官网网址淗ayloft II.B次元官网网址�
Now another older Mother Mother song called B次元官网网址淰erbatimB次元官网网址� is gaining attention online, she said, but this time the band is doing what it can to ride the songB次元官网网址檚 resurgence as it happens. Their team is making lyric videos in multiple languages, inspired by data pulled from the countries where the song has the most listeners.
Even if B次元官网网址淰erbatimB次元官网网址� doesnB次元官网网址檛 soar up the Hot 100 charts as a Weeknd track would, thereB次元官网网址檚 much potential in the attention, said Fenton, part of the team at Watchdog Management.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a whole new global audience that we have access to B次元官网网址� each time we have a new trend on TikTok or other socials,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檙e smart, you just throw some gas on the fire and see what happens.B次元官网网址�
Promoting older songs might seem counterintuitive because B次元官网网址渁rtists want to focus on whatB次元官网网址檚 new and whatB次元官网网址檚 next,B次元官网网址� Fenton added. But done properly, she said the renewed popularity can bridge the gap of silence between a musicianB次元官网网址檚 last album and their next project in a saturated market.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 effectively what happened in late 2021 when the WeekndB次元官网网址檚 team marked the five-year anniversary of his defining album B次元官网网址淪tarboy.B次元官网网址�
Fans had already embraced B次元官网网址淒ie For YouB次元官网网址� as a lost favourite and so when the singer filmed a belated music video, the song was given a jolt of energy that extended through his North American concert tour. He included the song in his showB次元官网网址檚 setlist which was packed with his biggest singles.
When the WeekndB次元官网网址檚 early 2022 album B次元官网网址淒awn FMB次元官网网址� proved to be short on massive hits, a combination of TikTok velocity and radio support pushed B次元官网网址淒ie For YouB次元官网网址� up the charts.
Blair worries so many older tracks landing on the charts suggests a music industry failing to connect with its audience, which can leave even musicians themselves reacting to trends and not necessarily inspiring them.
Since itB次元官网网址檚 never been easier to access music online, both listeners and the industry are wading through a bottomless pit of content to draw on anything that resonates, he said.
B次元官网网址淪ongs that are good enough to be classics always rise to the top, and right now thereB次元官网网址檚 a drought of new songs music listeners feel represent their experiences,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淎nd so everything old is new again. I donB次元官网网址檛 see that changing any time soon.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址擠avid Friend, The Canadian Press
