You probably woke up earlier this year with “Murder on the Dancefloor” stuck in your brain with no idea how it got there. If you were born last century, you’ll recognize Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit that reached the top of the music charts at the time. Now, 22 years later, the disco-pop anthem is back with a bang. The credit for going viral is attributed to the song’s inclusion in the film Saltburn, released for streaming at Christmas.
But how did the song become an anthem of new generations after 22 years? “Murder on the Dancefloor” made its first appearance on various music platforms’ charts on New Year’s Eve 2023 and, throughout 2024, has continued to climb the charts: on Spotify, Ellis-Bextor was number 3 in mid-January. In mid-December, the artist was at position 3035 according to Chartmetric rank; one month later she was number 346.
“I honestly can’t quite believe what’s happening with this track — I don’t think I’ve used the word ‘bonkers’ so much in one week!” wrote singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor on her X account in mid-January.
Other artists at the top of the billboard more than 20 years after their release include Tim McGraw, Michael Jackson and Aerosmith — it seems that people are interested in learning about these artists’ musical pasts or have reached them thanks to recent movies, but what undeniably helps is the embedding of these songs on TikTok and Instagram videos that make them stick in your brain as one of the catchiest commercials you remember during your whole life.
This could be the call to salvation awaited by many music fans who can’t believe new generations ignore the giants of music from 3-4 decades ago, like that teacher on TikTok who showed the video of “We Are the World” to her students and they could only get four names right: Michael Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper.
@saribethrose Part 2 of my Gen X Lesson. Wait for my trivia question at the end. Ill give you extra credit if you know 😉 We Are the World soloists, in order of appearance: Lionel Richie Stevie Wonder Paul Simon Kenny Rogers James Ingram Tina Turner Billy Joel Michael Jackson Diana Ross Dionne Warwick Willie Nelson Al Jarreau Bruce Springsteen Kenny Loggins Steve Perry Daryl Hall Huey Lewis Cyndi Lauper Kim Carnes Bob Dylan Ray Charles #teachersoftiktok #teacher #wearetheworld #popculture #1980s #genz #genx ♬ original sound – Sari Beth Rosenberg
But, how are all these comebacks coming about? For Michael Jackson there will seemingly always be room for his music; others like Aerosmith climb the charts with greatest hits compilations. However, digital platforms are a great vehicle for musical resurrection right now.
Ellis-Bextor’s song isn’t the only one to have resurfaced thanks to a movie, Netflix pumped Kate Bush’s 1985 song “Running Up That Hill” all over the billboards a couple of years ago; something that tends to happen when a show as popular as Stranger Things plays a tune over and over again.
However, the most popular hotspots at the moment for the biggest hits are the social media platforms: Instagram and especially TikTok. This means that as you scroll through the reels of the day, you’re not only checking out visual trends, you’re also developing musical tastes, often with songs released decades before you were born.
TikTok is a huge influencer, where anything can go viral extending outside of the app. This is evident in the resurgence and increase in plays of songs on music platforms such as Spotify and YouTube. Particularly artists have gotten a new boost to their careers due to the nostalgic generation.
Artists and producers seem happy with the virality of their songs, however, the lack of agreements between music labels and TikTok could be ruining viral moments and trends. For example, earlier this year, Universal Music Group (UMG) withdrew its licenses from TikTok over payment disagreements and AI concerns. This resulted in millions of affected videos, which were all muted.
For content creators, it was bitter, they lost hundreds of hours of work overnight, an issue that didn’t sound like a concern until now. And since TikTok is based on music, the content made was compromised.
For their part, artists expect higher earnings and better protection against AI. After all, others like Instagram pay better. But they can also see all the boost to their careers that TikTok represents — it’s great free publicity for their work, especially for those up-and-coming artists looking for more buzz through social media and finally making it big.
Major artists also know the full advertising potential. In April, Taylor Swift returned to TikTok, even though UMG had not yet reached an agreement. Because of the release of “The Tortured Poets Department”, Swift needed to be present everywhere.
TikTok is one of the great platforms for rediscovering music, bringing a new relationship with artists. The younger generations are eager for songs with substance in these older tunes. But the app is also a way to discover new singers who get an excellent promotional channel there, like singer-songwriter Benson Boone who started out sharing his music on TikTok and now has over 60 million monthly listeners on Spotify — places where songs like “Beautiful Things” go on and on, officially becoming another track stuck in your brain this year.
That’s how we get to 2024 listening over and over again to “Murder on the Dancefloor” (2001) next to “Beautiful Things” (2024) performed by Boone who wasn’t even born when the Ellis-Bextor song came out. Something only possible in this age where new and old converge on sites like Instagram and TikTok.
These songs, and some others that found a new lease of life are now available in this Spotify playlist
Image: Matthias Groeneveld