Insta Comebacks: 5 Old Songs That Became Viral Challenges On Social Media

Whether you like it or not, TikTok and Instagram now have the ability to take a song to new heights with a widespread reach. When youngsters discover an older song, they also possess the power of bringing it back to life. Believe it or not, the songs rising on social media today are roughly ten years old, and thanks to social-media users and influencers who are constantly looking for songs amid rising ‘viral challenges’. Take a look at the list below for five examples of old tunes that TikTok and Instagram have made famous again.

'Runaway'

'Runaway,' a single from the Norwegian singer-songwriter's debut album 'All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend,' was released in 2015. Fast forward to 2021, the song went viral on the video-sharing platform TikTok and resulted in a massive increase in listeners, with over 100 million streams on Spotify. 

"And I was runnin' far away
Would I run off the world someday?
Nobody knows
Nobody knows, and
I was dancing in the rain
I felt alive and I can't complain"

'Bananza'

The fourth single from artist Akon's debut studio album, Trouble, ‘Belly Dancer (Bananza)’ was released in 2005 and was a hit at the time, reaching No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bananza (Belly Dancer) by Akon is one of the most recent popular dance challenges. As of December 11, 2021, the track was stated to have been used in 807,000 TikTok videos, making it the month's largest challenge. One stanza from the song is particularly viral. That is,

“Hey, ladies drop it down

Just want to see you touch the ground

Don’t be shy girl go bananza

Shake ya body like a belly dancer”

'Put your head on my shoulder'

The viral challenge known as ‘Silhouette Challenge’ had everyone repeat the same song 'Put Your Head On My Shoulder' on a loop. Paul Anka wrote and sang the original song, which was released in 1959. It was an instant hit at the time, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same year. 

"Put your head on my shoulder
Hold me in your arms, baby
Squeeze me oh-so-tight
Show me that you love me too"

'Playdate'

Melanie Martinez's song ‘Play Date’ was released in 2015 and was from her debut album ‘Cry Baby’. The song soared to new highs and  popularity in April 2020 as a result of its use in an edit of the actor Timothée Chalamet, which led to its widespread use on the TikTok followed by Instagram, with over 1.9 billion views for the month. 

"I don't give a fuck about you anyways
Whoever said I gave a shit 'bout you?
You never share your toys or communicate
I guess I'm just a play date to you"

'Gimme More'

'Gimme More' by Britney Spears was released in 2007 and became an instant hit, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her second highest-peaking single at the time. The song made a comeback in 2020 when TikTok’s popularity was soaring high, and people were dancing to it on repeat during the pandemic.

"We can get down like there's no one around
We keep on rockin' (we keep on rockin')
We keep on rockin' (keep on rockin')
Cameras are flashin' while we're dirty dancin'
They keep watching (they keep watching)
Keep watching
Feels like the crowd is saying"