80s Songs That Went Viral In The 21st Century
Never before have we seen so many online platforms for entertainment and media. People of all ages are streaming music, movies, and tv shows. This while we connect to others on countless social media sites. Thanks to these platforms, the current generation of young people are intermittently exposed to the forgotten greatness of past talent. The case is being made, especially by Netflix’s “Stranger Things” hit show. Other platforms like TikTok also provide a glimpse into the 80s. Many movies recently released feature a song or songs from the Eighties. On some occasions, these tracks hit the charts once more. This just proves that the musical magic of the 80s is timeless. Here are some examples of 80s Songs That Went Viral In The 21st Century
Kate Bush (Running Up that Hill)
During season four of Stranger Things, the 1985 hit is frequently featured. It is played on Max’s Sony Walkman and is revisited in various scenes.
The track became an instant hit with viewers and soon saw itself at the top of the Apple iTunes chart, shortly after season four of Stranger Things was released. At the time of writing, it was strongly on its way to the top of the UK Top 20. Producers of the show obviously knew what they were doing by using this track. It blended beautifully into the flow of the show and saw many rushing to iTunes and Spotify to download it.
Kenny Logins (Danger Zone)
Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 smash hit Top Gun. The producers cleverly reused the track “Danger Zone” in the opening of the movie, paying homage to the 1986 classic.
The song started at number 53 when Maverick was released and on 6 June it has risen to number 4 on the iTunes chart.
Fleetwood Mac (Dreams)
In October 2020 a Tiktokker called Nathan Apodaca posted a video of himself drifting on a skateboard, sipping on cranberry juice, with a clip of Stevie Nicks’ hit “Dreams” playing as the video’s sound. The song has since received over 20 million visits on Youtube. In an interview with CBS, Nicks stated:
“This TikTok thing has, kind od, blown my mind. I’m happy about it because it seems to have made so many people happy”
Although the song was released in 1977, Fleetwood Mac was very popular in the Eighties, releasing numerous tracks like “Little Lies”.
Streaming of “Dreams” jumped from a regular 49 000 per day to 105 000 per day.
Africa (Toto)
When Stranger Things premiered in 2016, Toto’s “Africa received a boost. In the make-out scene between Steve and Nancy, the song blasts to the audience. The band took notice of their song’s renewed popularity, and in 2018 their rendition of “Africa” took to the charts once more.
Limahl (Never Ending Story)
In episode 8 of Stranger Things season three, Dustin and his long-distance girlfriend break out into casual singing during a very tense moment in the episode.
They sang The Never Ending Story by Limahl which was released in 1984 as the soundtrack to the movie with the same name.
Cyndi Lauper (Time After Time)
During season two of Stranger Things, Nancy swoops in to dance with Dustin, after she noticed nobody wanted to dance with him.
The scene plays out to the Cyndi Lauper hit, “Time After Time”
George Michael (Careless Whisper)
The 1984 hit was featured during the final minute of Deadpool, the Marvel action movie that was released in 2016. It continued into the credits with an animated Deadpool playing the saxophone.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that the success of Stranger Things, was a big driving force in the revival of Eighties tracks in the last couple of years. But not the only. Numerous shows and movies recently released are set in the Eighties and producers have learned to include time-relevant music.