Filippo Aletti
TikTok is not just a video container capable of mesmerizing teenagers and new generations. In fact, the influence of social networks on the young audience is such that they create real phenomena of re-evaluation of the old pop culture, in particular, they give new life to forgotten, and in some cases, unknown pieces of music. Artists such as Boney M, Donna Summer, Rod Stewart, Billy Joel, Kate Bush, Kylie Minogue, Fiona Apple and Fleetwood Mac have become an integral part of the lives of teenagers who use their songs to create videos and stories. There are also some Italian songs, some of which are very popular. In addition to various pieces by Battisti, Mia Martini’s Minuet, Rino Gaetano’s Mano-a-mano and various pieces by Mina, there are also pieces by Andrea Bocelli, Venditti and Max Pezzali.
Some of these songs have become true examples, such as the inexplicable success of Tu comm’a mme, now known as Poor seagull. The author of the piece is Gianni Celeste, a Sicilian neo-melodic singer-songwriter who still cannot understand the virality of his song. Instead, the world of the night and not only rediscovered the Italo disco of Pino D’Angio, who, at the age of seventy, thanks to works such as “But what an idea, back in the spotlight”, with tours full of children who love his music .
Many of these songs are remixed by users, i.e. slower or faster to avoid copyright issues. Thus was born the “Speed Up Songs” phenomenon, which then migrated from TikTok to Youtube – where most children listen to music – and streaming platforms. Among other things, one of the most loved pieces is Angel eyes by Abba, one of the Swedish band’s lesser-known songs, here revised and sped up to suit the video platform’s brevity. What is love by Haddaway, on the contrary, was slowed down, and from the classics of dance music of the 90s turned into a chant, which is used in videos about Mike O’Hearn, the famous bodybuilder who starred in memes and parodies. macho male stereotype.
However, there are songs that are offered acapella, that is, only in voice without the accompaniment of instruments. Among them, the most famous is certainly Everyone Wants to Rule the World with the help of Tears of Fear, one of the most popular bands of the 80s. The song is often used to create videos that compare past and present, such as showing how showbiz stars have aged over the years.
Inexplicably, there is also a place for rock music, which on paper has failed to catch on among new generations, with the exception of Maneskin. Mary on a cross is a song by the Swedish hard rock band Ghost that has become one of the most popular songs on social media almost four years after its release.
The music industry is realizing the potential of the platform. In fact, it’s no coincidence that world-famous pop stars like Dua Lipa decide to preview their songs on the platform, giving them the opportunity to use the refrain to create stories, videos, and other content. The lesson of TikTok reminds us how digital media can give new life to cultural products of the past that were not necessarily mainstream. If you once discovered music after spending a few hours in a music store, today social networks are a place of mutual cultural exchange, a space in which one user’s video can create viral phenomena out of nothing. Of course, youth will never cease to amaze us.