More than 60 years after it was recorded, Lesley Gore‘s “Misty” is the hottest song on TikTok. Gore’s 1963 take on the Erroll Garner standard achieved a first-place finish in the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart thanks to its use in a widespread trend.
Gore’s shuffling rendition of “Misty” has appeared in more than 1.8 million TikToks. In recent months, the song has provided the soundtrack for a viral meme, in which participants show how their appearance changes with or without a particular attribute. As memes are wont to do, the “Misty” bit has evolved to become self-referential.
@pokeballbabe♬ Misty – Lesley Gore Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories
“Misty” is the oldest song to reach #1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, which debuted last September. The recent addition to Billboard’s pop charts is meant to recognize songs that are going viral on TikTok and measure their subsequent cultural impact. Billboard noted that the next-oldest TikTok chart-topper, Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” was released 30 years after Gore’s love song.
Gore is not the first artist to experience a revival on a digital platform. The music videos in YouTube’s billion-views club include a few classics, such as Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the Guns N’ Roses ballad “November Rain“. TikTok played a key role in the Kate Bush renaissance after the 80s banger “Running Up That Hill” played a pivotal role in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things.
The rise of “Misty” is a reminder that TikTok’s influence in the music biz extends far beyond breakout stars like Olivia Rodrigo and Ice Spice. Unfortunately, Gore won’t be able to celebrate her song’s newfound success; the singer-songwriter known for tracks like “It’s My Party” passed away in 2015.
