| 1 | ->''"It's always a bit odd when you remember that pop culture does not consist of hermetically sealed elements that don't interact; it's like learning that 'As Time Goes By' was an old song by the time [[Film/{{Casablanca}} Dooley Wilson played it for Ilsa.]]"'' |
| 2 | -->-- '''James Lileks''', "[[http://www.lileks.com/bw/30s/female/index.html Hard & Snappy!]]" |
| 3 | |
| 4 | A mostly-forgotten song gets used in a prominent movie, TV show, video game, or [[RepurposedPopSong commercial]]. Suddenly, it is everywhere. Other shows, movies, and commercials start to use it. A lot. It is back on the radio, maybe even back on the charts. The original album it came from sells like hotcakes. Somewhere, a songwriter makes a lot of unexpected money. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | Also known as the "''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' effect" -- via the phenomenon of old songs finding a new audience by their inclusion in the game. Can be helped along by WatchItForTheMeme, at least in the case of Music/RickAstley. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Particularly successful examples may eventually become {{Standard Snippet}}s. Might overlap with BreakawayPopHit, and often creates a NewbieBoom. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | See also TheRedStapler and SongAssociation, which sometimes involves this as well. Also compare ColbertBump. CoveredUp is when a song is brought back into prominence (well, kind of) because someone else in the music industry referenced it. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Ironically, if this works really well, the song can remain popular after the work that revived it has been forgotten about. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | ---- |
| 15 | !!Examples: (Sorted by the medium reviving the song) |
| 16 | |
| 17 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 18 | |
| 19 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 20 | * Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's arrangement of "[[Film/TheWizardOfOz Somewhere Over the Rainbow]][=/=]What a Wonderful World" after it was used in a Rice Krispies commercial around 2007. It was also in ''Series/{{Glee}}'' and IMAX Hubble 3D. |
| 21 | ** In Germany, the recording shot up the singles charts when a medium-sized local series used it to contemplate a GreenAesop week. |
| 22 | ** In 2020, it hit the iTunes charts in the US after Google featured it in a Google Doodle marking what would have been the artist's 61st birthday. |
| 23 | ** The acapella act Straight No Chaser also mashed it up with Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours". |
| 24 | * The Bellamy Brothers' 1976 debut single "Let Your Love Flow" was repopularized in the UK in 2008 due to Barclaycard using it in a commercial. |
| 25 | * Music/NickDrake's "Pink Moon", as used in a Volkswagen ad. His three albums, especially ''Pink Moon'', experienced their highest sales ''ever'' to that point after the advertisement started airing. |
| 26 | * "Mr. Roboto", and Music/{{Styx}} in general, came back with a vengeance after the VW commercial. |
| 27 | * Yet Another Volkswagen ad: "Mr. Blue Sky" by Music/ElectricLightOrchestra. This song was also used for the French telecom company SFR's ads -- there is even a version sung by Lily Allen, which appeared in an ad. |
| 28 | %%* There was a Honda Accord ad that used "Hold On Tight." |
| 29 | * Monster.com used [[CoveredUp E.L.O.'s cover of]] "Do Ya." The album it came from was reissued, after being out of print for years, a month or so after the commercials started running. Coincidence? |
| 30 | * And still yet another VW ad: Music/{{Clannad}}, "Theme to 'Harry's Game'." (Although, it disappeared just as quickly, as new-agey songs sung entirely in Irish Gaelic is something of a niche genre.) |
| 31 | ** That was also sampled in "Saltwater" by Chicane, which in turn was used in a Tourism Ireland advert. |
| 32 | * The Christmas classic song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" got a big boost in downloads after British department store Marks & Spencer used it in an ad campaign. |
| 33 | ** In the U.S., it emerged from the holiday radio ghetto when it was used in a memorable "back to school" commercial for Staples. |
| 34 | * Prez Prado's "Guaglione" was a big hit after its use in a Guinness ad. |
| 35 | * Prado's "Patricia" got popular after its use in Royal Mail adverts. |
| 36 | * Music/JimiHendrix's "Crosstown Traffic" enjoyed a revival in the UK after being used in a commercial for... um... something or other... |
| 37 | * Doris Troy's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2enztF60ZmE Just One Look]]" (and/or cover versions of it) went through this big time back in TheNineties, appearing in many commercials (including a famous one for Pepsi starring Cindy Crawford). (Unfortunately this did not include the version by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yplwTe5IFQ Klaus Nomi]].) |
| 38 | * After Louis Prima's "Jump, Jive, An' Wail" was featured in a commercial for The Gap, both the 1956 original and Brian Setzer's cover got a fair bit of radio play. Indeed, this may be a case of ''genre'' revival-by-commercialization, as the Gap ad is credited with (temporarily) re-mainstreaming swing. |
| 39 | * A strange Venezuelan case was Henry Stephen and his [[TheSixties 1960s]] song "Limon Limonero", who became relevant (and parodiable) in TheNineties after being [[RepurposedPopSong repurposed]] for a lemon-scented bleach commercial. |
| 40 | * If you've heard Trio's "Da Da Da" or a cover of it at any time later than the early 1980s, you almost certainly have Volkswagen to thank for that even if you don't remember [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvAfBJNQ_NY the 1997 ad]] that revived the song. If you live in the UK, you may also have seen it in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So5UswFSPtc this mid-to-late 80s ad]] or a traditional Bavarian take in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnIKjnmUYpQ a Pepsi ad from 2006]]. |
| 41 | * The similar-sounding "88 Lines about 44 Women" by the Nails (which was ''not'' the same band as Music/NineInchNails, or the grindcore band Music/{{Nails}} for that matter, Platform/YouTube commentators notwithstanding) was also used in some kind of car commercial in the 90s that nobody remembers now, which started it on the way to several well-known parodies and fan-made videos like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE1i2zLG9yY this one]]. |
| 42 | * Levi's Jeans adverts have resulted in three UK number one singles by this method: Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" in 1987, Music/SteveMillerBand's "The Joker" in 1990, and Music/TheClash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" in 1991, though a certain Stephen King movie may have also helped "Stand By Me". |
| 43 | ** The 1985 advert "Laundrette" [[http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2010/02/jackie-wilson-reet-petite/ took a reissue of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" to #8 in 1985]]. |
| 44 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roBkw0RfY-Q The 1985 advert "Bath" shot Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World" to #2 in the charts.]] Ironic, since it was a cover. |
| 45 | ** Not a revival but a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY6WTuvyF7Yset of Levi's adverts]] featuring a [[{{Muppet}} yellow puppet]] called Flat Eric helped Mr. Oizo's "Flat Beat" reach #1 across Europe. |
| 46 | * A Volkswagen ad featuring "Young at Heart" by The Bluebells got that song to No. 1 in 1993. |
| 47 | * Music/TheHollies' "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" topped the UK Singles Chart in 1988 (almost 20 years after its original release) after being featured prominently in an advert for Miller Lite beer. |
| 48 | ** It was also used in promotional material for the American Boys Town in the 1980s, which is appropriate because it was inspired by a legend based around an illustration that was used by Boys Town by founder Father Edward Flanigan in the 1940s to promote what Boys Town was doing. |
| 49 | ** It is primarily known in Canada as the backing track for a famous anti-drug commercial produced by Concerned Children's Advertisers, which featured a man going to visit his ailing brother at a hospital and hugging at the end. The commercial played for many years on various Canadian stations and grew very popular as a result. |
| 50 | * Andy Williams's "Music to Watch Girls By" got a boost after it was used in a British advert for Fiat. The funny thing is that it was a TopTenJingle to begin with - the music came from a [=McDonald's=] ad. |
| 51 | * Music/TheHumanLeague's "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" was revived in a Verizon smartphone commercial, and as a SofterAndSlowerCover by Rob Crow in a Kingsford Charcoal commercial. |
| 52 | * {{Music/Gorillaz}}'s "Feel Good Inc.", appearing as the cover in an American iPod ad, led to the popularization of the band in the United States outside of Alternative radio. (It remains their only top 40 hit in America.) It's even mentioned in their book Rise of the Ogre as one of the main reasons they became popular to begin with. |
| 53 | ** A similar effect happened to "New Soul" by Yael Naim and "1234" by Music/{{Feist}}, two indie folk songs that managed to make the Top 10 in the US after appearing in iPod ads. Brazilian electro-indie band CSS' "Music is My Hot, Hot Sex" only made it to #63 after appearing in an American iPod ad, but this was still the highest charting placement by a Brazilian artist on the Billboard Hot 100 since Sergio Mendes had a top 10 hit in 1983. |
| 54 | * "Tainted Love" was an obscure BSide by {{Soul}} singer Gloria Jones until [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] artists Music/SoftCell took their cover version to the charts in 1981, but by the early 90s even that had faded from all memory. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ne4X6ucn_Q Enter Levi's Wide Leg jeans.]] |
| 55 | * Canadians of a certain age hearing "[[Music/MarcBolan Bang a Gong]]" are instantly reminded of a slew of 1980s Labatt's Blue ads. |
| 56 | * Canadians may also associate "Born to Be Alive," a 1979 hit by Patrick Hernandez, with a mid-2000s ad for Chrysler. |
| 57 | * In America, the theme from ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'' is always linked to Marlboro commercials (at least, back when cigarette commercials were legal in the U.S.). |
| 58 | * It's hard to listen to the "Hoedown" movement of Music/AaronCopland's ballet ''Rodeo'' and think of anything ''but'' "Beef: It's what's for dinner!" |
| 59 | * Brazilians know "Chopsticks" as "the Danoninho song" (the product being a petit suisse by Danone). Of course many foreigners [[PopCulturalOsmosis associate that one]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKrZiddRphw with]] ''Film/{{Big}}''... |
| 60 | * Most Brits above a certain age will automatically think of Cornetto ice creams when they hear the music for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biL6zAMkOQs "O Sole Mio"]] |
| 61 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAiyfekQsM0 Brazilians, too.]] |
| 62 | * "From the New World" (colloquially known as "The New World Symphony"), composed following Dvorak's visit to America, will forever be known as "the Hovis music" to a certain section of the British public, following its use on a 1973 advert for bread baked in Hertfordshire. |
| 63 | * For Americans, Music/SarahMcLachlan's "Angel" will always be linked to montages of sad, abused animals in cages in commercials for the ASPCA. |
| 64 | * When Americans hear any part of [[http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rhapsody+in+blue&view=detail&mid=3CB3B76BE8E935FB1DF53CB3B76BE8E935FB1DF5&first=0&FORM=LKVR11 Rhapsody In Blue]] by George Gershwin, you immediately recognize it as the music utilized by United Airlines in all of their media advertisements and preflight safety videos. |
| 65 | * The Youngblood's "Get Together" is now remembered as one of the essential songs of TheSixties, but it was just another unsuccessful folk-rock cover when originally released in 1967. Only when the National Conference of Christians and Jews used it in radio ads in 1969 did the song become a hit. |
| 66 | * Music/DaveGrohl [[http://books.google.com/books?id=fRQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44 said he tries to avert this]] - even rallying with John Kerry after UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush used "Times Like These" in commercials - but agreed to license a song for a Japanese beer ad so that the Music/FooFighters' dressing room would always be filled with Kirin. |
| 67 | * Modern English's "I Melt With You" has experienced a resurgence in recent years via inclusion in several commercials, including one for the GMC Acadia Super Bowl clip (which featured a lounge version) and a 2010 Hershey's Chocolate promo (which featured a holiday-themed cover of the chorus). |
| 68 | * Music/YellowMagicOrchestra recorded an acoustic version of "Rydeen" for a beer commercial, putting both the new and original versions of the song on the charts nearly three decades after it was first released. |
| 69 | * Music/LaurieAnderson's "O Superman" became popular again after it was used in a commercial (the skydiving one) for HTC smartphones. |
| 70 | * Alex Clare's song "Too Close", released in 2011, had little success despite having a top production team, and Clare was eventually dropped from his record label. In 2012, "Too Close" was used in an ad for Internet Explorer 9, and within months of the ad's debut, the song reached the top 10 on the Hot 100. |
| 71 | * New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" was used in a Mitsubishi ad in New Zealand and Australia several years after it reached #1 and #13 in those countries respectively. The song's renewed popularity led to a re-release of the band's only album with a sticker reading "featuring the song from the Mitsubishi ad". |
| 72 | * A Carlsberg advert with a VindicatedByHistory message did this with the Ira and George Gershwin song "They All Laughed" in 1999, leading to at least one modern cover in 2000. |
| 73 | * 1976 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6um9vU9iP4Cadbury Fruit and Nut]] commercial ("Everyone's A Fruit and Nut Case"), set to the tune of Tchaikovsky's [[Theatre/TheNutcracker "Dance of the Reed Flutes"]]. |
| 74 | * "Hall of Fame" by Music/TheScript and will.i.am had gone out of people's heads before it got used in an ad for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Australia and the United States. |
| 75 | * Music/TonesOnTail's single "Go!" received its greatest exposure in the 2008 commercial by the Ford Motor Company for the Mercury Mariner. |
| 76 | * Carnival Cruise Line began using Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" as a [[LyricalDissonance theme song for commercials about family cruises]], and his career as a singer took an upswing. |
| 77 | * Felix's '90s house hit "Don't You Want Me" gained a resurgence in the UK after being featured in a famous 1996 ad for Blackcurrant Tango. |
| 78 | * Advertising/{{Geico}}: |
| 79 | ** Geico brought Europe's "The Final Countdown" back into the limelight when they used it in one of their commercials. |
| 80 | ** Music/{{Royksopp}}'s "Remind Me" is associated with a 2006 Advertising/{{Geico}} caveman commercial, despite coming out several years prior. |
| 81 | ** "Round and Round", the 1984 hit by HairMetal band Ratt, returned to the Billboard rock song chart in 2020 after the band themselves appeared in a Advertising/{{GEICO}} commercial where a couple complains about their new home having a "Ratt problem". |
| 82 | ** "Build Me Up Buttercup" a 1969 hit by The Foundations, has been featured in a recent series of GEICO motorcycle insurance spots. |
| 83 | * Like all {{National Anthem}}s, "God Defend New Zealand" suffers from SecondVerseCurse. The third English verse, however, is slightly less obscure than the rest thanks to its use in [[UsefulNotes/KiwisWithCarbines New Zealand Defence Force]] recruitment ads. |
| 84 | * Music/TheCars "Just What I Needed" got a nice boost after it was used in a marketing campaign by now-defunct tech store Circuit City. |
| 85 | * The Calling's "Wherever You Will Go" shot back up the UK charts after it was CoveredUp for a Twinings tea ad in 2011. |
| 86 | * This has happened to several of the songs featured in the ubiquitous John Lewis Christmas adverts: covers of "[[Music/FrankieGoesToHollywood The Power of Love]]" and "[[Music/{{Keane}} Somewhere Only We Know]]" shot to #1 in successive years (in the former case, 28 years to the day after the original version hit #1), and a cover of "One Day I'll Fly Away" in the 2016 ad brought that song back into the public consciousness 36 years after its initial release. |
| 87 | * Music/FreeBand's "All Right Now" got a boost in popularity twenty years after its initial release after it was used in an advert for Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum - it was known as "the chewing gum song" for some time after that, and a remixed re-release was a top ten hit in the UK. |
| 88 | * That catchy "Pumps Your Blood" song used in a 2004 St. Joseph aspirin commercial was originally from the 1979 ''Series/HappyDays'' episode "Potsie Quits School". |
| 89 | * Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business” found renewed popularity after being used in an ad campaign for Office Depot/Office Max. Composer Randy Bachman has said that he’s made more money from licensing the song for commercials than he ever did during its run on the charts. |
| 90 | * "We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow" was originally released in 2012 by French singer Soko. Then, two years later, her recording was featured in a viral commercial for Wren, a womenswear brand based in Los Angeles. The buzz from the commercial caused the song to debut at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Unfortunately, it didn't translate to airplay or sales, so it became the first of only a handful of songs to ever drop off the Hot 100 from the top 10[[note]]a few years later ChristmasSongs started hitting the top 10 annually, dropping off the charts after the holiday season concluded[[/note]]. |
| 91 | * The Music/{{Eminem}} song "'Till I Collapse" was an album track deep cut from ''Music/TheEminemShow'' that suddenly broke out after it was used in the commercial for ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2'' in 2009. Ever since then, it's been considered one of the classics of his body of work, has over 1 billion streams, and is the only one of Eminem's most streamed songs that has never been released as a single. |
| 92 | * Music/TheB52s' song "Roam" found renewed popularity after being used in Subaru ads in certain markets, including a series of ads for Subaru's New Zealand branch. |
| 93 | * Music/{{Sia}}'s "Unstoppable" started climbing the charts six years after its original release, with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaF3pH1bPg4 a Samsung Galaxy commercial]] probably helping. |
| 94 | [[/folder]] |
| 95 | |
| 96 | [[folder:FanWorks]] |
| 97 | * "Heat Waves" by Music/GlassAnimals gained a massive boost in popularity due to being the inspiration for a fanfiction of the same name about ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' [=YouTubers=] WebVideo/{{Dream}} and WebVideo/GeorgeNotFound, with said fanfiction being frequently brought up in the two's livestreams. |
| 98 | [[/folder]] |
| 99 | |
| 100 | [[folder:Film]] |
| 101 | * Music/{{Nico}}'s "These Days" after it was in ''Film/TheRoyalTenenbaums''. The K-Mart commercial didn't hurt either. Jackson Browne, the song's writer and guitarist, had to ''re-learn'' it before he could start playing it live again when people started requesting to hear it. |
| 102 | * ''WesternAnimation/WallE'' did this for the musical ''Theatre/HelloDolly'', which received a 2009 tour (the last tour prior to that was in 1996). |
| 103 | * Pretty much the entirety of most Creator/QuentinTarantino's soundtracks are well within this trope. Stealers Wheel might have even gotten back together as a band because of the new attention given to "Stuck in the Middle With You" in ''Film/ReservoirDogs''. |
| 104 | ** Another of Tarantino's films, ''Film/PulpFiction'', gave a big shot in the arm to Music/DickDale's career by featuring Dale's version of 'Misirlou'. For that matter, Dale's amped-up cover of the song in 1961 is large part of why it is well-known today. |
| 105 | * If anyone born after about 1970 knows the theme song from ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'' outside of the show itself, then it would be probably thanks to ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' movie. (Unless they remember it from ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest''...[[CoveredUp which used the Blues Brothers version]]). |
| 106 | ** It also brought "Minnie the Moocher" by Cab Calloway back into the public consciousness. |
| 107 | ** The film did this for blues, rhythm & blues, soul, and jazz in general, and Music/ArethaFranklin, Music/CabCalloway, and Music/JamesBrown in particular. In fact, most of the musicians who appeared in that film credit it with saving their careers. |
| 108 | * The song "Mad World" was released by Music/TearsForFears in 1982. In 2001, Gary Jules and Michael Andrews wrote a cover, a haunting ballad in the Dorian mode. This version appeared at the end of the film ''Film/DonnieDarko.'' As the movie became a cult hit, the song became popular enough that it was rereleased successfully as a single in 2003. It reached number 1 in the UK because of this. Since then, it has appeared in dozens of shows and a handful of commercials. |
| 109 | ** And since Adam Lambert sang it on ''Series/AmericanIdol'' it's gotten even more publicity on this side of the Atlantic. |
| 110 | ** Also used in a popular ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' TV [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccWrbGEFgI8 ad]]. |
| 111 | ** In Australia the piano line features in an ad for beds! |
| 112 | ** On an episode of ''Series/NeverMindTheBuzzcocks'' Gary Jules was mocked by Chris Moyles for "being responsible for Tears for Fears getting back together." Kind of hypocritical when you consider [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Andre who]] ''he'' almost single-handedly revived the career of. |
| 113 | ** The Gears of War ad sparked an oddly specific trend of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZFZxEnB7ws creepy Tears For Fears covers]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JZENzBwLHc appearing in trailers]]. |
| 114 | * Nearly 36 years after its initial release, Music/TearsForFears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was [[https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/tears-for-fears-everybody-wants-to-rule-the-world-returns-to-no-1-on-a-billboard-chart/ar-BB1eupD0 #1 on Billboard's Alternative Digital Song Sales list]] after experiencing a surge of 704% for downloads sold in the week ending Mar. 4, 2021. This resurgence is credited to its inclusion in the 2021 Creator/RobinWright film ''Land''. |
| 115 | * ''Music/AlsoSprachZarathustra'' from ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' -- but only the first minute and a half. To a lesser degree, Creator/JohannStraussII's Blue Danube Waltz, which is now widely known as "that space music". |
| 116 | * Though it never completely fell into obscurity, Hall & Oates's 1981 hit single "You Make My Dreams" has certainly risen to prominence in film and TV since the late 1990s to the point where it may now be their SignatureSong. It may have possibly started with its appearance in the Creator/AdamSandler comedy ''Film/TheWeddingSinger'' and is now associated with the films ''Film/StepBrothers'' and, especially, ''Film/FiveHundredDaysOfSummer''. It also appeared in the end credits of ''Film/ReadyPlayerOne2018''. |
| 117 | * Some of the songs on ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' and ''Series/AmericanIdol'' weren't obscure but became far more popular after having been used. |
| 118 | * "As Time Goes By" will forever be known as the song Sam played (and played again) in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'', but it dates back to 1931 when it was introduced in an unremarkable and now-obscure Broadway show called ''Everybody's Welcome''. (Since ''Casablanca'' was released in the middle of a long recording strike, radio stations were forced to turn to older recordings of the song.) |
| 119 | * "When I Fall In Love" was 40 years old when ''Film/SleeplessInSeattle'' was released. |
| 120 | * Many {{Jukebox Musical}}s aim for this. Reportedly, "Our Love Is Here To Stay" got a big popularity boost from the movie ''An American In Paris''. |
| 121 | * ''Film/Ghost1990'' famously revived "Unchained Melody", and with it, The Righteous Brothers' careers. The song went to #1 on the UK charts following the film's release; higher than it had gone there when it was first released. Then in 1995, it charted again in the UK, as performed by Robson Green and Jerome Flynn in the series ''Soldier, Soldier''. |
| 122 | * To a lesser extent, ''Film/TopGun'' did this to "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". |
| 123 | * This once happened to the slow movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto #21 in C major after it was used in the now-obscure movie ''Elvira Madigan''. |
| 124 | * "Singin' in the Rain" [[OlderThanTheyThink had been around for 23 years]] -- and appeared in at least two other movies -- before [[Film/SinginInTheRain the Gene Kelly film]] revived it. This means the song is at just the right period for the movie, which was set at the time when silent movies were giving way to talkies--protagonist Don Lockwood could very well have sung the song when caught in a sudden downpour. Mint Royale's remix of "Singin' In The Rain" also deserves mention: the remix itself was made for a 2005 Volkswagen commercial, was released on CD, was largely forgotten about, and then became a #1 UK hit three years later thanks to a ''Britain's Got Talent'' routine. |
| 125 | * "I Like To Move It," thanks to the remixed version in ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar1''. |
| 126 | * ''Film/FightClub'' re-popularized Music/ThePixies' song "Where Is My Mind?", which was played over the climax. |
| 127 | * Ravel's "Bolero" in the movie ''10''. |
| 128 | * ''Film/WaynesWorld'' did this for Music/{{Queen}}'s "Bohemian Rhapsody." It reached number 2 in the US because of this. [[DeadArtistsAreBetter Freddie Mercury's untimely passing]] a few months prior also helped. |
| 129 | ** Another Queen example: "We Are The Champions" in ''Film/RevengeOfTheNerds''. |
| 130 | * After the Cowboy Junkies version of "[[Music/VelvetUnderground Sweet Jane]]" was used in ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'', it started popping up ''everywhere'', even [[CoveredUp somewhat edging out the original in the public, non-fan consciousness]]. Which is interesting, because it's actually a cover of Lou Reed's early vision for the song, not the one that Velvets eventually released. |
| 131 | * Music/TheBeatles' version of "Twist and Shout" thanks to ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''. Apparently, Music/PaulMcCartney couldn't have cared less; he is quoted as not being satisfied with the extra instruments used during the famous scene. |
| 132 | * Music/DeanMartin's "That's Amore" won renewed popularity from being featured in ''Film/{{Moonstruck}}'', 24 years after he and Jerry Lewis had introduced it in ''The Caddy''. It's still used quite often (or one of his other songs) in films/TV episodes that take place in Italy. |
| 133 | * "Magic Carpet Ride" by Music/{{Steppenwolf}} is now mainly associated with ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', despite having been around for 28 years prior. |
| 134 | ** Music/BeastieBoys' 1994 rap rock jam "Sabotage" has regained some cultural relevance in recent years since its notable appearance in ''Film/StarTrek2009'' (Creator/JJAbrams is apparently a [[JustForFun/OneOfUs big Beastie Boys fan]]). It then made more and more appearances in film and TV, such as ''Film/HorribleBosses'', a 2016 episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' and made a major CallBack to the 2009 film in ''Film/StarTrekBeyond''. |
| 135 | * "Goodbye Horses" by Q. Lazzarus was plucked from obscurity by ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', and is now mainly associated with an iconic scene in that film. It was from the soundtrack to ''Married to the Mob'', and had never been released as a single. |
| 136 | * Music/{{Seal}}'s "Kiss from a Rose" had an unspectacular chart run when it was released as a single from his 1994 album ''Seal II''. It was re-issued the next year as the first single from the ''Film/BatmanForever'' soundtrack and proceeded to top the US and Australian charts and win Record of the Year at the 1996 Grammys. More recently, it's been revitalized by being featured prominently in an episode of ''Series/{{Community}}''. |
| 137 | * ''Film/{{Inception}}'' and Edith Piaf's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien". |
| 138 | * Music/DorisDay's version of "A Bushel and a Peck" from ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'' got this when it was featured in ''Film/JulieAndJulia''. |
| 139 | * Nina Simone's "Sinnerman", which got a big push in 1999 when it was used in the remake of ''Film/{{The Thomas Crown Affair|1999}}'', then remixed as a club hit that was played in 2003's ''Film/{{Cellular}}'' and the 2006 ''Film/MiamiVice'' remake, as well as used as the theme song for the XTC cell phone. |
| 140 | ** It was also featured in Person of Interest, which brought up a mini resurgence leading to appearances in ''Series/TheBlacklist'' and ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''. It is used to illustrate a bad man cleverly outwitting the good guys in a way the audience can admire. |
| 141 | * Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" climbed up to #4 on the Billboard Top 100 charts back in 1961. Then about 25 years later, the movie ''Film/StandByMe'' was released and the song made its way back into the charts topping at #9 on the US Billboard charts. |
| 142 | * Thanks to ''Film/TheMask'', people nowadays know the "Cuban Pete" song more than the eponymous 1946 film it originally came from. |
| 143 | * "Mr. Sandman", especially the Four Aces version, may be forever associated with ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'' (though at least [[MisterSandmanSequence its usage]] ensures everyone will remember what decade it's from). |
| 144 | ** The version by The Chordettes regained some exposure via (and is now often associated with) the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' film series. |
| 145 | * The 1963 song "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" by The Exciters enjoyed renewed popularity after it was featured as a military cadence in the 1981 comedy ''Film/{{Stripes}}''. |
| 146 | * John Parr's "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" was originally written for Canadian athlete Rick Hansen, who was raising awareness for spinal cord injuries by touring the world in his wheelchair. It became a hit when it appeared on the ''St. Elmo's Fire'' film soundtrack, minimally rewritten to include a TitleDrop. The lyrics still make far more sense in the context of Hansen's tour than anything in the movie. |
| 147 | * "[[Music/NickCave O Children]]" was originally released in 2004, and was an album-only track on a record that didn't sell a lot (though was critically acclaimed). Six years later, ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallowsPart1'' decides to use it in one of the film's most [[TearJerker heartwrenching]] / SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments, which was also unique to the film. Cue huge surge in the song's popularity, with many young listeners being introduced to Nick Cave for the first time. Funnily, this wasn't the first time this had happened to Nick Cave - ''Film/{{Scream|1996}}'', ''Film/DumbAndDumber'', and to a lesser extent ''Series/TheXFiles'', did the same thing for "Red Right Hand" (which was also a [[RedRightHand trope]] [[TropeNamer namer]]). |
| 148 | * "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by Scottish band Music/TheProclaimers. Originally released in 1988, it was fairly successful in the UK and Australia. When the song was included in the soundtrack of the 1993 film ''Film/BennyAndJoon'', it became a worldwide sensation, flying all the way to #3 in the US. |
| 149 | * It is literally impossible to find a video of [[Music/ElectricLightOrchestra ELO's]] "All Over the World" without a comment which roughly reads "Like if you looked this up because of ''Film/{{Paul}}''"! |
| 150 | * Similarly, while "Bohemian Like You" was already Music/TheDandyWarhols' biggest hit, its popularity surged after it was featured during the chase scene in ''WesternAnimation/FlushedAway'', to the extent that the comments on any given video of the song will be full of people quoting said scene. |
| 151 | * "My Sharona" by Music/TheKnack was a big hit in 1979 and regained popularity in 1994 when it was featured in ''Film/RealityBites''. It only reached #94 on its second go-around, but the film's soundtrack reached #13 and propelled the song back into the public consciousness in a big way. It was the introduction to the song for many people who were born around the time it was originally released. |
| 152 | ** The 2011 Creator/JJAbrams sci-fi film ''Film/{{Super 8}}'' also may have reintroduced this song to more recent generations. |
| 153 | * "Kalimando", written by Rene Dupere and originally from Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's ''Theatre/{{Mystere}}'' (1993), was reused in the 1996 film ''Bogus''. |
| 154 | * Chris Isaak's "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing" went mostly unnoticed upon release. Then it started being used on the trailers and TV spots for ''Film/EyesWideShut'' (as well as one of the movie's scenes) and even warranted a [[ThreeMinutesOfWrithing sexy music video]]. |
| 155 | * The film of ''Film/{{Amadeus}}'' caused people to want to hear more of Antonio Salieri's work, and sparked an interest in Salieri's music, the likes of which had not been seen since the man himself was alive. |
| 156 | * The 1950s song "You Always Hurt The One You Love" (most associated with the Mills Brothers) was used prominently in ''Film/BlueValentine''. The song was performed by one of the main characters and that version was used in the official trailers. |
| 157 | ** It also did this to an extremely obscure, unreleased demo song called "You and Me" by Penny and the Quarters. [[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/16/blue-valentine-song Here's the full story.]] |
| 158 | * ''Film/MenInBlack'' got people into Music/ElvisPresley's cover of "Promised Land". |
| 159 | -->'''Agent Jay:''' You do know Elvis is dead right?\ |
| 160 | '''Agent Kay:''' No, [[ElvisHasLeftThePlanet Elvis is not dead, he just went home]]. |
| 161 | * Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling" was used for the trailer of ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'', and quickly returned to the iTunes Top 100 after that. Related to the Quentin Tarantino example above, it had been previously used on the soundtrack of ''Film/ReservoirDogs''. Also see the entry for ''Series/AllyMcBeal'' below under Television. |
| 162 | ** On top of that, this has happened to most if not all of the songs featured in Star-Lord's Awesome Mix Tapes. A big case was ''[[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2 Vol. 2]]'' with Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah's "Lake Shore Drive", a regional hit whose writer thanked Creator/JamesGunn for giving it worldwide exposure |
| 163 | ** The use of "Creep" by Music/{{Radiohead}} (in the form of an unplugged version) in the emotionally tear jerking opening sequence of ''[[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 Vol. 3]]'' led to an uptick in streams and Website/YouTube comments for the 30-year-old tune. Ditto for fellow ''Vol. 3'' soundtrack cuts "Crazy on You" by Music/{{Heart|Band}} (which gave way to the [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/flying-adam-warlock "Bro thinks he's Adam Warlock"]] meme), EHAMIC's "Koinu no Carnival" (a Vocaloid cover of "Minute Waltz"), and Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine's "Dog Days Are Over", which capped off the trilogy on such a high note that Florence herself [[https://www.tiktok.com/@florence/video/7230814909494349082?lang=en posted a video of herself reacting to said scene]] with TearsOfJoy. |
| 164 | ** Another Marvel movie, ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'', boosted [[https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8502474/captain-marvel-songs-sales-gains?utm_source=twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral many 90s alternative rock songs featured in its soundtrack]], such as [[Music/CourtneyLove Hole's]] "Celebrity Skin", Music/NoDoubt's "Just a Girl" and Music/{{Garbage}}'s "Only Happy When It Rains". |
| 165 | * Gyorgy Ligeti's "Requiem" was put back on the map by its use in trailers and ads for ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'', although it was first popularized in the aforementioned ''[[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey 2001]]''. |
| 166 | * "This Corrosion" by Music/TheSistersOfMercy has been getting more attention since being used in ''Film/TheWorldsEnd.'' |
| 167 | * The song "Home Sweet Home" by Music/MotleyCrue received a brief boost in popularity following the release of ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine''. It may have spurred Coldwell Banker to include the song in one of their ads in TheNewTens. |
| 168 | * The trailers for ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' did this to Music/TheBeeGees' "I Started A Joke" and, to a lesser extent, "Bohemian Rhapsody." |
| 169 | * Creator/{{Pixar}} did this a lot with the trailers for their earlier works. These included "[[Music/ThinLizzy The Boys Are Back In Town]]" for ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' (and for ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3''), "[[Music/TheWho Baba O'Riley]]" for ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'', "[[Creator/StaxRecords Hold On, I'm Coming]]" for ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'', "[[Music/TheDoors Break On Through (To the Other Side)]]" for ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc1'', and "[[Music/MenAtWork Down Under]]" for ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo''. They still do it occasionally to this day, notably with ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', whose trailers respectively used "[[Music/{{Boston}} More Than a Feeling]]" and "[[Music/{{Aerosmith}} Sweet Emotion]]", "[[Music/TheCars Magic]]" and "[[Music/BackstreetBoys Larger Than Life]]" and "[[Music/{{NSYNC}} It's Gonna Be Me]]". |
| 170 | ** Speaking of "Baba O'Riley", it got introduced to yet another generation of listeners in 2015 through its use in the trailers for ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie''. |
| 171 | ** Back to Pixar, they introduced a lot of people to the band Music/{{AJR}}, who had a song of theirs featured in the teaser for ''WesternAnimation/{{Soul}}''. |
| 172 | * "Rock Around the Clock" by Music/BillHaleyAndHisComets received a major bump in 1974 thanks to it being used both as the theme for ''Film/AmericanGraffiti'' and the TV series ''Series/HappyDays''. As a result, the 20-year-old recording returned to the Billboard Top 40 in the US and also returned to the charts in the UK. (Not to mention also being featured on the top-selling ''American Graffiti'' soundtrack album.) |
| 173 | * For better or worse, the trailer for ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'' did this for Music/{{Coolio}}'s "Gangsta's Paradise". In fact, it caused [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCQuWSvd-hk an AMV of the song posted in 2007]] to skyrocket in views and prompted the user who made it to edit a comment he'd made at that point to say "12 years from now...there will be a live-action Sonic movie based on my video." |
| 174 | ** The film itself would bring a lot of attention to The Poppy Family's "Where Evil Grows" thanks to a scene where Dr. Robotnik dances to it. |
| 175 | * ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'' did this with Gary Glitter's original version of "Rock and Roll (Part 2)", long after Glitter and his music vanished from the public eye following a series of pedophilia scandals. |
| 176 | * ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'' revived Big Mountain's cover of [[Music/PeterFrampton "Baby, I Love Your Way"]] (which coincidentally, had also been made [[Film/RealityBites for a movie]] back in 1994). |
| 177 | * ''Film/FreeGuy'' did this to Music/MariahCarey's "Fantasy". |
| 178 | * Music/SmashMouth's "All Star" got a major boost from ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'', and is now associated mainly with that movie despite being featured on the ''Film/MysteryMen'' soundtrack two years earlier. |
| 179 | * ''Film/{{The Batman|2022}}'' gave a boost to Music/{{Nirvana}}'s "Something in the Way", as well as the band in general. "Something in the Way" was never released as a single, so when it charted in August 2020 following the trailer's launch, it was the first time it had done so. After the film opened, ''Billboard'' reported a 1,508% increase in streams and 1,888% in downloads, hitting #2 on Rock Streaming Songs and Rock Digital Sales and #27 on the overall streaming songs chart, 21 years after its debut. By proxy, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and ''Music/{{Nevermind|Album}}'' also re-entered the charts, and many Nirvana singles also saw significant gains. |
| 180 | ** Another Batman example is ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' which people got people to look for Snow Misers song in ''WesternAnimation/TheYearWithoutASantaClaus''. |
| 181 | * ''Film/{{M3GAN}}'': |
| 182 | ** The Skatt Bros.' 1979 disco hit "Walk the Night" scores the scene where the film's titular RobotGirl villain starts dancing before [[spoiler:killing David]]. The song quickly became a Halloween staple after that. |
| 183 | ** The trailers for the film used Music/TaylorSwift's "It's Nice to Have a Friend" and Bella Poarch's "Dolls", both of which also came to be identified with the film. |
| 184 | ** Music/{{Sia}}'s "Titanium" also [[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-01-13/m3gan-sia-david-guetta-titanium enjoyed a boost]] from the film thanks to a scene where [=M3GAN=] sings the song to Cady as she goes to bed. |
| 185 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheGarfieldMovie'' gave a little life to "Fly As Me" by Silk Sonic, the tandem of Music/BrunoMars and Anderson .Paak, which was never released as a single but can be considered a de-facto theme song for the film, as it was used in the first two trailers for the film and many of the subsequent ads for it. |
| 186 | * "Murder on the Dance Floor" by Music/SophieEllisBextor received a massive boost after it was featured in the ending scene of ''Film/{{Saltburn}}'', charting in several countries and even making it to the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100, the first time it had done so in the States. |
| 187 | [[/folder]] |
| 188 | |
| 189 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 190 | * The somewhat obscure Music/ZZTop song "Velcro Fly" has been given a popularity boost thanks to a prominent mention in ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'' books. |
| 191 | [[/folder]] |
| 192 | |
| 193 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 194 | * "Bad Things" was originally a non-charting single for a very little-known CountryMusic singer named Jace Everett. Then it got used as the RealSongThemeTune to ''Series/TrueBlood'', and it suddenly hit the charts in several countries. |
| 195 | * Brazilian artist Supla was mostly forgotten around 2001. Then a Creator/{{MTV}} AccentuateTheNegative show, ''Piores Clipes do Mundo'' ("The worst music videos in the world") decided to showcase one of his videos, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvqPFCAuaDs Green Hair]]". Even though Supla initially complained about it ("they never show my videos, and when they do it's on ''Piores''!"), the exposition was enough to revive his career - it helped the show was so fond of "Green Hair" it appeared nearly OnceAnEpisode. |
| 196 | * Music/FrankSinatra's cover of "Love and Marriage" was a hit in 1955, then forgotten until it became the theme to ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' in 1987. |
| 197 | * "Rock Around The Clock" as [[RealSongThemeTune the original theme]] of ''Series/HappyDays''. Before that, it was in the movie ''Film/AmericanGraffiti''. And before that, it was a B-side that found fame after being used in ''Film/BlackboardJungle''. |
| 198 | * "In The Street" introduced the mainstream late 90s audience of ''Series/That70sShow'' to the music of cult musician Alex Chilton and Music/BigStar. |
| 199 | * Somewhat related: Music/ElvisPresley's "A Little Less Conversation" was mostly forgotten, and didn't even make the top 40 when originally released (it only peaked at #69). Then in 2002, it was remixed by Junkie XL for a Nike TV commercial, got featured in other commercials and soundtracks, and became a #1 hit in many countries. It's now a standard number in Elvis impersonator acts in Las Vegas. It is also used as the theme song to the TV show ''Las Vegas''. And then the remix itself was probably caused by the song having been featured in ''Film/OceansEleven'' - itself a remake of ''[[Film/Oceans11 1960 eponymous film]]'' - in 2001. |
| 200 | * The song "Skinnamarink" ("Skinnamarink-a-dinky-dink, skinnamarink-a-doo") dates back to 1910, but is best remembered now as the ending theme of the Canadian children's show ''Series/SharonLoisAndBramsElephantShow'' -- so much, in fact, that its follow-up series adopted the name ''Skinnamarink TV''. |
| 201 | * ''Series/{{Glee}}'' did this to most of the songs it featured, to the point that artists started offering licensing at a reduced rate. |
| 202 | * While it's never exactly been ''obscure'' per se, Music/{{Journey|Band}}'s "Don't Stop Believin'" is back at the forefront of pop culture's noggin thanks to ''Series/TheSopranos'' series finale and its appearance in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' involving a karaoke bar. |
| 203 | ** It was also helped by being featured prominently on ''Series/{{Glee}}''. |
| 204 | ** Before that, it was the film ''Film/{{Monster}}''. |
| 205 | ** And the big Eliot/Shaun relationship scene in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''. The song was featured in a few scenes ("My Journey") since JD insisted that Turk and Carla should have a Journey cover band at their wedding. |
| 206 | ** People forget that this song was far from Journey's greatest hit when they were active, but it is now [[SignatureSong the song they're best remembered for]], and to [[PopCultureIsolation people who weren't around during Journey's prime]], it's probably the [[OneHitWonder only song they know by them]]. |
| 207 | * ''Series/AmericanIdol'' will do this for a song, especially after a very good performance. Heart's "Alone" was performed by Carrie Underwood in the fourth season to great acclaim, and then surfaced on albums by Celine Dion and (previous Idol contestant) Clay Aiken not long after, on ''Glee'' a few years later, and several times on later seasons of ''Idol'' by luckless female contestants trying to outdo her. |
| 208 | * Soul classic "Reet Petite" by Jackie Wilson reached number one in the UK in 1986 (almost thirty years after its original release) after a BBC Two arts show called ''Arena'' played a claymation video of it. |
| 209 | * Billy Vera's "At This Moment" went from being a little-known song released in 1981 to the #1 song for 15 weeks in 1987 after it was played on ''Series/FamilyTies''. |
| 210 | * ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': |
| 211 | ** There was a sketch about this: a fake commercial for a compilation album of songs that both parents and teens could enjoy together because of their re-emergence in commercials. For example, "Good Vibrations", which Mom remembers from listening to Beach Boys records as a kid, and daughter recognizes as the theme from a Sunkist ad. |
| 212 | ** Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend" will forever be associated with the 1990 sketch featuring Creator/PatrickSwayze and Creator/ChrisFarley auditioning to be Chippendale's dancers. |
| 213 | ** Haddaway's "What Is Love" is widely associated with the "Roxbury Guys" sketches, where Steve (Creator/WillFerrell) and Doug (Creator/ChrisKattan) Butabi (and the guest host in some sketches) [[CasanovaWannabe try and fail to hit on women in dance clubs]] [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace due to their poor sense of personal space]]. |
| 214 | * The NBC Sunday Night Football song -- originally sung by Music/{{Pink}}, currently sung by Music/CarrieUnderwood -- is a rewrite of the 1988 Music/JoanJett song "I Hate Myself For Loving You". |
| 215 | * Tracey Chapman's "Fast Car" got to number 4 in the UK music chart after it was covered by a contestant on ''Britain's Got Talent''. |
| 216 | * "Harder Than You Think" by Music/PublicEnemy, released in 2007, saw a re-emergence five years due to its use as the theme tune to 2012 Paralympic coverage on Creator/Channel4, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAPPeRg3Nw including its adverts]] prior to the event. Reaching #4 in the UK singles charts, it became Public Enemy's highest-charting single in the country to date. |
| 217 | * The fairly recent spike in popularity of the Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" in certain circles has been linked with a video of Creator/DavidTennant and the cast of ''Series/DoctorWho'' dancing to it. |
| 218 | ** The song is also a RunningGag on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother.'' |
| 219 | ** The song was previously revived in the UK's consciousness by the [[Series/LittleBritain Matt Lucas]] and Creator/PeterKay cover for UsefulNotes/ComicRelief in 2007, which gave the Proclaimers their first (and only) #1 single. |
| 220 | * Creator/AntAndDec performed their old song "Let's get ready to rhumble" on ''Saturday Night Takeaway'' in 2013. A week later it was Number 1. It only managed Number 9 the first time around in 1994. |
| 221 | * The 2000 rap song "Danger (Been So Long)" by Mystikal found new popularity when it was used by Creator/JohnOliver to ridicule NYC mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner's online alias "Carlos Danger" on ''Series/TheDailyShow'' in the summer of 2013. |
| 222 | * Music/{{Badfinger}}'s "Baby Blue" re-entered the iTunes top charts after its use at the very end of the [[GrandFinale series finale]] of ''Series/BreakingBad''. |
| 223 | * Music/ScissorSisters' "I Can't Decide" was hardly popular when it was first released. Its inclusion on an episode of ''Series/DoctorWho'' caused its popularity to ''explode!'' |
| 224 | * Bryan White's obscure 1999 single "God Gave Me You" was popularized after appearing in the Philippine TV show ''Eat Bulaga'', to the point that it is his most-downloaded song on iTunes. |
| 225 | * "Don't You Forget About Me" is in the same boat as its fellow '80s anthem "Don't Stop Believin'" thanks to its usage in countless TV shows and movies, such as ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale'' and a ''[[Film/TheBreakfastClub Breakfast Club]]''-themed episode of ''Series/TheGoldbergs''. It was also memorably parodied by ''WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded'' (see Web Original below). |
| 226 | * ''Series/TheBlacklist'' has boosted a number of songs: |
| 227 | ** Music/JohnnyCash's "When the Man Comes Around" got a boost after it was used for the scene where Red carries out a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. |
| 228 | ** The Other Lives song "Great Sky", which is only available on an EP, owes the bulk of its popularity to the fact it was used in the second-season finale. |
| 229 | ** Little Scream's "The Lamb" enjoyed a bump after "The Director" in which it plays during a climatic shootout. |
| 230 | * ''Series/RussianDoll'' repeatedly uses Harry Nilsson's "Gotta Get Up" due to its GroundhogDayLoop structure, and the song saw its online plays rise by [[https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/harry-nilssons-gotta-get-up-surges-2466percent-in-streams-after-russian-doll-premiere/ar-BBTXVuh?ocid=spartanntp 2466%]]! |
| 231 | * A memorable performance of Odyssey's "Native New Yorker" on ''Series/TheMaskedSinger'' by Lips [[spoiler:a.k.a. Wendy Williams]] boosted the mostly-forgotten song's popularity. |
| 232 | * ''Series/StrangerThings'' has revived a number of '80s hits: |
| 233 | ** The titular theme song of ''Film/TheNeverEndingStory'' saw an 825% increase in Spotify streams after it was featured in the season 3 finale. |
| 234 | ** Music/KateBush's [[Music/HoundsOfLove "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)"]] charted in the top 10 in several countries after it was featured multiple times in season 4. In the United States, the song only reached #30 during its first go-around in 1985, only for it to reach a far higher peak in 2022. |
| 235 | ** Around the same time, the 1983 ditty "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth also got a big boost from its appearance in season 4, landing a slot on multiple Spotify viral charts. |
| 236 | ** Music/{{Metallica}}'s thrash metal classic, "Music/MasterOfPuppets" was featured in the season 4 finale, which like "Running Up that Hill", got a big boost in popularity, which caused the song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, whereas the song didn't chart when it was originally released in 1986. |
| 237 | * Luciano Pavarotti's 1972 recording of "Nessun dorma", an aria from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, reached #2 in the UK charts after it was used as the theme song for Creator/TheBBC's coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, held in Italy. |
| 238 | * ''Series/{{Wednesday}}'' went above and beyond and did this with a song that wasn't even featured on the show. While Wednesday Addams' dance scene in the fourth episode originally used Music/TheCramps' "Goo Goo Muck", the version that went viral on Platform/TikTok swapped it out for a sped-up remix of Music/LadyGaga's "Bloody Mary". It proved popular enough that not only did Gaga [[AscendedMeme record her own version of the dance]], but she released "Bloody Mary" as the official sixth single from ''Born This Way'', an album that came out ''eleven'' years prior -- and it became a charting hit! |
| 239 | * ''Series/TheLastOfUs2023'': |
| 240 | ** Music/DepecheMode's "Never Let Me Down Again", a deep cut off their 1987 LP ''Music/MusicForTheMasses'', more than tripled in streams after it was used at the very end of the first episode. |
| 241 | ** Spotify streams of Music/LindaRonstadt's "Long Long Time" jumped almost 5000% immediately after the third episode (which used it as a pivotal song for the central romance) aired. |
| 242 | * Music/CaroleKing has an interesting variation. Most Millennials are familiar with King, and more specifically a lesser-known song "Where You Lead" after its use as the theme for ''Series/GilmoreGirls.'' However, most fans don't know that the version used for the show is a re-recording. King had stopped performing the song live because she disliked that the song had a "Stand By Your Man feel" that could be perceived as anti-feminist. When approached for its use as a theme for a show centered around mother/daughter relationships, she reworked the lyrics, recorded it with her own daughter, and has since worked this version back into her live performances and album releases. |
| 243 | * Although it was already a Christmas standard by this time, Wham's "Last Christmas" topped the British music charts for the first time in 2020, the year ''Series/DashAndLily'' was released. |
| 244 | * " Series/DoctorWho striked again in late 2023 this time thanks to the Toymakers diegetic use of the iconic Music/SpiceGirls Spice Up Your Life duing a chaotic dance scene. Naturally comments on all of the song's youtube video's referenced that moment VERY soon after the episode dropped. |
| 245 | [[/folder]] |
| 246 | |
| 247 | [[folder:Professional Wrestling]] |
| 248 | * Since the 1980s, the Wrestling/WorldWrestlingFederation has been at the forefront of combining sports-entertainment with popular music (rock and rap, especially). While it would be an exaggeration to say they "discover" new bands, they are often the first entertainers outside of pop music to promote these bands. Two examples of songs that went mainstream thanks to WWE's use of them are Saliva's "Click Click Boom" and Kevin Rudolf's "Let It Rock"; both songs were later on the soundtracks of major Hollywood films. It doesn't hurt that a number of pro wrestlers, including Wrestling/ChrisJericho and Wrestling/JohnCena, are themselves musicians in their spare time. |
| 249 | * The song "Cult of Personality" was successful back in 1989, winning a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for the band Music/LivingColour. It (and the band) toiled in relative obscurity after the early 1990s. When Wrestling/CMPunk began to use this under his new "voice of the voiceless" gimmick (he had used the song previously in Wrestling/RingOfHonor), it created a new audience for the song, which jumped into the iTunes Top 100 downloads list and also reached the top 10 of the rock charts. The band confirmed on their Facebook page that they will be performing it for CM Punk's entrance at Wrestling/WrestleMania 29. A true [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome CMoA]] in the making. |
| 250 | * "Monster" by Music/ImagineDragons surged back into the iTunes top 100 once it was used in a [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] promo. |
| 251 | [[/folder]] |
| 252 | |
| 253 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 254 | * Most people probably would be surprised to learn that the "''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1978'' theme" is actually "Journey of the Sorcerer" by Music/TheEagles. |
| 255 | * Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" saw an uptick in listenership from 1978 on, thanks to ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1978''. |
| 256 | * Music/{{UB40}}'s "Red Red Wine" had been a #1 hit in the UK in 1983 and got to a respectable #34 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in America the next year. In June of 1988, a DJ named Guy Zapoleon at KZZP in Phoenix, Arizona played it on his show as part of a recurring feature called "Would've Been, Should've Been", where he spotlighted songs from the past that he thought deserved to be bigger hits than they were. After getting a huge response, Zapoleon convinced Creator/AAndMRecords to re-release it, and it reached #1 on the Hot 100. Then a game of FollowTheLeader ensued in 1989, where [=DJs=] started picking obscure songs from earlier in TheEighties and started pushing them. While the results were mixed, this rush produced another #1 hit ("When I'm With You" by Sheriff, from 1983), and a couple of other fairly big hits of recharted songs ("Where Are You Now?" by Jimmy Harnen and Synch from 1986, and "Into the Night" by Benny Mardones from 1980, which KZZP once again played a big role in reviving). |
| 257 | [[/folder]] |
| 258 | |
| 259 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 260 | * OlderThanTelevision: Reginald De Koven's song "O Promise Me" was originally published years before it became a popular interpolation in his 1890 comic opera ''Robin Hood''. |
| 261 | * "After the Ball" dates back to 1892, but is now most commonly associated with revivals of ''Theatre/ShowBoat''. |
| 262 | [[/folder]] |
| 263 | |
| 264 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 265 | * On their GreatestHitsAlbum, the band Goldfinger happily acknowledge that they had no fans in the UK until they had a song of theirs put on the first ''[[VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater Tony Hawk]]'' game. |
| 266 | ** Rage Against The Machine's "Guerilla Radio" and Anthrax's "Bring The Noise" are fondly associated with ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2'', as well. |
| 267 | ** ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2'' is considered to have the best soundtrack of the entire series, and increased the popularity of "Los Angeles" by X and "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" by Music/TheDoors. |
| 268 | * The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games have re-popularized the songs featured on their soundtracks. It was even the (former) TropeNamer for SongAssociation. |
| 269 | ** This is especially true for a lot of the great, classic New Wave tracks selected for the games. As an example, ''Vice City'' alone introduced a brand new generation to Romeo Void's "Never Say Never", "Two Tribes" by Music/FrankieGoesToHollywood, Tears for Fears's "Pale Shelter", "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" by Cutting Crew, INXS's "Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)", and "Life's What You Make It" by Music/TalkTalk, amongst other musical gems. |
| 270 | ** The songs ''Vice City'' is most remembered for by UK fans are The Pointer Sisters' "Automatic" and Aneka's "Japanese Boy" due to their obscurity but the fact they are always playing when you go into the Malibu bar. |
| 271 | ** Corona's "Rhythm of the Night" got a boost when it was featured in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''. |
| 272 | ** When the first trailer for ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoVI'' featured Music/TomPetty's "Love is a Long Road", it reached #5 on the iTunes singles charts, and its Spotify streams exploded by [[https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-67635381 over 36,000%.]] |
| 273 | * As with any proper GTA imitator, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' is no exception. Each subsequent game brings back a good ten or eleven songs through the classic rock station: the biggest ones include "Take On Me", mostly because of the sing-alongs; "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", thanks in no small part to the game's [[HamAndCheese hammed up]] antagonist; and "The Boys Are Back In Town". The last one didn't even have to be on the in-game radio. It was, plus an entire level practically devoted to the song. |
| 274 | * ''VideoGame/RobotUnicornAttack'' did this for Music/{{Erasure}}'s "Always". |
| 275 | * So many songs have found new life after being used in ''VideoGame/RockBand'' and ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' that it's easier to just say that rock ''as an entire genre'' has been revived by these games. In their live shows, however, Music/DragonForce refer to "Through the Fire and Flames" as "The song that made Guitar Hero famous". |
| 276 | * ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear Isuka'' brings us "Might is Right but Tight." You may know it better as ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'''s GameOver (Press 'R' to try again) theme. The Menu Theme for IWBTG is the character select screen for ''Isuka'', and the first gameplay music is "Home Sweet Grave". |
| 277 | * ''VideoGame/BioShock'': |
| 278 | ** From the [[VideoGame/BioShock1 original game]]: How many people born after, say, 1980 would know Music/BobbyDarin's "Beyond the Sea" and other such songs? Some would know "Beyond the Sea" from ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' -- but this also qualifies for the trope (and CoveredUp, since it's sung by Robbie Williams). It's also popularized a number of Billie Holiday's minor singles, among other songs on its soundtrack. |
| 279 | ** Happened again with ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite''. How much are you willing to bet that not a whole lot of people knew about "Beast" by Nico Vega before the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gBVZj6ROV0 Beast of America]] trailer came out? |
| 280 | * Same for the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series for even earlier tunes (The Ink Spots' repertoire, Cole Porter's "Anything Goes"...), usually thanks to the fact that the tunes chosen can either set up SoundtrackDissonance ''or'' SuspiciouslyAproposMusic, depending on what you're doing at the time. |
| 281 | ** A number of Ink Spots songs also appeared in the ''VideoGame/BioShock'' series. |
| 282 | ** Another Ink Spots song, "It's a Sin to Tell A Lie", appears in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', but it's Bill Kenny's solo version rather than the original. In addition, ''FNV'''s Radio New Vegas features Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Marty Robbins, Nat King Cole, etc. |
| 283 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' promotional materials have included another Ink Spots song, "It's All Over But the Crying", and one action demo reel featured "Atomic Bomb Baby" by The Five Stars. |
| 284 | ** The trailer for ''VideoGame/Fallout76'' catapulted John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" to meme status overnight. |
| 285 | * The ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' trailer included the song "In The Woods Somewhere" by Music/{{Hozier}}, which promptly boosted the song's popularity on Website/YouTube. |
| 286 | * Several classic rock songs used in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'', plus Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}' "Gimme Shelter", which was used in the commercial for the game, experienced a rise in popularity and [=iTunes=] sales. |
| 287 | * "Someone Else's Song" (by Wilco) AKA [[MoreDakka More]] [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Gun]]. |
| 288 | ** "Do You Believe in Magic?" by Lovin Spoonful is by no means an obscure song. But then it was used in [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 The Pyro's]] happy dream sequence... |
| 289 | * "Fly Me To The Moon" was revived in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' (sort of, it's known as "That [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelion]] song" in Japan). |
| 290 | * ''VideoGame/SpyHunter1983'' revived Henry Mancini's theme music from the by-then forgotten series ''Series/PeterGunn''; to the point where it was more commonly known as "The Spy Hunter Theme". |
| 291 | * "Carbon Kid" was a relatively obscure ([[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic but epic]]) song by the even more obscure electronic rock band Alpinestars.[[note]]featuring [[Music/{{Placebo}} Brian Molko]].[[/note]] It got then featured in three games, which are all (or have elements of) racing games: ''VideoGame/ProjectGothamRacing 3'', ''VideoGame/TestDriveUnlimited'' and ''VideoGame/AllPointsBulletin'' (the free-to-play GTA-ish game known today as APB Reloaded). |
| 292 | * Like they did with ''VideoGame/BioShock'', 2K Marin has made people look for "Don't Lie To Me" by Stompy Jones when it was used in ''VideoGame/TheBureauXCOMDeclassified'' trailer. |
| 293 | * ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'': |
| 294 | ** The ever-popular "''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' A-Type theme" is an arrangement of Korobeiniki. |
| 295 | ** ''VideoGame/TetrisTheGrandMaster'', thanks to a series of skill demonstrations at WebVideo/GamesDoneQuick. |
| 296 | * The Canadian band Music/{{Faunts}} was relatively unknown until a Canadian-made game by the name of ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' used their song "M4 (Part II)" as the credits theme. They got another bump when ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' used another of their songs, "Das Malefitz", for that game's credits theme. |
| 297 | ** And a new generation has been introduced to Music/JohnnyCash through the ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' trailer, featuring "Ghost Riders in the Sky". |
| 298 | * While not a big example like the above, both ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' and ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' were responsible for a popularity spike on jazz band Music/TheHeavy overseas, thanks to the featured songs "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6eSksEp27U Short Change Hero]]", "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVzvRsl4rEM How Do You Like Me Now]]" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08h0IVs4RKQ What Makes A Good Man]]". |
| 299 | * Prior to 2016, the band Low Roar didn't so much as register as a blip on anyone's radar. Then Creator/HideoKojima showed up at E3 with ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'', and suddenly their song "I'll Keep Coming" went from around 5000 views on [=YouTube=] to '''''over 1.2 million.''''' |
| 300 | * In 2011, the song "conflict" by siromaru and cranky won the music game simfile contest ''THE BMS OF FIGHTERS 2011 -Intersection of conflict-''. While obviously the most popular song of the contest, it wasn't terribly well-known until it was added to ''VideoGame/{{Cytus}}'' in 2014 that the song started to gain attention outside of Japan. By 2019, "conflict" had been officially (as in, not in a simfile-based game as an unofficial song) added to over ''twenty'' different rhythm games including big-name games such as ''VideoGame/SoundVoltex'', ''VideoGame/{{CHUNITHM}}'', and ''VideoGame/PumpItUp'', making it one of the most well-known songs in the pan-Asian rhythm game community. |
| 301 | * Not exactly "commercialization" since it came from a GameMod, but the ''[[VideoGame/HeartsOfIron Hearts of Iron IV]]'' mod ''[[VideoGame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope The New Order: Last Days of Europe]]'' features Music/WarrenZevon's "Jungle Work" in a brief but memorable moment, specifically as the song that plays if you reunify Russia as [[spoiler:Mitchell [=WerBell=] III, the leader of a team of mercenaries hired by the Free State of Magadan who launch a coup against the warlord who brought them into Russia]]. Within days of the update to ''The New Order'' that added that path, more than half the comments on the Website/YouTube video for "Jungle Work" were by fans of the mod referencing the game. |
| 302 | * The short-lived Eurodance group Uniq were all but unheard of outside Japan and their native Finland until their 1999 single "Amore" was featured in ''VideoGame/InTheGroove 2'' in 2005. |
| 303 | * ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents'' not only did this for Music/{{Chicago|Band}}'s "You're the Inspiration", it caused the song to be [[VindicatedByHistory reevaluated]] overall. Before, it had been known as one of the cheesiest songs the band ever recorded and a symbol of how sappy '80s rock ballads could be. Then the game used it for the level "A Christmas Gift", easily [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments the most emotional and heart-wrenching moment]] in the entire game. Cue an entire generation of gamers struggling to hold back tears when they remember what happened in that level. |
| 304 | [[/folder]] |
| 305 | |
| 306 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 307 | * Music/RickAstley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" thanks to the JustForFun/{{Rickroll}}ing gag. Rickrolling made Astley so popular he came out of retirement and started making new music again. |
| 308 | * Caramell (now the Caramella Girls), after the JustForFun/CaramelldansenVid. |
| 309 | * Loituma’s version of the Finnish folk song “Ievan polkka” surged in popularity after a snippet was featured in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loituma_Girl Leekspin]]. |
| 310 | * Pretty much any song featured on "The Weather" from ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightvale'' |
| 311 | * ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarCraft'' {{Machinima}} "Dude Where's My Mount?" renewed interest in the Butthole Surfers' "Dracula from Houston" when they used it as their intro. |
| 312 | * Music/{{Darude}}'s "Sandstorm" skyrocketed in popularity after being subjected to MemeticMutation starting with its popularity on Twitch. There, people constantly asked what song was playing, and the meme took off from there. While the meme was soon CondemnedByHistory due to how annoying it was, especially among [=YouTube=] commenters who wanted to know the actual title of a song, it led to renewed interest in Darude's career, and eventually led to Darude (with vocalist Sebastian Rejman as well) representing Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. |
| 313 | * "Africa" by Music/{{Toto}} also surged in popularity around 2017 after being the subject of various memes. |
| 314 | * "September" by Music/EarthWindAndFire got a similar surge in popularity to "Africa" around the same time; expect memes relating to the song to pop up every year around September 21[[note]]"Do you remember / the 21st night of September"[[/note]]. |
| 315 | * While it was by no means obscure (it's one of the most iconic songs of the '80s and a staple of oldies stations), Music/SimpleMinds' [[Film/TheBreakfastClub "Don't You (Forget About Me)"]] gained popularity again among younger viewers after a SuspiciouslySimilarSong parody of it closed ''WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded'''s take on ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut''. Unfortunately, this had a negative side-effect: said younger viewers [[PopCulturalOsmosis ended up permanently linking the song with the movie]], more specifically the supporting character [[ImaginaryFriend Bing Bong]] (thanks to the parody lyrics: ''Don't you forget about Bing Bong''). |
| 316 | * Music/DeadOrAlive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" received newfound attention in 2005 after being used in a certain notorious shock video. |
| 317 | * Rooster Teeth's {{Mecha}} web series ''gen:LOCK'', thanks to its use of "Belgrade" as an opening theme song, may well be the best thing ever to happen to techno group Battle Tapes. |
| 318 | [[/folder]] |
| 319 | |
| 320 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 321 | * Music/{{Styx}}'s "Come Sail Away" experienced a surge of new popularity after Eric Cartman sang it on ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. |
| 322 | * ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': |
| 323 | ** Have you [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184 heard the word? The bird is the word!]] "Rock Lobster" by Music/TheB52s ("Screams of Silence", and "The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire" before that) and "Shipoopi" from the Broadway musical ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'' ("Patriot Games") also got a revival from this show. |
| 324 | ** And amusingly enough, Music/RickAstley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" also appeared in the show on the episode "Meet the Quagmires". A week after the episode aired, some random anon decided to play [[JustForFun/{{Rickroll}} a little prank]] on /v/... |
| 325 | * "Life in a Northern Town" by TheDreamAcademy got this treatment in the popular ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' episode "Wings of the Dope" since it plays while Luanne and Buckley's Angel play on the trampoline and again at the end when Luanne says goodbye to him and he leaves. Now almost any Website/YouTube video of the song will have comments along the lines of "R.I.P. Buckley," "Hey," "Chicken thigh" and "Buckley's Angel brought me here!", especially on nights when the episode reruns on Creator/AdultSwim. |
| 326 | * "First of the Year (Equinox)" by Music/{{Skrillex}} got a boost in popularity when it showed up on the premiere of the ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' revival. |
| 327 | ** The original show popularized songs such as [[Music/RobZombie White Zombie]]'s "Thunderkiss '65", and both gave attention to and unfortunately stereotyped Music/{{Winger}} as a straightforward HairMetal band (they're more of a ProgressiveMetal band with some hair band elements) when a ButtMonkey character constantly appeared wearing a Winger t-shirt (after Mike Judge was misinformed that Kip Winger had asked the network not to make jokes about the band on the series, but, after subjecting the band to mockery, Judge eventually learned from Winger himself that he had never made any such stipulation). |
| 328 | * The usage of licensed music on ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' has made several songs popular again, such as "Hangin' Tough" by Music/NewKidsOnTheBlock and "Lies" by the Thompson Twins. |
| 329 | * The song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dTnvhGHDGA Rubber Bullets]]" by 10cc was released in 1973 but has since become more well-known after it was used in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'' pilot. |
| 330 | * ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'' did this to a few songs, notably Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}}' "[[Music/StickyFingers Wild Horses]]", Music/NinaSimone's cover of Janis Ian's "Stars", and a number of semi-obscure indie tunes. |
| 331 | * ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' briefly renewed interest in Music/NineInchNails' original recording of [[Music/TheDownwardSpiral "Hurt"]] upon its usage in the season 2 finale [[WhamEpisode "The Wedding Squanchers"]]. At that point, the song had been mostly CoveredUp by Music/JohnnyCash. |
| 332 | ** The show also brought a revival to alt-rock band Blonde Redhead's song "For the Damaged Coda" after it was used in the episode "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS1E10CloseRickCountersOfTheRickKind Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind]]," and subsequently many [[MemeticMutation memes]]. |
| 333 | * Many millennials will know the Tiny Tim cover of "Living in the Sunlight, Loving in The Moonlight" from the very first episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''. |
| 334 | * For a lot of fans, "Say That We're Sweethearts Again" is now pretty much synonymous with ComicBook/HarleyQuinn after she performed it in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Harlequinade". The 1944 film ''Meet The People'' the song is originally from [[BreakawayPopHit is largely forgotten today]], and many don't realise at first that the song was not created for the show. |
| 335 | * ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAndHarleyQuinn'' has introduced a number of people to the song "Don't Pull Your Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. |
| 336 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Music/DavidLeeRoth's "Just Like Paradise" got another surge of popularity after the "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS35E5TreehouseOfHorrorXXXIV Treehouse Of Horror XXXIV]]" segment "Lout Break" ended with [[MesACrowd Homer and the Homerized Springfield]] [[DancePartyEnding singing and dancing along to the song]]. |
| 337 | [[/folder]] |
| 338 | |
| 339 | [[folder:Other]] |
| 340 | * Number 14 of UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems is "Borrow a Corpse to Resurrect the Soul", meaning to revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or reinterpret it to your advantage. |
| 341 | * "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain went through this twice. The first time was when it was featured in ''VideoGame/GuitarHero III: Legends of Rock'', and the second time was when it was featured in the ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' episode "Weekend at Benson's" a few years later. |
| 342 | * The anime adaptation of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' used [[RealSongThemeTune Real Song Theme Tunes]] for its ending themes, with the songs used getting a major boost in popularity. These songs include "Roundabout" by Music/{{Yes}} (which got easily the biggest boost of all thanks to its use in the "To Be Continued..." meme), "Walk Like an Egyptian" by Music/TheBangles, "Last Train Home" by Music/PatMetheny, "I Want You" by Music/SavageGarden, "Freek'n You" by Music/{{Jodeci}}, and "Modern Crusaders" by Music/{{Enigma}}. The [[https://static.jojowiki.com/images/3/37/latest/20191015215928/Jojo_lasttrainhome.jpg latter]] [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lOAzOFcAnHk/maxresdefault.jpg four]] [[https://static.jojowiki.com/images/d/dd/latest/20191015213955/JOJO_ED7.png even]] [[https://static.jojowiki.com/images/d/d4/latest/20191015214343/JOJO_ED8.jpg saw]] re-releases in {{Greatest Hits Album}}s featuring artwork from the anime on the covers. |
| 343 | * Ravel's ''Bolero'' became very popular in the UK after Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean ice-danced a medal-winning duet to it at the 1984 Winter Olympics. In 1994 the couple did the same favour for ''Let's Face The Music And Dance''. |
| 344 | * Similarly, "Parisienne Walkways" by Gary Moore shot up the download charts in Japan to take the #1 spot after figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu used the song for his record-breaking short program in the 2014 Winter Olympics. |
| 345 | * The Music/FleetwoodMac song "Don't Stop" found new popularity when UsefulNotes/BillClinton made it the theme song of his 1992 presidential campaign. After being elected, he asked the then-disbanded group to perform it at his Inaugural ball in January 1993. It has since become Clinton's {{Leitmotif}}, played at his Democratic National Convention appearances in 2004, 2008, and 2012. |
| 346 | * Music/NeutralMilkHotel's 1998 album ''Music/InTheAeroplaneOverTheSea'' was generally unknown before the Internet came, primarily the /mu/ board on Website/FourChan. It is now regarded as one of the greatest and most celebrated albums in the indie rock genre. |
| 347 | * This happened InUniverse in ''Manga/SatouKashinoDanganwaUchinukenai'. One of the old songs sung by Mokuzu's father is popular in commercials. |
| 348 | * Music/TomJones' "What's New Pussycat" got a popularity boost after John Mulaney [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYIwPu50Fic ran it into the ground.]] The other Jones song namedropped in the video, "It's Not Unusual" would count as well, but it was already revived thanks to [[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir the Carlton Dance]]. |
| 349 | * Laura Branigan's rendition of Umberto Tozzi's "Gloria" found new popularity when it became the victory theme of the 2018-19 [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague St. Louis Blues]], going on an 11-game winning streak which lifted them from the league's lowest record, soon making the Usefulnotes/StanleyCup playoffs and eventually the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1970, [[EarnYourHappyEnding where they won their first title in franchise history]]. |
| 350 | * One of the Blues' rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks, did it for Music/TheFratellis' "Chelsea Dagger", which they adopted as their goal song the season prior to their 2010 Cup that broke a drought of nearly 50 years. |
| 351 | * Gala's 1996 Eurodance hit "Freed From Desire" enjoyed a revival in the UK in 2016 after a [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball Wigan Athletic]] fan wrote a viral parody version paying tribute to striker Will Grigg ("Will Grigg's on fire, your defence is terrified!"). It then spread across Europe thanks to fans chanting it (or variations about their own players) throughout Euro 2016. |
| 352 | * Pinkfong's version of the classic campfire song "Baby Shark" became a hit around the world in 2017 after it became the basis for various exercise challenges, and again in 2019, when it was used as the walk-up song of the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Washington Nationals]], who would win their first title at the 2019 World Series. |
| 353 | * While not enjoying the same level of commercial success, Music/{{Moby}}'s 2000 BSide "Flower" also became a lot better known in 2018-19 when it was used for the widespread "Bring Sally Up" squat / push-up challenge. |
| 354 | * Any song featured prominently on Platform/{{TikTok}} would qualify, with the crowning examples being ILOVEFRIDAY's "Mia Khalifa", Music/LilNasX's "Old Town Road", Matthew Wilder's "Break My Stride" and several Music/BillieEilish songs. |
| 355 | * Come to think of it, any songs (especially older ones) featured in a popular {{meme|ticMutation}} fit. |
| 356 | ** Music/RickAstley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" grew to epitomic levels when JustForFun/{{Rickroll}}ing became big in the late 2000's, with a performance at the UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade solidifying its status in popular culture. |
| 357 | ** Music/SiIvaGunner in particular is great for this - ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' theme, [[Anime/LoveLive "Snow Halation"]] and [[Series/LazyTown "We Are Number One"]] have all entered the pantheon of meme songs thanks to them. |
| 358 | ** Music/{{NSYNC}}'s "It's Gonna Be Me" resurfaces close to the end of every April thanks to the MemeticMutation "It's gonna be May". |
| 359 | ** In TheNewTwenties, "Out of Touch" by Music/DarylHallAndJohnOates became associated with a Twitter account called "Out of Touch Thursday" that, every Thursday, posts a clip from the ''Manga/LuckyStar'' opening synced to part of that song. Multiple variations and parodies ensued. |
| 360 | ** {{Eurobeat}} received a significant revival following memes relating them to the ''Manga/InitialD'' anime that popularized it, prompting many Eurobeat labels to release their music worldwide on digital platforms, and several artists returned to the genre full-time. |
| 361 | * "Step to the Rear" from 1967 flop Broadway musical ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Now,_Dow_Jones How Now, Dow Jones]]'' (music by Music/ElmerBernstein) managed to get a strange second life outside of it. It was used in Hubert Humphrey's 1968 presidential campaign, in car commercials for Lincoln-Mercury, and was adapted into the FootballFightSong for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. |
| 362 | [[/folder]] |
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/context.php
FollowingContext Main / RevivalByCommercialization
Go To
- Show Spoilers
- Night Vision
- Sticky Header
- Wide Load
