Television Shows and Movies Continue To Revive Old Songs

Over the last two years, there have been many conversations about how social media platforms are impacting the music business. While this is true, with platforms like TikTok helping users (75%) discover new music and artists, television shows and movies remain a dominant avenue for the music industry. Not only have television shows and films given emerging artists a chance to build a global fan base, but they are also responsible for bringing decades-old songs back to the top of the charts. Today’s article will look at some of the most famous examples.

‘Goo Goo Muck’ by The Cramps

One of the latest examples of television shows bringing old songs back into the mainstream is the recent success of ‘Goo Goo Muck’ by The Cramps on Spotify. After featuring in Netflix’s series Wednesday, which, according to ExpressVPN’s streaming wrap-up, was one of Netflix’s most streamed shows of the year, beating Stranger Things, the 1981 song saw a boost in popularity. ‘Goo Goo Muck’ reached 134,000 daily streams on Spotify by November 23, five days after the initial release of the series, directed by Tim Burton. The song only had 2,500 US streams on Spotify before Wednesday’s release, which makes its recent boost in popularity on the music streaming platform even more impressive.

‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush

We saw something similar with Kate Bush’s song ‘Running Up That Hill’ after it featured in Stranger Things season four. Initially released in 1985, ‘Running Up That Hill’ entered the Billboard Hot 100 after featuring in Stranger Things, and spent three weeks at the top of the charts in the United Kingdom. The song’s resurgence reportedly earned Bush $2.3 million in streaming revenue.

‘Twist and Shout’ by The Beatles

Before Wednesday and Stranger Things, the 1980s hit movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was responsible for reviving a decades-old song: ‘Twist and Shout’ by the Beatles. Released in 1964, the Beatles’ cover of the Isley Brothers’ Twist and Shout’ became an instant hit, reaching No. 2 on the Hot 100. Over 20 years later, the song became popular again after Matthew Broderick lip-synced the song in the now cult classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The film was released in June, and by September, ‘Twist and Shout’ hit No. 23 on the Hot 100.

‘Stand by Me’ by Ben E. King

Released in 1961, Ben E. King’s ‘Stand by Me’ reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 that year. Almost 30 years later, the song peaked again on the Hot 100 after the song featured in the coming-of-age drama film Stand by Me. The film is an adaptation of Stephen King’s novella The Body, and after featuring in the movie, the song hit No. 9 in late 1986. The resurged popularity of the song also led to a new music video for ‘Stand by Me’ featuring River Phoenix and Will Wheaton, the stars of the film.

Television and movies have always had a mutualistic relationship with the music business. Even though new mediums like social media are beginning to take this role, Hollywood will always have a tremendous influence on which artists and songs become popular, even when they are decades old.