Will you still need me,

Will you still hear me

When I’m sixty-four

Apologies to the Beatles for messing up the lyrics, but 64 is just a number on Instagram or TikTok as youngsters scroll through posts while music from the 1950s and 60s plays in the background. Connie Francis’s Pretty Little Baby is a perfect example — it was only a B-side for her in 1962, and there was very little hope for the song making it into circulation on the radio today. Radio? She has made it to the top, thanks to smartphones!

The 87-year-old is not the only singer whose career is being revisited by young folks. Paul Anka, Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole, Johnny Tillotson, The Champs… it’s a never-ending list. Only in the last few weeks, Pretty Little Baby has soared to top spots in Spotify’s Viral 50 global and US lists. The song has been posted by Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian and her daughter North, ABBA singer Agnetha Faltskog and Gracie Lawrence (Broadway star who is, in fact, playing Connie Francis in a play about Bobby Darin). The song has become as popular as some of her biggest hits, such as Stupid Cupid and Who’s Sorry Now.

Making it go viral

Old songs started returning to circulation on Instagram or TikTok soon after the pandemic started. In the early weeks of the quarantine period, Simple Plan’s I’m Just a Kid from 2002 made it to platinum certification after it became a hit on TikTok Trend. The same thing happened with L’Trimm’s 1988 Cars With the Boom.

Once a catalogue song begins gaining traction, influential creators with millions of followers start using it. In many cases, the original singer find out and join the social media platform.

The “virality” factor may not translate into sales. L’Trimm’s Cars With The Boom has done well on TikTok but it hasn’t had similar success with sales, but at least it made the hip-hop duo put together a new compilation album. Harry Belafonte’s 1961 hit Jump in the Line found a new lease of life five years ago, but it didn’t get the sales needle moving. Music catalogues or collections of songs from the same owner are big business. Younger musicians are having their take on classic tunes to find takers on social media.

The “virality” factor is difficult to engineer. What makes a song a hit? Nobody knows. The Guardian reports that in 2022, Jarrod Gosling and Dean Honer of I Monster observed that their 2004 EP track Who Is She? was suddenly overtaking their sole Top 40 hit, Daydream in Blue. They found out that it was due to TikTok and A-list influencers such as Charli D’Amelio and Kim Kardashian. Who Is She? was perfect for makeover videos. Be it Instagram Reels or TikTok, songs go viral when they become attached to a format or a message.

Connie’s success

For Connie Francis, her musical peak was reached in the 1960s. By the time she was 26 years old, she had sold 42 million records. Yet, Pretty Little Baby was not a big hit. She had recorded the song in seven different languages — proves why it’s being used in many markets — but the song remained obscure, and she has told People magazine that she had forgotten ever recording it.

She can’t imagine the effect it is having on people now. “I wanted something for the B-side of a single and I chose something that wouldn’t give my A-side any competition. I don’t even know the name of the record that I put it on. But I think it has a ring of innocence in this chaotic time and it connects with people,” she told The New York Times.

Once the song went viral on TikTok, she started using the platform. Paul Anka, the 83-year-old legendary singer-songwriter with hits like My Way, is also in awe of TikTok. His Put Your Head on My Shoulder has gone through the roof, introducing him to a new fan base of 16 to 20-year-olds. He has realised that “music lives on”.

The Instagram and TikTok trend proves that vintage tunes have a comforting factor, and the apps help rediscover past talent rather than being focused on Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish.

t2’s favourite oldies-but-Goldies on ReelS

 Connie Francis: Stupid Cupid

 The Chordettes: Mr Sandman

 Paul Anka: Put Your Head On My Shoulder

 Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs: Stay

 Patience and Prudence: Tonight You Belong To Me

 Santo and Johnny: Sleepwalk

 Bobby Darin: Splish Splash

 Burt Bacharach: I Say A Little Prayer

 Everly Brothers: All I Have To Do Is Dream

 Johnny Tillotson: Earth Angel

 Ritchie Valens: La Bamba

 Sam Cooke: A Change is Gonna Come

 The Champs: Tequila

 Nat King Cole: Unforgettable