Hey PopCultX fam! It’s Paige, your mainline to the remix machine we call pop culture. Today we’re cranking up the volume on a phenomenon that’s making your parents’ playlists cool again (and causing some serious Spotify whiplash): how filmmakers and content creators are breathing new life into old songs. Spoiler: it’s not just because they ran out of new material (though, let’s be real, that does happen too).
Stranger Things and the Resurrection of Running Up That Hill
Unless you were living under a rock (or just ghosting your Netflix subscription), you know that Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” from 1985 became the unofficial anthem of 2022 thanks to Stranger Things Season 4.
The emotional gut-punch of Max (Sadie Sink) fleeing Vecna while Kate Bush’s synths screamed into the void? Iconic. Bush even gushed about the unexpected comeback. It wasn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake—it was about storytelling. Pure pop culture sorcery.
TikTok: The Accidental DJ of Nostalgia
Meanwhile, TikTok—the lawless playground of chaotic creativity—resurrected Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” thanks to Nathan Apodaca (aka @420doggface208) just skateboarding, sipping cranberry juice, and vibing.
Dreams wasn’t just a song anymore—it became the theme song for “life’s still good even when it sucks.” Fleetwood Mac’s streams skyrocketed. Cranberry juice sales? Also skyrocketed. Late-stage capitalism, but make it vibey.
Barbie: Ken’s “Push” (And It Was Glorious)
Fast forward to 2023’s Barbie movie, where Matchbox Twenty’s “Push” (yep, that mid-’90s emo-lite anthem) became the unexpected showstopper of the Ken takeover sequence.
Ryan Gosling’s hilariously earnest performance turned a kinda-problematic breakup song into an absurdist battle hymn for existentially lost plastic men everywhere. It wasn’t just funny—it was a cultural reset. Suddenly, Push had a whole new feminist, satirical context.
Moral of the story: Irony + nostalgia = pure cinematic crack.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Mixtape Magic Strikes Again
James Gunn kept the retro banger train rolling in 2023 with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. From Spacehog’s “In the Meantime” to Florence + the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over,” he reminded us that a good soundtrack isn’t just about era—it’s about emotion.
When Rocket and the gang finally find peace and “Dog Days Are Over” kicks in? I dare you not to ugly cry. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
TikTok Round Two: Miguel’s “Sure Thing” and Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten
In case you thought TikTok was done, 2023 also gave us Miguel’s “Sure Thing” blowing up all over again—13 years after its original drop. Some dance trend took it viral, and suddenly Miguel was doing prime-time gigs like he never left.
And thanks to Netflix’s Anyone But You, a Gen Z-fueled rom-com, Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” (aka the song you forgot you loved) became the anthem of post-pandemic romantic chaos. Even more TikToks. Even more streams. Even more proof that no song is ever truly dead—it’s just waiting for the right meme.
The Big Why: Emotional Resonance > Chronological Relevance
So why now? Why are we raiding the vaults for tracks older than most TikTokers?
Two words: Emotional. Resonance.
Today’s audiences aren’t about the shiny-new-all-the-time treadmill anymore. They crave authenticity. Rawness. Layers. And older songs come preloaded with emotional mileage that hits different—especially when paired with killer visuals or a viral video.
Whether it’s a filmmaker carefully syncing a scene or some dude on TikTok having a vibe sesh, the alchemy happens when sound and emotion align in a way that feels new—even if the track itself predates iPhones, gluten-free diets, and probably the kid dancing in the video.
The Business Side: Cha-Ching, Baby
And let’s not ignore the delicious irony: sync licensing is now a goldmine. Those dusty masters collecting cobwebs in record label vaults? They’re now prime real estate. Artists like Kate Bush and Fleetwood Mac have seen major cash infusions (and new streaming royalties) off a single well-placed or viral sync.
Marketers, filmmakers, TikTokers—they’re not just curating; they’re cashing in on the nostalgia economy.
Paige’s Prognosis: Nostalgia Is the New Punk Rock
Here’s the bottom line, buttercups: the past isn’t dead—it’s just remixing itself into something a little messier, a little weirder, and a whole lot cooler. Whether it’s Vecna chasing Max, Doggface coasting on cranberry dreams, or Ryan Gosling feeling all the Ken feels, it’s proof that great music is timeless…and a little cranberry juice never hurt anyone.
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