From Taylor Swift's "Love Story" to Wendy Williams' appearance on "The Masked Singer," these were the sounds that dominated TikTok in 2020.Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Erickson Public Relations; Scott Dudelson/Getty Images; @thereal_tati/TikTok; Nintendo; David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images; Michael Becker/FOX; Neil Lupin/Redferns; Samantha Lee/Insider
- 2020 was the year of TikTok, as the app shot to global popularity and drew scrutiny from US lawmakers.
- TikTok stars hung out with the Kardashians, scored TV commercials and reality show deals, and drew criticism for their continued partying and traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The app relies on its massive, constantly growing library of songs and other sounds, which creators use as part of viral dances or other trends.
- Some of the app's most popular sounds come from creators themselves, others come from TV and movies, some are throwback hits, while other hit songs are made on TikTok.
- From "The Box" to "he has no lips," here are 50 of the biggest TikTok songs and audios from 2020 and where they came from.
It's been a wild year for TikTok, the short-form video app that's proven to have a powerful tendency to spark trends, catapult songs onto the charts, and provide endless hours of distraction.
TikTok's userbase drives not only the app's own culture but oftentimes pop culture at large - the Billboard charts are frequently full of songs that are popping off on TikTok.
While drawing on already popular hits, users of the app also frequently surface and create sounds and songs that become hits and memes themselves. Take an auditory trip down memory lane with 50 of TikTok's most popular sounds in 2020 and where they came from.
'Heather': 22-year-old pop star Conan Gray's somber track served as the soundtrack to a viral trend
'He has no lips, how will he get a kiss kiss?': TikTok creator Tati's reaction video allowed for a bait-and-switch
'Love Story (Disco Lines Remix)': A remix of Taylor Swift's 2008 career-defining hit had TikTok creators dancing
'New York Summer': 22-year-old Louisa Melcher's song goes viral
'3...2...1...go': People showed off their cursed photos to this 'Rhythm Thief' track
'Say So': Doja Cat's hit and a viral dance trend dominated the early days of quarantine
'You're my best view': Doja Cat's 'Cyber Sex' meets '90 Day Fiancé's' Big Ed
'Native New Yorker': Wendy Williams' masked singer appearance as 'Lips' had everyone singing the 1977 track
'Dreams': Fleetwood Mac's 1977 hit became the perfect background music for skateboarding and cranberry juice
'Cannibal': The title track from Kesha's 2010 album had TikTok's biggest stars dancing
'Tap In': Saweetie's 'wrist on glitter, waist on thinner' track was a dance hit
'I'd Rather Sleep': Kero Kero Bonito's 2015 track with the lyrics 'now I know what's real and what is fake' helped decipher reality
'Savage Love': Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo's collaboration became one of 2020's biggest hits
'Supalonely': BENEE's sad bop backed one of the biggest dance challenges of the year
'The Box': Roddy Rich's Grammy-nominated hit went viral with the lyrics 'Pullin' out the coupe out the lot'
'WAP': Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's collaboration was an instant TikTok hit
'Monkeys Spinning Monkeys:' this whimsical instrumental was the ultimate general sound
'Love, I know:' misheard lyrics helped catapult 'Opaul' to stardom
Music from Nintendo's 'Super Mario' made rankings a treasured pastime
'Remy the Ratatouille': 'Ratatouille' the musical took over TikTok
'Please don't make me vote for Joe Biden': voting-age, left-wing teens encouraged their peers to vote for other candidates during the Democratic Party's heated primary
'Where Is The Love?': people hopped along to the Black Eyed Peas throwback track
'BARK BARK BARK': this spin on a video game theme led to some surreal content
'Savage': Rising star Megan Thee Stallion's hit was a shoo-in for TikTok virality
'Therefore I Am': Billie Eilish's 'Stop. What the hell are you talking about?' track had TikTok creators feeling confident
'I'm a ghost:' Championxiii's 'BOO!' had creators disappearing
'How you like that?': K-pop sensation Blackpink's song was used more than 11 million times
'You got it!': SALES' 2014 track 'renee' found new life on TikTok this year
'Can't Stop Singing': Disney Channel's 2013 film 'Teen Beach Movie' became the perfect track for TikTok storytimes
'I'm bored in the house and I'm in the house bored': Curtis Roach and Tyga created a song custom made for 2020
'Just thinking about it': TikTok users spent much of 2020 stressing over bold choices
'I'm at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell': A fast-food combo became a trend among biracial creators
Replay by Iyaz became Gen Z's 'Rick roll'
'Positions' from Ariana Grande's album of the same name was just one of her popular songs on TikTok
'It's M to the B': Millie B's 2016 diss track serves as the track to the most liked TikTok of all time
'I'm an accountant': TikTok creators related to an actor's inability to describe his job
'Oh no': Kreepa's 2019 track was the soundtrack of a year of unfortunate events
'Song for Denise (Maxi Version)': The 'Putin Walk' used an 80s song to show stretched out creators marching toward the viewer
'DORI ME': a 1996 French song was named TikTok's most 'cursed' song of the summer
'I am lost': The Irrepressibles 2016 track 'In This Shirt' was an anthem for lost objects
Former Disney stars, sisters Aly and AJ, had a TikTok revival with 'Potential Breakup Song'
'Renegade': The beats in K Camp's 'Lottery' created TikTok's most recognizable dance
'You have to stop': ODESZA's 'A Moment Apart' got a harp cover and several viral audios
'That type of sh** don't phase a player': 5 million videos used Rod Wave's 'Rags2Riches'
'I'm a pretty boy, I'm stunning': TikTokers were feelin' themselves to this Curtis Waters track
In 2020, TikTok creators were collectively 'Mad at Disney'
A 19-year-old's remix to 'Roses' by SANIt JHN was a massive TikTok hit
'How bizarre!': A 90s classic found a new audience on TikTok
Sometimes, even on TikTok, things just make sense, like ZICO's 2020 track 'Any Song'
'OUT WEST' by Travis Scott and Young Thung was used more than 14 million times
