50 of the biggest TikTok songs and sounds of 2020 and where they came from
- 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
@tina.burgos say sike rn im dreaming there’s no way this is real. ##duet with @charlidamelio
♬ original sound - mills
'He has no lips, how will he get a kiss kiss?': TikTok creator Tati's reaction video allowed for a bait-and-switch
@thereal_tati #duet with @polo.boyy omg #fyp #xyzbca
♬ EGO -
'Love Story (Disco Lines Remix)': A remix of Taylor Swift's 2008 career-defining hit had TikTok creators dancing
@ethanishung Pov: We see you at a party and try to impress you with our dance skills (we couldn't stop laughing) ##GimmeLove ##impress ##party ##ReadingList
♬ Love Story - Disco Lines
'New York Summer': 22-year-old Louisa Melcher's song goes viral
@loulouorange he didn’t even know i sing ##newyorksummer ##reaction
♬ New York Summer - Louisa Melcher
'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
@yodelinghaley HERE IT IS!! the full say so dance
♬ say so by doja cat - haley sharpe
'You're my best view': Doja Cat's 'Cyber Sex' meets '90 Day Fiancé's' Big Ed
@myparentsfollowmytiktok nyeh ##fyp why was the ending perfect tho
♬ Cyber Sex - Doja Cat - Tyler Warwick
'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
@lexibrookerivera hahaha uh
♬ Cannibal - Ke$ha
'Tap In': Saweetie's 'wrist on glitter, waist on thinner' track was a dance hit
@yodamnmomma SO I MADE A DANCCEEE- TRY IT AND TAG MEEE ##Prince4Ever ##foryou ##LittleBitFancy ##newdance ##dc ##fyp ##ye
♬ Tap In - Saweetie
'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
@grizz.cll thanx for 10k guys ##fypシ ##alttiktok ##westcoast
♬ original sound - Dirt
'Savage Love': Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo's collaboration became one of 2020's biggest hits
@jasonderulo I can’t stop watching this @justmaiko
♬ Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) - Jawsh 685 & Jason Derulo
'Supalonely': BENEE's sad bop backed one of the biggest dance challenges of the year
@zoifishh not my usual content but this song was too catchy to not make a dance to LMAO try it and tag me !! ##foryou ##foryour ##foryoupage ##foryourpage
♬ Supalonely (feat. Gus Dapperton) - BENEE
'The Box': Roddy Rich's Grammy-nominated hit went viral with the lyrics 'Pullin' out the coupe out the lot'
@brandon_baum The Box Lean Challenge... Tutorial in 24 hours. ##theboxchallenge ##thebox ##magic ##magictrick ##theboxlean
♬ The Box - Roddy Ricch
'WAP': Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's collaboration was an instant TikTok hit
@besperon NEW DANCE ‼️ This is our mood when @iamcardib posted our video on her instagram! @kltkatnat #wap #dance #cardib
♬ WAP（feat. Megan Thee Stallion） - Cardi B
'Monkeys Spinning Monkeys:' this whimsical instrumental was the ultimate general sound
@averycyrus baby skateboard subscribe 2 my YouTube to get notified when I post the full video
♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod
'Love, I know:' misheard lyrics helped catapult 'Opaul' to stardom
@charlesthegr8 ##pov you’re the bartender making small talk with me about the girl that im tryna shoot my shot with.
♬ Opaul - Freddie Dredd
Music from Nintendo's 'Super Mario' made rankings a treasured pastime
@andrgvri76 he’s booked and busy ##foryou ##fy ##fyp ##catsoftiktok ##cats ##cursed
♬ mario sound - mandycap
'Remy the Ratatouille': 'Ratatouille' the musical took over TikTok
@danieljmertzlufft Remy: The Musical OG Song @e_jaccs add. Vocals @cjaskier #remy #ratatouille #musicaltheatre #broadway #singer #musical #disney #fyp #disneymusicals
♬ original sound - danieljmertzlufft
'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
@userhewidj6ya1 Democrats
♬ original sound - eveline
'Where Is The Love?': people hopped along to the Black Eyed Peas throwback track
@andreaandlewis his are just ✨ cOmFiEr ✨ ##Animation ##4u ##fyp ##viral ##mycostume ##couple
♬ Where Is The Love? - The Black Eyed Peas
'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
@keke.janajah NEW DANCE ALERT! if u use my dance tag me so i can see @theestallion #writethelyrics #PlayWithLife #foyou #fyp #foryoupage #newdance #savage
♬ Savage - Megan Thee Stallion
'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
@charlidamelio dc @kamronagee and @wh0.nia
♬ VMESHBEATS ADDERALL X BOO X IG FREESTYLE - Varoon Ramesh
'How you like that?': K-pop sensation Blackpink's song was used more than 11 million times
@.mirandah MUCHÍSIMAS GRACIAS POR LOS 2 MILLONES Estoy muy agradecida de todo su apoyo ##parati ##foryou ##trend ##destacame ##tiktok
♬ How You Like That - BLACKPINK
'You got it!': SALES' 2014 track 'renee' found new life on TikTok this year
@joo.siahh i date to marry. ##Love##YouGotIt
♬ Renee - Sales
'Can't Stop Singing': Disney Channel's 2013 film 'Teen Beach Movie' became the perfect track for TikTok storytimes
@bellavinyard4 ##greenscreenvideo for legal reasons this is stage make up .... LIKE FOR PT 2
♬ I am at ur moms house - Elizabeth Chetwynd
'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
@itsjojosiwa My dream and my nightmare. Lol. We did it @jamescharles
♬ original sound - Makayla
'I'm at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell': A fast-food combo became a trend among biracial creators
@enae_mango i hate being stuck in kansas
♬ Combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut by Das Racist - Jinx
Replay by Iyaz became Gen Z's 'Rick roll'
@sutherlandphys Physics is crazy!! #college #physics #stemeducation
♬ original sound - Chris Sutherland
'Positions' from Ariana Grande's album of the same name was just one of her popular songs on TikTok
@noahbeck i’m late to this but like.. i miss her
♬ positions - Ariana Grande
'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
@rockysroad Calling all struggling actors! ##musicaltheatre ##broadway ##actorslife ##theatrekid ##gayman ##musicaltheatrekid ##theatrekidcheck ##playbill ##hamiltok
♬ As An Accountant - Rocky Paterra
'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
@lockxwood it be like that #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #xyzbca #viral #putinwalk
♬ putin walk - David
'DORI ME': a 1996 French song was named TikTok's most 'cursed' song of the summer
@gordonramsayofficial Wagyu shouldn’t be in a bag.....##ramsayreacts ##duet with @buoyboys ##fyp
♬ Ameno hatsune miku - Bruh
'I am lost': The Irrepressibles 2016 track 'In This Shirt' was an anthem for lost objects
@lonelyobjects i wonder what that kickball thinks about everyday.... ##funnyjoke ##iamlost ##iamlostchallenge ##funnymeme ##viral ##xybca ##funnyjokes ##meme
♬ In This Shirt - The Irrepressibles
Former Disney stars, sisters Aly and AJ, had a TikTok revival with 'Potential Breakup Song'
@miagillespiee moms weekend gone wild ##moms ##besties ##ItBeLikeThat
♬ Potential Breakup Song - Aly & AJ
'Renegade': The beats in K Camp's 'Lottery' created TikTok's most recognizable dance
@nba Jalaiah (@jalaiahharmon ), creator of Renegade, performs at the NBA All-Star Game!
♬ Lottery - K CAMP
'You have to stop': ODESZA's 'A Moment Apart' got a harp cover and several viral audios
@ashlaward Take a second and listen ##fyp ##foryou ##aesthetic ##lovelife ##drone background song: @hannah_harpist
♬ A Moment Apart - ODESZA - Ashley Ward
'That type of sh** don't phase a player': 5 million videos used Rod Wave's 'Rags2Riches'
@ashotiktokalot ##pov : you get kicked out and everyone switches up on you until you reach fame ##fyp ##foryoupage ##love ##crush ##gf ##xyzbca
♬ Rags2Riches (feat. ATR Son Son) - Rod Wave
'I'm a pretty boy, I'm stunning': TikTokers were feelin' themselves to this Curtis Waters track
@debbyryan the president said to make a tiktok... ##whatidwear
♬ Stunnin' (feat. Harm Franklin) - Curtis Waters
In 2020, TikTok creators were collectively 'Mad at Disney'
@bellapoarch People they remind me of Vanellope from Wreck it Ralph ##disney ##princess
♬ Mad at Disney - salem ilese
A 19-year-old's remix to 'Roses' by SANIt JHN was a massive TikTok hit
@saintjhn Corona Drip ##Roses
♬ Roses - Imanbek Remix - SAINt JHN
'How bizarre!': A 90s classic found a new audience on TikTok
@julianburzynski Always supportive ##howbizarre ##girlsandthegays ##skirts ##gaytiktok
♬ How Bizarre - OMC
Sometimes, even on TikTok, things just make sense, like ZICO's 2020 track 'Any Song'
@marleymalin Let me know if you want a second part to this video! ##catsoftiktok ##foryou ##fyp ##catvids
♬ 아무노래 - ZICO
'OUT WEST' by Travis Scott and Young Thung was used more than 14 million times
@shaqironeal He’s addicted
♬ OUT WEST - JACKBOYS & Travis Scott
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