Phronesis
No. 121Story2020Music ·Internet Culture ·Fashion & Trends ·Business

A skateboard, a bottle of juice, and a 43-year-old hit

In 2020 a man skateboarded to work drinking cranberry juice and lip-syncing Fleetwood Mac. The video sent “Dreams”, released in 1977, back into the US Top 20.

2 min read

In autumn 2020, Nathan Apodaca of Idaho Falls found that his truck wouldn’t start, so he took his skateboard to work. On the way he filmed himself rolling along the road, sipping Ocean Spray cran-raspberry juice and mouthing along to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”.

It was calm and happy and lasted under 30 seconds. It was also exactly what people wanted in the middle of a pandemic. The video passed 50 million views.

What happened next

  • “Dreams” (1977) re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 21 on 17 October 2020, then rose to No. 12: Fleetwood Mac’s highest placing in 32 years.
  • It went to No. 1 on Billboard’s rock digital song sales chart and into the top 50 streamed songs on Spotify and Apple Music in several countries.
  • Ocean Spray gave Apodaca a new pickup truck.
  • Band members Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks posted their own TikTok responses.

Why old songs go viral

TikTok works through sounds: a short audio clip that millions of people reuse in their own videos. A song from 1977 competes on equal terms with one from last week. For older listeners it brings back memories; for teenagers it’s simply new.

Since then, record labels have treated TikTok as a way to rediscover their back catalogues, and songs decades old have re-entered the charts after going viral. Musically it’s the same pattern Laver described for clothes: once something is old enough to have lost its associations, it can feel fresh again.

Bring it up

“A 43-year-old Fleetwood Mac song went back into the charts in 2020 because of one man on a skateboard drinking cranberry juice.”

Follow the thread

  1. Same patternWhy your parents’ clothes look ridiculous, and your grandparents’ look charming Old enough to be nostalgic for some people and brand new for others: the sweet spot for a revival.
  2. RelatedHow trends spread, from royal courts to TikTok The same platform mechanics that spread outfits also revive old songs.
  3. RelatedThe Streisand effect Online attention is unpredictable: it can make a 2003 photo or a 1977 song suddenly famous.

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