THE TOP SONGS FROM TIKTOK, WEEK OF 5/14
by J. Simpson
5/13/21
What's goin' on Guardians? We hope you've been having an exceptional week, that you're happy and healthy and getting to rejoin the world where it's safe to do so. Things're heating up all over, as we've seen from this week's TikTok hits… some're steamy and some are downright hot, but there's plenty of silliness on display, as well as toughness, weirdness, and don't-know-how-to-feel-ness.
Here are this week's top TikTok hits, to catch you up!
SALEM ILESE - (L)ONLY CHILD
Deep down inside, we all know that we're something special, that we have something unique to offer the world. This week, people on TikTok are using the sound of Salem Ilese's "(L)only Child" to showcase their inner Princesses. Beginning with a sample from The Princess Diaries "Me? A Princess? SHUT UP!" Ilese's groddy glitchhop lets the bottom drop with a gnarly bassline, as they show off their transformation.
Princesses they may be, but shy and demure they are not. It's the perfect soundtrack for your own Cinderella transformations.
LITTLE SIMZ - VENOM
Social media is a complicated, complex thing as we've pointed out many times here on We Are: The Guard's Viral Hits. On one hand, social media is where a lot of us share and discover information on social justice, mental health, and other ways that we can make the world a more fair and fabulous place for all of its inhabitants. On the other, social media also can create unhealthy health and beauty standards, foster a competitive mindset, or a narcissistic need for attention.
TikTok is a bit better than many of the other social media networks when it comes to spreading positivity and passion for changing the world, 15 seconds at a time. That's part of why we love it so…
This week, people are lipsynching to Little Simz' razor-tongued "Venom," with its badass feminist ideals, using the short clip to share their hopes for future generations, appreciation for their own icons and role models, and their sisters and brothers in the feminist fight. We love to see it!
KYARY PAMYU PAMYU - CHERRYBONBON
##greenscreen some of y’all need to break up w ur bf’s
Sometimes you just need your life to seem like an anime opening. This week, JPop superstar Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's "Cherrybonbon" is making everyone's TikTok's slightly more fun and fabulous with its super smooth, slick hyperdisco bassline. Keep this one in your saved folder in case you end up dating an alien or making an army of clones of yourself.
EYEDRESS - ROMANTIC LOVER
Likewise, maybe you'd rather your life be like some lofi music video. Missing the sound of rain against cafe windows? Lofi study beattapes burned into your brain? Now you can make your outsides match your insides with "Romantic Lover" by Eyedress, which makes everything it touches automatically 10000x more chill.
MERYL STREEP & AMANDA SEYFRIED - SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS
Sometimes it's hard to recognize what you have until it's gone. And if there's one thing this last year has given us, it's perspective and a lot of time to think.
This last week, some TikTokkers have made it their mission to make as many people as possible weep, using "Slipping Through My Fingers" from the Mama Mia! Soundtrack to illustrate times gone by. Warning - bring Kleenex…
ARIANA GRANDE - MOTIVE (FEAT. DOJA CAT)
Day 4 trying to get this viral , tag me in your videos ##agnessolaru ##VeryBlackFriday ##fyp ##foryoupage ##newdancealert ##newdancealert2020 ##viral ##ari
What's a week on TikTok without a dance challenge? Or with something from Doja Cat going viral? This week, TikTokkers have resurrected a dance from Agnes Solaru from November of last year. It's as smooth and slinky as you could hope for, made doubly so with Solaru's choreography. If you're looking to add a dash of glamour and maybe a little flirtiness to your week, try out "Motive".
MITSKI - WASHING MACHINE HEART
Same with really caring women :/
You ever need a song for something that’s not just good, not just bad, but a little bit of a mixture of both? This last week, folks on TikTok have been using Mitski's from 2018's "Be The Cowboy" to soundtrack their somewhat conflicting moments, the little triumphs and the small tragedies that so often happen simultaneously. Life is complicated and sometimes we need complex, nuanced music to go with it.
MAX FROST - WHITE LIES
Sometimes things start off okay but go south fast. Or sometimes people share bad news with a smile. This week, people have been using the smooth, bouncy synth-soul of Max Frost's "White Lies" to recreate times when they've gotten some terrible, messed-up news. "I'm pickin' up really sketch vibes…"
TION WAYNE, RUSS MILLIONS - BODY (REMIX) FEAT. CAPO PLAZA & RONDODASOSA)
This we've had cute songs, flirty songs, songs for hilarity and being weirded the heck out. But sometimes you just need a song that goes hard as hell, that makes you feel like you're walking into a building on fire in slow motion. A song for a jewel heist or buying slick kicks.
This last week, the particularly hardcore have been using the remix of "Body" from British rapper Tion Wayne, helped out by some of his amiches in the "Spaghetti Mafia." If you're needing a TikTok song that's particularly fierce, try out the "Body (remix)"
That about does it for another week of viral TikTok hits! Summer's ramping up and things're heating up, so TikTok's about to go nuts. Make sure you're following We Are: The Guard to keep up with even more indie news and reviews and behind-the-scenes glimpses with We Are: The Guard's artists!
J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.