Some of the most unlikely songs become internet memes at some point in their musical lifespan. We’re definitely not complaining; if meme-ery introduces a whole new audience to a classic song, we’re all for it. Let’s take a look at five classic songs that turned into internet memes!
1. “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac
Who doesn’t love this 1977 folk-rock classic? “Dreams” has been around the internet meme block a few times. It became notably popular when a video of a skateboarding man drinking cranberry juice featured the song in the background. It’s been used for cheerleading memes, Kermit the frog memes, and more. It’s really the kind of song you can’t get sick of.
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2. “Take On Me” by A-Ha
The music video for this 1985 song became a meme of itself for a while. Internet personality Chloe Woodard turned the song into a whole new meme in the Vine era by dancing to it with a dramatic turn, revealing some slick sunglasses. It’s was super short, but it was memorable.
3. “Photograph” by Nickelback
Ah, Nickelback. They were memed a lot through the early 2000s. The most well-known case of meme-ery for this song would be when a clip of the “Photograph” music video was edited to reveal a graph, instead of a photograph. There have been a few other “Photograph” memes, but that one was the most overused.
4. “Angeleyes” by ABBA
TikTok has turned quite a few classic, older songs into memes recently. ABBA recently got memed into oblivion through users’ use of the song “Angeleyes”. The lyrics “Sometimes, when I’m lonely, I sit and think about him, and it hurts to remember all the good times” were mainly used as the backdrop of wholesome videos. It was cute, at least.
5. “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush
Out of all of the songs on this list that were turned into internet memes, we’re the happiest over “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush. It’s one of Bush’s greatest masterpieces, and it was popularized decades after it came out in the 1980s through its feature on the show Stranger Things. From there, the internet went wild with it. And now a whole new generation of listeners get to enjoy her.
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