Why is this one-hit-wonder from 1983 suddenly hot again? TikTok.
Back in 1983, American singer Matthew Wilder enjoyed his only hit single. Beware, though. It’s very ear worm-y.
Although his personal hit streak ended after just that one song, he went on to a successful career as a songwriter and producer. “Break My Stride” was relegated to retro-80s radio shows and playlists.
Until now, that is. As a result of being used in TikTok videos, it’s enjoying a new life. If you’ve got the app, look up #BreakMyStride and you’ll see what’s going on. Now it’s showing up on various Spotify and Apple Music charts worldwide.
The resurrection of “Break My Stride” seems to be entirely organic and completely through TikTok. No wonder labels are now scouring their catalogues for old songs with catchy choruses that could be fed into the TikTok machine. The app pays licensing fees for songs that appear in its user-created videos, which means another potential revenue stream for songs past their best-before date.
Things are changing fast in the music industry. VERY fast.
