TikTok has turned the music world upside down. Users on the platform have become music historians of sorts, finding songs that date back and making them hits. Just a few months ago Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams began charting again after a viral TikTok meme and it’s not the only one. Nelly Furtado, Kid Cudi, T Pain and more are all enjoying viral success with old hits as a whole new generation discovers them.

It’s opened the door for producers and artists to also look to the past to dust off old gems. The charts right now are full of hits that are borrowing from the past to make something fresh. From Ava Max sampling ATC’s 2000 hit Around The World (La La La La La) to Regard turning Jay Sean’s Ride It into a bigger hit than it ever was, these are some of the songs relying heavily on samples to make another hit. 

Steve Aoki & Kiiara - Used To Be (Feat. Wiz Khalifa)

Here’s a song we weren’t expecting to hear incorporated into a dance song anytime soon. Steve Aoki and Kiiara have sampled Matchbox 20’s Unwell on their latest track Used To Be. The song gives us original verses before hitting us with the iconic chorus from the 2002 hit by the Rob Thomas-fronted band. Wiz Khalifa then jumps on at the end for a verse that’s likely to appease the TikTok-verse.

Brando - Look Into My Eyes

Would I Lie To You? by Charles & Eddie was a runaway hit when it was released back in 1993. More than 25 years later it returned, providing the hook for LA artist Brando. He nabbed a hit with Loud Luxury on Body and then returned with Look Into My Eyes, turning this suave Charles & Eddie hit into an absolute heater. More than 50 million streams later and it seems he was successful. 

Regard - Ride It

When Jay Sean released Ride It back in 2007, it was a sleek, mid-tempo R&B track that failed to garner much attention outside of Europe. Nearly 15 years later and it was adapted into a dark and woozy dance track that became a viral sensation on TikTok. Regard’s Ride It has now reached the top 5 in the UK and Australia, topping the success of its muse. 

HVME - Goosebumps

Spanish producer HVME nabbed an unlikely hit last year when he heavily sampled Travis Scott’s Goosebumps taking the rapper’s 2016 song and turning it into a pulsating dance cut. The song began as a bootleg but as it began to grow, HVME was signed to Sony and they went about getting an official co-sign from Scott. A few months later, not only did Scott approve of the version but he jumped on an official remix providing a full circle moment.

Ashnikko - L8r Boi

Away from the dance world momentarily and we’re on to Ashnikko who took on the daring task of incorporating Avril Lavigne’s hallmark hit Sk8r Boi. Rebranded as L8r Boi, Ashnikko brings a slightly potty-mouthed twist to the song changing the main hook to, “He didn’t try to make her cum / on top of all that he was a little dumb.” “She's hardly cleared the use of that track to anyone since it came out in 2002. Now, I just need to know that she'll hear it,” Ashnikko told the BBC about the track.

Ava Max - Head & My Heart

Ava Max is quickly becoming queen of the dancefloor in the pop world. Head & My Heart, Max’s latest single, borrows its beat and hook from ATC’s 2000 hit Around The World (La La La La La). She’s given it a brush of fresh paint by adding new lyrics to it but the bones remain intact. It’s beginning to take off and looks likely to challenge the chart positions of the original. It’s the second time the song has been heavily sampled in the last decade, last appearing on Rehab’s 2019 cut All Around The World. 

RAYE - Regardless (Feat. Rudimental)

Much like Max, RAYE has been digging through '00s dance hits for inspiration. She teamed up with Rudimental on last year’s Regardless, borrowing in part the beat from iiO’s 2001 song Rapture. While the RAYE version has a set of new lyrics, the melody of the chorus and the post-chorus are all cut from Rapture. It’s not the first time she’s dug into the archives for inspiration either. Her 2018 song Decline found its hook in Ja Rule and Ashanti’s Always On Time. 

ATB, Topic & A75 - Your Love (9PM)

The late ‘90s/early ‘00s dance pool is proving to be fruitful for a new generation of dance producers. German producer ATB had a hit in 1999 with his song 9pm (Til I Come) reaching the top 10 in Australia and number one in the UK. Topic & A75 have helped the song reach new heights for a whole new generation with it flying up the charts in the UK and Australia. 

Erica Banks - Buss It

Now we’re in the hip-hop world where Erica Banks is having a big moment thanks to the #BussItChallenge on TikTok. It’s the US rappers first big hit and it’s even seen her garner a remix from Travis Scott. It’s likely going to sound familiar for anyone who came of age in the ‘00s. It samples Nelly’s Hot In Herre and he’s down with it. “It’s dope man,” he told Zach Sang. 

Rita Ora - Bang Bang (Feat. Imanbek)

Here’s a sample that we never thought would see the light of day again. Last month, Rita Ora released the Bang EP, produced by Roses producer Imanbek. Together they have found a way to make Crazy Frogs’ Axel F into a pop banger. Well, if we want to go even further back it’s technically Axel F from the 1984 Beverley Hills Cop soundtrack but if you grew up with Jamster ringtones and Ebaumsworld then it’s Crazy Frog to you. Regardless of what you’re attaching it to, Bang Bang is a dancefloor stomper - perhaps one of Ora’s biggest yet.