5 Famous Songs That Re-entered The Mainstream Decades After Being Released

Even the best songs tend to have a shelf life. They have their moment in the sun before ascending into the annals of history. However, being immortalised is not always the same as being popular.

While a song may be universally beloved until the end of time, there often comes a time when it is no longer trendy. It’ll go from the very forefront of pop culture to a nostalgic tune you hear once in a while, and eventually, it’ll be that song my parents used to listen to.

However, this isn’t always the case. As you will soon see, there are several songs that, after an initial period of success, are once again able to retake their spot at the centre of popular culture.

Be it due to films, television, the renewed popularity of the artist, or whatever other reason, here are five songs that re-entered the mainstream decades after being released.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

#5. Running Up That Hill: Kate Bush

Starting off this list, we have the most recent example of an older song that successfully re-entered the mainstream. First released in 1985, Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill was met with a fair deal of commercial and critical success. The song reached Number 3 on the UK charts and Number 30 on the Billboard 100, making it Bush’s first Top 40 hit in the States.

Known for Bush’s stellar vocals, unique instrumentals, and excellently choreographed music video, the song was a staple in the 1980s. Known for her stage fright, Bush rarely performed the song live, but it was nothing short of masterful when she did. The song’s first live performance was well-known for featuring David Gilmour, the man who discovered Bush, on guitar.

By the close of the 80s, Running Up That Hill found itself in the rearview mirror. Aside from a week-long return to prominence when Bush released a re-recorded version in 2012 for the London Olympics, younger listeners had grown increasingly unfamiliar with the song.

However, in 2022, the song would reach levels of success surpassing that of its heyday. Used prominently in Season 5 of Stranger Things, Running Up That Hill was introduced in a big way to a whole new generation of listeners. A mixture of the song’s appeal to a younger generation and the overall popularity of Stranger Things sent Running Up That Hill back to the top of the charts worldwide.

Aside from renewed chart success, Bush enjoyed something that was not present in 1985: a noticeable increase in streaming sales. The ever-elusive Kate Bush rarely allowed her songs to be licensed but made an exception as she was a fan of the popular Netflix show. Her love of the show paid off in spades.

#4. Dreams: Fleetwood Mac

Released in 1977 as part of their iconic Rumours album, Dreams was among the songs that solidified Fleetwood Mac’s legacy as musical legends. Written and sung by Stevie Nicks, Dreams was the answer to Lindsey Buckingham’s Go Your Own Way.

Aside from being a musical masterpiece, Dreams was a personal, almost scathing rebuke from one ex-lover to another. Those who listened to the song (and most of the album) almost felt as if they had a front-row seat to the inner turmoil within Fleetwood Mac.

As soon as Dreams was released, it became an instant hit for the group, who were well on their way to superstardom. Dreams topped the Billboard Hot 100 and remains the only Number 1 hit for Fleetwood Mac in the US to this day. While it continued to be a part of the group’s repertoire for the next four decades and counting, it drifted further away from popular culture.

That was until 2020, when Dreams re-entered the mainstream in a most peculiar way. Nathan Apodaca, a man from Idaho, was on his way to work one morning when his truck broke down. Needing another form of transportation to get to work on time, Apodaca rode his skateboard to work and recorded part of his trip on Tik Tok. In the humorous video, Apodaca is seen lip-syncing to Dreams while drinking a bottle of Ocean Spray cranberry juice.

The video instantly became viral and led to a renewed surge in popularity for Dreams. The song experienced a second wind on the charts and a substantial increase in online downloads. It continues to be used today as an accompanying track to similar videos. Nathan Apodaca, the man who helped revive Dreams’ popularity, would be gifted a new truck by Ocean Spray, while Stevie Nicks would acknowledge the video by using a pair of roller skates while performing Dreams.

#3. Thriller: Michael Jackson

The titular track to the best-selling album of all time, one can argue that Michael Jackson’s Thriller never left the mainstream following its 1983 release. Playing to the King of Pop’s theatrical side, Thriller was a nod to the horror genre that turned heads with its catchy sound and memorable music video.

Upon its release, Thriller dominated the charts all around the world and was met with universal acclaim both critically and commercially. Aside from being a Diamond-certified song, Thriller’s music video is a contender for the greatest music video of all time.

While many of Thriller’s features soon became part of pop culture, the song itself did become slightly overshadowed by other music and Jackson’s other work.

Soon, Thriller became a song restricted mainly to Halloween or classic music channels. While it undoubtedly remained extremely successful, its glory days were certainly behind it. However, following Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, the already legendary King of Pop underwent an unmatchable career renaissance.

In the wake of Jackson’s passing, his popularity increased at an unprecedented rate, and his songs, some of which were decades old, were once again on top of the charts and at the forefront of the mainstream. Thriller, in particular, climbed back up the international charts and stayed there for numerous weeks. In fact, one could attribute this resurgence to Thriller’s Diamond certification.

Never before or since has an artist’s death created such a surge of popularity in their music. It was especially difficult considering how popular Jackson already was in life. To this day, Thriller remains a very highly downloaded song and over a decade after Jackson’s death, it continues to appear in the charts from time to time still.

#2. Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen

Ranked among the top 20 of Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the greatest songs of all time, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody was nothing short of a musical masterpiece. A six-minute epic, Bohemian Rhapsody was an ambitious piece of music that took listeners on a musical journey.

The song had everything from a harmonic intro to a soft ballad to an operatic performance followed by a hard rock section. Aside from the elite musicianship present for all to hear, Bohemian Rhapsody’s accompanying promo clip helped establish Queen as pioneers of the music video.

Unlike other entries on this list, Bohemian Rhapsody has entered and re-entered the mainstream on numerous different occasions. One cannot pin down a particular instance of the song’s re-entry into the mainstream, as Bohemian Rhapsody has had a unique ability to appeal to different generations of listeners for various reasons.

Initially met with a mixed reception following its release in 1975, Bohemian Rhapsody seemed more popular with fellow musicians rather than with the casual listener. Come the 80s, however, it was met with a newfound appreciation following Queen’s show-stealing performance at Live Aid. In the 90s, the song shot up the charts again, partially due to Freddie Mercury’s passing in 1991 and because of its use in the 1992 film Wayne’s World. Aside from renewed success, Wayne’s World earned Bohemian Rhapsody an MTV Video Music Award.

In the 21st century, the song would undergo its biggest resurgence yet. Following the release of the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018, the song from which the movie took its name, became once again fully entrenched in popular culture.

Thanks to the film’s success and the prominence of the internet, Bohemian Rhapsody became the most streamed 20th-century song in history and received a Diamond certification. Having been downloaded over a billion times, it’s safe to say that Bohemian Rhapsody will continue to remain in the mainstream for many years to come.

#1. Never Gonna Give You Up: Rick Astley

I assure you, it was not my intention to Rick Roll anyone here. But you can’t have a list like this without talking about Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up. First released in 1987, the song was Astley’s debut single and helped establish him as a major player in the industry.

Topping the charts in the UK and performing well internationally, Never Gonna Give You Up also landed the fresh-faced singer a Brit Award. One of the most popular hits in Astley’s repertoire, it was often saved for the finales of his concerts. Although a popular song, it soon faded away from popular attention following Astley’s retirement in the 1990s.

However, beginning in 2007, the song would undergo an extremely unexpected resurgence in popularity. Rather than being used in a movie or TV show or through Astley’s efforts, Never Gonna Give You Up became a popular internet prank. Users would be directed to click on a link for a different purpose, only to be brought to the song’s legendary music video. This soon became known as “Rickrolling,” and the phenomenon took the internet by storm as one of the earliest mainstream memes.

Coincidentally, Astley himself was attempting a comeback around this time and was initially worried that the emergence of Rickrolling would soon relegate him to a joke. Also, Astley did not profit directly from the song's renewed prominence, unlike other popular YouTubers or content creators.

However, over time, he has capitalised on the meme to re-establish his career and has performed the song in some commercials. The advent of official streaming platforms also ensured that the singer got his due compensation for the years of entertainment.

Although it has been over a decade since Rickrolling was first introduced to the world, it has yet to lose its lustre. Thanks to newer platforms such as TikTok and Zoom, savvy internet users have found new ways to use the song to prank others. At the same time, fans have also learned to appreciate Never Gonna Give You Up from a musical standpoint, and this has helped Rick Astley enjoy a long and fruitful career.

That does it for this list! If you made it this far, let me thank you for taking the time to read this! It’s always nice when someone or something gets a second chance to shine and show that they have a sense of timelessness about them. It is especially impressive how a single song has the ability to appeal to different people in different ways.

If you know about other similar examples, do let me know in the comments. I love hearing back! Like with my other lists, this will be revisited with a follow-up in the near future. Until then, take care!