This week’s Hot 100 chart includes the unlikely Top 10 debut of Soko’s “We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow,” a song that accompanied a new ad by clothier Wren in which strangers share their first kiss. The video went viral and sent “We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow” soaring to the top of Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, while “#Selfie,” another virally spread clip (this time by electronic duo the Chainsmokers), strides into the Top 20 of the Hot 100 chart this week and reaches a new peak at No. 18. You want a dance song about a whiny girl wanting to take a selfie in the Top 20? You got it!
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The Soko and Chainsmokers songs are just the latest offbeat singles to hit the Hot 100 primarily due to viral videos — after all, we’re living in the age of Rebecca Black, Ylvis and a No. 1 single for Baauer. Check out our breakdown of 10 viral smashes that hit the Hot 100, and revisit every YouTube craze that accompanied the millions of clicks.
Antoine Dodson & The Gregory Brothers feat. Kelly Dodson, “Bed Intruder Song”
Hot 100 Chart Peak: No. 89
Peak Date: August 28, 2010
“Bed Intruder Song” was the product of the Brooklyn-based group the Gregory Brothers remixing a local TV news interview with Huntsville, Ala. native Antoine Dodson about the attempted rape of Kelly, his sister, in 2010. The deeply bizarre “Hide your kids, hide your wife” anthem ended up turning a scary situation into a positive for the Dodsons, who were listed as co-writers on the track and received 50 percent of the song’s revenue.
Rebecca Black, “Friday”
Hot 100 Chart Peak: No. 58
Peak Date: April 9, 2011
When 14-year-old Rebecca Black’s parents paid a production company to make a music video for her, an unlikely, physically grating hit was born. “Friday” became the top YouTube video of 2011 with 180 million views, inspiring many to gawk at its off-key charm and sing about how fun, fun, fun the weekend was. Speaking of which…
Rebecca Black, “Saturday”
Hot 100 Chart Peak: No. 55
Peak Date: December 28, 2013
The inevitable follow-up! Two and a half years after Rebecca Black’s “Friday” caused computers to melt and eardrums to quake, “Saturday” actually scored a higher Hot 100 peak, although it only lasted one week on the chart (“Friday,” rather incredibly, spent six weeks on the tally).
Alison Gold, “Chinese Food”
Hot 100 Chart Peak: No. 29
Peak Date: November 2, 2013
Twelve-year-old Alison Gold worked with ARK Music Factory (the same company behind Rebecca Black’s “Friday”) on “Chinese Food,” a controversial ode to Chinese cuisine that has been understandably been deemed racist by many viewers. Nevertheless, “Chinese Food” peaked higher than “Friday” on the Hot 100, and has earned 14 million views on YouTube.
The Chainsmokers, “#Selfie”
Hot 100 Chart Peak: No. 18
Peak Date: March 29, 2014
Still rising on the Hot 100 chart, “#Selfie” may very well earn EDM duo the Chainsmokers crossover stardom nearly one year after “Harlem Shake” catapulted Baauer’s career. A female clabber’s monologue about a night out at a club — and, of course, taking a selfie or two — is paired with a thumping beat, making for a relatable meme you can dance to. “It’s been life-changing for us,” says the Chainsmokers’ Drew Taggart, who works alongside Alex Phall. “Things started happening that we never could have predicted.”
Next: “Harlem Shake,” Soko & The Unstoppable Horsey Dance
Baauer, “Harlem Shake”
Hot 100 Chark Peak: No. 1
Peak Date: March 2, 2013
The concept: a 30-second video with one person dancing to Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” intro for 15 seconds, and then being joined by countless others for the second half. It was a simple-enough meme to reproduce, and the “Harlem Shake” videos spread like wildfire last year, turning the Brooklyn producer into an unwitting star. Debuting atop a revamped Hot 100 chart that now incorporates U.S. YouTube video streaming data, “Harlem Shake” became just the 21st song in the history of the chart to start at No. 1.
Ylvis, “The Fox”
Hot 100 Chart Peak: No. 6
Peak Date: October 19, 2013
The Norweigan comedy duo might not have been expected to crash the Top 10 of the Hot 100 chart when it concocted its wacky ode to fox noises, but “The Fox” did have a solid pop pedigree — it was produced by Stargate, the duo behind Rihanna’s “Diamonds” and Selena Gomez’s “Come & Get It.” “The Fox” yipped and yapped all the way to No. 6, and its unabashedly goofy music video has accrued 383 million YouTube views.
PSY, “Gangnam Style”
Hot 100 Chart Peak: No. 2
Peak Date: October 6, 2012
It was the Horsey Dance that took over the globe: the K-pop star invaded the U.S. with his 2012 single, with its wildly colorful video inspiring a tremendous amount of cover clips and even more did-you-see-this? shares in order to spread its virility. PSY’s “Gangnam Style” was blocked from the top of the Hot 100 chart by Maroon 5’s “One More Night,” but its video became the first in the history of the Internet to surpass one billion views in December 2012. Not a bad consolation prize!
The FiNATTiCZ, “Don’t Drop That Thun Thun!”
Hot 100 Chart Peak: No. 35
Peak Date: August 3, 2013
Los Angeles group the FiNATTiCZ didn’t see its Hot 100 bow coming last year when its single, “Don’t Drop That Thun Thun,” was used in a popular video on Vine that depicted five young women dancing provocatively to the track. The twerk craze also helped J. Dash’s song “Wop” land on the Hot 100 chart after Miley Cyrus posted a video of herself dancing to that track.
Soko, “We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow”
Hot 100 Chart Peak: No. 9
Peak Date: Mar. 29, 2014
Soko’s ethereal single lands at No. 9 on this week’s Hot 100 chart thanks to its use in the viral video “First Kiss,” a black-and-white clip in which 20 strangers kiss for the first time. Soko appears as one of the lip-lockers in “First Kiss,” which was actually made by womenswear brand Wren; “We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow” was personally chosen for the video by the company’s founder and creative director, Melissa Coker. The song’s video was first released in May 2012, and debuts on the Hot 100 with 96 percent of its points from online streaming.