Is Lana Del Rey about to have a “Tik Tok” moment on US radio with “Summertime Sadness”?
And by “a ‘Tik Tok’ moment,” I’m referring to the phenomenon where a song becomes a massive smash on the radio months after its initial premiere — in other words, a sleeper hit. Ke$ha‘s debut single happens to be one of the most memorable examples: Originally released as a free download on her MySpace in July of 2009, the song didn’t even hit radio until October, climbing to the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of December (and dominating for months afterward.) Lady Gaga‘s “Just Dance,” which premiered in April of 2008, did the same thing over an even longer period of time, topping the charts in January of 2009. And then there’s Icona Pop‘s “I Love It” — a current Top 10 summer smash — which dropped way back in May of 2012.
Basically, some songs are Top 40 growers, not showers…and that’s exactly what might be happening with Lana Del Rey’s brilliantly dreary ode to those ol’ summertime blues.
Originally released as an international single back in June last year, the track’s just been added to Top 40 radio last week, and it’s already climbing.
“Summertime” is currently at #112 on the Hot 100, and — coupled with the newly premiered Cedric Gervais remix taking over on dance/electronic radio (which was released on July 11) — it only seems to be tip-toeing upward each day. (For the record, her highest charting single to date is her Gatsby anthem, “Young & Beautiful,” which topped out at #22.)
While it may not be a ‘new’ single, I’m not about to complain: “Summertime Sadness” is a personal favorite off of Born To Die, and it’d only be too amazing to hear the song come on the radio while cruising down the coast going ’bout 99. (Just kidding, I sold my car when I moved into the city. Summertime sadness, indeed.)
So while the Queen of Coney Island puts the finishing touches on her upcoming mini-film Tropico, won’t you put a call in to your local DJ and tell ’em you’ve got that suh-suh-summahtime sadness?
“Summertime Sadness” was released to US radio on July 2. (iTunes)