‘Ribs’ Finally Goes Mainstream

Every once in a while, the TikTok churn has taste and gives a cult favorite what it deserves. Lorde’s “Ribs” made its debut on Billboard’s “Hot 100” the week of May 5, placing at No. 99, amid a viral resurgence on TikTok. The Pure Heroine track, which was originally released on September 30, 2013, is an odd, morose piece of writing without a typical pop-song structure — instead, it has a verse, then a chorus, then it repeats the same verse twice but in double time, then does that all again as a way of mirroring the feeling of nostalgia. The song first regained notoriety when fans chanted it while walking away from the failed Lorde pop-up in Washington Square Park when it appeared that she wasn’t showing up. Inevitably, “Ribs” has become part of a larger Lorde comeback, entering the “Hot 100” the same week her newest single, “What Was That,” debuted at No. 36 on the chart. Her new album, titled Virgin, is coming out on June 27, and on May 8 she confirmed the accompanying Ultrasound World Tour. Still, even with all that Lorde, it feels as though “Ribs,” the moody, nostalgic piece that longs for “the time we had,” speaks most clearly to our dystopian moment.

In the TikTok trend, the song is used to underscore examples of the butterfly effect, which shows how people get the good things in their lives through random circumstances. (Even though most of the people making these have no idea what butterfly effect really means.) “The butterfly effect is crazy,” reads one post. “What do you mean if I hadn’t logged onto Roblox that day, joined that one specific game at that specific moment, I wouldn’t meet him, talk to him 24/7, and wind up marrying him …” The melancholic song reflecting on teenage parties, and featured on Lorde’s debut album, has been a critical hit and fan favorite ever since it originally came out. Upon its release, Pitchfork called it “the best song that this very promising songwriter has written so far.” Now, over a decade later, the downbeat, emotional track is finally entering the mainstream.

Because angsty misery loves company, Charli XCX’s “Party 4 U” has also entered the “Hot 100” for the first time. Like “Ribs,” “Party 4 U” is a sad pop song, telling the story of throwing a party for one person, who doesn’t end up coming. Unlike previous moody pop faves like Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” or Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” which also charted for the first time since being released, “Ribs” and “Party 4 U” resurged thanks to pent-up fan energy and not because of being prominently featured on a trendy TV show’s soundtrack.

If these are songs that we’re unearthing in the spring, it looks like we might be in for a morose-girl summer.