The decade old man on the street segment, “Hey You! What Song are You Listening To?” originally posted on YouTube by Ty Cullenon, is making a comeback on TikTok. As people close their Zoom tabs and begin returning to life outside of their homes, filmmakers and journalists across the globe are revisiting that same question and getting a gauge on what people are listening to.
YouTube channel Rizwan began repurposing his take on the segment to fit the format of TikTok. As of Nov. 2021, his first “What Song are You Listening To?” video has generated a striking 11.8 million views and a total count of 2.1 million likes. An increasing number of creators filming their renditions has led the hashtag “#whatsongareyoulisteningto” to reach nearly 190 million cumulative views.
Each of these micro-interviews share a similar format. An interviewer approaches an unsuspecting city goer listening to music on the street and simply asks what song is playing in their headphones. A soundbite is typically included as the individual carries on with their day, giving the viewer an idea of the song’s genre.
The idea aims to get a genuine insight into what music people are enjoying, as opposed to relying on Spotify algorithms and heavily promoted songs to discover new artists.
With the surprisingly addictive format of the trend, social media users cannot get enough of their binge. In a comment under one of the original Rizwan videos, TikTok user “cowboygracie” said, “I literally get all my music recommendations from this trend, I love it.”
An overwhelming number of viewers agree with the music discovery potential of the viral videos, begging creators to start a playlist of all the songs they hear in the segments.
“Is there a playlist for all of this!?” asked user “therapy_in_spanglish.” Under the same video, TikToker “rach.does.things” said, “Make this a Spotify playlist please! I’ve been watching these all day.”
When both Cullen and Rizwan debuted their content, all the interviews took place in the heart of New York City. When the trend was picked up by more users, college campuses have proven themselves to be an equivalently effective setting. Considering many students walk to class with their AirPods in, interviewers have taken a liking to campus environments to film their segments.
In recent weeks, it is easier to find a what song are you listening to? video taking place at a university than it is to find downtown. Harvard University and UC Berkeley have both been hotspots for Rizwan and other creators to film their videos, and these installments of the series have even become more prevalent than the ones in New York City.
College students are no strangers to the trend, as TikTok continues to market and appeal to young people. Most students have the app downloaded, making for a golden opportunity for social media journalists to engage with the trends that students are already following. As for the “what are you listening to?” trend, ideal interviewees are seemingly more accessible on a college campus, and the future of these videos are likely to continue to flourish.
I took the question to the heart of DU’s campus to find out what songs are playing as people walk to class. For Denver students, there’s a wide variety of genres, ranging from pulsing rock all the way to Japanese dance-pop.
Watch the full series of interviews here and keep up with the playlist on Spotify.
