Lesley Gore’s 1963 recording of Erroll Garner’s classic song “Misty” has hit the top spot on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart as Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” lands in the top 10.
Gore’s “Misty” hit jumps from No. 3 to the top spot on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for the chart posting January 11. The 1963 hit becomes the oldest chart-topper thanks to various trends using the track. Flo Milli’s “Never Lose Me” bows to No. 7 thanks to a ton of trends including fashion and makeup. Finally, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit “Murder On The Dancefloor” lands at No. 10. This is in large part thanks to a trend born out of the song used in the film Saltburn.
Every Thursday, Billboard publishes verified list of the hottest songs on TikTok by monitoring music discovery and engagement on the platform in the United States. To find the TikTok Billboard Top 50 each week, users can simply go to any sound detail page and tap the top right button to access the charts page.
Lesley Gore first came to prominence in 1963, while still a 17-year-old New Jersey high schooler. She introduced herself to the mainstream with the hit song “It’s My Party,” produced by the legendary Quincy Jones and released on Mercury Records, where Jones was an A&R at the time.
During her formative years, Gore – who passed away aged 68 in 2015 – wanted to be a singer, and luckily convinced her parents to send her to work with a vocal coach in New York, where Mercury head honcho Irving Green eventually heard her. Gore’s coach recorded some piano-and-voice demos to send to Mercury, and not long after, young tastemaker Jones was at the Gore home with hundreds of demos, leading them to the only one they both liked, “It’s My Party.”
Gore recorded her version of “Misty” for her debut album, I’ll Cry If I Want To (1963). The album also featured “It’s My Party” and its follow-up hit, “Judy’s Turn to Cry.” The album reached number 24 on the US Billboard 200 on first release.
Listen to the best of Lesley Gore on Apple Music and Spotify.
