Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” came out in 1987, yet Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” currently rests at #25 on the Billboard Hot-100. The renewed interest in the song, outside the confines of classic rock radio, where it’s played every three seconds, is due to an old YouTube video going viral. The clip, from 2009, shows Boston Celtics fan Jeremy Fry dancing to “Prayer,” and yeah, unlike most viral videos, it’s still pretty great. According to Billboard, “A fresh upload of Fry’s dance routine to video and content aggregator Utrend.tv on Oct. 17 has drawn 11 million worldwide views alone and has been shared on Facebook more than 1.6 million times since its posting.”
Songs from YouTube videos now count on Billboard, thanks to change in how Billboard looks at data. Basically, “YouTube data is now factored into the chart’s ranking, enhancing a formula that includes Nielsen’s digital download track sales and physical singles sales, as well as terrestrial radio airplay, on-demand audio streaming and online radio streaming, also tracked by Nielsen.” What does that mean for you? Well:
It means G.G. Allin could have the number-one song in the country. Or Mobb Deep:
Any song could top the chart, however unlikely. You just have to upload a video that goes SUPER viral, but if this garbage can get two million views, who’s to say the same thing can’t happen with a Cannibal Corpse song?
(via Getty Image, via Billboard)
