If you’ve been anywhere near TikTok lately, you’ve probably scrolled past at least one video using the sound “Clang, clang, clang went the trolley, ding, ding, ding went the bell…”. The sound has blown up, with more than half a million videos using it, from edits, memes and lip-syncs to viral remix versions. But where did the TikTok trolley sound actually come from, and why are people obsessed with it now?
@slaythehousedownbootspur With the TROLLEY #fyp #judygarland #trolleysong #gay #popcultured ♬ The Trolley Song – Judy Garland
The audio is lifted straight from The Trolley Song, a classic show tune performed by Judy Garland in the 1944 musical Meet Me in St. Louis. In the film, Garland plays Esther Smith, a lovestruck teen in early 1900s Missouri who hops on a trolley, hoping her love interest will be there too. When she spots him running to catch up, the music kicks into gear.
It’s classic Golden Age Hollywood: romantic, camp, and completely over-the-top. The song was a hit in its time, even nominated for an Oscar, and it’s lived on in pop culture ever since. You might have even heard it during Disney’s Main Street Trolley Show at Magic Kingdom in Florida.
@chrishenrieI thought they’d appreciate it
♬ The Trolley Song – Judy Garland
So why is it going viral now, nearly 80 years later? TikTok has a knack for resurrecting old sounds, and The Trolley Song is perfect. The camp energy makes it resonate particularly with queer creators, who’ve reclaimed Judy Garland herself as an enduring gay icon. Pair that with remix culture (hello, Charli XCX stans) and you’ve got a sound that mixes nostalgia and internet chaos perfectly.
@yeahx10 i wanna dance with judy’s angels #fitcheck #OOTD #charlixcx #judygarland ♬ Vroom vroom vroom went the trolley – Gonnagospringbreakers
Judy Garland probably didn’t think she would be soundtracking TikTok nearly a century later, I think she’d eat it up.
For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.
Featured image credit: TikTok/@yeahx10, Warner Brothers
