

But while some songs may fade away, “Megalovania” and its innate meme-ness allows it to continue being a staple for those who are extremely online.

It’s the TikTok equivalent of a pun, where the aim is to get an amused groan out of the audience. For example, “Megalovania” has popped on TikTok at the tail end everything from “Baby Shark” melodica covers to chopped up Kesha tracks. For audio jokes, that means beginning with a familiar sound or video clip before suddenly switching over to something else that’s still familiar but unexpected. “Rickrolling” is perhaps the most infamous bait-and-switch meme, but the most important part is that these jokes lull you into a false sense of security only to hit you with a “gotcha!” moment.

“Megalovania” lives on as fodder for bait-and-switch jokes. Songs are remixed, riffed, and reinterpreted until they take on entirely new forms on TikTok. Once a tune or clip gains prominence - like “anime is an important part of our culture” or n04h’s “Carless Gambino” remix - creators can count on the viewer’s familiarity with previous viral jokes to make entirely new gags. “ essentially the perfect recipe for original content, because you’re taking what would be regular trends and giving it your own spin,” Dan said. However, mashup culture on TikTok extends far past joining two popular meme tracks together. Citing Megalovania’s iconic melodies, which “fit so well into anything and everything.

“I’m not 100% joking when I say that is a bit of a curse,” he said over email. He found his niche on TikTok covering popular sounds on piano and putting out mashups of popular memes “Megalovania” is like his calling card. It also helps that Undertale and its fanbase were launched into infamy - the game has been one of Tumblr’s five most talked-about video games every year since its release.ĭan, a music-focused TikToker and YouTuber better known by his handle frequently worms “Megalovania” into his content. Part of the popularity is due to the fact that the track is an evergreen bop. “Megalovania” is by far the most infamous song off of the soundtrack. The showdown only occurs in a “genocide ” playthrough where the player kills every creature they encounter in-game. Undertale, which was released in 2015, pairs “Megalovania” with Sans’ daunting boss battle. Originally penned by Fox for his 2009 ROM hack of Earthbound, the track has appeared in a smattering of other places: it was a part of the sixth installment of the Homestuck soundtrack (stylized as “MeGaLoVania”), gained infamy through Undertale, and is now a part of the Super Smash Bros. In fact, the basic tenets of the song’s popularity within video game spaces are perhaps the single best blueprint for understanding TikTok’s humor as a whole.įamous for its association with Sans, the funky Undertale skeleton who has been memed to hell and back, “Megalovania” was a consistent presence in internet game culture of the late 2010s.īut the track, which was written by Undertale creator Toby Fox, existed before it was associated with a hoodie-wearing skeleton in a video game. Ten years later, the song is still kicking around on Gen Z homebase TikTok, the social media app where music reigns supreme. The first iteration of the track, which existed long before Undertale, was released in 2009. Toby Fox’s “Megalovania” may be known as a five-year-old video game banger, but the meme behemoth actually has a more layered history.
