A hit 2004 song from an R&B sensation has gone viral on TikTok and become a soundtrack for frustration, panic, and excitement. It is also, as one commenter pointed out, “one of them classic old skool style” TikTok trends.
The sound
The sound was posted to TikTok by creator Brent Sullivan (@tiktoksully) last week. Sullivan used a snippet from R&B singer Mario’s 2004 hit “Let Me Love You” in a video about the singer catching someone stealing an Amazon package. It has more than 1.8 million views, and the audio has been used in more than 32,000 TikToks.
Sullivan tells the Daily Dot that he “was listening to the song in my car on the way home from picking my kids up from day care. I’ve heard the song probably a hundred times, but that part stuck out to me.” He says he thought about not posting it because it was “too silly,” but that creator kevonstagetiktok posting the audio amplified it.
@tiktoksully This probably should have stayed in the drafts, TBH. #AXERatioChallenge ♬ original sound – Sully
People followed his lead and used the audio in other delivery-related TikToks, though it has taken on a life of its own.
@mikelowry43 Get out my stash, it’s suppose to stink…..#fyp #trending #kids #funny ♬ original sound – Sully
@rudyroods #straycats #catsoftiktok #catstagram ♬ original sound – Sully
Where’s it from?
“Let Me Love You” is from Mario’s 2004 sophomore album Turning Point, released when the Baltimore singer was 18. The song, co-written by Ne-Yo, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2005.
Mario released a new song, “Used to Me,” last month and recently performed a stripped-down “Let Me Love You” with streamer Kai Cenat, after surprising him during a livestream. Mario has more than 1.4 million followers on TikTok, but doesn’t appear to have directly addressed the trend yet. We reached out for comment via email.
Sound off
Sullivan commented on the song’s virality earlier this week, stating in the caption that “Mario probably hates me.”
@tiktoksully Mario probably hates me. @tiktoksully #mariotrend ♬ original sound – Sully
