Connie Francis, the pop vocalist who died this week, was seeing a resurgence in popularity long after her ’50s and ’60s fame — thanks to TikTok.
Francis died Wednesday, July 16 at 87 after recently being hospitalized in an intensive care unit, where she was undergoing tests to find the source of her “extreme pain,” according to her Facebook.
She was best known for her love songs, including “Stupid Cupid,” “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Where The Boys Are.”
But younger generations may recognize her peppy voice from 1962 track “Pretty Little Baby,” which has become popular among TikTokers as a backdrop for adorable animals, makeup tutorials and a slew of other videos.
Here’s what to know about the song and its modern-day resurgence.
Connie Francis ‘Pretty Little Baby’ and ‘Who’s Sorry Now’ pop singer dies at 87
‘Pretty Little Baby’ has been used over a million times on TikTok
“Pretty Little Baby” gained momentum on TikTok in May, with celebrities and influencer alike sharing videos to the song. North West and Kylie Jenner lip synced to the song and creators like Abbie Herbert and Brooke Monk also used the audio.
To date, the song has been used on more than one million TikTok videos. At its peak, “Pretty Little Baby” averaged over 600,000 daily creates on TikTok and hit No. 1 on both the app’s Viral 50 and Top 50 charts, according to a press release.
“The huge viral success of ‘Pretty Little Baby’ is the perfect example of the power of music discovery on TikTok,” Tracy Gardner, TikTok’s global head of music business development, said in the release.
The song’s popularity even got Francis herself to join TikTok in June.
“I’m flabbergasted and excited about the huge buzz my 1962 recording of ‘Pretty Little Baby’ is making all over the world,” she said in a video on the page. “To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is captivating new generations of audiences is truly overwhelming for me.”
‘She died happy knowing that this generation likes her music’
On Francis’ TikTok page, comments were flooded with messages of condolences after her death, with many users expressing appreciation for the resurgence of “Pretty Little Baby.”
“She died happy knowing that this generation likes her music,” one person wrote. “You will be missed. Thank you for the music.”
Another wrote, “RIP Connie Francis. She died knowing her song became famous again.”
When was ‘Pretty Little Baby’ released?
“Pretty Little Baby” was released in 1962 as part of Connie Francis’ album “Connie Francis Sings Second Hand Love & Other Hits.” The song was not released as a single.
Francis told Billboard in May that she didn’t remember recording the song until she listened to it.
“It’s just a blessing to know that kindergarten kids know me and my music now. It’s really thrilling,” she told the outlet.
The track was one of 40 songs Francis recorded over four days in August 1961, according to Billboard.
See TikToks featuring ‘Pretty Little Baby’
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Connie Francis’ song ‘Pretty Little Baby’ went viral before her death
