It’s been almost two years since Duncan Laurence‘s Eurovision 2019 winning song “Arcade” was released but the song continues to find success. “Arcade” has now entered the UK Trending Chart Top 20, a recognition of the song’s continuing popularity on the TikTok platform.
The Trending Chart tracks the hottest emerging songs in the UK each week — and that’s exactly what has seen “Arcade” enter the chart at No.18.
As it continues to pick up steam on @TikTok, @Eurovision 2019 winning song Arcade by @DuncLaurence enters the UK's Official Trending Chart this week https://t.co/pILvRdDBiy pic.twitter.com/HCpjdQHKv2
— Official Charts (@officialcharts) February 10, 2021
“Arcade” also continues with its place in the UK Official Singles Chart. Following its Eurovision grand final performance, the song debuted in the UK chart on 30 May 2019 at No.67. Its second appearance in the chart was almost year and a half later, when it re-entered on 14 January 2021 at No.90.
The Eurovision 2019 winning song has now clocked up five weeks in the UK Singles Chart and is currently sitting at No. 78.
Recent Eurovision winners in the UK single chart
While the peak chart position of “Arcade” is not as high as most recent Eurovision winners, the five-week chart run of “Arcade” is only beaten by Loreen’s “Euphoria” which spent 16 weeks in the UK chart.
- “Euphoria” No.3 peak, 16 weeks on chart
- “Heroes” No.11 peak, 4 weeks on chart
- “Only Teardrops”, No.15 peak, 3 weeks on chart
- “Rise Like a Phoenix”, No.17 peak, 2 weeks on chart
- “Satellite”, No.30 peak, 3 weeks on chart
- “Toy” No.49 peak, 1 week on chart
- “Running Scared”, No.61 peak, 1 week on chart
- “Amar pelos dois” No.97 peak, 1 week on chart
TikTok still loves “Arcade”
The song’s continued success is largely related to its popularity on TikTok. Back in October, “Arcade” had gone viral on TikTok, with fans using it to make “Dracotok” videos. The videos highlighted a cut scene from a Harry Potter film, showing the good side of Draco Malfoy.
Duncan joined in with the fun, making his own Harry Potter-inspired TikTok.
@duncanlaurenceThanks for all your Harry Potter videos featuring “Arcade”! Here’s mine. 🤭 ##arcadechallenge ##harrypotter ##lovingyouisalosinggame ##draco♬ son original – 🐍Serpentard🐍
But the song isn’t just being used in Harry Potter tributes. The emotional message of “Arcade” seems to have resonated with TikTok users, particularly the lyric “All I know, all I know / Loving you is a losing game”.
The song has been used in thousands of videos on the platform, including the recent “Guess my degree” meme. To date, “Arcade” has been used in over 206,900 TikTok videos, while a remix of the song has been used 352,500 times. A recent version of the song with the American singer FLETCHER duetting with Duncan has proven just as popular, with the song used over 266,800 times.
The continued popularity of “Arcade” shows that a Eurovision winning song can have a new life beyond the song contest, discovered by new audiences who might not have even seen Duncan’s live performance in Tel Aviv.
And with Eurovision 2021 just months away, will the next edition of the contest give us a song that has an afterlife like “Arcade”?
What do you think? Have you come across “Arcade” in non-Eurovision places? Is going viral more of an achievement than getting a platinum record? Tell us your thoughts below!
This song has actually become a song the younger generation of Americans know, like one of my friends used it in her Bucky Barnes fancam and she had NO idea it came from Eurovision (also she didn’t know what Eurovision was until I told her). This song has really taken off and I’m so happy for Duncan Laurence
Wow, and he hasn’t released anything worthy in nearly 2 years. What a success! LOL Seriously, it’s easier to have ‘success’ now than 30 or 40 years ago. Back in the day, you had to sell physical records to make the charts. That meant actual people paying to get your music. Now it’s all streaming: you pay a monthly fee (sometimes not even that, if you use the free service), push a button and play any song you want. I doubt a lame song like Arcade would have make any chart in the times you had to buy a CD… Read more »
Congratulations NL! You are somehow the best of Europe of 2019-20! Two years combined! After all nobody achieved what you have done! S? tr?i?i! S?-îmb?trâni?i! Nimeni s? nu v? opreasc?! 😛
Based of Spotify streams, Arcade is the best song.
Please remember that chart rules were different back in 2012 or even 2015. Streaming has taken over now against digital downloads which means it’s difficult for a song that gains popularity on a show like Eurovision to get a high debut/peak position unless it maintains longevity due to further media exposure like Arcade.
I’m sure it will get a new peak this month but outpeaking the entries from 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 will be tough unless the radio jumps on it.
I have no interest at all in TicTok, but I’m delighted Arcade (and Duncan) is getting recognised amongst a British audience, and when any UK news comes along, people get reminded that it was a Eurovision winner. Hopefully this will improve people’s perception of the contest, and Duncan becomes a household name. I’ve heard him quite a bit on Ken Bruce’s show too (his song with AvB)
I am very happy for Duncan !! “Arcade” is still a very beautiful song, after 2 years I play it every day. He deserves his succes !! Listen to his album, its beautiful. I am so proud of him !!
Arcade is already reaching records with Spotify streams, but soon, Arcade will be the first Eurovision song to reach 200 million Spotify streams.
Arcade is now also the Eurovision song with most streams on Spotify.
I don’t use TikTok so it all goes past me. But if this is a way to introduce ESC-songs to a wider global public which otherwise wouldn’t get in touch with ESC, then I love it! Hopefully in the future more ESC-songs will spread that way globally.
With tiktok artists should make some trend with their songs, like dancing or something what happened with arcade. They could boost their songs and also their future careees
Happy for Duncan, it’s cool, and deserved, Arcade is great, and timeless.