There used to be a time—not long ago—when my playlists used to have that taste. I had aesthetic. Every song was curated, thoughtful and smooth.

It meant something, and you actually felt like a main character listening to them. They had a story you know—not just noise. Until TikTok came along and crushed the entire vibe to smithereens, with 15 second dopamine rush audios, that slowly somehow creeped their way into my brain, and my Spotify playlist.

This isn’t a hate letter at all. TikTok songs have been invading my playlist and my brain—watch out, or else they’ll slowly turn our personal tracks into viral edit audio compilations.

Image Credit: Elyas Pasban from Unsplash

So, here’s my list of popular TikTok songs you might wanna avoid, with some respectful rants and ratings, and some thoughtful alternatives to actually make your playlist more listenable.

1. Montagem Tomada by MXZI

It starts innocently, you know, in the football edits with “la vida es un carusel”, and it’s not completely a bad funk. But when the bop comes [if you know what I mean], it feels overstimulating and intense [bless my eardrums!]. I’ll be mid-song listening to Laufey or AURORA, and when I press next, I’m greeted by a jumpscare—BAM!

You’re launched into a boss battle at 2x speed with no warning. My heart rate spikes, and I yeet my headphones.

It’s not like I dislike the over-caffeinated, high-energy music. I just wanna choose when I listen to it, and not be ambushed cause the sound algorithm decided it’s trendy this morning.

Better Alternative: telepatía by Kali Uchis

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2. Cupid Twin Ver. (Speed Up Version) by FIFTY FIFTY

I actually love the OG version of this song—it’s so cute and wholesome and exudes the soft K-POP charm—simply swoon-worthy. But TikTok said, “Nuh-uh, let’s speed-run all of that serotonin.” Then I hear that chipmunk-y ‘I gave a second chance to Cupid!’; which was adorable and totally okay at first, but then it’s kind of annoying to be honest, and my ears start buffering. Moreover, when it starts playing on my playlist, I can’t even sing along with it, unless I train with a vocal coach or inhale helium.

Better Alternative: Lover Is a Day by Cuco

3. Jiggle Jiggle by Duke & Jones and Louis Theroux

At first, it was plain hilarious. A quirky, harmless meme. The song had one job: “be a silly little internet moment.” Now it’s a nursery rhyme for Gen Z.

It pops up everywhere—like an inside joke. The first time I heard “my money don’t jiggle jiggle”, I chuckled a bit. But respectfully, this track needs to jiggle its way out of my playlist, cause it’s not a meme museum.

Better Alternative: Walkin' by Denzel Curry

4. Bloody Mary by Lady Gaga (Sped Up though!)

Let me make something clear before I begin the rant— I love this song literally so much! It’s haunting, gothic, and dramaticthe —best of Lady Gaga in her dark pop era. It makes you feel like you’re walking through a candle-lit path, wearing blood red and plotting your nemeses’ downfall—yeah, romanticise it.

But then—the sped up version, well—it’s not my favourite. It now sounds like Dracula over-caffeinated, kinda chaotic. Wednesday Addams dances, cosplays, edits—that’s what it's great for, but for a playlist; in my honest opinion, no, just no.

Better Alternative: Just… listen to the original. Trust me. Put on your headphones and dim the lights, and enjoy the sultry beats.

Final Thoughts

Okay—I’m not against TikTok music. I’m not a gatekeeper screaming, “music was so much better in my day”. I get the appeal. The catchy edits, the energetic sped up hits, the 15-second choruses that we all vibe to.

So no, I’m not “too cool” for TikTok songs. I just believe my playlist deserves better than being hijacked by trending audios that peak in 24 hours and haunt me for months.