Mazel Tov!
gratifi cation,” he said.

But for Langsner, who’s been in the
business for more than two decades,
the impact of TikTok has presented
additional surprises, namely that the
songs he played at b’nai mitzvahs and
weddings 20 years ago are getting
requested at today’s parties.

“I have a 7-year-old daughter, and
one of her favorite movies is ‘Sing 2,’ So
much of that music was all the music
that came back,” Langsner said.

Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick
Road” and Aretha Franklin’s “I Say A
Little Prayer” have dominant basslines
and beats laid over them in the animated
fi lm integrated in a soundtrack that
blends classics and contemporary songs.

Madonna’s “Material Girl” and Rod
Stewart’s “Da Ya Th ink I’m Sexy” are the
latest throwbacks to make an appear-
ance on Spotify’s “Viral Hits” playlist,
indicating their popularity on TikTok.

Recently, Langsner even has received
requests for Rick Astley’s “Never
Gonna Give You Up,” as even 35 years
aft er the song’s release, he still can’t
avoid getting rick-rolled.

“I always get a kick out of how certain
songs stand the test of time and others
don’t,” said Todd Frederick, DJ at Silver
Sound DJ Entertainment in Malvern.

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26 MARCH 31, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
“And it’s not necessarily a quality thing.”
Not all songs from yesteryear have
been accepted by today’s teens. Line
dances like “Electric Slide” are a sure
way to have guests promptly leave the
dance fl oor. But the “Cha-Cha Slide”
and even “Cotton-Eyed Joe” are still
played, due to their ability to appease
both the younger crowds and their
parents, who, aft er all, are either paying
the party bill or generously carpooling
kids there and back, Frederick said.

Langsner calls these songs, and oth-
ers that are guaranteed crowd-pleasers
“crutches,” though he prefers not to
play them.

Frederick fi nds a great deal of merit
in keeping line dances on his playlists,
however, because they level the playing
fi eld of not just children and adults, but
of those who have fancy feet and those
with two left feet.

“ It’s something that everybody can do
if they know it, and if you don’t know,
you can get out there and learn it without
feeling like you’re the only one out there,”
Frederick said. “It also enables people
that are maybe not necessarily good
dancers to get out and do their thing.”
While DJs have noticed kids appear
interested in doing TikTok dances in
small groups, scattered around the dance
fl oor, line dances are still here to stay.

Th ough TikTok has clearly made its
mark on the b’nai mitzvahs of 2022,
the lasting power of the app is still
in question, Frederick believes. With
60-second song clips going in and out
of popularity depending on the day or
week, it’s hard for DJs to tell what will
be the popular tracks of tomorrow.

“Th ose things are a lot more short-lived,”
Frederick said. “Th ey come and they go,
and then so on to the next thing.” JE
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com