#Throwback! Mid-2000s Song by Pop-Punk Band All Time Low Is Going Viral on TikTok

While TikTok has jumpstarted many viral trends, including dances, songs, and challenges, the social media app has also brought the revival of popular "oldies" from the mid-2000s. 

Grab your black eyeliner and beanies, Millennials, because the 2007 pop-punk single, "Dear Maria, Count Me In" by the band All Time Low has gained massive popularity on the Gen Z app. 

We're sure All Time Low never imagined that their 2007 pop-punk song would become a viral hit on TikTok nearly 14 years later. Yes, the internet is a strange place.

So, what even is this TikTok trend and how did it start?

In December 2020, All Time Low shared a TikTok video of @yungricepatty telling the camera, "Mom, it was never a phase. It's a lifestyle." The band captioned the clip, "MOM IT WAS NEVER A PHASE." 

Since then, the song has gone viral across TikTok with many users taking part in this fun, nostalgic trend.

TikTok users are posting videos of themselves telling the camera, "Mom, it was never a phase. It's a lifestyle," with the lyrics of "Dear Maria, Count Me In" playing in the background. While some users belt out the lyrics, others showcase their "emo" apparel, complete with dyed hair, beanies, dark eyeliner, and tight black band t-shirts.

All Time Low bandmember, Alex Gaskarth, tweeted on Jan. 13: "I always knew 'Dear Maria' would be a massive TikTok song when we wrote it in 2006."

The band also tweeted at another TikTok user who posted participated in the trend while dressed for work in his Dominos pizza uniform. "We better get a free pizza out of this," the pop-punk band commented. 

In August 2020, Gilli Messer reminisced about playing the role of Maria in All Time Low's music video for the single. 

“In 2008, I played Maria in All Time Low’s 'Dear Maria, Count Me In' video,” she wrote in the video, adding an on-set pic of herself and the chimp who also starred in the music video. She also held up the black and white polka dot bra that she wore in the video. 

In another TikTok video, Gilli answered some fan questions about working with the band, saying that it was "very fun." She added, “We were all so young. But I think the best part for all of us was working with the chimp!” 

Gilli wasn't the only person on-set during the video shoot who thought the chimp was the highlight of the project. Frontman Alex spoke with NME in April 2020 about filming "Dear Maria, Count Me In," telling the outlet,  “That video was an interesting shoot because we only wanted to hang out with the chimp." 

He added, "He was great the whole shoot, but there was one point where he got over what he was doing and threw a chimpanzee temper tantrum and went tearing off around the club where we were filming. This is a baby chimp, but those things are strong as hell! So we couldn’t do anything until he was done having his little diva moment, but he was cute. All was forgiven!”