Kanye West is finally seeing the Billboard Top 20 this week with a song that came out eight years ago. Thanks to a viral YouTube clip in which Marina Shifrin quits her job, West's Late Registration (2005) track "Gone" has hit No. 18 on the chart.
According to Billboard's policy, "songs showing renewed activity past their initial release cycles are eligble to chart if ranking in the top half of the Hot 100 and genre hybrid rankings."
This is not the first song to have recently seen a skyrocketing chart boost. Badfinger's "Baby Blue" was resurrected after closing out the Breaking Bad finale.
It would appear that the viral video has done more than land Shifrin some job offers. West has this young woman to thank for catapulting a song that wasn't even one of his singles to a chart position higher than any of the other tracks on Late Registration besides the smash hit "Gold Digger." It is even more popular than any track on his latest release, Yeezus.
Looks like the new formula for chart-topping success might not be traditional methods after all. We'll see if artists start taking notice and use more organic, DIY strategies to promote their songs.
In case you missed it, check out the viral video of Shifrin quitting her job here. Maybe the song will rank even higher after all the press this news is receiving.
