Social media’s influence on the music industry has been huge, especially as it involves TikTok. If a song is used in a viral TikTok trend, it really contributes to the success of a song. The internet has become a way to introduce people to new music, and has done wonders for the careers of artists like Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, and Ice Spice. It also worked magic for OneRepublic, who’s Top Gun: Maverick song “I Ain’t Worried” became extremely popular after videos of Miles Teller’s abs went viral.
One of the most memorable scenes from Top Gun: Maverick is when the fighter pilots play shirtless beach football. It acts as an homage to the original Top Gun, where the pilots famously play shirtless volleyball while impractically wearing jeans. The scene in question went crazy viral on TikTok, and it features a moment where Miles Teller flexes his abs while dancing in slow motion. The scene is set to “I Ain’t Worried,” and the popularity of the clip helped earn the song a lot of attention. Ryan Tedder, lead singer of OneRepublic, talked about this recently on the YouTube channel Daniel's Wall, where he said:
I love the song, do I think it would have connected if it hadn't gone off on TikTok? Probably not. Not in the way that it has now. Miles Teller's abs, shirtless, Miles Teller doing this [does the dance]. I'm actually sending his abs a bottle of Dom Pérignon. I already bought a bottle of champagne for his abs.
Tedder seems super cool with Teller’s abs being the catalyst for the song's success, as it really helped it catch on. The movie has a lot of great tunes on the soundtrack, including Lady Gaga’s Oscar nominated song, “Hold My Hand” and the classic Kenny Loggins song, “Danger Zone” from the original film. Top Gun: Maverick was a box office hit, so lots of audiences were exposed to the OneRepublic chart topper just by seeing the film. However, slow motion shirtless scenes by one of our most buzzy young movie stars set to their single certainly helped.
Tedder even posted a video on TikTok of himself thanking Teller for making the song such a hit for his band. He actually gave the actor a bottle of Dom Perignon dedicated to the Whiplash actor's abs, showing that the musician is a man of his word. You can see the exchange below:
@realryantedder ♬ original sound - Ryan Tedder
The impact of this short scene really can not be overstated. A three hour compilation of the beach football moment playing on a loop went viral as well, and the Louisville Cardinals football team recreated the scene shot for shot to advertise their upcoming football season. Cast members from the movie have been candid about how intense the preparation for the scene was, so their workout efforts were not in vain.
While the virality of music being so important to success has been widely discussed and is controversial, for Tedder, he couldn’t be happier. The band has had a number of hits in their discography like “Good Life” and “Counting Stars,” but having another hit on their hands featured in one of the most popular movies ever, is truly something special. It’s almost as special as Teller’s abs.
Fans can see Miles Teller’s viral physique in Top Gun: Maverick, which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. You can also check out “I Ain’t Worried” along with other songs from the film on the film sountrack Top Gun: Maverick (Music from the Motion Picture), which is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
