The 'Caught A Vibe' TikTok Audio Explained

It seems that every other week a new trend hits TikTok, especially when it comes to using certain snippets of songs. All it takes is one person to use a lyric or sound from any track — whether new or old –— and it can develop a new life of its own on the video sharing platform.

This has certainly been the case for Willow Smith, who recently made the transition from pop music to a heavier sound. Collabing with the likes of Travis Barker and Avril Lavigne, Smith's latest record "Lately I Feel Everything" established a foothold in the alternative rock genre. Outside of the record, Smith formed a band with musician Tyler Cole called The Anxiety (via High Snobiety). They dropped their debut single "Meet Me At Our Spot," which became somewhat of a sleeper hit during the middle of the pandemic.

But it's lyrics obviously resonated with many on TikTok, as the portion of the track that includes "caught a vibe" is lifted directly from the song.

However, it's not the recorded version that went viral. The Anxiety performed a live version of the track in September 2021, which has since wracked up over 67 million views after it was first uploaded on YouTube. The success of the song is even more incredible on Spotify, where the original studio version has been streamed nearly 300 million times since its 2020 release.

So, why has it caught the attention of so many on TikTok? Well, as with many songs, a handful of creators started using the "caught a vibe" portion of the track to accompany the "TikTok arm thing" move, as The Tab notes, as well as more "exaggerating gestures" to match the vibe of Smith's vocals as she sings the chorus. The majority of these moves correlate to what Smith is singing about, but some are just literally users vibing out to the music — which isn't that hard with a song like "Meet Me At Our Spot."