When Tame Impala released “Dracula” just under a year ago, it seemed clear that Kevin Parker was offering an anthem for Halloween. What few could have anticipated, though, is that it would end up becoming one of the biggest global hits of the past year. Especially in the United States, where the news moved from Tame Impala entering the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time to the track breaking into the top five. That happened, of course, thanks to the Jennie remix, but the song remains the same.
On Spotify figures, the Dracula remix with Jennie sits at about 459 million streams, while the original track has around 537 million. Nearly the same total, and both appear in Spotify’s global top 200. In Spain, to illustrate the song’s reach, Dracula with Jennie has topped Los 40.
And the success of “Deadbeat” doesn’t end there, because Tame Impala has just logged another mega-hit thanks to a track that came out earlier. “Loser,” the most guitar-driven track on the album, has also become a hit. It did so thanks to its prominent use in the blockbuster “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”: it has climbed into the US Spotify top 10 and is on the verge of breaking into the global top 10. Right now it sits at No. 11.
The film’s impact is such that “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” continues to dominate at the box office and is already eyeing the $2 billion mark: Sony and the MCU are breaking records, so it isn’t surprising that “Loser” has resonated with so many people who discover it by watching the movie.
Despite warm, rather than glowing, reviews of “Deadbeat,” a album that, at JENESAISPOP, we do advocate for and honored as among the best of last year, Tame Impala’s sixth album is turning into the most fruitful period of his career in terms of hits. “The Less I Know the Better,” his greatest hit, simmered into success over the years, but “Dracula” and “Loser” have required only one. It’s possible that, in a short time, the figures for the two versions of “Dracula” will surpass those of “The Less I Know the Better” on streaming platforms. Although it will be difficult, because the latter remains among the most streamed songs today.
The success of “Deadbeat” has positioned the album as a serious contender for Album of the Year at the Grammys, according to Hits Daily Double. The base is, of course, the triumph of “Dracula” and “Loser,” but the quality of tracks such as “My Old Ways” or “End of Summer” should also count. If we had to guess what the next big hit might be, we’d bet on “Afterthought.”
