A German rap song titled “Barbaras Rhabarberbar,” or “Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar,” has recently gone viral on TikTok, with influencers dancing to the tune and accumulating millions of views. Music, lip-syncing, and dance have always been essential to TikTok culture, with songs finding new life on the app and new releases gaining popularity through TikTok trends. A 2021 study by MRC Data found that 75% of users discover new musicians through the platform.
Creators on TikTok began moving away from pop songs earlier this year after licensing negotiations between TikTok and Universal Music Group collapsed, resulting in UMG removing a substantial portion of its music from the platform. While licensed music can still be found on TikTok, the absence of UMG songs may provide creators with a greater chance of their own songs going viral.
The original German tongue-twister song “Barbaras Rhabarberbar” tells the story of a woman named Barbara and her legendary rhubarb cakes. Music comedian Bodo Wartke created the video that sparked the trend, in collaboration with fellow content creator Marti Fischer. Despite not understanding the lyrics, TikTokers found the song catchy. Popular creators @steph_who___ and @Christina Stasii created a dance routine for the song, filming themselves in a public bathroom.
The viral trend of “Barbaras Rhabarberbar” spread through TikTok, with popular choreographers like @Cost n’ Mayor and @KayCee Stroh promoting the song. Many users expressed hope that the routine would be featured at Eurovision or in Fortnite, as the catchy song stuck in their heads despite not understanding the lyrics. The trend eventually reached Wartke and Fischer, the original creators of the song, completing the full circle of its popularity on TikTok.
Curious users on TikTok requested an English translation of the German tongue-twister lyrics to “Barbaras Rhabarberbar,” which tell the story of Barbara opening a rhubarb bar and selling cakes that soften a group of “barbarians.” The unexpected success of the whimsical song showcases TikTok’s unique ability to introduce new music to a broad audience through memes and trends. The future of TikTok is uncertain, as President Joe Biden recently signed a bill that could potentially require ByteDance to sell the app to an American owner to avoid a ban in the United States.
