Why This Song From 1944 Keeps Going Viral

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About

Gays in 1944 or The Trolley Song refers to a viral TikTok trend in which “The Trolley Song, ” performed by Judy Garland for the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis, is utilized for memes, dance videos and remixes. The trend uses modern-day gay culture to jokingly exaggerate interpretations of the past, stemming from Garland’s longstanding veneration within the gay community. One of the earliest known memes to use "The Trolley Song" in conjunction with the "gays in 1944" joke was posted in October 2021, with the format becoming further popularized in 2025.

Origin

“The Trolley Song” was written and composed by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin in 1944 for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s musical film Meet Me in St. Louis. The film, starring Judy Garland and directed by her future husband Vincente Minnelli, was a critical and commercial success, later being selected for preservation by the Library of Congress for its historical significance. “The Trolley Song” and other songs performed by Garland for the film have since become traditional pop standards.

Judy Garland has long been considered a significant figure in LGBTQ culture and history. Garland’s status as a gay icon stems from an admiration of her ability as a performer and identification with her personal struggles as a tragic figure. Garland’s role as Dorothy in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz cemented this status, with the term “Friend of Dorothy” entering use as a code word for gay men.

One of the earliest instances of the “gays in 1944” joke used in conjunction with “The Trolley Song” was uploaded to TikTok by user @eringobraghqueen on October 7th, 2021. The video, composed of various reaction videos and memes, reads: “gays in 1944 when judy dropped this,” juxtaposing the chaotic nature of the videos and modern stan culture with the dated musical number. As of February 2026, the video has received 49,600 likes and over 191,500 views.

@eringobraghqueen

♬ original sound – lucy

Another early instance of the meme was posted to X / Twitter on October 21st, 2023, by user @heyjaeee, depicting a photo taken at a screening of the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film, edited with footage from Meet Me in St. Louis and the caption: "Gays down at the bottom of the theater in 1944 when the trolley song came on." As of 2026, the post received 5,500 likes and 281,800 views.

29 PM 10/21/23 282K Views 14 • 17578 KNSTLANDS TOTANY AUG COMAR CARTO AESSFABLERS MCHAS FAR GAMBEL 42 NATALIE POWS ANJA PARTENA SITL MATT COMPAN 5.5K 91

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Dance Trend

On July 27th, 2025, TikTok user @aforeman017 posted a video dancing to The Andrews Sisters’ 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" with the caption: “Gays when the Andrew’s sisters dropped this banger in the 1940’s” in a similar vein to the Garland joke. The video went viral, receiving over 75,400 likes and 320,600 views over the course of six months, and would serve as the template for this iteration of the trend.

@aforeman017 He boogie on my bugle till I cumpany b #trend #fyp #xyzbca #gay ♬ original sound – ButterfliesAmongUs7

On August 31st, 2025, TikTok user @lilixmontijo posted a similar video, this time using "the Trolley Song," with the caption: "gays in 1944 when this song came on the radio." The post would receive 218,500 likes and 981,800 views in six months.

@lilixmontijo Clang clang #gay ♬ The Trolley Song – Judy Garland

Other TikTok users began posting videos dancing to the song, incorporating modern dance styles and complex choreography in contrast to the innocent nature of the lyrics. One video by TikTok user @alfiedelia received 250,100 views and 36,800 likes.

@alfiedelia Judy Garland the mother you are 🫡 today #funny #dance #heels #trolley #fyp ♬ The Trolley Song – Judy Garland

Remixes

"The Trolley Song" also became subject to various remixes, typically blending the song with contemporary pop and club music, spawning several viral sounds on TikTok.

On September 11th, 2025, TikTok user @gonnagospringbreakers posted a mashup of "The Trolley Song" and "Vroom Vroom" by Charli XCX. The video amassed over 412,100 views and 49,100 likes in five months and became a trending audio.

@gonnagospringbreakers Vroom vroom vroom went the trolley #judygarland #charlixcx #gay #mashup #fyp ♬ Vroom vroom vroom went the trolley – Gonnagospringbreakers

On September 18th, 2025, TikTok user @alisonchilling began posting "Trolley Song" mashups with modern pop hits, notably "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, which received 202,600 views and 36,400 likes in five months.

@alisonchilling okay okay okay you guys were right #arianagrande #trolleysong #dj #nyc #judygarland ♬ original sound – Alison…

Another mashup, this time featuring "House" by Charli XCX, was posted on November 11th, 2025, and quickly became a trending audio. For example, TikTok user @its.chicka's video, posted on November 14th, 2025, which received 476,100 views and 113,400 likes within three months.

@its.chicka there’s no place like house #house #charlixcx #judygarland #wicked #dorothy ♬ original sound – Alison…

On December 6th, 2025, TikTok user @felipe.mp5 posted a mashup of "The Trolley Song" and "Crank" by Slayyyter. The video received 285,800 views and 56,500 likes within two months.

@felipe.mp5 WE’RE CRANKING THAT TROLLEY! @slayyyter #trolley #thetrolleysong #crank #crankit ♬ original sound – felipe.mp3

The audio was used by Slayyyter herself, posting a video to TikTok on December 12th, 2025, captioned: "OKAY JUDYYYY." The video received 184,700 views and 36,400 likes within one month.

@slayyyter

CRANK CRANK CRANK GOES THE TROLLEY…

♬ original sound – felipe.mp3