TikTok has published its Songs of the Summer 2026 list, naming Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away” the most-used track on the platform this summer.
The list was released on September 1, and it is dominated by songs about heartbreak and longing rather than beaches and parties. DR reports that the ten most-used songs of the summer were largely emotional and nostalgic, a break from the usual sunshine formula.
Katy Perry’s track tops the ranking. According to a TikTok press release cited by DR, the song was used in more than 42 million videos and generated over 55 billion views. Perry joined the trend herself, using her own song in a video about an ex-boyfriend getting engaged.
The TikTok Newsroom announcement presents the ranking as both a global list and a country-by-country breakdown of the songs most widely used during summer 2026. The company published parallel releases in several markets, including the Netherlands and Japan.
Older tracks lead the list
Perry’s song was originally released as a single in 2011. As noted by MusicWeek, the track has been rediscovered by a younger generation on the platform, driving a rise in streams and a return to the charts.
On TikTok, the song was used both for tearful cover versions and for a trend called “My top five nightmares”, DR reports. The pattern of older catalog songs resurfacing runs through much of the top ten.
Second place goes to the late rapper Mac Miller’s “Cinderella”, featuring Ty Dolla $ign. Miller died in 2018, and the song is ten years old. TikTok states that it was mainly used in a wave of nostalgia about past relationships and personal reflection.
Third on the list is Lenny Kravitz’s ballad “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” from 1991. Per DR, the song became part of the same nostalgic heartbreak wave that spread across many users’ feeds this summer.
Not every entry follows that theme. In fifth place is BabyChiefDoit’s “Ghetto Love Story”, which generated a dance trend on the platform during the summer months.
Zara Larsson singled out
TikTok also honored Swedish pop star Zara Larsson for what the company called an outstanding contribution to the summer. According to DR, TikTok credited her with creating a “Pop Girl Summer” through the songs “Lush Life” and “Midsummer Sun”.
The recognition came as part of TikTok’s Summer Honours 2026, published alongside the main song ranking. The lists were released on the first day of September, the start of the autumn months.
The rankings are based on how often songs were used as soundtracks in user videos. TikTok’s announcement covers activity across the summer of 2026 and reflects usage on the platform rather than commercial sales or radio play.
