What is the “all that work and what did it get me” trend on TikTok? Viral song explained

❘ Updated: 2024-03-13T11:28:00

A song from Glee has become a new trend on TikTok

Fox/YouTube, ray_kenley/TikTok

If you’ve been on TikTok lately, chances are you’ve seen people sing along to “all that work and what did it get me, why did I do it?”. But what is the viral song called?

When TikTok first started out in 2016, it merged with ByteDance’s other short-form video app – Musical.ly – which was all about dance routines, lip-syncing, and other ways for creatives to showcase their work, which has meant that music has played a big part in most viral videos.

However, Universal Music Group recently took all of its songs off TikTok. As many of the app’s biggest sounds and most iconic memes were reliant on UMG-copyrighted material, users have had to be creative to find new songs to use for their videos.

One song that has recently become popular and becomes a viral trend on TIkTok sees users sing along to the lyrics “all that work and what did it get me?” – but where is it from, and what’s the new trend? Here’s everything you need to know.

Music has always been an important part of TikTok videos

What is the “all that work and what did it get me” song from TikTok?

The song is called “Rose’s Turn” and is a number from the musical Gypsy. However, the version of the song that has gone viral is a performance from season one of Glee, which aired in 2010 and is sung by the character Kurt Hummel, who is played by Chris Colfer.

The line used in the trend is the first line from the Glee version, which was used to great effect in a number that was used to express every form of regret.

What is the “all that work and what did it get me” trend on TikTok?

The song “Rose’s Turn” was used in season one of Glee, and now the beginning of that number is being used to express every form of regret that TikTok users might have gone through.

From putting in the work in a class only to get the same grade, or working hard to get somewhere only for your success not to be recognized, TikTokers are opening up in this new trend.

As TikTok users sing along to the lyrics “All that work and what did it get me, why did I do it” while having an overlay text explain situations where they’ve put in the work for something but the work not paying off.

Ray Kenley was one of the many users to take part in the trend, and his video has now reached over 9.2 million views in just three days. Ray is seen looking into the distance with a twitching eye while singing along to the glee song. The overlay text reads: “When u actually paid attention this time and u end up w the same grade.”

TikToker Kelly Salpeter also took part in the trend and as the camera moves across her face, the text reads: “When I spent 8 hours scripting, filming, and editing a high-quality video for it to get 800 views but the one of my back that took 45 seconds to make got 66 million views.”

So there you have it – everything you need to know about the “all that work and what did it get me” trend on TikTok.

If you want to learn more about how to use TikTok, you can check out our other guides here: