Taylor Swift’s influence knows no bounds. She’s boosted economies, raised intelligence levels and - if you believe the political commentators - has the power to swing the US election.
Now, though, it appears that the star has done something even more unlikely: propelled The Darkness’s I Believe In A Thing Called Love to the top of the US iTunes Rock Chart.
Released back in 2003, I Believe In A Thing Called Love originally hit number 2 in the UK Official Singles Chart, and made the Top 10 in the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It’s definitely a song that’s endured, and when it was played during the US Open Women’s Final in New York on Sunday, it quickly became clear that Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce - who were there spectating - knew every word.
Not content with just singing along, Swift also whipped out her air guitar (model not confirmed - possibly a Gibson). Inevitably, the moment was caught on camera, and the clip quickly went viral, introducing The Darkness to a new tranche of fans in the process.
I Believe In A Thing Called Love quickly rose to the summit of the iTunes Rock Chart and enjoyed a resurgence in many others, and The Darkness’s frontman, Justin Hawkins, couldn’t be more delighted.
“It was a really heartwarming moment for me, and my little girl can’t wait to tell her friends at school,” he said via TikTok. “So thanks Taylor, thanks Travis, thanks everybody who enjoys tennis, that’s a really lovely start to the day. Nice one guys.”
It turns out that Swift had told Hawkins of her love for his band’s most famous song before, which resulted in him finding his way to the VIP area of an Eras Tour show in Switzerland recently.
“A few weeks ago my daughter and I went to see Taylor Swift at the stadium in Zurich and the hospitality they showed us was extraordinary,” he said. “They put us in a lovely VIP area; I had Chris Rock on one side, Roger Federer on the other side, I was dad of the year. And to make matters even more spectacular, Taylor Swift sent me a lovely letter which was waiting for me in the VIP section, talking about how much she loves the song I Believe In A Thing Called Love. I was dad of the year, maybe dad of the century, because all of that was a big surprise.”
Of course, the logical next step is a collaboration - a re-recording of Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End), perhaps? Perhaps not.
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