There’s something rather fitting about a song inspired by an elderly woman’s casual comment at a magazine rack becoming one of TikTok’s most heartwarming trends.
SALES’ Pope Is a Rockstar has found new life in 2024, though perhaps not exactly as its creators intended.
Now in 2025, while other viral sounds have faded into digital obscurity, this accidental anthem still soundtracks life’s little victories.
Maybe it’s the way the misheard “Go little rockstar” feels like a gentle pat on the back, or how the dreamy indie melody makes both success and failure feel a bit more manageable.
Whatever the reason, this grocery store epiphany turned relationship song turned uplifting anthem keeps finding new ways to matter.
What is Pope Is a Rockstar About?
What started as a random supermarket moment – a customer glancing at a magazine cover of the Pope and casually remarking “Wow, the Pope is a rockstar” transformed into a track that would find meaning far beyond its origins.
Yet in 2025, most people singing along have never heard the actual lyrics and that’s perfectly fine with the band.
Pope Is a Rockstar Lyrics Explained
Understanding the original lyrics adds another layer to the song’s journey.
With lines like “We can wait forever for the worthwhile track” and “Face the lie that I’m hawking,” it captures the complex emotions of walking away from a relationship.
This context makes its transformation into an uplifting anthem even more remarkable.
How Did Pope Is a Rockstar Go Viral?
@vlad.hoshin im moving soon and im very happy about it
♬ Pope Is a Rockstar – SALES
Late 2021 marked a turning point. TikTok users began hearing “Go little rockstar” instead of “Pope is a rockstar,” transforming a song about leaving into one about lifting others up.
@morganbcohen ♬ Pope Is a Rockstar – SALES
Videos started pouring in: proud pet parents documenting their puppies growing up, graduates celebrating achievements, and friends cheering each other on.
SALES’ Response to the Viral Trend
Rather than correct the mass mishearing, SALES embraced it. The band even admitted wishing they’d thought of “Go little rockstar” themselves.
This acceptance helped the misheard version evolve from viral trend to digital shorthand for celebration.
Pope Is a Rockstar’s Impact on SALES
The song’s streaming numbers tell an interesting story. What started with 3.6 million monthly Spotify listeners exploded to over 7 million during its viral peak.
In 2025, those numbers remain impressive, with the track featuring in more than 1.3 million TikTok videos with each one adding a new layer of meaning to the original.
The Mesmerising Magic of Pope Is a Rockstar
There’s something almost impossible to pin down about this song’s atmosphere.
Even in 2025, after countless plays and millions of interpretations, it floats in a space between melancholy and comfort.
The dreamy guitar work and ethereal vocals create a sonic landscape that somehow manages to feel both deeply personal and universally relatable.
But perhaps that’s exactly what makes it special. While the lyrics might speak of endings and walking away, the melody carries something more profound – a reminder to cherish the present moment and the people who fill it.
The song has become a gentle reminder that life’s most precious moments often aren’t recognised until they’ve passed, leaving behind memories that continue to resonate.
Whether listeners hear the relationship narrative or the uplifting misheard version, the gentle melody creates space for both interpretations.
A chance comment at a magazine rack, transformed by millions of mishearing ears, has become part of how we celebrate each other online.
Sometimes getting the lyrics wrong leads to something unexpectedly right.
For anyone curious about the actual lyrics – fair warning: once you’ve heard “Go little rockstar,” it’s surprisingly difficult to unhear it. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
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SALES pope is a rockstar Lyrics
Verse 1
Now he wants to start talking
“Go ahead,” when I’m walking
Face the lie that I’m hawking
“No, don’t wanna, won’t happen”
Chorus
Pope is a rockstar
You take your clothes off
Heading for the last fight
Before our worlds part
Verse 2
We can wait forever for the world to untrack
We can wait forever for the worthwhile track
And, oh, you want to start talking
Fall together, I’m walking
Face the lie that I’m hawking
We can always fight
Bridge
You can be the highlight
Pope is a rockstar
Hoping on a late night
Verse 3
How you wanna start talking?
How you wanna start walking?
We can make a landslide, dive-in
We can let it all go, cave-in
You wanna start talking
You know what I’m walking
Hoping that I— hoping that I won’t cry
Hoping that I— hoping that I won’t try
