The true, wild story behind TikTok’s ‘speaker song’

By the time Jonathan Class heard the “speaker song” again, he’d almost forgotten it existed.

Class, who lives in Indiana, released the track in 2015. Back then, it hardly saw the light of day — he never uploaded it to any streaming services, and he certainly never performed it.

“I didn’t love it very much at the end,” Class told In The Know. “I was like, ‘People can listen if they want to,’ and that was it.”

Ben Jacobs changed that. Unbeknownst to Class, the TikToker discovered the “speaker song” — which is actually titled “Pull It From My Teeth” — in 2016. The track was playing, of all places, on a demo speaker at his local Bed Bath & Beyond.

@foolslike_me

Still hoping to find this some day..

♬ original sound – Ben Jacobs

Jacobs felt a connection to the song, but for four years, he struggled to find where it came from. He tried Bed Bath & Beyond and the company who made the speaker — no one had any answers.

After Jacobs’ series of videos describing the “speaker song” — and his obsession with it — went viral, he finally managed to put the pieces together. Eventually, the story made its way back to Class.

@jon_class

#duet with @foolslike_me what a day….

♬ original sound – Ben Jacobs

In a duet with Jacobs’ original video, Class showed his own reaction to learning that, five years later, “Pull It From My Teeth” had become a viral hit. He called the realization an “insane fever dream of excitement.”

Class, who works as a record producer, has spent most of his adult life creating music. The difference, though, is that it’s usually someone else’s album he’s helping put out into the world.

But back in 2015, he felt inspired to create an EP of his own. He recorded five songs and put them out under the name Galaxy Family, yet left the process feeling underwhelmed. The only response he ever saw from the record was when an old friend, who worked for a speaker company, approached him about buying some music to use in product demos.

Originally, the friend asked if Class was working with any artists who might fit the bill. But Class, who said he was “totally broke” at the time, decided to send in his own tape.

“[My friend] was like, ‘Hey do you have any artists?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah I do,’ but I’d just finished this song, and I’m like, ‘Hey can I throw my hat into the ring here?'” Class said.

When the song resurfaced five years later, Class was blown away. He called the process — hearing his song, watching it go viral, befriending Jacobs — a “huge gift.”

“You never know when the universe, life, whatever is gonna surprise you,” he added.

All the new attention inspired Class to finally put his music on Spotify. Within weeks, the “speaker song” had more than 100,000 streams. Meanwhile, Class has gained more than 13,000 TikTok followers.

@jon_class

100k Streams!!! Here’s a quick lyric explanation for those who’ve asked. ##songwriting ##newmusic ##music ##originalmusic ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage

♬ Pull It From My Teeth – Galaxy Family

Class told In The Know he’s not sure what’s next for him, but he said he’d feel “irresponsible” if he didn’t do something to reward the thousands of new fans who’ve supported his music — whether that’s another EP, a tour or something else, he’s not sure yet.

“If this turns into something more, it would be absolutely insane and I would love to do that,” he said. “And if it just fades away in like a month, then, man, I’ve had the story of a lifetime.”

He is sure, however, that there’s a lesson to be learned from all this. Class admits that the “speaker song” was a lucky break, but he also says it’s a testament to what happens when you commit to the thing you love.

“Especially when you’re newly an adult — coming out of college or high school or whatever — you grow up with all these ideas of what your life is gonna look like. And, for most of us, it doesn’t happen that way, at least at the beginning,” Class said. “[But], things like this do happen if you stick with it long enough.”

You can now listen to Class’ Galaxy Family EP on Spotify, Apple Music and almost every major streaming service.

If you liked this story, check out this article on Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman.

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