‘If I Were a Fish’: TikTok’s Fish Song Will Be Stuck in Your Head All Damn Day

Amassing more than 2.1 million likes since hitting the platform on April 11, “If I Were a Fish,” a cute little indie number from musician Corook – a.k.a. Corinne Savage – and their partner, Olivia Barton has melted the cold heart of TikTok.

Featuring the pair smiling and singing while largely gazing into each other’s eyes, the song and its accompanying video captured millions of views – and hearts – with its kitschy lyrics and nostalgic, Juno-soundtrack vibes.

“If I were a fish and you caught me, you’d say look at that fish, Shimmerin’ in the sun, such a rare one, can’t believe that you caught one,” they sing in the song, which has since been released on all major streaming platforms by popular demand. “Why is everybody on the Internet so mean, Why is everybody so afraid of what they’ve never seen?”

Largely heralded for its serotonin-boosting effects – “This brought me so much joy!!!!” wrote @redleafranch, one of the several commenters recounting how the song put smiles on their faces – it seems the story behind “if I were a fish” isn’t all sunshine and fishing poles.

“I was having a very emotional day, feeling insecure and out of place,” Savage recounted in the caption of the original video. “So I cried to Olivia and after feeling through it, we wrote this song in 10 minutes to remember the joy in being different.”

And it seems this embrace of individuality paid off.  Ten days later the song would premiere as a BBC Radio 1 Top Pop Pick.