On Sept. 25, Nathan Apodaca — or “doggface208” as he’s known on TikTok — uploaded the now-famous short video of him lip-syncing to “Dreams” while skateboarding down a road in Idaho, drinking a bottle of cranberry juice.
He told NBC Nightly News that his car had broken down on his way to work, so he just grabbed his skateboard and juice, played some Fleetwood Mac and recorded the video that would change his life forever.
@420doggface208
Thanks to him, the timeless hit “Dreams” has been introduced to a whole new generation. Millions of people around the world are listening to the band’s music once again — enough, even, for the song to reenter the Rolling Stones Top 100 Chart. At the time of writing, it is sitting at No. 18.
All of this attention, of course, did not go unnoticed by the band’s members. Mick Fleetwood, co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, actually recreated the TikTok and sent a personal letter to Apodaca. They actually got to meet during an interview Apodaca did with BBC. The musician hopped on to the Zoom call and thanked Apodaca for choosing their song, as well as saying the band owed him one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ky6LOmkbnA
Even the queen herself, Stevie Nicks, lead singer of Fleetwood Mac and songwriter extraordinaire, joined TikTok to recreate the heartwarming video while also making it her own. She appears in front of a piano and trades in the skateboard for a pair of skates.
Apodaca’s video became a sensation for a few weeks after its upload. Millions of people went on to recreate the video or finetune it to make it their own. They all used Apodaca’s style of standing on a skateboard and holding a drink of their choice — whether it be juice or something else. It became a way to show off people’s commutes and transmit tranquility, all achieved by playing “Dreams.”
But let’s look back on a bit of the history of the song. “Dreams” belongs to Fleetwood Mac’s most popular album, “Rumors.” It sold over 10 million copies worldwide within just one month of its release, won a Grammy for album of the year and it’s ranked No. 7 in Rolling Stones’ “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list.
So “Dreams” may have become a brand new discovery for many, but it is definitely a classic. A lot of the album’s success comes not only from the impeccable quality of the music, but also from a curiosity to listen between the notes and get a closer look at what was going on behind the scenes.
Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were the last two members to join Fleetwood Mac. They were a couple and when the band asked Buckingham to join, he said he would only if Nicks was in, too. They came as a package deal and it’s the best decision that the original three made. The band all seemed to connect in the most unique way — the way only music knows how to connect.
Unfortunately, their relationships in the band didn’t last. Buckingham and Nicks broke up during the writing of what would become “Rumors.” Meanwhile, Christine and John McVie, who had been married for several years prior, were in the middle of a divorce. And Mick Fleetwood had started an affair (that wouldn’t last very long) with Stevie Nicks. All of this was eaten up by their fans and it was part of the spectacle of seeing them live: getting a first-row view of how they were all coping. The tension would just be palpable.
As you can see, it was a very complex writing and recording process, but all of their struggles behind the scenes were absolutely worth it to create one of the greatest musical pieces in history — one that’s still being used in such a heartfelt way today.
Why would such a simple TikTok become so popular? I can offer just as simple an answer: because it’s what we need. This year has been hard on us all (some more than others, but hard nonetheless), so something we could all strive for is a man vibing to a timeless hit song while drinking some juice.
With 70.7 million views, I think it’s pretty clear that Apodaca’s short video has spoken to many of us. Apodaca currently has 5.7 million followers and continues to provide all of them with kind videos to keep everyone going. He even uploaded one to encourage everyone to vote, in his own style.
How has Apodaca’s life changed since his upload? Besides all of the attention from celebrities and local networks, he has mostly used his TikTok profile to thank everyone for the support, continue his own form of self-expression and occasionally promote his line of merch.
It’s hard to say what goes on in the universe to bring these two unlikely things together: one from the 1970s’ greatest rock bands and a regular guy working at a potato factory in Idaho. But if it’ll bring us one of the sweetest stories in one of the hardest years the world has faced, well, keep them coming. And pour us a glass of cranberry juice while you’re at it.
