A FAMILIAR MEME. A NEW CONTEXT.

Shooting Stars

What this meme means

A song by Australian electronic duo Bag Raiders that became a meme years after its release as the backing track for video edits. It fits any clip needing a sudden moment of elation, from collages to parodies.

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Origin of the song

Bag Raiders are an Australian duo who played in an electro-pop and house style. The track "Shooting Stars" came out around 2009–2010 and got club and radio rotation, but it didn't achieve wide fame until, several years later, it became part of internet culture.

The exact date of the first meme edit and the author of the video that started it all could not be established. By most accounts, the meme gained momentum around 2017, when the song began appearing in videos where people seem to float or swim underwater, and that image became attached to the track.

The visuals

One of the most recognizable images associated with the meme is a shot of people in pink and blue clothing swimming or falling among dolphins in deep blue water. The image creates a feeling of weightlessness that matches the melody well: rising synthesizers accompany the shift from tension to release.

This image was used in edits where characters fall, fly, or spin, with the dolphins adding a layer of absurdity. That's why the meme is perceived not as a parody of a specific plot, but as a universal backdrop for scenes with a weightless, floating effect.

How the song is used

The track became a frequent soundtrack in cubes, parody clips, and video collages, where the music sets the rhythm for cutting between shots. Users laid it under compilations from films, sports clips, falls, and unexpected moments, creating a comic contrast between a serious scene and the airy sound of the music.

Over time the meme spread across short-video platforms, where sound is often more important than the picture. The song was recognizable from its first few seconds, and that was enough for the viewer to understand that another joke built on a familiar melody was coming.

Why the meme caught on

An important factor was that the track is short, energetic, and free of sharp lyrics, making it suit a wide range of audiences. There's no need to translate it to feel the mood, which is a rare quality for music memes.

Another factor is the song's long journey from a club release to internet folklore. Such stories often start when a track happens to land in a successful edit, after which hundreds of creators pick it up, each adding their own version.

Variants and significance

Versions of the meme differ in their choice of footage: some use clips of falls, others use shots from nature or sports. What all the variants share is a sense of lightness and the moment when anxiety gives way to elation.

The meme is often cited as an example of how a song from an ordinary release can, years later, get a second life thanks to video platforms. For Bag Raiders themselves, it became an unexpected reminder of a track that continues to be heard across the internet.