TikTok resurrections are not uncommon in the modern music landscape. Older songs like Tom Odell’s “Another Love” or the Walters’ “I Love You So” regularly go viral on the app and then cross over to streaming platforms and radio. What sets David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” apart is the fact that it was never officially released. Instead, the track – a flip of Eiffel 65’s 1998 smash “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” — has been gathering dust on Guetta’s hard drive since 2017. Which is when the story begins.
“Bebe was in London at the time and I was living there,” the French producer recalls. “She hit me up and we went to the studio.” He can still remember playing with the chords and piano melody of “Blue (Da Ba Dee),” but the rest is a little blurry. Rexha’s recollection of the session is even foggier. “It was so long ago, I don’t even remember it,” the pop star confesses. “There was nothing exciting about that day other than we wrote a hit, but we just didn’t know it.”
Initially, Guetta thought the track didn’t quite work. He suspected, however, that it would make a good addition to his DJ set and premiered it at Ultra Music Festival that same year. It would be the song’s first and last official spin. Guetta and Rexha recorded another collaboration titled “Say My Name” in 2018 and “I’m Good (Blue)” was largely forgotten — at least by the artists. A bootleg immediately became popular on YouTube and eventually, in 2022, the banger found its way to TikTok.
“I was just scrolling on TikTok and I heard a girl singing on a remix of ‘Blue,’” Rexha laughs. “I was like, ‘Damn, David and I had an idea to do that back in the day.’” She sent it to her social media manager who promptly informed her that she was, in fact, listening to her own song. “I go to YouTube and it has 30 million views,” Rexha says. “I was told it pops up on YouTube every year, goes viral and then gets pulled down.” Her first thought? “I got to call Guetta!”
The DJ was surprised to say the least. “Bebe texted me saying we need to put the record out, that it’s exploding everywhere,” Guetta says. “I really had no idea people were into the song.” And Rexha wasn’t exaggerating. A snippet of the DJ set had been used in more than 130,000 “creates” and amassed more than 500 million views on TikTok — numbers that have since doubled. Understanding the relatively short shelf life of a viral trend, the collaborators didn’t waste time.
“I rushed into the studio to finish it,” Guetta says. Interestingly, he used his own music as a reference. “I dug in my own past and produced it a little more like I was doing it at the time of ‘Sexy Bitch’ and all those records,” he reveals. “I’ve been doing this for such a long time, I’m going to be able to sample myself soon.”
His goal was to make a “classic” Guetta record that was accessible to pop and dance audiences. Rexha then re-recorded the vocals. “I could have sworn we cut it on an Sm7, which is a cheap microphone,” the hitmaker remembers. “We cut the song in the room, not even in the booth. So I wanted to re-record my vocals on a proper mic.”
Rexha also added harmonies and the song was swiftly rolled out. In less than a month, “I’m Good (Blue)” has topped the charts in more than a dozen countries including the U.K., Australia, and Canada, and is currently stationed at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“It’s incredible,” Guetta says of the dance anthem’s success. “It’s refreshing that we are living in a time where really people are choosing what they want to listen to.”
When asked why “I’m Good (Blue)” is connecting like it is, their opinions differ slightly. “People love nostalgia and the ‘00s are back in full force when it comes to fashion and music,” says Rexha. “I also think people have been cooped up for three years and they just want to be happy and feel good.”
Guetta, on the other hand, suspects the key to the song’s popularity lies in its simplicity. “Sometimes when you manage to express a simple emotion, people really relate to it,” he says. Revisiting “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” seems like an easy win, but the DJ pushes back. “Doing something simple that doesn’t feel cheesy is very difficult,” Guetta says. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But this time it worked better than we could ever imagine.”
With six hit collaborations to their credit, Guetta and Rexha’s creative chemistry is undeniable. “She’s an amazing singer, but also a great songwriter,” Guetta says. “She also has a crazy work ethic.” Rexha puts their ongoing success down to their easygoing working relationship. “We have great musical chemistry,” she says. “I grew up listening to David Guetta. I literally grew up listening to him. He makes dance music for the mainstream in a really dope way.”
With a worldwide hit on their hands, both artists are contemplating their next move. Guetta, for example, hasn’t ruled out releasing an album. “I’ve had quite a few hits in the last two years,” he says. “I’m thinking about it.” Rexha has another club collaboration on the way and is quietly plotting her third album release. Don’t be too surprised, however, if the duo hits the studio together again soon. “Come on, we’re not going to stop here,” Guetta says. “Absolutely not!”
