Jeff Buckley Celebrates His First Top 100 Hit Nearly 30 Years After His Passing Thanks to TikTok Virality

Jeff Buckley in Antwerpen, Belgium, in September 1994.
Credit:

Gie Knaeps/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Jeff Buckley’s “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over,” from his sole album, Grace, has entered the Billboard Top 100.
• As of the week of January 31, Buckley’s acoustic ballad reached No. 97.
• The resurgence of the song followed its viral success on TikTok in 2025.

Jeff Buckley has posthumously made his mark on the Billboard Hot 100 nearly three decades after his tragic death.

Billboard announced on January 27 that Buckley’s “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” has reached No. 97 for the first time.

The 1994 hit has attracted new fans, primarily due to a trend on TikTok where users have featured the song in their videos. Notable lyrics include Buckley singing the bridge: “It’s never over/ My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder/ It’s never over/ All my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her….”

The acoustic ballad was included on Buckley’s debut studio album, Grace, released in 1994. The album, which became a platinum seller, peaked at No. 149 in June 1995.

In April 2025, “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” debuted on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart at No. 22.

The album saw a resurgence in popularity in 2025, aided by social media and the release of the documentary It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley in July 2025. By December 2025, Grace achieved No. 82 on the Billboard 200.

Jeff Buckley performs during the Glastonbury Festival in June 1995.

Mick Hutson/Redferns

The documentary offered a detailed glimpse into Buckley’s life and career leading up to his untimely death in 1997, when he drowned in a Memphis river at the age of 30.

At the time of his death, Buckley had relocated to Memphis to work on new music and was set to begin recording his second album, My Sweetheart the Drunk, the day he passed. In a tragic incident, he waded into a tributary of the Mississippi River while fully clothed.

A wake from a riverboat caused him to be submerged, and his body was recovered six days later. An autopsy revealed he had consumed one beer and no drugs, ruling his death accidental.

His mother, Mary Guibert, expressed how much her son desired to live a long life filled with music. “He fantasized about being onstage in a wheelchair,” she recalled. “He envisioned a life where he could share his songwriting with others.”

“He could put his guitar on his shoulder, and people would want to hear him sing,” she added. “That would be all life would ask of him.”

Jeff Buckley in Atlanta in August 1994.

David Tonge/Getty

Despite his life ending prematurely, Buckley’s influence on the music industry remains profound. Artists such as Adele, Radiohead, Lana Del Rey, and Coldplay‘s Chris Martin credit Buckley as a significant source of inspiration.

“Many people mourn the loss of the artist, but for me, it was about his personal gift,” said Rebecca Moore, Buckley’s partner. ” The beauty of his work transcended much of what he faced in his life.”