Popularity vs Longevity

Everyone wants to create a smash hit: a movie or a book or a song that is instantly popular, and remains meaningful for decades thereafter. In order to do this, you have to balance popularity and longevity. 

We can all think of songs that are impossibly popular for one summer, then aren’t really played in the years that follow. We’ve all seen blockbusters that set records at the box office, but then aren’t really referenced or watched in the decades that follow.

On the flip side, we’ve all heard people describe a work of art as “ahead of its time.” Work that isn’t necessarily popular or understood when it’s released, but then ends up being appreciated and referenced later, as people continue to engage with it for years to come. 

The combination of the two is a smash hit—an “instant classic.” Something that feels relevant and exciting for the moment, while still offering something meaningful and interesting for the long haul. Part of the trick here is pushing the right boundaries to just the right degree. Something too progressive for the moment might not be popular in the moment. Something that doesn’t push any boundaries might be popular today, but boring tomorrow. 

The fourth option, of course, is creating something that’s neither popular nor durable, that fades instantly into the realm of “content.” This is when you swing for popularity or longevity (or both) and miss entirely. This happens more often than we care to admit (even with songs and movies and books we consume). 

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be simply popular. There’s nothing wrong with eschewing popularity, and just trying to create something of quality. There’s also nothing wrong with creating something that ultimately achieves neither. But if you want to create a smash hit—an instant classic—you have to balance both to a precise degree.