Teen discovers his dad’s unreleased song from the '70s — 43 years later, it has become a huge hit

Four decades is a long time, but certainly not long enough for some cool disco music to go out of fashion. Zach Montana (@zach.montana), a budding musician, was casually listening to songs in his car when he stumbled upon a banger from the 1970s. After enjoying the beats for some time, Montana froze in a moment of realization. He could not believe what he was hearing as a familiar voice sang the classic tunes of the song. It was his father’s unreleased song from 43 years ago and Montana was overjoyed by how good it sounded. 

The youngster could not resist sharing his father’s cool music with the world and posted a TikTok video narrating the entire coincidence. Montana’s father, William ‘Curly’ Smith had recorded the song, Surrender to Me, in the 1970s but failed to hit the charts. It was originally co-produced by Smith and singer-songwriter Mark Olson. The lack of streaming platforms and skepticism from music labels had kept the banger dormant all these years, but not anymore. Fast forward to the present, it lay on a dusty shelf unnoticed for decades until Smith’s son, now 21, decided to pick it up and share it on the internet.

“I’m in my car and my dad put music in here, and I was enjoying it, and I found out that he wrote it in the ‘70s,” Montana quips in excitement. The unexpected followed. Soon after Montana posted the TikTok, both the video and song went viral on social media platforms. On YouTube, the track, which was finally released in 2022, has over 3.1 million views and over four million streams on the streaming giant, Spotify. The instance changed the course of the father-son duo’s career overnight. 

Montana talked to Insider, recalling the moment he discovered the song. “I went to go plug my phone in to stream my own music and the song just came up in my car," he told the media channel. "And then the vocals come in. I was like, 'I know that voice,’” he said. Simultaneously, the artist himself, Smith was overwhelmed by the massive reaction from music enthusiasts and netizens, calling it a miraculous event. "Every now and then something truly miraculous and amazing happens in your life. I think this song being released after 43 years on a dusty shelf definitely qualifies for a miracle in my life. Hallelujah!" Smith noted. 

Smith is a veteran in the music industry with an eminent career that dates back to 1994 when he was a drummer for the iconic rock band of the time, Boston. Touring with the band from 1994 to 2001, Smith’s works include collaborations with artistic greats like Rick Springfield, Bette Midler, and Bonnie Raitt, per TODAY. Long after his music career had ended, Smith could not believe how a single song would shove him back into the spotlight, making appearances on popular talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live. He performed a rendition of Surrender to Me with his son on the show. Meanwhile, the youngster noted that his father is more excited about his career rather than his own and hopes the viral song will help launch Montana as a musician. 

You can follow @zach.montana on TikTok for more videos.