Members of Lit Surprise Country Singer Covering ‘My Own Worst Enemy’
Two members of the rock band Lit surprise a country singer covering their late '90s hit "My Own Worst Enemy" onstage in Nashville, Tenn., the rockers joining in on the tune to the delight of onlookers.
That's what's shown in a TikTok video that's gained nearly four million views since it was shared on Monday (Nov. 15) by artist and influencer Adley Stump. Lit singer A. Jay Popoff and his brother, guitarist Jeremy Popoff, politely stage-rush country singer Eric Van Houten on the outdoor stage at Nashville's Twelve Thirty Club while he's performing the song solo.
Watch the video down toward the bottom of this post.
The clip begins with the Popoffs watching Van Houten perform the song from behind him, standing along a fence that skirts the streetside performance space. Bystanders start to recognize the Lit members before they crash the performance and start playing along.
"This band hears THEIR song being played," onscreen captions narrate, "and are about to give the singer the SURPRISE of his life. People begin to RECOGNIZE them! They begin to CLIMB over the fence and SNEAK behind the singer … [who] performs at this bar every week."
In the summer of 1999, "My Own Worst Enemy" was inescapable on rock radio. Two decades later, it continues as a staple on alt-rock playlists. Surprisingly, the single was only certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America just last year.
Allen Shellenberger, the Lit drummer who performed on "My Own Worst Enemy" and its parent album, 1999's A Place in the Sun, died in 2009 from brain cancer. Lit still record and perform; they shared a music video for their new single "Yeah Yeah Yeah" last month.
"My Own Worst Enemy" is the subject of a new four-part documentary podcast set to debut on Nov. 23, where the impact of the song is recounted through interviews with music peers, label execs, songwriters, radio hosts and musicologists. Check it out here.