You Can Count On Me Challenge

2018Video challenge / TikTok trendsemi-active

Also known as: I Am Your Valentine Challenge · Count on Me Challenge

You Can Count On Me Challenge is a 2018 TikTok trend where one person extends their palm for another to rest their chin in while Connie Talbot's 2013 song "Count On Me" plays, serving as a relationship test.

The You Can Count on Me Challenge is a TikTok video trend where one person extends their palm face-up and another person runs over to rest their chin in it, set to Connie Talbot's 2013 pop song "Count On Me." The challenge took off on TikTok in early 2018 and crossed over to Twitter in April 2019, where failed attempts and confused reactions made it even more popular. It became a lighthearted relationship test, with the Connie Talbot sound clip racking up over 5.5 million TikTok videos by spring 20192.

challenge memestiktok sound trendsparticipatory video memesrelationship memeswholesome memes

Overview

The You Can Count on Me Challenge follows a simple format: one person holds out their hand with the palm facing up, making a pinching or cupping gesture, while Connie Talbot's "Count On Me" plays in the background2. Their partner, pet, or friend then rushes over and places their chin in the open palm1. The whole thing takes about five seconds, and the appeal comes from whether the other person actually understands what they're supposed to do. When it works, it's a cute trust gesture. When it doesn't, the confusion and awkward reactions are even better content.

The challenge signals a kind of obedience or closeness in a relationship, almost like a call-and-response between partners2. It also works with pets, which spawned its own compilation subgenre2.

The song behind the challenge, "Count On Me," was released by British singer Connie Talbot on June 14, 20132. The music video picked up 42.5 million views and 547,000 likes over the following six years on YouTube2. The song's upbeat, wholesome tone made it a natural fit for TikTok's relationship content.

One of the earliest known You Can Count on Me Challenge videos was uploaded on February 13, 2018, by TikTok user @jongsuk02062. The video pulled in 1.5 million likes and 147,700 shares within a year2. The particular Connie Talbot sound clip used in that video spread across the platform, appearing in over 5.5 million TikTok videos by April 20192.

Origin & Background

Platform
TikTok (viral spread), Twitter (second wave)
Key People
@jongsuk0206, Connie Talbot
Date
2018

The song behind the challenge, "Count On Me," was released by British singer Connie Talbot on June 14, 2013. The music video picked up 42.5 million views and 547,000 likes over the following six years on YouTube. The song's upbeat, wholesome tone made it a natural fit for TikTok's relationship content.

One of the earliest known You Can Count on Me Challenge videos was uploaded on February 13, 2018, by TikTok user @jongsuk0206. The video pulled in 1.5 million likes and 147,700 shares within a year. The particular Connie Talbot sound clip used in that video spread across the platform, appearing in over 5.5 million TikTok videos by April 2019.

How It Spread

On May 23, 2018, TikTok user @kemal kayaoglu posted their own version of the challenge using the Connie Talbot sound under their own audio name. That video got over 215,000 likes and nearly 3,000 shares in a year, and the sound was reused in 222,200 additional videos. Another TikTok user, @rijalofficial, uploaded a version (since deleted) whose audio was picked up in 411,200 videos.

By April 2019, the trend had spilled onto YouTube. On April 16, Best TikTok Compilation uploaded a compilation of challenge attempts that got over 50,400 views in a year. ChinaSpotlight uploaded a companion compilation featuring only animals doing the challenge, which picked up 8,500 views in 10 months.

The real second wave hit Twitter on April 26, 2019. User @OGCORLIN tried the challenge on someone who had no idea what was happening, posting the video with the caption "Twitter lied to me. This doesn't work". The tweet blew up with 38,800 retweets and 180,600 likes in four days. It kicked off a flood of Twitter users posting their own attempts. The next day, @Caiiruhh posted a successful version that got 7,200 likes and 490 retweets in three days.

On April 27, @mikekindred_ posted a video where the target responded negatively, earning 5,700 retweets and 28,200 likes in three days. Many of the Twitter versions featured failed attempts, people asking "Do you want FOOD?" in confusion, or partners who simply had no clue what the hand gesture meant.

On May 2, 2019, PopBuzz published an article about the trend, referring to it as the "I Am Your Valentine challenge" and noting it had even reached actress Jessica Chastain.

How to Use This Meme

The format is straightforward:

1

Open your hand palm-up in front of your partner, pet, or friend, making a gentle cupping or pinching motion with your fingers

2

Play Connie Talbot's "Count On Me" (or the associated TikTok sound) in the background

3

Film their reaction as they either place their chin in your palm or stare at you in total confusion

4

The best content usually comes from the confused or failed attempts

Cultural Impact

The You Can Count on Me Challenge rode the early wave of TikTok-to-Twitter crossover trends in 2018-2019. PopBuzz covered it under the alternate name "I Am Your Valentine challenge," framing it as a relationship litmus test that "is exposing the lonely singletons amongst us". The trend's jump from TikTok to Twitter showed how challenges could mutate across platforms, with TikTok favoring the cute successful versions and Twitter gravitating toward the awkward failures.

The animal compilation subgenre gave the challenge extra shelf life, as pet content tends to get reshared across platforms long after the original trend peaks.

Fun Facts

The Connie Talbot sound clip from the original challenge video was used in over 5.5 million TikTok videos by April 2019.

@OGCORLIN's failed Twitter attempt got more engagement (180,600 likes) than most of the successful TikTok versions.

PopBuzz gave the challenge a completely different name, calling it the "I Am Your Valentine challenge," despite TikTok users knowing it by the song title.

Connie Talbot was a child singer who first gained fame on Britain's Got Talent in 2007, making the song's second life as a meme audio an unexpected turn.

Multiple TikTok users reuploaded the Connie Talbot audio under their own names, each spawning hundreds of thousands of derivative videos.

Frequently Asked Questions

You Can Count On Me Challenge

2018Video challenge / TikTok trendsemi-active

Also known as: I Am Your Valentine Challenge · Count on Me Challenge

You Can Count On Me Challenge is a 2018 TikTok trend where one person extends their palm for another to rest their chin in while Connie Talbot's 2013 song "Count On Me" plays, serving as a relationship test.

The You Can Count on Me Challenge is a TikTok video trend where one person extends their palm face-up and another person runs over to rest their chin in it, set to Connie Talbot's 2013 pop song "Count On Me." The challenge took off on TikTok in early 2018 and crossed over to Twitter in April 2019, where failed attempts and confused reactions made it even more popular. It became a lighthearted relationship test, with the Connie Talbot sound clip racking up over 5.5 million TikTok videos by spring 2019.

challenge memes tiktok sound trends participatory video memes relationship memes wholesome memes

Overview

The You Can Count on Me Challenge follows a simple format: one person holds out their hand with the palm facing up, making a pinching or cupping gesture, while Connie Talbot's "Count On Me" plays in the background. Their partner, pet, or friend then rushes over and places their chin in the open palm. The whole thing takes about five seconds, and the appeal comes from whether the other person actually understands what they're supposed to do. When it works, it's a cute trust gesture. When it doesn't, the confusion and awkward reactions are even better content.

The challenge signals a kind of obedience or closeness in a relationship, almost like a call-and-response between partners. It also works with pets, which spawned its own compilation subgenre.

The song behind the challenge, "Count On Me," was released by British singer Connie Talbot on June 14, 2013. The music video picked up 42.5 million views and 547,000 likes over the following six years on YouTube. The song's upbeat, wholesome tone made it a natural fit for TikTok's relationship content.

One of the earliest known You Can Count on Me Challenge videos was uploaded on February 13, 2018, by TikTok user @jongsuk0206. The video pulled in 1.5 million likes and 147,700 shares within a year. The particular Connie Talbot sound clip used in that video spread across the platform, appearing in over 5.5 million TikTok videos by April 2019.

Origin & Background

Platform
TikTok (viral spread), Twitter (second wave)
Key People
@jongsuk0206, Connie Talbot
Date
2018

The song behind the challenge, "Count On Me," was released by British singer Connie Talbot on June 14, 2013. The music video picked up 42.5 million views and 547,000 likes over the following six years on YouTube. The song's upbeat, wholesome tone made it a natural fit for TikTok's relationship content.

One of the earliest known You Can Count on Me Challenge videos was uploaded on February 13, 2018, by TikTok user @jongsuk0206. The video pulled in 1.5 million likes and 147,700 shares within a year. The particular Connie Talbot sound clip used in that video spread across the platform, appearing in over 5.5 million TikTok videos by April 2019.

How It Spread

On May 23, 2018, TikTok user @kemal kayaoglu posted their own version of the challenge using the Connie Talbot sound under their own audio name. That video got over 215,000 likes and nearly 3,000 shares in a year, and the sound was reused in 222,200 additional videos. Another TikTok user, @rijalofficial, uploaded a version (since deleted) whose audio was picked up in 411,200 videos.

By April 2019, the trend had spilled onto YouTube. On April 16, Best TikTok Compilation uploaded a compilation of challenge attempts that got over 50,400 views in a year. ChinaSpotlight uploaded a companion compilation featuring only animals doing the challenge, which picked up 8,500 views in 10 months.

The real second wave hit Twitter on April 26, 2019. User @OGCORLIN tried the challenge on someone who had no idea what was happening, posting the video with the caption "Twitter lied to me. This doesn't work". The tweet blew up with 38,800 retweets and 180,600 likes in four days. It kicked off a flood of Twitter users posting their own attempts. The next day, @Caiiruhh posted a successful version that got 7,200 likes and 490 retweets in three days.

On April 27, @mikekindred_ posted a video where the target responded negatively, earning 5,700 retweets and 28,200 likes in three days. Many of the Twitter versions featured failed attempts, people asking "Do you want FOOD?" in confusion, or partners who simply had no clue what the hand gesture meant.

On May 2, 2019, PopBuzz published an article about the trend, referring to it as the "I Am Your Valentine challenge" and noting it had even reached actress Jessica Chastain.

How to Use This Meme

The format is straightforward:

1

Open your hand palm-up in front of your partner, pet, or friend, making a gentle cupping or pinching motion with your fingers

2

Play Connie Talbot's "Count On Me" (or the associated TikTok sound) in the background

3

Film their reaction as they either place their chin in your palm or stare at you in total confusion

4

The best content usually comes from the confused or failed attempts

Cultural Impact

The You Can Count on Me Challenge rode the early wave of TikTok-to-Twitter crossover trends in 2018-2019. PopBuzz covered it under the alternate name "I Am Your Valentine challenge," framing it as a relationship litmus test that "is exposing the lonely singletons amongst us". The trend's jump from TikTok to Twitter showed how challenges could mutate across platforms, with TikTok favoring the cute successful versions and Twitter gravitating toward the awkward failures.

The animal compilation subgenre gave the challenge extra shelf life, as pet content tends to get reshared across platforms long after the original trend peaks.

Fun Facts

The Connie Talbot sound clip from the original challenge video was used in over 5.5 million TikTok videos by April 2019.

@OGCORLIN's failed Twitter attempt got more engagement (180,600 likes) than most of the successful TikTok versions.

PopBuzz gave the challenge a completely different name, calling it the "I Am Your Valentine challenge," despite TikTok users knowing it by the song title.

Connie Talbot was a child singer who first gained fame on Britain's Got Talent in 2007, making the song's second life as a meme audio an unexpected turn.

Multiple TikTok users reuploaded the Connie Talbot audio under their own names, each spawning hundreds of thousands of derivative videos.

Frequently Asked Questions