Trend spotting: Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” is having a moment…for teenagers. 

If you’ve been to see One Direction on their world tour in the last year, or perhaps just been forced to watch their live DVD for your job*, then you’re aware that one of the songs they do in their little “cover songs” breakdown is “Torn.” It’s a surprising choice, as the rest of the songs they cover are less than 10 years old and sung by men. Where they got ahold of this 1997 one hit wonder is a mystery that some intrepid reporter should dig into. I mean, they were all about 3 when the song came out.

Meanwhile, on tonight’s episode of America’s Got Talent (which someone forced me to watch and I would have enjoyed if more Americans on the show had some sort of actual talent), a white bread acoustic guitar playing 16 year old heartthrob of the future broke out his little version of “Torn.” There’s been some discourse in the music press after Phillip Phillips won the last season of American Idol about why America keeps choosing these boring white bread guys on talent shows. White bread got on AGT by popular vote from YouTube watchers. The judges declined to put him through to the semi-finals in favor of a guy who trained a bird.

So what’s the deal with “Torn,” which only reached #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in it’s day? Where are these kids finding it? And why Imbruglia and not Meredith Brooks or the Cardigans or some other random lady song? Honestly, there’s no reason. No big film or TV placement to point to. But if trends come in threes then we need one more (or you know, two more big ones) to push this song over the collective edge so it can become the “Don’t Stop Believin’” of this decade.

* Er, I watched it for work. I swear.