As 2018 officially came to an end just over a week ago, I hoped all those annoying trends which defined it, would be left behind too.
It could be, but it looks like we’re not going to be that lucky because Baby Shark – y’know, the extremely annoying children’s song which was everywhere last year – has now entered the charts at number 32.
Not just any old chart either; it’s actually managed to get a desired place on the Billboard Hot 100, proving the majority of Americans must now have perforated ear drums.
The latest version of the now-viral song, courtesy of Pinkfong, was released in 2016 but became popular worldwide last year, when K-pop groups started performing versions of it.
Since then, the song, as well as the dance moves, have gone viral on social media – with the hashtag #babysharkchallenge dominating Twitter.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Baby Shark took on a life of its own and has since racked up more than 2.1 billion views on YouTube alone. Impressive, right?
Have a listen below, see if your eardrums can stand it:
But world domination clearly wasn’t enough. The song is now sneaking its way into the charts – which means we’ll be hearing a lot more of it on the radio.
Debuting at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, it shows no signs of slowing down, so looks like 2019 will be tainted with its annoyingly catchy tune too. Sorry people!
But forget about its popularity for a moment while we go back to basics. If, for some lucky reason, you’ve never heard of Baby Shark then let me enlighten you.
The song is the brainchild of Pinkfong; a Korean YouTube channel which helps children learn through catchy sing-along videos.
The Baby Shark video follows a three-generational family of sharks – who are all hungry, obvs – and a little fish who is urged to swim away from them.
As it’s a children’s song, it has a happy ending and all the fish swim away happily.
Now if they could just go and swim away, off our radios, computers, and televisions forever, that would be great. Please and thank you with a cherry on top.
It’s looking doubtful though as the video is also one of the top 40 most-viewed YouTube videos, ever, and has even become popular in gym classes.
Adults at a spinning class had the time of their lives when their gym instructor incorporated Baby Shark into their workout routine.
The video, shot at Activ Health Club in Belfast, shows the spin class members trying out the famous shark moves, while cycling away to their heart’s content.
Take a look below:
The video – as with all things Baby Shark – went viral, with exercise dodgers and devotees alike uniting in delight, as well as amusement, at this fun, alternative, exercise class.
And it’s true; they do look ridiculously happy considering they’re in a spinning class. I usually look like I’m going to throw up!
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).