Not just for drunken sailors: how sea shanties took over TikTok – The Guardian

And now sea shanties.
I also do not know what a sea shanty is. The first is that the collaborative nature of TikTok lends itself to things like massed singing, so if someone submits a video of themselves carrying out a sea shanty, its only natural that other users will desire to hop aboard and harmonise.
That lockdown has actually broken us to such an extent that were forced to sing sea shanties on the internet for enjoyable. When that took off, he submitted another of The Wellerman, a 19th-century New Zealand sea shanty about waiting for supplies of rum, sugar and tea sent by the Australian whaling company, Weller Brothers.

Look: Just about the hippest thing on TikTok right now.
TikTok? The app where people dance? Basically, yes, although its worth mentioning that recently TikTok users collaboratively designed, constructed and patented an advanced tablet bottle particularly to improve the lifestyle of individuals with Parkinsons illness. But, yes, also dancing. And now sea shanties.
I also do not understand what a sea shanty is. Its a kind of cumulative folk tune typically carried out by merchant sailors, anglers or whalers as they took part in shipboard labour. Shanty is believed to be stemmed from the French verb “chanter”, which suggests to sing.
That all noises really old. Why is it huge on TikTok? Well, there are two competing theories. The first is that the collaborative nature of TikTok lends itself to things like massed singing, so if someone uploads a video of themselves performing a sea shanty, its only natural that other users will wish to hop aboard and harmonise.
Whats the other theory? That lockdown has actually broken us to such an extent that were required to sing sea shanties on the internet for fun. They both hold up.
At the end of December, he submitted a video of himself singing a tune called The Scotsman. When that took off, he published another of The Wellerman, a 19th-century New Zealand sea shanty about waiting for supplies of sugar, tea and rum sent by the Australian whaling company, Weller Brothers.
And after that? Next day, a user called Luke the Voice included a bass consistency to the video, and then all bets were off, honestly.
By last week, a succession of nicely bearded young boys in beautiful jumpers had added their voices to the song, and the virality began. Now the ranks have swollen to such a level that The Wellerman now has several vocalists and two different violin tracks and the musical ranks are more gender balanced.
Where is this going to end? Its currently starting to sound like the Game of Thrones style tune, so who knows? A sax solo?
I need to say, this is all lovely and rather wholesome.. On the other hand, Twitter remains a flaming hellpit of Nazis. Do you think we might all be on the incorrect social media platform?
Do state: “What shall we make with the drunken sailor?”
Do not state: “Force him to tape-record a meticulously harmonised ancient song on an app to highlight the emptiness of his life.”

Call: Sea shanties.
Age: At least 600 years old.