Big hit: 'Baby Shark' dances to 10 billion views

'Baby shark' has set a new record, becoming the first song to hit ten billion views on YouTube [Courtesy]

Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo

Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo

I bet you didn’t read that in a prose format but the child in you simply sang along. There is a reason this song has gone viral in the last few years. And now the song has set a new record, becoming the first song to hit ten billion views on YouTube.

It is followed by ‘Despacito’ by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee (7.7 billion views) and another kid song 'Johny Johny Yes Papa' by LooLoo Kids (6.1 billion views).

The global population sits at 7.9 billion but ‘Baby Shark’ has surpassed that count with a whopping 2.1 billion people. This means on average, every person has watched the song approximately 1.5 times.  

Probably some adults too listen to this song on the 'down low' bearing in mind that YouTube is blocked in China, the country with the most people at 1.4 billion.

If you have been in contact with children, you know that they love the ultra-catchy children’s song recorded by South Korean company Pinkfong. Although the original writer of the song is unclear, it became a global phenomenon after being recorded by 10-year-old Korean-American Singer Hope Segoine. The two-minute video, posted in 2016, has been setting records all along.

The song has also made global chart rankings, garnering 32nd place on Billboard’s Hot 100. It is also RIAA-Diamond certified song and has gone platinum 11 times already. In 2019, it ranked sixth in the British Official charts as well.

The question everyone asks is this the best song of all time? Well, this may not be entirely true but most likely the times this song has been played on repeat plays into its massive presence. According to Celebrity Net worth, the song has accumulated a total of $125 million (Sh14 billion) since its release.

But how does it does not measure up against other hits of the decade? Badly. The viral tune may be irresistible to children but it is maddening to some adults. Why then the success?

“I believe the song appeals to children because of the combination of repetitive rhythms and lyrics, sequencing of movements, and a simple melody that builds anticipation,” explained Brian Jantz, music therapist in Boston Children’s Music Therapy Program, in an article 'Why do kids love “Baby Shark”? A Boston Children’s music therapist explains', published on the Boston Children's Hospital website.

“The story of the shark family hunting together, avoiding danger, and returning home safely creates a simple yet rewarding experience even for very young children,” Jantz explains.

“In songwriting today, as we all know, there are no rules. Despite what you might have heard, there is no songwriter jail. (Even for using false rhymes a lot.) Songwriters are under no obligation to write a song by any structures.

"All those conventional craft elements songwriters use to hold songs together exist because they do work; rhyme, melody, structure, etc. – all serve to solidify a song, so that it can persist in time over thousands of repetitions. But a song works even without any of those, it works. As long as a song succeeds, it’s got what it needs,” this is an excerpt from ‘I Am The Walrus’ by John Lennon.

Instructively, some of the most viewed songs make little sense.

A song like 'Gangnam Style' by Korean rapper Psy, became the first YouTube video to garner one billion views. The video's global popularity was a case study in the power and unpredictability of viral internet content.