I saw this coming a couple months ago. In fact, I even posted a version on my personal Facebook page. You see about four months ago I gave up DirecTV because my cable bill was well over 250 a month with sports packages, etc, so I did the various free trials of Hulu, Sling, etc and ended up ironically with DirecTVNow. So with this patchwork lineup of channels that never fully satisfied, I found one that offered some interesting music stuff including the UK version of the show the X Factor. On this past season’s finale, Simon Cowell’s 6 or 7 year old son was put in charge of "a number," hence I joined the ranks of the informed, as I witnessed THIS:
youtu.be/rAqlpPU0NdY So once again, the mind of Simon Cowell has dropped this bomb on us from abroad. Someone should build a g-d danged wall!!!!
Marc Nathan
A smart, astute A&R guy in Nashville
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LeBron James recently showed his family, singing this song, in his IG stories.
46.4M followers...
MP Doherty
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Have you seen this? Rob Halford doing the Baby Shark dance:
bit.ly/2AObX59 He posted that 3 weeks ago.
David Wildsmith
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I think it's because of this video.
youtu.be/JzfBedGaIjU Peter Feld
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Rosabella has been listening to baby shark for 2 years. What’s amazing is that she found it by herself on YouTube probably at 1 year old or maybe younger. We did not introduce it to her. For a while she was obsessed with it but not as much recently. But she knows all the dance moves for the various sharks in the song. And we have the app on our phones/iPad. The creator probably made a fortune!
Andrew Einhorn
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Haha I can't believe you just wrote about this song. My 4 and 6 year-old turds at home probably account for a couple of millions of those fucking views (and the reason it's stuck in my head on a daily basis), and although they have Spotify access (through Alexa), they ONLY watch/listen for it on YouTube. It's a uniquely visual thing for them (they request other shit on Alexa). The visual element of this song is the key here. Also, daaamn you Leftsetz now it's stuck in my head again all night (shaking fist -- limply).
Best,
Kia Kamran
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OMG my two year old is obsessed with this song. She asks for it on the Google Home all the time. Last thing I thought you’d ever write about, but a hit is a hit!
- Jared
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Hey Bob do de do de doooo
We had Baby Shark at the YouTube FanFests in Korea and Bangkok and the effect was remarkable, AMONGST THE PRODUCTION CREWS!
Teams that are more used to working with A-list talent and shows we’re queuing up for backstage selfies and clamouring for free merch.
I know, I was one of them!
Jasper Donat
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Love this banda version
youtu.be/sOZwHD5Bf7Y Larry Sloven
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"Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark!"
10,000 hours.
Steve Lukather
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Wait a minute! Assuming you know this, but didn't see it mentioned... this streaming / viewing has to be all parents with toddlers. My 4 yr old son and 2 yr old daughter are obsessed with this tune and the "chomp" dance that goes with it. Have been for about a year, ever since their baby sitter (who was from Brazil) introduced them to it. We're probably responsible for about 5MM of those streams.
There's no way this is what they're rocking at college parties.
Matthew Colban
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I have a 2 yr old and all she sings is baby shark!
Albert Bale
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Reminds me of "My Sharona"
Kerry Gogan
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Hip hop is in its “hair metal” phase and I for one can’t wait for it to sink. like when the titanic it was hit the iceberg that was Nirvana.
I look forward to your emails! Keep them coming, we need it.
All the best
Brantley Gutierrez
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2,171,849,596 views?!?! WTF. What else has that many? I feel like I need to be the L Ron Hubbard for kids….”if you wanna make the real money, make YouTube kids videos”
Zach Leary
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Well, I have to say that I never expected to see “Baby Shark” in one of your posts! LOL! But thanks for the ear worm, can’t get it out of my head!
Kim McAllister
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Baby Shark started off as a YMCA song. Kylie Jenner gave it the cosign on an Instagram post months ago, and of course made it cool for every young mother to sing it to their kid. Expect for future consumer products and music to start making there ways to children, thanks to Kylie.
Daniel Rosario
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Baby Shark is old news. It was on the Gary and Shannon show on KFI months ago. It's a huge ear worm, but it's also the kind of song high school kids can get obsessive about.
People with little kids already knew about it, too. And have you heard the YouTube version of "the wheels on the bus?" Search for it on YouTube. It's about an hour long and it has MORE THAN 2 BILLION VIEWS! I'm an American music professional, living in Finland. I'm thinking it's time to make one of these channels. We're in the wrong business now, trying to make these pop hits. Ok, the cartoon aspect is part of that, but it's for sure paid itself back by now. Children's music is where it's at. And on top of that, my friends 2 year old speaks English perfectly! It's because of YouTube.
Tracy Lipp
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My 10-year old daughter and her 3-year old stepsister introduced this song to me about 2 months ago! Talk about zeitgeist
Vijay Thakur
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Hey Bob, as a parent I can tell you this song is a scourge. I've had to ban my kids from singing it, because it is an earworm that has the potential to nag you all day, especially when kids can't stop singing the first verse every few seconds. In an annoying voice.
Knowing that it's on the Billboard Hot 100 gives me mixed feelings. Initially I'm exasperated. But looking at it as a novelty song makes me appreciate it a little more - I love novelty songs, from the Martian Hop and My Bologna to Chocolate Rain and Friday. When one breaks through all the noise of the modern world to become part of the culture, I think we should celebrate that. It certainly is a phenomenon of the moment for kids, as visible as the dances from Fortnight or any song by Imagine Dragons. Kids love Imagine Dragons almost as much as Baby Shark. And to tell you the truth, their song "Thunder" isn't a far cry from Baby Shark. Maybe I can appreciate them more as a novelty act?
rob getzschman
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Summer 2017 was the summer of Baby Shark in our house. My daughter just turned two. Too old to leave in her crib when you need to get something done (get dressed, brush teeth, etc.), but too young to let lose around the house. We needed a short term babysitter... enter YouTube.
One day, after pulling up a playlist of preschool songs for her we hear "Baby Shark, doo doo doo-a-doo." Coming from our bedroom. Ever since then it was, "Daddy, play it again!" Over and over and over.
Kids, when they cling onto something, they CLING ON. It didn’t take long for it to turn into a sort-of house anthem that lasted for months. On our drive down to Nashville and then to Charleston I remember my wife and I singing it over and over (that and the classic “Head and Shoulders”) to our girl in the back by fervent request.
50 billion YouTube hits is totally understandable. Any parent of a toddler would agree. I think we contributed about half of those plays ourselves. Not to mention Spotify plays, etc.
Thanks Bob!
-Matthew Kalinauskas (Parent of two, Hamilton, Canada)
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Just when I got this out of my head…..
My 2.5 year old daughter is obsessed with it! My household is good for at least 300 of those steams.
Brian Aiello
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This song is literally decades old.. I sang it when I was a kid
Sara Sopher
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Reading this at 8 AM ON SAT
"Alexa, play Baby Shark!"
I laugh so hard I cry.
Next I forward to 25 friends. (Around the globe)
And so on and so on.
All within 3 minutes
Neil Lasher
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Long-time LefsetzLetter subscriber here. I look forward to your stuff. But damn you!
Catchy? Like the black death.
It keeps sneaking up on me. Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo...
If I don't sleep tonight it's all on you.
(but I'll keep reading the LefsetzLetter)
Kelly Mullen
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I've known you for a very long time... You've seen my daughter grow up. Anyway, you've lost it! You are working hard and traveled through so many time zones that it boggles the mind... This is total shit! Gimmie' Psy any day!
Jeff Laufer
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great! because of this i looked up that stupid song on youtube and have it stuck in my head singing it everywhere i go! ha, thanks bob!
Gabriel Heymann
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Elizabeth learned that song at one of the camps she went to and we used to sing it around the campfire in Canada!!!!!!!!! Some things are timeless!
Kate O'Laughlin
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I was going to ask you if Billboard had "Jumped the baby shark" with that one.
Chris Beytes
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Bob, you know 1-877-KARS-4KIDZ also has a very strong hook.
Tom Lehr
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Truly one of my favorite tunes.
Ezekiel Reed
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