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Comment by tunnuz | Hacker News Reader

Can someone explain Internet’s sudden interest in sea shanties that seems to have exploded in 2020?

This article goes into some details how it started on TikTok by Scottish musician Nathan Evans https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/15/entertainment/sea-shanty-...

FWIW, I remember the sea shanties being wildly popular in the Assassin's Creed gaming community when they got introduced in AC Black Flag (or was it AC Rogue?) and they have been added to every following game that features sea travel.

Seems to be aligned with the current Zeitgeist.

The sea-song trend has been simmering on social media for a while, before boiling over just now and since before the start of the pandemic. This "Drunken Sailor" video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgwOHnr3xVE got a fair bit of attention in about 2019. One or two professional groups have also been having some success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjC9HMlysmA Assassin's Creed IV does seem likely to have been the starting point.

There is also a group called The Fisherman's Friends from Port Isaac in Cornwall UK. They had a hit record and a film made about them (typical British dramatised RomCom). I think this made a lot of people conscious of the sea shanty.

https://thefishermansfriends.com/

They're heavily designed for community building. The call/response format means it's easy to join after hearing it once or twice. The lyrics are usually a limerick of sorts, and the chorus never changes.

The tune is designed to carry itself without musical accompaniment, has limited range, and is easy to harmonize with. The coarse lyrics about various hardships and simple tune almost lend itself to voices that aren't particularly sweet, and that gives it a charming character of it's own.

Now, given that people have been quarantined for months on end, sea shanties are a drop in for a want for community.

Well serendipity makes them reappear, and once they are exposed to mainstream audiences, well, they are very simple, very rythmic music made for easy recall and easy chanting no matter your skill. And as said in other comments, they bring a mix of pirate/adventure/old-times lore that seems cool. I’d also add that to insecure young men they will seem safer to chant. Same as with martial music.

And lots of 'bass'!

"Soon may the Wellerman come" remix with bass:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zDTaeqUEWNQ

Well, they're about working hard and living in confined spaces with limited social interactions. It was basically a matter of time ever since quarantine started.

Isn't it mostly one sea shanty that's making the rounds on TikTok? Just like we had Dreams being catapulted into the Billboard charts again, not the whole Fleetwood Mac oeuvre?

Wellerman

My pet theory is that it’s an expression of people who are hungry for tradition.

Especially a tradition that embodies camaraderie in the face of isolation.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lighthouse_2019

https://twitter.com/mattblaze/status/1350596044715925506

Perhaps the rising popularity (and recent discounts) of Sea of Thieves?

IIRC it's been trending on TikTok for a couple of weeks

Assassin's Creed IV - Black Flag had a lot (30+) sea shanties.

It was quite a few years ago - but perhaps it was the spark.

I doubt most authentic sea shanties were ever under copyright to begin with. I remember learning a handful of them in the 1980s in primary school, back before they were trending online---back in 'pre-history' before the web was invented.

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