‘Baby Shark’ Is Climbing The Billboard Charts, And We Can’t Believe It
Just when you think it’s been everywhere, it comes back someplace new. That’s right, ‘Baby Shark,’ the song you love to hate is back. Well, it never actually goes away ”” but it keeps finding new ways to come back. First it was the video, then the dance challenge. And now, the song is slowly climbing the Billboard charts. Actually, it’s debuting in the Top 40. Yes, you’re reading that correctly. ‘Baby Shark’ is in the U.S. Top 40. It’s right alongside songs like, “Without Me” and “Thank U, Next.” Who says that songs for kids can’t break out of the preschool set?
But you’re probably thinking, how is this just happening? So, technically the song has been around forever. Anyone who has been a parent for at least three years can tell you that. While it’s been in existence for years, the version gaining power is from 2016. PinkFong, an educational brand from South Korea is responsible for this one. By adding two little kids in shark costumes and a couple easy dance moves, they are giving ‘Baby Shark’ a new life. And for some reason many of us can’t understand, this song is taking off.
Most parents would be okay with never hearing ‘Baby Shark’ again. Truly. Because there’s nothing like hearing the grating repetition of “doo doo doo doo doo doo” to haunt your dreams. But as we know, when the internet gets hold of something, it’s all over. And that’s exactly what has become of ‘Baby Shark.’ This summer, it went viral ”” becoming an internet dance challenge. From there it’s popularity has only grown. For example, it’s in the YouTube top 30 videos. Over 2 billion people globally are watching that video. And most of them can’t even read.
So, how does this happen? Well, because the song is not recent, it’s a little more complex. Because it is from 2016, the process to get onto the Billboard Hot 100 is longer. Which says even more about the power of this freaking song. Since it’s an older song, it has to accumulate a certain amount of “chart points” to make the list. Since it’s been continuously streaming pretty much since the summer, this isn’t particularly difficult.
As of the week ending January 3rd, ‘Baby Shark’ had 20.8 million streams, many of which are video views. In addition, during that week, there were 3,000 digital downloads. These are all factors into the chart points leading to its ascent to greatness.
No word yet on when the reign of ‘Baby Shark’ will end, but it doesn’t seem like anytime soon.
