If, like me, TikTok has consumed many of your waking hours (outside of exam season of course) then there is a high chance you’ve also been bopping along to a few sea shanties of late. Since Nathan Evans first posted his cover of the sea shanty Wellerman, there has been a plethora of additions and edits made by the TikTok community, including a rather banging EDM remix. However, our love of sea shanties has grown beyond being just another internet trend, as Bristol band The Longest Johns found out after their rendition of Wellerman earned them a number one spot on Spotify’s viral charts in 19 countries. This begs the question: why are sea shanties fast becoming the new sound of 2021?
One reason may be that sea shanties are generally quite easy to learn. Using Wellerman as an example: the entire chorus stays within one octave, meaning it’s not too challenging for your everyday belter of Pop Tarts classics to master. Sea shanties are also catchy, with simple rhythms and lyrical repetitions that get stuck in your head rapidly.
Beyond their musical simplicity, the key reason why shanties are so popular right now may be in their ability to unite groups of people. Back in the sea-faring days, shanties were used to help coordinate the work of a ship’s crew, whilst boosting morale. Often the lyrics centre around themes of working towards the same goal and expecting good fortune to come of this work. Feeling the effects of a third national lockdown, many of us can identify with these themes as we hope that better times may soon be upon us if we do our best to stick out the bad. Thus, it is not surprising that the sense of togetherness and connectivity created by ancient sea shanties is making a comeback under our present circumstances. Now, where’s my sugar and tea and rum?
