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Harlem Shake (meme)

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Not to be confused with Harlem shake (dance).

The Harlem Shake is an Internet meme that went viral on YouTube in February 2013. The meme is in the form of a video that began being replicated according to a similar concept by many people.[1]

The art form of the meme was established in a video uploaded on February 2 by The Sunny Coast Skate,[2] five teenagers from Queensland, Australia. The teenagers' video, in its turn, was a follow-up to a video by a YouTube comedy vlogger named Filthy Frank.[3][4][5] featuring a part where several costumed persons danced to the song "Harlem Shake" by Baauer.

Concept

Stills from a Harlem Shake video made by the office of Rolling Stone Indonesia
A Harlem Shake video by Rolling Stone Indonesia

The videos last 30-something seconds and feature an excerpt from the song "Harlem Shake" by electronic musician Baauer. Usually, a video begins with one person (often helmeted or masked) dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds, surrounded by other people not paying attention or unaware of the dancing individual. When the bass drops, the video switches to the entire crowd doing a crazy convulsive dance for the next 15 seconds. The dancing style should not be confused with the original Harlem Shake dance.[6] Also, in the second half of the video, people often wear a minimum of clothes or crazy outfits or costumes while wielding strange props.[7][8]

Reasons for success

The success of the videos was in part attributed to the anticipation of the breakout moment and short length, making them very accessible to watch.[9]

The Washington Post explained the meme's instant virality by referring to the jump cuts, hypnotic beat, quick setups and half minute routines.[10]

The Harlem Shake is technically very easy for fans to reproduce, as it consists of a single locked camera shot and one jump cut. Nonetheless, the simplicity of the concept allows fans considerable scope in creating their own distinctive variant and making their mark, while retaining the basic elements. In its simplest form, it could be made with two people; a more sophisticated version might even involve a crowded stadium. Moreover, there is a level playing field for celebrities and fans alike, with no guarantee of success for either group. There is a strong vein of humour running through each video that is not dependent on language, further increasing its potential to spread virally. [11][12]

History

Creation

The art form of this meme was established by five teenagers known as The Sunny Coast Skate from Queensland, Australia.[4][2] After a while, more people started to replicate the original video and upload their own versions to YouTube, therefore Harlem Shake became what is called an Internet meme,[2] in this case a series of similar videos re-created according to a similar concept.

Viral spread

On February 10, the upload rate of Harlem Shake videos reached 4,000 per day. As of February 11, about 12,000 versions of the popular Internet meme had been uploaded to YouTube, garnering over 44 million unique views. As of February 15, about 40,000 Harlem Shake videos had been uploaded, totalling 175 million views.[2]

As a result of the popularity of the phenomenon, Baauer's single reached #1 on the iTunes America chart and #2 on iTunes in the UK and Australia on February 15th, 2013.[13]

Cambridge, England (stills from one of 4000 videos a day uploaded at the peak of the meme's popularity)

Reception

Initial critical response

Numerous commenters have compared the Harlem Shake to "Gangnam Style".[14][15] But the business magazine Forbes pointed out that unlike "Gangnam Style" and other notable hits from 2012, Harlem Shake is more of a meme, since a wide variety of groups and individuals have uploaded variants of the dance. [16]

Martin Talbot, Managing Director of The Official Charts Company in the UK, described Harlem Shake as a "phenomenon", the first ever "crowd sourced video" to significantly drive sales of a song. Previously, as happened with Gangnam Style, there was always an initial video created by an artist which would start a dance craze that was subsequently adopted by fans.[12]

Projected lifespan

The Atlantic magazine declared the "meme murder[ed]" when the mainstream Today television program broadcast their version of the Harlem Shake on February 13.[8]

The Los Angeles Times cited a number of reasons why it felt the meme was nearing its peak, including what it described as an "extravagant" departure from the meme's humble origins, adoption by a very broad demographic including the elderly, choreographed corporate versions by ad agencies and marketing departments, apparent boredom of video participants, and significant departures from the original formula, such as the use of multiple camera angles and visual effects.[17]

Notable people and groups who performed the Harlem Shake

Various groups that shot videos of themselves doing the Harlem Shake included the staff of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon[18], a squadron of the Norwegian Army,[19] basketball players from the Dallas Mavericks,[17] and the colleagues of CNN newsanchor Anderson Cooper, the last of whom received a Twitter shout-out from Baauer himself.[8] Cooper showed video of his staff performing the dance, while declaring himself "horrified" and "uncomfortable" about it.[20] Other participants in the craze included the University of Georgia swim team, whose video received at least 7.8 million views,[13] "a senior community,"[21] musicians Matt & Kim,[19] musician Azealia Banks,[22][23][24][25] the staff of The Daily Show,[26] Ryan Seacrest, and Stephen Colbert.[27][28][10]

Even local television outlets got in on the action, including Raycom Media's CBS affiliate KSLA/Shreveport, Louisiana (while reporting it during their February 9, 2013 newscast) and their sister NBC affiliate WECT/Wilmington, North Carolina, Bonneville International's NBC affiliate KSL-TV/Salt Lake City, Utah, and Fisher Broadcasting's ABC affiliate KATU/Portland, Oregon. Not to be outdone, radio stations like WNRG/Milwaukee, Europe's NRJ Radio, the syndicated Kidd Kraddock morning show, and the staffs at Sirius XM Radio, Music Choice, the gaming website IGN, and cable service National Geographic Channel also did their own versions. Even the staff at TSN recorded two versions, one of which was a "failed" attempt by James Duthie to involve the NHL on TSN panel.

After numerous companies and startups began uploading their own Harlem Shake videos for what appeared to be promotional purposes, the business magazine Forbes advised them to produce their own original content instead of variants of the same video. It stated that there were too many versions already on YouTube, and that such publicity efforts could become "lost amidst all the noise."[16]

Timeline of going viral

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All times UTC

  • 2013-01-30 22:34: "FILTHY COMPILATION #6 - SMELL MY FINGERS" by Filthy Frank (channel DizastaMusic) uploaded[29]
  • 2013-02-02 15:17: The Sunny Coast Skate's version uploaded[30]
  • 2013-02-02 17:38: Filthy Frank's version uploaded[31]
  • 2013-02-03 04:34: PHLOn NAN's version uploaded[32]

References

  1. ^ Template:Web
  2. ^ Template:Web
  3. ^ a b Muir, Kristy (February 15, 2013). "Copycat shakers tap into worldwide video hit by Coast teens". Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  4. ^ "Will the Harlem Shake viral meme ever stop?". 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-02-15. A group of teenagers known as The Sunny Coast Skate from Queensland Australia, were the first to respond and the rest, as they say, is history.
  5. ^ "Inventor of Harlem Shake Interview". InsideHoops. August 13, 2003. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  6. ^ Mallenbaum, Carly (February 13, 2013). "'Harlem Shake' videos stir up YouTube". USAToday. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Wagner, David (2013). "The Harlem Shake Meme Is Dead". The Atlantic. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |day= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "YouTube:Here's How 'Harlem Shake' Went Viral". Mashable. Feb 13, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Kaufman, Sarah (2013). "Is it any wonder the Harlem Shake went viral?". The Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |day= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Berkowitz, Joe (February 15, 2013). "A brief history of internet phenomenon 'Harlem Shake'". FastCompany.
  11. ^ a b Cochrane, Greg (2013). "Viral fan videos propel Harlem Shake track into charts". BBC. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |day= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  12. ^ a b "Harlem Shake challenges Gangnam Style on online dance floors". Articles.chicagotribune.com. February 15, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  13. ^ Template:Web
  14. ^ Template:Web
  15. ^ a b Kelly Clay (2012-04-18). "Forget The Harlem Shake And Do Your Own Dance". Forbes. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  16. ^ a b Rodriguez, Salvador (2013). "Eight things killing the Harlem Shake". The Los Angeles Times. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |day= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  17. ^ "The Harlem Shake Is the New Gangnam Style!". E! Online. 2013-02-11. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  18. ^ a b Watercutter, Angela. "Breaking Down the Harlem Shake Meme With Matt & Kim | Underwire". Wired.com. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  19. ^ "Anderson Cooper Horrified By 'Harlem Shake' (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  20. ^ "Harlem Shake Detroit Videos: Dance Craze Sweeps Motown - But Who Danced It Best?". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  21. ^ "Azealia Banks Calls 'Harlem Shake' Artist a Gay Slur, Reignites Beef With Perez Hilton". Billboard. 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  22. ^ "Azealia Banks Takes On 'Harlem Shake' Producer And Perez Hilton (Again)". Rapfix.mtv.com. 2012-05-17. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  23. ^ Kathy Iandoli. "Azealia Banks Delivers The Twerk In "Harlem Shake" Video: watch". Idolator.com. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  24. ^ "Azealia Banks – "Harlem Shake" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  25. ^ "Jon Stewart Calls Out CNN's Carnival Triumph Cruise Ship Coverage: 'You're Not Heroes' (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  26. ^ Hartwig, Gabe (2013-02-07). "Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert do the 'Harlem Shake' : Entertainment". Stltoday.com. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  27. ^ Catalini, Michael. "Play of the Day: The States (And Colbert) Take on The Banks". NationalJournal.com. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  28. ^ "YouTube data for "FILTHY COMPILATION #6 - SMELL MY FINGERS" by DizastaMusic". Retrieved 2013-02-17.
  29. ^ "YouTube data for "The Harlem Shake v1 (TSCS original)" by TheSunnyCoastSkate". Retrieved 2013-02-17.
  30. ^ "YouTube data for "DO THE HARLEM SHAKE (ORIGINAL)" by DizastaMusic". Retrieved 2013-02-17.
  31. ^ "YouTube data for "The Harlem Shake v2" by PHLOn NAN". Retrieved 2013-02-17.

External links

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