#SeaShanty
The #SeaShanty hashtag exploded in early January 2021 when TikTok users, stuck at home during pandemic lockdowns, rediscovered 19th-century maritime work songs and turned them into viral harmonized duets, with “The Wellerman” becoming the unlikely soundtrack to isolation.
The Wellerman Phenomenon
Scottish mailman Nathan Evans posted:
- “Soon may the Wellerman come” - New Zealand whaling shanty
- Posted December 2020, gained traction in January 2021
- TikTok duet feature allowed harmonies and instruments
- Millions of versions with bass, drums, harmonies, orchestration
- Professional musicians joining amateur singers
Why Sea Shanties?
#SeaShanty resonated because:
- Call-and-response structure perfect for TikTok duets
- Communal singing during isolated pandemic times
- Rhythmic work songs created connection
- No musical training needed - anyone could join
- Wholesome escapism to simpler, pre-industrial times
The Musical Structure
Sea shanties worked on TikTok because:
- Repetitive choruses easy to learn and harmonize
- Strong rhythm originally for coordinating ship work
- Duet-friendly with clear harmony parts
- Layering possibilities building orchestral arrangements
- Accessible to voices of all skill levels
Beyond “The Wellerman”
Other shanties that went viral:
- “Drunken Sailor” - traditional with energetic tempo
- “Bones in the Ocean” - emotional modern shanty
- “Randy Dandy-Oh” - sailing shanty
- “Leave Her Johnny” - departure shanty
- “Roll the Old Chariot” - halyard shanty
Cultural Crossover
#SeaShanty led to:
- Nathan Evans record deal with Polydor Records
- “Wellerman” remix by 220 Kid & Billen Ted charting globally
- Streaming spikes for The Longest Johns (shanty group)
- New interest in maritime history and folk music
- Academic attention to working songs and oral tradition
Why January 2021?
The timing wasn’t accidental:
- Post-holiday isolation intensifying
- Vaccine still months away for most
- Winter lockdowns at their bleakest
- Need for communal activity while physically apart
- Escapist fantasy of maritime adventure
Community Building
#SeaShanty created:
- Collaborative music-making across continents
- Professional/amateur musicians working together
- Genre education about maritime working songs
- Appreciation for folk traditions
- Wholesome internet moment during dark times
Academic Interest
The trend sparked:
- Musicologists analyzing viral folk music
- Maritime historians explaining shanty contexts
- Discussion of work songs and labor movements
- Preservation of dying oral traditions
- Educational content about whaling history
The Comfort Factor
Sea shanties provided:
- Rhythmic work songs for stuck-at-home labor (remote work)
- Community singing when gathering was forbidden
- Masculine emotions expressed through song
- Simple harmonies creating complex beauty
- Nostalgia for imagined simpler times
Legacy
#SeaShanty will be remembered as:
- Early 2021’s strangest wholesome trend
- TikTok’s power to revive centuries-old music
- Pandemic comfort through communal singing
- Folk music renaissance among Gen Z
- Proof that people were desperate for connection
The trend proved that even 19th-century whaling songs could provide comfort and community during a 21st-century pandemic, and that sometimes the internet just needs to sing together about sugar, tea, and rum.