Most Watched Video of All Time

Baby Shark is the most-watched video on YouTube, with over 12 billion views, 50% more than the second most watched. Few know that thousands of Youtube videos with variations of the Baby Shark song were released before the 2017 viral hit.

No one knows who wrote the first version of Baby Shark, but different versions seem to start spreading in summer camps during the late 20th century. The song creation was inspired by the release of the movie Jaws and typically involved lyrics related to a swimmer being eaten by a shark, including a German version posted on YouTube in 2008 by Alemuel , which ended up getting that artist a record deal.

But it was only eight years later, with the version of a famous Korean children's entertainment brand, Pinkfong, that the song rocked the world and quickly became a global phenomenon. Their formula was to adapt the lyrics to be child friendly and create a more professionalized video. There are still pending lawsuits about the song's copyright, the most famous being the one by children entertained called Johny Only, which released very similar lyrics and dance five years earlier.

The story of Baby Shark is a reminder of how sometimes small gems are hidden in plain sight. The song and dance were already all over Youtube, and the initial signs of potential were there. But, if “Baby Shark” would not fed with the right conditions to explode, it would likely still be just another summer camp song (the dream of many parents).

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