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Why are sea shanties going viral on TikTok? A thread from the perspective of musicology / psychology / cultural evolution.
TL;DR: it's a perfect example of music's power to create social bonding in a time of social distancing. 1/10 https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/13/not-just-for-drunken-sailors-how-sea-shanties-took-over-tiktok
TL;DR: it's a perfect example of music's power to create social bonding in a time of social distancing. 1/10 https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/13/not-just-for-drunken-sailors-how-sea-shanties-took-over-tiktok
1) Social bonding: We have argued that music likely evolved to help bring us together. Sea shanties are a classic example: the driving rhythms and repetitive refrains make them easy to sing in groups.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/abs/music-as-a-coevolved-system-for-social-bonding/F1ACB3586FD3DD5965E56021F506BC4F
(non-paywalled version: https://psyarxiv.com/qp3st/ ) 2/10
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/abs/music-as-a-coevolved-system-for-social-bonding/F1ACB3586FD3DD5965E56021F506BC4F
(non-paywalled version: https://psyarxiv.com/qp3st/ ) 2/10
Although we sadly can't make much music in physical groups right now, TikTok allows people to build virtual harmony through a kind of cultural evolution, adding new harmonies/remixes etc. to those of other participants. 3/10
2) Scales: Although many sea shanties used standard major-type scales, the ones trending now like the Wellerman tend to use scales/modes with a flat 7th (Dorian, Aeolian, Mixolydian, etc.). This makes them sound distinctly "modal", in contrast to most classical music. 4/10
Because such modal scales are very common cross-culturally and in much pop music, this allows them to both sound simultaneously exotic/old, but also somehow universal. 5/10
3) Themes: In addition to bonding with other sailors, themes often reflect a longing to be back on shore with loved ones. There's an obvious parallel today with us longing to be reunited with our own loved ones. Like those sailors, we can't wait to "take our leave and go". 6/10
4) Length: Sea shanties are awesome, but they can get a little long/repetitive. TikTok's 60-second limit forces people to limit it just to the exciting refrain and perhaps a little of the verses for flavour. 7/10
I've always loved sea shanties and other old folk songs, and have studied how their evolution shows surprising cross-cultural regularities ( https://psyarxiv.com/5rj6y ). 8/10
I'm hoping this might start a revival of other great traditions like "murder ballads", which are in their own way just as awesome sea shanties and well-deserving of a TikTok boom. A good chunk of the traditional "Child ballads" ( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWG4xKlkGz4F18rhpmcqcS2PhpfG0bM0a) are murder ballads. 9/10
PS I decided to try out this "TikTok" you young whippersnappers are using to record my own rendition of a murder ballad. Will add it to the thread once the upload has been approved.
Here it is: my TikTok of "The Bonnie Banks o Fordie", a Scottish murder ballad about a robber who commits suicide after realizing he just tried to rape/murder his own sister.
Would love if any of you TikTokers want to go wild with it/other murder ballads! https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS35xHHH/
Would love if any of you TikTokers want to go wild with it/other murder ballads! https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS35xHHH/
