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I didn't think I would really have to have my own take on the #tiktokseashanty (best spelling is really #seachantey, but anyway) phenomenon. Turns out, though, I do. After watching people jump in, I've got a strong sense of why this, why now.
It's really simple. Chanteys are a song form that is inherently never sung alone. That's true of most work songs, distinguishing them from other forms of vernacular music.
Chanteys, though, had the good fortune of being kept in constant circulation in revival settings (and maritime museums). True chanteys (as opposed to more generic sea songs) consist of solo lines sung by a chanteyman, followed by choral verses or grand choruses.
Everyone in the work party sings the response lines and grand choruses. The purpose is to time a physical effort together for the greatest application of force, while of course lightening the burden through creative music and wordplay.
Singing sea chanteys with other people is a powerful experience. Melodies are usually simple and catchy. Notes are often held a long time. You can pick the song up immediately and know exactly when to come in. Verses don't even have to be in order, and can be made up.
And they can also be as complex as you like. In a big group that can carry the melody line, you can explore infinite harmony variations and add your own complementary flair. The lead chanteyman can improvise totally new lines.
The collective joy that comes from creating this kind of ephemeral sonic work of art - a work that can only be the product of multiple people together - is something we need so badly right now.
In this time of isolation, loneliness, and solitude, what could bring a sudden jolt of invigoration, empowerment, and energy than belting out a strong chorus with a few (dozen, hundred) of your closest digital pals?
Scientists do not yet fully understand why humans sing. One thing we do know, though, is that choral singing delivers a powerful dose of happy brain chemicals. Singing in groups brings about emotional co-regulation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28722166/
Choral singing has been shown to promote greater affect and reduce anxiety. Group singing also promotes social cohesion, and might even boost the immune system. https://blog.chorusconnection.com/proof-in-the-pudding-choir-matters
There are other types of choral singing, but chanteys could hardly be better for this moment. They're expressive, easy, and have plenty of topical and emotional range. They are fun to sing for a reason: they have been through a long evolutionary process that has refined them...
...into near-perfect tools for uniting a group psychologically, socially, and physically. In short: everything we're missing most right now.
Thanks to many hours hauling yards, pushing capstans and sweating lines at @MysticSeaport, and equally tough times hoisting pints at the @griswoldinn, I can belt a chantey with the best. I am glad they're having a moment. They bring a lot of joy.
And for those who like a nerdy deep dive, this is an interesting area of scholarship. There is some fascinating work going on right now to resurface the likely African American origins of this music so often associated with bearded Anglo white guys.
Gibb Scheffler at Pomona College, and Craig Edwards, ethnomusicologist and former director of the Mystic Seaport Sea Music festival, are two of the people getting those pieces together. https://www.pomona.edu/news/2017/07/18-navigating-through-history-sea-chanties
I'm hoping that in the After Times, the fantastic annual Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival will return, accompanied by its always interesting academic symposium. Anyhow, enjoy the chanteying. We'll all be the better for it.
Tacking this on - Gibb Scheffler just wrote a statement about the #TiktokShanty phenom. It starts "Understanding of chanties is buried under many layers of poor representation..." Good read! ://www.academia.edu/44914351/A_Statement_During_the_January_2021_ShantyTok_Trend
