What do the New Bedford Whaling Museum and TikTok have in common? On the surface, you wouldn t think the world-famous museum dedicated to the whaling industry and the video-sharing social network comprised of short-form videos would have much in common, but they have bonded over a love of sea shanties.
You read that correctly. Sea shanties are a bop on TikTok – specifically Wellerman, a 200-year-old jam.
Since the end of December, the hashtags #ShantyTok and #seashanty have pulled up a variety of creations that have changed the game on the work songs that were once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Beautiful arrangements, acapella, remixes, and even hilarious reaction videos can be found. The list is so long it could reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench.