Sunday, November 29, 2020

Acclaimed Music: Top 100 Albums

Acclaimed Music:

The Top 100+ Albums

According to Wikipedia, “Acclaimed Music is a website created by Henrik Franzon, a statistician from Stockholm, Sweden, in September 2001. Franz has statistically aggregated hundreds of published lists that rank songs and albums into aggregated rankings by year, decade, and all-time.” The lists include a ranking of the top 3000 albums, of which the top 100 are listed here. According to the website, this list was last updated 11/29/2020.

Check out other publications and organizations’ best-of album lists here.

1. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
2. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
3. The Beatles Revolver (1966)
4. Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
5. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
6. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
7. The Clash London Calling (1979)
8. Radiohead OK Computer (1997)
9. Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
10. The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)

11. Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
12. The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
13. The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
14. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
15. Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968)
16. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
17. Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
18. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
19. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
20. The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)

21. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
22. Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)
23. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
24. Arcade Fire Funeral (2004)
25. Patti Smith Horses (1975)
26. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
27. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead (1986)
28. Television Marquee Moon (1977)
29. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
30. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)

31. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland (1968)
32. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)
33. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
34. The Strokes Is This It (2001)
35. Radiohead Kid A (2000)
36. The Doors The Doors (1967)
37. Talking Heads Remain in Light (1980)
38. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
39. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (1968)
40. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)

41. Ramones Ramones (1976)
42. The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed (1969)
43. Massive Attack Blue Lines (1991)
44. James Brown Live at the Apollo Volume 1 (live, 1962)
45. Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
46. R.E.M. Automatic for the People (1992)
47. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)
48. Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973)
49. Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
50. Beck Odelay (1996)

51. The Pixies Doolittle (1989)
52. John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965)
53. The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers (1971)
54. My Bloody Valentine Loveless (1991)
55. Joy Division Closer (1980)
56. Love Forever Changes (1967)
57. The Band The Band (1969)
58. Jeff Buckley Grace (1994)
59. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
60. Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)

61. Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
62. Portishead Dummy (1994)
63. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
64. Sonic Youth Daydream Nation (1988)
65. Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
66. Frank Ocean Channel Orange (2012)
67. The Stone Roses The Stone Roses (1989)
68. The Clash The Clash (1977)
69. Carole King Tapestry (1971)
70. R.E.M. Murmur (1983)

71. Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
72. David Bowie Blackstar (2016)
73. De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
74. Otis Redding Otis Blue (1965)
75. David Bowie Hunky Dory (1971)
76. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Trout Mask Replica (1969)
77. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band (1970)
78. Joy Division Unknown Pleasures (1979)
79. DJ Shadow Endtroducing… (1996)
80. Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970)

81. The White Stripes Elephant (2003)
82. U2 Achtung Baby (1991)
83. Oasis (What’s the Story) Morning Glory (1995)
84. Radiohead The Bends (1995)
85. Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
86. Jesus and Mary Chain Psychocandy (1985)
87. Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
88. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969)
89. Derek and the Dominos Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
90. Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique (1989)

91. Radiohead In Rainbows (2007)
92. Elvis Costello & The Attractions This Year’s Model (1978)
93. The Band Music from Big Pink (1968)
94. Pavement Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
95. Sufjan Stevens Illinois (2005)
96. Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) (1993)
97. N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989)
98. Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis (1969)
99. Lou Reed Transformer (1972)
100. Nirvana In Utero (1993)

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First posted 8/5/2020; last updated 11/29/2020.

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Friday, November 27, 2020

100 years ago: Al Jolson “Avalon” charted

Avalon

Al Jolson with Charles Prince’s Orchestra

Writer(s): Vincent Rose, Buddy DeSylva, Al Jolson (see lyrics here)

First Charted: November 27, 1920

Peak: 2 US, 11 GA, 12 SM (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

The title “Avalon” evokes thoughts of “the legendary island…where King Arthur’s sword Excalibur was forged” SM but is actually about a resort town on Catalina Island off the coast of California. JS It was a popular destination for Hollywood’s film community. JS Lyrically, the song tells the listener how the protagonist discovers his love beside the bay in Avalon, then sails away, leaving his love behind. Then he dreams about her and the desire to return to Avalon.

Jolson is given songwriting credit, but likely had nothing to do with writing the song. However, by including him on songwriting royalties, it made it encouraged him to perform the song and make it popular. TY2 Buddy DeSylva’s name was not originally on the credits but was added later. It is possible that he had a role in writing the lyrics as he did with many songs supposedly composed by Jolson. JS

Musically, Vincent Rose most likely deserves the credit JS although the melody of “Avalon” comes from the aria “E Lucevan le Stelle” from the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini. TY2 Puccini’s publishers sued and were awarded $25,000 in damages as well all future royalties. TY2

Jolson integrated the song into the musical Sinbad, which had opened on Broadway in 1918. He re-recorded the song after the 1946 film biopic The Jolson Story. The song was also used in 1932’s You Said a Mouthful, 1942’s Cairo, 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946’s Margie, 1956’s The Benny Goodman Story, 1957’s The Helen Morgan Story, 1999’s Sweet and Low Down, and 2001’s The Cat’s Meow. The song has been recorded and/or performed by Chet Atkins, Cab Calloway, Nat “King” Cole, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Harry James, Red Nichols, and Art Hickman, who took the song to #11 in 1921.

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First posted 1/28/2023.

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Sunday, November 22, 2020

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (Nov. 2020)

Originally posted 11/22/2020.

January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the eighth group of album inductees. These are the top albums of material recorded prior to 1950. Albums previously inducted which would have been on this list include Bing Crosby’s Merry Christmas, Robert Johnson’s The Complete Recordings, Al Jolson’s Songs He Made Famous, and South Pacific cast album.

See the full list of album inductees here.

Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (box set: 1925-28)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

“Jazz starts here.” BL “Between 1925 and 1929, Armstrong invented scat singing, defined swing and introduced the jazz solo.” BL “This 4-CD set represents the ‘Rosetta Stone of Jazz’,” JM featuring more than 80 songs, including “West End Blues,” a song which rates in the top 1%, and 10 more top-20 hits. The album is in the National Recording Registry. Read more.

Henry Burr Anthology: The Original King of Pop (compilation: 1903-28)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

Burr was “the most popular ballad singer” AR in the “acoustical, pre-[Bing] Crosby, pre-crooner era.” AMG This collection follows “Burr’s career from one of his earliest recordings, made in 1903” AZ “when disc technology was still in its primitive stages, and ends in 1928, during the early electrical recording era.” AR He was “a major influence on Al Jolson, Rudy Vallée, and other pre-Crosby favorites.” AMG This set includes “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree,” “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now,” “M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word That Means the World to Me),” “Just a Baby’s Prayer at Twilight,” and “My Buddy,” which were all #1 songs that also rank in the the top 1%. Read more.

Duke Ellington The Blanton-Webster Band (box set: 1939-42)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

Ellington is “perhaps the single most important creative talent in American popular music history.” JW This set “contains the master takes of all 66 selections recorded by…[his band] during what many historians consider its peak period.” SY It may be “the greatest creative period by any single artist in jazz history.” MG It features more than a dozen top-10 R&B hits from the 1940s, including five consecutive #1 songs and the Grammy Hall of Fame inductee “Take the ‘A’ Train,” which is also featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. The album is in the National Recording Registry. Read more.

George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward (composers) Porgy and Bess (show: 1935)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

This “American folk opera” WK started as a novel and then became a play. The story focuses on “African American life…in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1920s.” WK It “is admired for Gershwin’s innovative synthesis of European orchestral techniques with American jazz and folk music idioms.” WK Billie Holiday’s recording of the show’s song “Summertime” is in the DMDB Hall of Fame. Read more.

Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (live: 1938)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

Goodman, known as “The King of Swing,” was “the first real jazz musician to capture a mass bourgeois white audience in America” AZ and the first to stage a full jazz concert at Carnegie Hall. The result is “one of the greatest concerts ever captured on record.” AMG The show featured performances of “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” “Don’t Be That Way,” and “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing),” all ranked in the top 1% of songs. The latter is also in the DMDB Hall of Fame. Read more.

Glenn Miller Glenn Miller (compilation: 1939-42)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

This collection was released just months after Miller’s airplane went down in the English Channel. It logged sixteen weeks atop the album chart over the next three years. It includes “In the Mood,” which is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. That song, as well as “Tuxedo Junction” and “Moonlight Serenade,” also rank in the DMDB’s list of top 100 big band songs and are in the top 1% of all songs. Read more.

Billy Murray Anthology: The Denver Nightingale (compilation: 1903-40)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

He was “the best-selling recording artist of the first quarter of the 20th century, but his name and work had fallen into obscurity before his death in 1954.” AMG This compilation is every bit as crucial to understanding music of the 20th century as the Beatles’ One and Elvis Presley’s 30 #1 Hits. 17 of the songs on this set reached #1. That includes the classics Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis,” “In My Merry Oldsmobile,” “Yankee Doodle Boy,” “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “You're a Grand Old Flag,” and “By the Light of the Silvery Moon.” all of which are featured in the Dave’s Music Database book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. Read more.

Charley Patton Founder of the Delta Blues (compilation: 1929-34)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

Patton “was the key figure in the transition between traditional folk and what came to be known as the Mississippi Delta blues.” FH The genre “had an enormous impact…influencing everyone from The Rolling Stones to Cassandra Wilson.” NM “The title of founder might not be exactly accurate” LG but “he was one of the first to be recorded.” NM He sang “in a rough voice that stormed with turmoil. His guitar picking was…skillfully nuanced in expression and, above all, rhythmically imperative.” FH This collection, a Blues Hall of Fame inductee, features “Pony Blues,” which is in the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry. Read more.

Bessie Smith The Essential (compilation: 1923-33)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

This collection works its way through Smith’s entire career, from her very first recording session on February 15, 1923 through her final session on November 24, 1933. DA The Empress of the Blues “could sing it all, from the lowdown moan of ‘St. Louis Blues’ and ‘Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out’ to her torch treatment of the jazz standard ‘After You’ve Gone.’” CK She was “one of the first true crossover aritsts.” LG Read more.

Various Artists (edited by Harry Smith) Anthology of American Folk Music (box set: 1923-32)

Inducted November 2020 as “Top Albums of Material Recorded Before 1950.”

This three-disc set was compiled by musicologist Harry Smith. It is comprised of 84 songs which reintroduce “near-forgotten popular styles of rural American music…to new listeners.” WK It could well be “the most influential document” JB of “the folk & blues revival of the ‘50s and ‘60s” WK by bringing attention to the works of the Carter Family, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mississippi John Hurt, and others. Read more.
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Monday, November 16, 2020

Box Sets: Top 100

First posted 11/16/2020; updated 11/20/2020.

Box Sets:

Top 100

This list was created by first aggregating best-of lists focused on box sets (see sources at bottom of page). Those figures were combined with the box sets’ overall status in Dave’s Music Database, which factors in sales, chart peaks, critic ratings, appearances on other best-of lists, and DMDB points of songs on the collection. The DMDB defines a box set as a compilation of three or more compact discs, or the equivalent, which would be at least 240 minutes, or four hours, of music.

Box sets are most typically associated with efforts to compile a mix of hits and rarities from veteran artists. However, this list also includes compilations from various artists, classical works, larger-than-usual live collections, repackagings of multiple studio albums gathered together, deluxe editions of studio albums, and even one triple-length studio album.

Note: The first date(s) listed in parentheses after the album title indicates the years covered by the box. The second date indicates when the box was released (hence the r.).

Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.

  1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live 1975/1985 (live box: 1975-85, r. 1986)
  2. Various Artists Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 (1959-71, r. 1992)
  3. Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonatas (32) (1795-1822)
  4. Various Artists compiled by Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music (1926-32, r. 1952)
  5. Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (1925-28, r. 2000)
  6. Richard Wagner Der Ring Des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) (opera, 1848-1874)
  7. James Brown Star Time (1956-84, r. 1991)
  8. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni (opera, 1787)
  9. Various Artists Atlantic Rhythm & Blues (1947-74, r. 10/15/91)
  10. The Rolling Stones The Singles Collection: The London Years (1963-71, r. 1989)

  11. Richard Wagner Tristan Und Isolde (opera, 1857-59)
  12. Various Artists produced by Phil Spector Back to Mono (1958-69, r. 1991)
  13. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (1786)
  14. Led Zeppelin How the West Was Won (live: recorded 1972, r. 2003)
  15. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concertos (27) (1767-1791)
  16. Johann Sebastian Bach St. Matthew Passion (1736)
  17. Prince The Hits/The B Sides (1978-93, r. 1993)
  18. Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartets (16) (1798-1826)
  19. The Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs (1999)
  20. Duke Ellington The Blanton-Webster Band (box set, recorded 1939-42, r. 1990)

  21. Elvis Presley The King of Rock and Roll: The Complete ‘50s Masters (1953-58, r. 1992)
  22. Eric Clapton Crossroads (1963-87, r. 1988)
  23. Bob Dylan Biograph (1962-81, r. 1985)
  24. Elton John Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (1970-2002, r. 2002)
  25. Various Artists The First Rock and Roll Record (1916-56, r. 2011)
  26. Béla Bartók The String Quartets (1908-39)
  27. Various Artists The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song (1926-91, r. 1992)
  28. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin (Box Set) (1969-79, r. 1990)
  29. Charlie Parker The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings (1944-48, r. 2000)
  30. Velvet Underground Peel Slowly and See (1955-70, r. 1995)

  31. The Police Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings (1978-86, r. 1993)
  32. Elvis Presley Artist of the Century (1954-77, r. 1999)
  33. Bruce Springsteen The Essential: Limited Edition (1973-2002, r. 2003)
  34. Bob Marley & the Wailers Songs of Freedom (1961-83, r. 1992)
  35. Johnny Cash The Essential (1955-83, r. 1992)
  36. Various Artists Doo Wop Box: 101 Vocal Group Gems (1948-87, r. 1994)
  37. Chuck Berry The Chess Box (1955-73, r. 1988)
  38. Queen The Platinum Collection (1973-99, r. 2001)
  39. Ludwig van Beethoven (composer) The Symphonies (9) (classical, composed 1800-1824)
  40. Ray Charles The Birth of Soul – The Complete Atlantic Rhythm & Blues Recordings (1952-59, r. 1991)

  41. Elton John Diamonds (1969-2016, r. 2017)
  42. Bing Crosby Bing! His Legendary Years (1931-57, r. 1993)
  43. Various Artists Loud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of ’50s Rock (1948-61, r. 1999)
  44. Howlin’ Wolf The Chess Box (1951-73, r. 1991)
  45. Bing Crosby Bing: A Musical Autobiography (1938-54, r. 1954)
  46. Aretha Franklin Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings (1967-77, r. 1992)
  47. The Beach Boys Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (1961-88, r. 1993)
  48. Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 (archives: 1961-89, r. 1991)
  49. Cream Those Were the Days (1966-69, r. 1997)
  50. Journey Time 3 (1975-86, r. 1992)

  51. Led Zeppelin The Complete Studio Recordings (1969-79, r. 1993)
  52. The Who 30 Years of Maximum R&B (1964-91, r. 1994)
  53. Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Sevens (1925-26, r. 1999)
  54. Various Artists No Thanks! The ‘70s Punk Rebellion (1973-81, r. 2003)
  55. The Jimi Hendrix Experience The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1966-70, r. 2000)
  56. Burt Bacharach (composer) The Look of Love: The Collection (1957-96, r. 1998)
  57. Charlie Christian with Benny Goodman The Genius of Electric Guitar (1939-41, r. 2001)
  58. Muddy Waters The Chess Box (1947-72, r. 1989)
  59. Stevie Wonder At the Close of a Century (1962-97, r. 1999)
  60. Elvis Presley From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential ‘60s Masters (1960-69, r. 1993)

  61. Fats Domino They Call Me the Fat Man: The Legendary Imperial Recordings 1949-62, r. 1991)
  62. Elton John To Be Continued (1965-90, r. 1990)
  63. Rod Stewart Storyteller (1964-89, r. 1989)
  64. Charlie Parker The Complete Savoy Sessions (1944-48, r. 2000)
  65. The Rolling Stones Grrr! (1963-2012, r. 2012)
  66. Ray Charles Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection (1949-93, r. 1997)
  67. David Bowie Nothing Has Changed (1969-2014, r. 2014)
  68. Elvis Presley Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential ‘70s (1970-77, r. 1995)
  69. David Bowie Sound + Vision (1969-80, r. 1989)
  70. Fleetwood Mac 25 Years: The Chain (1967-92, r. 1992)

  71. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Playback (1973-93, r. 1995)
  72. Fletcher Henderson A Study in Frustration: Thesaurus of Classic Jazz (1923-38, r. 1994)
  73. Marvin Gaye The Master (1961-84, r. 1995)
  74. Billie Holiday Quintessential (1933-42, r. 1998)
  75. The Beatles The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2 (1962-65, r. 2006)
  76. Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (1970-77, r. 1991)
  77. Aerosmith Pandora’s Box (1966-82, r. 1991)
  78. Patsy Cline The Collection (1955-63, r. 1991)
  79. Nirvana With the Lights Out (1987-94, r. 2004)
  80. Kenny Rogers Through the Years: A Retrospective (1956-97, r. 1999)

  81. Paul Simon 1964/1993 (1957-91, r. 2006)
  82. The Byrds The Byrds (1965-90, r. 1990)
  83. The Beatles In Mono (1962-70, r. 2009)
  84. Michael Jackson The Ultimate Collection (1969-2004, r. 2004)
  85. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times: Super Deluxe Edition (1981-87, r. 2020)
  86. The Cure Join the Dots: B-sides & Rarities (The Fiction Years) (1978-2001, r. 2004)
  87. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers The Live Anthology (1978-2007, r. 2009)
  88. The Allman Brothers Band Dreams (1966-88, r. 1989)
  89. Lou Reed Between Thought and Expression (1972-88, r. 1992)
  90. The Beatles The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1 (1963-64, r. 2004)

  91. The Smiths Complete (1983-87, r. 2011)
  92. Various Artists Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the ‘80s Underground (1979-89, r. 2004)
  93. Simon & Garfunkel Old Friends (1965-75, r. 1997)
  94. B.B. King King of the Blues (1949-91, r. 1992)
  95. Crosby, Stills & Nash CSN (1968-90, r. 1991)
  96. Various Artists Now That’s What I Call Disney (1937-2011, r. 2011)
  97. Simon & Garfunkel The Collection (1965-70, r. 2007)
  98. Various Artists Country Music (1928-2002, r. 2019)
  99. Steve Winwood The Finer Things (1964-90, r. 1995)
  100. Bruce Springsteen Tracks (1972-95, r. 1998)

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Monday, November 2, 2020

“Baby Shark” becomes the most watched video in YouTube history

Baby Shark

Pinkfong!

Writer(s): public domain (see lyrics here)

Released: June 17, 2016

First Charted: January 12, 2019

Peak: 32 BB, 6 UK, 39 CN, 17 DF (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): 11.0 US, 2.4 UK

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 622.19 video, 13,560.85 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

This campfire song dates back to the 20th century. It involves a dance and hand movements which made it a popular campfire song originally. While various entities have copyrighted videos and recordings of the song, the actual song and its characters are believed to be in the public domain. WK A German dance version by Alemuel was popular in 2007. WK

In 2016, the south Korean entertainment company Pinkfong released a version of it recorded by Hope Segoine, a 10-year-old Korean-American singer. GN It became a viral video sensation, surpassing Luis Fonsi’s “Despactio” in November 2020 to become the most-viewed video of all time on YouTube with more than 7 million views. By January 2022, it became the first YouTube video to surpass 10 billion in views. By August 2023, it was past 13 billion views. WK

In 2019, children’s songwriter Jonathan Wright (aka “Johnny Only”) sued Pinkfong, claiming he had the copyright on the song. GN He was a DJ at a kids camp and saw how engaged the campers were when counselors would perform the song with them. He released a version in 2011, five years before Pinkfong. WK A South Korean court ruled that “children’s songs handed down via the oral tradition are not copyrightable.” WK

In July 2019, officials in West Palm Beach, Florida, received criticism for playing “Baby Shark” and a song called “Raining Tacos” on a continuous loop as a way to deter vagrants. WK In October 2020, three Oklahoma prisoner workers were charged with prisoner cruelty for forcing inmates to stand handcuffed and listen to “Baby Shark” for two hours. GN David Prater, the district attorney, argued that it would have added “undue emotional stress on the inmates who were most likely already suffering.” GN

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First posted 10/30/2023.

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