Ah, the “Harlem Shake.” Once you have seen it, it becomes impossible to forget. The bad part? It is impossible to just watch one version with so many available on the Internet. The real question is how the “Harlem Shake” came to its 15 minutes of fame so fast. The original dance was created in Harlem and includes shoulders swaying. Different speeds and personal style are often added to the dance making it a little more personal. The dancing that is seen during the 30-second flash-mob videos is something completely different. In fact, many people from Harlem are upset by the mockery being made of their hometown.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGH2HEgWppc
The misrepresentation of history aside, the video is both addictive and annoying at the same time. If you have been living under a rock, here is a little break down of how a typical “Harlem Shake” goes:
- All videos are 30 seconds long with a sample of the song “Harlem Shake” by Baauer.
- The first 15 seconds start with one person dancing while the peers around him/her are oblivious to what is going on around them (or there is no one else around).
- The final 15 seconds include a random group of people (sometimes in silly outfits or with silly props) dancing manically.
Whether you hate it or love it, the “Harlem Shake” has been blowing up. While the videos seem harmless, the haters do have a point. This 30-second video has a very catchy song that can get stuck in your head for hours. I cannot say that I enjoy trying to do homework and having the line “Do the ‘Harlem Shake’” on repeat in my mind. These videos are constantly playing. While you are at the library, 7th street, your room, the bison, someone is always playing this clip. There is nowhere you can hide on this campus. Remember how everyone loved “Call Me Maybe” the first month it came out? We all played it in our cars, danced to it at registers, and even made videos singing to it. The “Harlem Shake” has had that same popularity, and it will soon have the same fallout. The overplay of “Call Me Maybe” led to it’s inevitable hatred. Can you think of anyone who casually puts on Carly Rae for a drive to Wal-Mart? Exactly. The same is now happening to the viral “Harlem Shake” videos. Their 15 minutes of fame is slowly transforming to 15 minutes of pain.
No matter what your opinion is, the “Harlem Shake” is reaching an all-time high now. So you might as well find some good videos if you are forced to watch. If you do not feel like taking the time to research the best, here are my top five:
1. Puppy “Harlem Shake”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI4evww1WVM
Even the strongest opposers to these videos cannot hate this Puppy “Harlem Shake.” The puppy dancing by itself is already a huge cute factor, but then you add about five more? Even I can stand listening to the song on repeat in order to see the dogs get their groove on.
2. UGA Men Underwater “Harlem Shake”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkNrSpqUr-E
All right, this is just sick. First, we have to give these guys credit for completing this entire video underwater. This girl cannot hold her breath for more than 10 seconds. I have been trying to figure out how a swim team was able to get an entire table-set underwater, and then I noticed some even more impressive feats. One of the swimmers is still able to swim/dance in a sleeping bag (a popular prop in the “Harlem Shake” videos) underwater. No one really knows if these guys are good at swimming, but who cares? If there are good looking boys swimming underwater, count me in.
3. T-Pain “Harlem Shake”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGvnDoxV5HI
T-Pain is an artist known for his eccentricities. We all remember what he did with that mermaid in “I’m On a Boat.” For the artist who has taken claim over auto-tune, he needed to have an equally ridiculous video. T-pain in a marching band uniform? All requirements of a good “Harlem Shake” video are now accounted for.
4. Washing Machine “Harlem Shake”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgg1WUJhUc4
The choice of this hilarious video was a no-brainer. Other videos attempt to have great dancing and funny props in order to grab the attention of the viewer. This video is great in its simplicity. Even washing machines know how to really shake it. On a side note, I hope that the man throwing the brick was not expecting to do laundry after this video.
5. Bucknell Basketball “Harlem Shake”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36weh8yBE7Y
We have to give a shout-out to the men’s basketball team participating for the “Harlem Shake.” Bucknell Student Government did a great job getting our extremely talented (and good looking) basketball team to show some school spirit. It looks like this video can finally prove a fact about Bucknellians: we definitely know how to dance.
We are living in a generation where You-Tube dance crazes are part of mainstream pop-culture, and there is no denying the fact that the “Harlem Shake” has made an impact. Will we remember this small dance craze when we are dropping our kids off at middle school? Probably not. However, I would expect to see a lot of people “shaking it: in this upcoming year.
http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/harlem-shake-cat-meme.png?w=232