Why are the lyrics for Baby Shark song so addictive for kids & adults?
Baby Shark doo doo doo doo
What a song! It might not have been sung by famous singers like Ariana Grande, Pink or Beyonce, but what a song! Did you know that it has been in the UK top 40 charts just like them? It’s absolutely amazing! What’s worse is how catchy it is. Once you get that baby shark in your head, it’s staying there baby! If you know how these charts work, it is based on how many people listen and stream these songs. So that is a lot of people who have pushed it into the charts.
For those of you that don't know, "Baby Shark" is a popular children's song that originated in South Korea and has since become a global sensation. The song is known for its catchy tune, repetitive lyrics, and accompanying hand gestures that mimic different sea animals.
The song's lyrics follow a family of sharks, including a baby shark, mommy shark, daddy shark, grandma shark, and grandpa shark, as they go about their daily lives in the ocean. Each verse introduces a new family member and their corresponding hand gesture, such as clapping for the baby shark, chomping for the daddy shark, and using both hands to make a heart shape for the grandma shark.
The song became widely popular in 2018 when a video produced by Pinkfong, a South Korean educational entertainment company, went viral on social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. The video features a colorful animated cartoon of the shark family and has been viewed billions of times.
Since then, the song has been adapted into various languages and versions, including a holiday-themed version, a dance remix, and a version featuring popular cartoon characters like Paw Patrol and Baby Yoda. The song's popularity has also spawned a range of merchandise, including plush toys, clothing, and even a Netflix series.
Despite its simple lyrics and repetitive melody, the "Baby Shark" song has become a global phenomenon and is beloved by children and adults alike.
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Shoes for Baby Girls (Ages 6m to 4 years old)Yes, Baby Shark actually entered the UK Official Charts at number 37 - just above This Is Me by Keala Settle and I Like It by Cardi B. In addition to the songs addictive lyrics and hilarious dance routines, how the children's song Baby Shark managed to get to such dizzying popularity heignts is certainly a puzzler.
An then, “Baby Shark” broke into the Billboard Hot 100, joining Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next,” Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” and Post Malone’s “Wow” as tunes that the country love more than any other.
The version by sensations Pinkfong rocketed in at No. 32 and has been watched 2.2 billion views (yes that is billion) times on YouTube (there are only around 9 billion people on the planet). It is quite a performance that once should definitely try! You can watch it by clicking o the link below:
Video of Baby Shark by Pinkfong
While it is meant for little babies and toddlers, it has also seriously affects some innocent bystanders, namely parents who just can’t stop humming that song! We know so many parents who haveheard the song and had it stuck in their head for days, weeks even. Yes, “Baby Shark” is an evil burrowing earworm.
The thing though is why? Why does Baby Shark doo doo doo doo stick in our heads. We asked some experts (our friends) and one of them who is quite a clever fellow said that it’s the way it repeats itself. Apparently, our brains are wired to get sucked in by these things. This expert opinion told us that the song’s simple melody just hits the right notes in the brain, is very repetitive and super easy to sing and remember. Most of us know hat simple repetition is a great way to teach children how to remember things. However, the surprising thing is that as adults, we too find this sort of repetition easy, and addictive. Maybe it’s true. We don’t grow up (but shhh don’t tell our children)
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The "Baby Shark" song has been known to be addictive due to its repetitive nature, catchy tune, and simple, easy-to-remember lyrics. The song's repetition and predictable structure make it easy for children to learn and sing along, and the simple hand gestures that accompany each verse add an interactive element that further enhances the song's appeal.
Additionally, the song's melody has a high degree of catchiness, which means it is easy to get stuck in your head and difficult to forget. The repetitive melody and lyrics also trigger the brain's "earworm" effect, which is a term used to describe a song that gets stuck in your head and repeats itself over and over.
Moreover, the song's upbeat and fun tone creates a positive and engaging atmosphere that encourages children to participate and enjoy the experience. The song's combination of catchy melody, simple lyrics, and interactive hand gestures all contribute to making the "Baby Shark" song addictive and memorable.
Further research (by which we mean doing a web search) about how why the human brain absorbs music indicates that that catchy tunes for kids “can cause intense pleasure” in the brain’s dopaminergic system, where emotions of pleasure, satisfaction, and reward are stored. The system relies on predicting what might happen and how bad they could be. So, when something better than expected happens, we get a hit of dopamine, which we all know feels great. However, if a bit of music is too repetive, it doesn’t work (unless you are a “doof doof” head). Basically, it says that the way that “baby shark doo doo doo” repeats itself, overlayed with the rising tones (as the song gets faster and higher in pitch) hits the sweet spot and our brains just lap it up!
The other element that makes the song so addictive is how the song uses familiar characters (baby shark, mommy shark, daddy shark, grandma shark, and grandpa shark), which little children, babies and toddlers really identify with. The repetition of each family member four times and sung the same way with some clever substitution further imprints the song in our (and especially kids) minds, as it is also a bit of a story with characters which kids love.
Yes the lyrics are reall simple. However that is their secret as kids just latch onto them. Children have a special place in their hearts for the words baby, daddy, mommy, grandpa, grandma which tends to build connection or a bond between them and the music. On top of that, the song also work beautifully with some simple, but super fun dance moves. Many parents and children also try substituting other characters in like super shark, doggie shark and shoe shark!
The song also gets fast and faster which makes it an amazing, super exciting story telling mechanism. It just gets them more and more excited as it ramps up in volume as well as temp. ‘Run away doo doo doo doo’ to signal the small fish are running away, and then slower to signal ‘safe at last’,” wow, even we are getting excited!This practically makes kids want to move and dance. Believe it or not, it works for adults too. Have you ever heard some banging beats and found yourself either swaying or banging to it? Think back to those great old days in the nightclub bopping and banging to the wee hours of the morning. Yes, that was also dopamine. So, basically, moving with beat patterns can also be highly pleasurable because it involves formation of predictions. This is why dancing to familiar songs is more fun than trying to dance to completely unfamiliar music. Sharkira anyone?
Finally, it is not just a song! Baby shark comes in so many different forms. Children get bombarded by different versions of it on different channels, sung by different people. Again, like us, videos with music work wonders. They can see the movements as well as listen to the great beats as they dance along (perhaps in some lovely baby shoes). These days, the videos are just fantastic with bright colours, crazy costumes, exciting dancing and cool characters. What’s not to love?
“Baby Shark” capitalizes on how children consume content: through audio and video. Ilari says “Baby Shark” embodies the “multimodality aspect of children’s musical experiences in our contemporary world.”
“The video aspect is very important—children are not only listening, but are ‘viewing’ and performing the song,” she said. And it helps that the video has high production values: bright colors, seamless human/green screen action, and toddler-friendly dance moves that make the video a must-replay.
Oh, and by the way, is anyone looking for the lyrics for baby shark? Because here they are!
Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Baby shark
Mommy shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Mommy shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Mommy shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Mommy shark
Daddy shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Daddy shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Daddy shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Daddy shark
Grandma shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Grandma shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Grandma shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Grandma shark
Grandpa shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Grandpa shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Grandpa shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Grandpa shark
Let's go hunt, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Let's go hunt, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Let's go hunt, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Let's go hunt
Run away, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Run away, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Run away, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Run away
Safe at last, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Safe at last, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Safe at last, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Safe at last
It's the end, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
It's the end, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
It's the end, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
It's the end
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Traditional / Kim Min-Seok
Baby Shark lyrics © Public Domain
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