Baby Shark Becomes Most-Viewed YouTube Video Ever With More Than 7 Billion Plays

Catchy children's hit 'Baby Shark' has become the most-viewed video ever on YouTube, having racked up more than 7.04 billion views.

The track was released in June 2016 by South Korean company Pinkfong, and went on to get stuck in the heads of pretty much everyone on the planet - much to the delight of young kids, and to the dismay of their parents.

It became so well-known that it even managed to climb up to no. 6 in the UK singles chards and no. 32 in the US, but now it's edged past 'Despacito', the 2017 single by Puerto Rican stars Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee that previously held the title.

Pinkfong/YouTube

According to The Guardian, four years on from the release of 'Baby Shark', it's still unclear about who the original writer of the track is - having been a nursery rhyme before it was recorded by 10-year-old Korean-American singer Hope Segoine.

The song itself is in the public domain, but it became famous when it was released by educational company Pinkfong, complete with its own set of dance moves - going viral in south-east Asia, and then in the US and Europe.

Earlier this year, Pinkfong released a new, more topical version of its famous kids' song, this time encouraging youngsters to wash their hands.

The 'Wash Your Hands With Baby Shark' tune also comes with its very own set of movements to mimic, telling listeners to 'wash your hands doo doodoodoodoo' and 'grab some soap doo doodoodoodoo'.

As well as giving advice about covering your sneeze and coughing into your elbow (doo doodoodoo doo), the song also ends by telling listeners to 'stay safe'.

Pinkfong/YouTube

While the YouTube video for this song hasn't quite reached the several billion views its predecessor has, it's not done particularly badly with more than 26 million.

If you're concerned about the liklihood of getting the tune stuck in your head for the rest of time but still want to know more about good hygiene practices during a pandemic, here are the lyrics:

Wash your hands doo doodoodoodoodoo(x3)
Wash your hands

Grab some soap doo doodoodoodoodoo (x3)
Grab some soap

Rub your hands doo doodoodoodoodoo(x3)
Rub your hands

Rinse your hands doo doodoodoodoo doo (x3)
Rinse your hands

Dry your hands doo doodoodoodoo doo (x3)
Dry your hands

What else can we do?

Cover your sneeze doo doodoodoodoodoo (x3)
Cover your sneeze

Cough into your elbow doo doodoodoodoodoo (x3)

Safe at last doo doodoodoodoodoo (x3)
Safe at last

Let's stay healthy doo doodoodoodoodoo (x3)
Let's stay healthy, oh yeah!

Topics: Entertainment, Music, YouTube

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman