Viral trends come and go on TikTok, but singing sea shanties at home during the pandemic probably helped many of us overcome the self-quarantine blues and will be one of the defining fads of 2020 that we look back on with fondness someday.
Initially launched by Scottish singer Nathan Evans, the “ShantyTok” craze on the short video platform took the former postal worker to new heights, with his stoic rendition of the traditional shanty “Wellerman” gaining massive popularity and the dance remix by 220 Kid & Billen Ted hitting No. 1 on U.K. Singles Chart for two weeks.
The sea shanty craze has landed on the shores of Japan as well, inspiring two of its most popular comedians to produce a parody of the trippy “Wellerman” remix music video. Comedy duo Chocolate Planet’s rendition combines their silly versions of the original psychedelic visuals and Evans’ initial viral TikTok video, with Shohei Osada as Evans winging the English parts he couldn’t pronounce and mostly lip-syncing the rest while Shun Matsuo plays the parts of everybody else, including the female backup dancers. The “Wellerman 220 Kid & Billen Ted Remix” parody video on the pair’s official YouTube channel has now surpassed 2 million views on YouTube.
Chocolate Planet noted in an interview that the collaboration with Evans was destined to happen as they share some similarities with the breakout star, like how Matsuo used to work part-time at a post office in high school and Osada used to work at a hot dog chain called “Nathan’s.” Evans has shared a reaction video enjoying the parody, extending an invitation to the two comedians “to go eat sushi together” when he visits Japan someday.
Check out Chocolate Planet’s parody video and the original “Wellerman 220 Kid & Billen Ted Remix” music video below:
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