The Wellerman

About

The Wellerman is a New Zealand whaling song that became the subject of numerous duets, remixes, and parodies alongside the rise of Sea Shanty TikTok in late 2020 and early 2021.

Origin

"The Wellerman" was sung by New Zealand whalers in the 19th century. The "Wellerman" referred to in the title likely refers to ships owned by the Weller brothers, who imported provisions to whalers.^[1] The song's chorus is sung from the perspective of sailors who long for the luxury goods (sugar and tea and rum) the ship will provide. While the song has been recorded numerous times, in 2018, The Longest Johns recorded an a capella version of the song which grow popular in the wake of the song's resurgence in popularity (shown below).

On December 27th, 2020, TikTok user @NathanEvanss posted a TikTok video in which he sang the track, gaining over 12.9 million views (shown below).

Spread

The track became widely duetted on the platform, as multiple users added harmonies to Evans' original. One example posted by @jonnystewartbass gained over 2.1 million views (shown below, top). On January 15th, 2021, YouTuber The Kiffness posted a remix featuring many of the duets performed alongside NathanEvanss' video, gaining over 6.4 million views (shown below, bottom).

Evans' recording kickstarted the Sea Shanty TikTok trend and inspired multiple parodies and remixes of the track. For example, on January 7th, 2021, YouTuber Argules posted an EDM remix of "The Wellerman," gaining over 2.2 million views (shown below, left). On January 23rd, 2021, YouTuber Day By Dave posted "MittenMan," a "Wellerman" parody themed to the trending Bernie Sanders Sitting In A Chair meme.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References