It's folly to examine why some things go viral on the internet, and by doing so one risks discounting the beauty of the simplest answer: They just do. Nothing makes sense. Roll with it. Or at least, ...

The man who put centuries-old folk songs into the social-media spotlight is now sailing into stardom with a record deal and a new single — based on the sea shanty that ushered in the most ...

It's easy to see why "Soon May the Wellerman Come" became TikTok's first viral hit of 2021. This jaunty 19th century earworm, sung so earnestly by a postman with a thick Scottish brogue, is perfect ...

‘The Wellerman’ has been on quite the voyage since its birth in the 19th century. Once sung by New Zealand sea shanty crews, the now-viral whaling song became the official TikTok earworm after postman ...

The social media sea shanty craze has been one of the more surprising aspects of lockdown life. The original video, by Glasgow postie Nathan Evans, has been viewed over 6m times on TikTok alone, but ...

“Soon may the wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum one day, when the tonguing is done we’ll take our leave and go” is a refrain many folks are familiar with thanks to the viral popularity ...

When I woke up last Friday morning, I realized I had several messages. All of them were links to a TikTok video of several guys singing a song, a sea shanty from the 19th century called “Wellerman,” ...