Is The Harlem Shake over...already? Possibly. Maybe. We'll get to that in a second. But if it is, at least it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts! Baauer's viral sensation is an official Hot 100 hit, now that the company factors YouTube data into the equation.
So to celebrate, we've rounded up our Top 5 favorite Harlem Shake videos...before it's too late and we're as sick of the Shake as we are "Gangnam Style." Without further ado:
1. Harlem Shake v1 (TSCS Original): It's a classic. This video, by TheSunnyCoastSkate, has everything that we've come to associate with the craze: Someone in a helmet pelvic thrusting for the first 15 seconds, at least one shirtless dude and someone dancing with a wall. These guys set the bar early on for millions of copycat videos.
2. Harlem Shake (Shaytards Style): Well, (a) It's adorable. That little baby starts the video making a salad like some sort of little chef and then ends up in the pot! Adorable! And (b) It's a riff off another of our favorites (the office edition). In the former, a man punches a stuffed giraffe in the face. Here, a little girl punches a baby doll. Genius.
3. Harlem Shake (Matt and Kim Edition): The Indie rock duo (best known for their song "Daylight") filmed their version before and during a concert at RPI Field House in New York. The beginning follows the guidelines, then the beat drops, the video takes a twist on the classic dorm party theme and we're transported to a full on concert.
4. Harlem Shake (UGA Men's Swin & Dive): You can Harlem Shake on land and, yes, you can Harlem Shake in the sea too. Or at least in this pool, where the University of Georgia's team performs an underwater dance party. Original? Check. Still have shirtless men? Check. And it opened our eyes to whole new places to Shake: Who's got the sky covered?
5. Harlem Shake v33 (Portland Edition): This one's just impressive. The sheer volume of people, for one, is almsot overwhelming and then add to it that it's not just people fist pumping lazily: There's a horse headed lady grinding on someone, a cardboard robot, at least one alien and some dude just riding a bike. The best Harlem Shake videos are the ones that leave you saying: WTF?!
But has this craze run its course already? Many would argue that yes, it burned bright and burned out even faster. What could kill Harlem Shaking so soon?
1. Corporate Abuse: It's one thing to make a video at your place of work if you're having fun with it (like San Antonio Sea World's video featuring a walrus!), but too many companies have tried to jump on the Harlem Shake bandwagon just for attention. Like the Dallas Mavericks, who made this awful video that, aside from featuring the song "Harlem Shake," isn't really even a Harlem Shake video. Shame on you, Mavs.
2. Too Much Shaking: Harlem Shake videos, by nature, are simple to make which allowed so many (many, many) people to create their own, inundating the Harlem Shake market in the mere weeks sinces it became a trend. So you're obviously going to get a mixed bag of results: Some good, some bad and some so, so ugly. New rule? No news crew can make a Harlem Shake video. They're just so...sad. And don't we have better stuff to report on?
3. Controversy for Controversy's Sake: We know it's not the real Harlem Shake, Harlem and other snooty people randomly offended by the name association. Get over it.
So is the Harlem Shake over? It's certainly less enjoyable then when it first started, but it's not over. Oh no. Psy ran "Gangnam Style" into the ground until even the thought of hearing "O-o-o-oppan Gangnam Style" made you want that galloping horse to run you over and we have a feeling that the Harlem Shake still has a few more glistening then annoying then oh-my-god-make-it-stop minutes in the limelight.