ONTD

8:19 pm - 02/09/2013

Forget Nemo: The Harlem Shake storms the Internet

Winter storm Nemo is keeping many New Yorkers indoors, but it can't stop the Harlem Shake.





The Harlem Shake is an Internet meme that has spontaneously gone viral and might just be the perfect way for Northeasterners stuck indoors to pass the time. And to answer your first question: No, the Harlem Shake isn't just a dance move. We wish it were that simple.

Instead, the meme involves a group of people recording themselves in a room while the song "Harlem Shake" by Baauer, a New York DJ, plays. One person dances in a reserved manner while everyone else goes about their business.

Then, about 15 seconds into the song, the bass drops and everything changes. In most videos, the camera cuts, and all of a sudden everyone is dancing out of control. Observe:



Some people rip off their shirts. Others do handstands. In one video there's a guy just punching a stuffed giraffe over and over. There's a ton of parodies already, including a cat version.

Although Baauer's song has been around for at least a year, the meme just recently took off. Most are giving YouTube and Twitter user Filthy Frank credit for starting the craze with this video (Caution: not safe for work).



In it, four people -- one wearing a "Power Rangers" suit, another a pink suit, one in an alien outfit and the fourth in a black suit with a mask -- dance kind of funny until the drop and then they, as you now expect, go berserk.

So there you go. Nemo might have you stuck indoors, but until it takes down YouTube or your Internet connection, you can watch and make your own versions of the Harlem Shake.

source

Jimmy Fallon's version:


T-Pain's version:


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sheinhardt 10th-Feb-2013 12:51 am (UTC)
I kinda love this
tellthylove 10th-Feb-2013 12:57 am (UTC)
wth
zephyerz 10th-Feb-2013 12:57 am (UTC)
Yet another dance move for white people to ruin

(I like T-pain's version tho)
hrhobo 10th-Feb-2013 01:04 am (UTC)
i liked it when t-pain twirled at the end of his hula.
abiding 10th-Feb-2013 01:26 am (UTC)
Same haha.
fear_toxin 10th-Feb-2013 12:37 pm (UTC)
Ew
lovexemity 10th-Feb-2013 02:58 pm (UTC)
Right? I don't even know what this shit is. And the Harlem Shake was popular, what, 8 years ago? White folks stay late.
etoile_amore 10th-Feb-2013 12:59 am (UTC)
fucking lost it at the guy facing the wall


omg there's more videos, I've never heard of it but this is awesome

Edited at 2013-02-10 01:02 am (UTC)
jess_sayin 10th-Feb-2013 01:20 am (UTC)
same lol
putyohandsonme 10th-Feb-2013 12:21 pm (UTC)
Dude has no rhythm lol.
so_chic_doll 10th-Feb-2013 01:00 am (UTC)
jimmy's was the best ofc
changethemusic 10th-Feb-2013 01:01 am (UTC)
i spent way too much time yesterday watching these videos.. this is my favorite, though:

d00ditsemily 10th-Feb-2013 01:05 am (UTC)
crying at the guy punching the giraffe
lkool98 10th-Feb-2013 01:10 am (UTC)
I love that part bahaha
changethemusic 10th-Feb-2013 01:12 am (UTC)
that is exactly why it's my favorite lol.
ride_the_jitney 10th-Feb-2013 01:31 am (UTC)
Fucking seriously lmao
judgmental 10th-Feb-2013 01:43 am (UTC)
mte
theonlykow 10th-Feb-2013 04:34 am (UTC)
Voice of a generation.
nathanandbarry 11th-Feb-2013 12:06 am (UTC)
Some dude bussy poppin on a handstand.
phillymademe 10th-Feb-2013 01:01 am (UTC)
sassychic807 Don't Hate, Kate10th-Feb-2013 05:25 am (UTC)
beating_heartss Re: Don't Hate, Kate10th-Feb-2013 09:11 am (UTC)
lol omg this one is so cute! It's a little family doing it! and the little girl punching the baby doll omgggg
off_daze Re: Don't Hate, Kate10th-Feb-2013 01:28 pm (UTC)
I love the little kid standing in the pot!
ladypolitik Re: Don't Hate, Kate10th-Feb-2013 02:44 pm (UTC)
lmfao wholesome family fun~
hope_remains Re: Don't Hate, Kate10th-Feb-2013 08:28 pm (UTC)
Yaaay! Shaytards forever!

It warms my heart to see the Shaytards and ONTD merge. It's my ultimate ONTD dream/goal to eventually post a relevant Shaytards post.
so_chic_doll 10th-Feb-2013 01:01 am (UTC)
Imma invent my own dance craze

where I just viciously shake my wrist in front of my face and hop on one leg.

who wants in??
ride_the_jitney 10th-Feb-2013 01:33 am (UTC)
Me! lol
hrhobo 10th-Feb-2013 01:03 am (UTC)
i did this all the time in our kitchen when i was in college and my roommates were cooking dinner. xcept it wasn't to harlem shake.
hrhobo 10th-Feb-2013 01:09 am (UTC)
and by "this" i mean dance when no one else is dancing, but then everyone starts to dance.
sky_collide 10th-Feb-2013 02:06 am (UTC)
that is called an emergency dance party. They are the best.
violet_crumble9 10th-Feb-2013 05:29 am (UTC)
me too!
junemeaugust 10th-Feb-2013 01:03 am (UTC)
...this will result in some pretty interesting gif's tbh.
sassychic807 Someone please make a gif from this....10th-Feb-2013 05:49 am (UTC)
karishcookie Re: Someone please make a gif from this....10th-Feb-2013 07:20 am (UTC)
omg
popartpistol Re: Someone please make a gif from this....10th-Feb-2013 07:29 am (UTC)
hahahahhaa. Man down!
gagglefuck Re: Someone please make a gif from this....10th-Feb-2013 09:41 am (UTC)
omg this is the only one that made me crack up. the way the camera turns to the side as it zooms in on the those dudes lol
xevochic Re: Someone please make a gif from this....10th-Feb-2013 12:04 pm (UTC)
None of those other videos made me laugh but this one had me in tears. omg Norway
xgirldc 10th-Feb-2013 01:04 am (UTC)
i <3 baauer so i am happy about this.

t pain totally wins. the girl driving the car though the room kills me.
bodylikemind 10th-Feb-2013 01:04 am (UTC)
jimmy fallon always makes me laugh on his show and this was no different
bolingi_aii 10th-Feb-2013 01:04 am (UTC)
white people are so delayed. Can that even count as the Harlem shake?
bluesforgotten 10th-Feb-2013 01:33 am (UTC)
it's not so much that you have to do the actual harlem shake dance though, right? it's just for the song - people seem to be dancing like fools with the occasional attempt at the harlem shake
bolingi_aii 10th-Feb-2013 01:34 am (UTC)
idk Im black so immediately connected it with the dance and now I'm confused and bored.
killingabraham 10th-Feb-2013 02:42 am (UTC)
lol mte i was like what? this isn't the harlem shake tho...

but i guess it's just for the song
monaes 10th-Feb-2013 02:47 am (UTC)
the name of the song is harlem shake i think not the actual craze here
runandtelldat 10th-Feb-2013 04:53 am (UTC)
lol I was so confused. I was expecting some Puffy-esque dancing.
xevochic 10th-Feb-2013 12:06 pm (UTC)
I was confused as hell until I realised the song was saying "do the Halem shake" since none of those unfunny basics were doing the actual dance. lol
d00ditsemily 10th-Feb-2013 01:05 am (UTC)
omw at the white boy twerking in the second video
bolingi_aii 10th-Feb-2013 01:09 am (UTC)
he watches too much twerkteam videos clearly.
friarsfire this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:05 am (UTC)



ETA: Wow, this is my first time watching this video is more than a decade. Holy shit, are there some questionable themes going on here.

Edited at 2013-02-10 01:08 am (UTC)
_xxtom Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:10 am (UTC)
This video is so inappropriate on so many different levels i dont even know where to start lol
friarsfire Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:15 am (UTC)
ita I remember the dancers going in on the video so I posted it then I rewatched it after....holy FUCK was I uncomfortable. LOL But the dancing is still great, tbf&h
eaglefan2011 Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:11 am (UTC)
YASSSS i stanned him so hard in middle school
hirolin Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:14 am (UTC)
There's a whole lot of shit going on in this video jfc. I don't even know how I missed all of this as a kid.
phillymademe Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:16 am (UTC)
i loved when they played this video on MTV because they would bleep out the "Mr 106th and Park" part haha.
nene718 Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:18 am (UTC)
omg i forgot about this song

and yes this is so wrong in so many ways lol
piratesswoop Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:22 am (UTC)
fuck bow wow tbh

i feel like i tell this story every time he is mentioned on here but this bitch pushed me into a pond when we were kids
chuk_is_dazzled Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:38 am (UTC)
whoa damn this song is taking me back lmao
goldengal1193 Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:41 am (UTC)
I used to hate those girls, and called them sluts cause I wanted to dance with him. Ommgggg lmaooo.
maebytonight Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 01:47 am (UTC)
Why do I still know the lyrics to this song
cickiz Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 04:10 am (UTC)
he was such a handsome little boy.
egalitarianmuse Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 04:13 am (UTC)
This song and video are so inappropriate given that he was like 10 at the time. LAWD.
madam_red Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 05:49 pm (UTC)
lol @ the outdoors part, what Skyrim could have been
calichaos Re: this is the harlem shake10th-Feb-2013 09:08 pm (UTC)
oh how the mighty have fallen :/
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