7:00 am, January 25, 2021
The video of a cover of Sailors’ Song by a Scottish postman has been viewed nearly 9 million times, marking a dramatic resurgence of interest in the original 19th-century song, Wellerman,
The TikTok social network, which allows its users to film themselves in (very) short videos, has always had a musical streak. Latest buzz: The video for a Scottish mailman’s cover of the song Sailor’s Song has been viewed nearly 9 million times, marking a dramatic resurgence of interest in the original 19th-century song, Wellerman, This had a happy side effect for British folk group The Longest Johns, which covered the same sailor’s song on an album released in 2018.
Their track has become one of the UK’s most streamed in three days, ranking 37th on the official chart company’s weekly Top 40 benchmarks on Saturday. Similarly, the cover of The Longest Johns was also ranked number 2 on the Spotify platform for the most listened music in the world.
Sugar, tea and rum…
Scottish Nathan Evans has become a star beyond TikTok. Anyone who covered famous songs on social networks could build a career as an artist: at 26, he signed with the Polydor label and resigned as postman.
@nathanevanss Wellerman. ##marine##sea## Peace##viral##Singing##acoustic##the Pirate##new##Original## FYP##For you##foryoupage##singer##ScottishSinger##Scottish
This has been copied several times on TikTok:
my song i am listening now (i am exporting it here for those who still don’t want to come on tiktok)
In late December, a musician named Nathan Evans posted a video in which he sings a sailor’s song (Sea Shack). pic.twitter.com/3CF7x15Mxu
— Dame Fanny (@Dame_Fanny) January 22, 2021
Wellerman (where Wellerman may come soon) appeared on the ships of the Weller brothers in the 1860s and 1870s, a trio of shipowners based in Australia and New Zealand who specialized in the supply of whalers. The song, the author(s) of which we do not know today, describes the impatience of the crew of a whaling ship awaiting the arrival of sugar, tea and rum.