We all know that YouTube can have a big impact with the instantaneous nature of internet speed, but who knew it could revive the sales of the tiny Hawaiian guitars known as ukeleles? (Pronounced “you-kuh-lay-lays”). It’s not just YouTube that’s causing the sudden popularity, but the internet in general, including websites and applications for smart phones.
The L.A. Times tech blog ran a story called “Ukeleles Have Gone Viral” which was such a strange combination of words we had to check it out. They explain that while ukuleles were hot in the 1920s and again in the 1950s, it was only after the passing of Beatle George Harrison in 2001 that the instrument became popular once again. It seems Harrison was well-known in the uke world, but when Paul McCartney played the ukelele in George’s 2002 tribute concert, the world reawakened to the small stringed instrument.
On YouTube, Jake Shimabukuro became a huge hit with more than 3 million hits, playing Harrison’s “My Guitar Gently Weeps” which has been on YouTube since 2006. It’s earned him tours with Jimmy Buffett, a recording session with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and various television appearances. Then over the last two years, singer-songwriter Julia Nunes has performed many of her own uke compositions on YouTube videos, and her online stardom got her invited to last month’s Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee. And you don’t want to miss the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain–eight men in tuxedos performing hits like Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “Killing Me Softly With His Song”, “Hotel California”, or “I Will Survive”. Only in cyberspace can the popularity of a relatively obscure instrument spread with viral internet speed.
Tags: Internet Speed, Viral, YouTube