Harlem Shake (2013) - The Story Behind Mzansi's Viral Memory
A 30-second format that anyone could film in one take, copied more than 100 000 times in a single month.
1B+ across compilations
Peak views
Format exploded February 2013
Date
Facebook and BBM Era
Era
Baauer (track) and thousands of uploaders
Creator
When did it go viral?
Baauer released the track Harlem Shake in 2012 with almost no attention. In February 2013 a small group of Australian teenagers filmed a 30-second clip using a strict template: one person dances alone while everyone ignores them, the bass drops, and the next shot shows the whole room in chaos. That template was the invention, not the song.
Within a month more than 100 000 versions existed. Offices, universities, army units, newsrooms and sports teams all filmed one. It was arguably the fastest-spreading participatory format the internet had produced up to that point.
How many views when it peaked?
No single upload owns the record, because the phenomenon was distributed by design. Across the compilations and the biggest individual versions, total viewing comfortably passed one billion within 2013 alone.
The format also had a measurable commercial effect. The track reached number one on the United States charts largely because YouTube views were newly counted toward chart position, which changed how the music industry treated viral video for years afterwards.
Why did South Africa love it?
South Africa produced hundreds of local versions. University residences in Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Johannesburg filmed them. So did call centres, high schools, rugby clubs and church groups. The cost of entry was a phone camera and thirty seconds of courage.
It suited Mzansi humour because it rewarded going completely overboard. The funniest local versions leaned on props, overalls, vuvuzelas, blankets and whatever was in the room. It was the first global format where South African uploads competed on equal terms, since nobody needed money or editing skill to take part.
Where is it now? (2026 status)
The format burned out by mid-2013 and never returned, which is normal for participation memes. Once everyone has made one, there is nothing left to do.
In 2026 the Baauer track still appears in club sets and in short-form edits, and the format is remembered as the direct ancestor of the TikTok challenge. The rules were the same: fixed audio, fixed structure, unlimited local variation.