Just when you thought you could escape Baby Shark, it's back in the news. This time, it's because the music video for the ridiculously catchy children's track about a shark family has just crossed 10 billion views, becoming the first video to do so. It's also increased its lead over the platform's second most-watched video of all time, Luis Fonsi's Despacito.
So, for those who are curious, here is a countdown of the videos that make up the top 10 most-viewed on YouTube, with view counts from January 2022.
10. 'Phonics Song with Two Words' by ChuChu TV, March 2014 (4.40 billion views)
ChuChu TV is an Indian network of YouTube channels which creates edutainment content for children, the most popular of its channels having more than 53 million subscribers. Its video Phonics Song with Two Words has 4.4 billion views and counting. It features a little girl singing the letters of the alphabet, helping young children learn words through phonics.
9. 'Uptown Funk' by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, November 2014 (4.42 billion views)
The earworm was a chart-topping hit when it was released in 2014 and became one of the most popular YouTube videos, with fans repeatedly listening to the track on the platform. Uptown Funk made it to the charts in 19 countries and reached the top 10 in 15 others.
8. 'Masha and the Bear – Recipe for Disaster' by Get Movies, January 2012 (4.47 billion views)
Recipe for Disaster is an episode from the Russian CGI-animated TV show Masha and the Bear. The show is also widely popular outside of Russia (it's also on Netflix) and many episodes have high view counts on YouTube, although none as high as this particular video. It's also the highest viewed non-music video of all time on YouTube.
7. 'Learning Colours – Colourful Eggs on a Farm' by Miroshka TV, February 2018 (4.54 billion views)
This five-minute video, uploaded by Russian-language, child-orientated animation channel Miroshka TV, helps children learn the names of different colours in Russian. Strangely, there's also the tune of English nursery rhyme Old MacDonald Had a Farm playing in the background.
6. 'Bath Song' by Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes, May 2018 (4.86 billion views)
Cocomelon specialises in 3D animation videos of both traditional nursery rhymes and their own original children's songs. As of July 2021, it is the most-viewed YouTube channel in the US and second most-viewed channel in the world. Its video Bath Song has been viewed more than 4.8 billion times as it uses the tune of the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Baby Shark to apply to getting children to take a bath.
5. 'See You Again' by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, April 2015 (5.38 billion views)
The music video of the track from the Furious 7 soundtrack debuted in April 2015 and serves as a tribute to The Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker, who died in a car accident in 2013. At one point in 2017, it was the most-viewed YouTube video before being eclipsed. See You Again was also the second video to pass the two-billion view mark.
4. 'Shape of You' by Ed Sheeran, January 2017 (5.58 billion views)
It's not a surprise to see an Ed Sheeran track in the top 10. Shape of You is undeniably catchy and holds the record for being the third-fastest video to reach one billion views and the second fastest to the reach two and three billion mark as well. It was also named Billboard Mainstream Top 40's number one song of the 2010s.
3. 'Johny Johny Yes Papa' by LooLoo Kids, October 2016 (6.10 billion views)
Another video created for children, Johny Johny Yes Papa is a short, animated music video about a mischievous baby and his father. It's a song about a baby trying to eat sugar cubes even though his father doesn't approve. The song is short, simple and, maybe more importantly, quite catchy.
2. 'Despacito' by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee, January 2017 (7.70 billion views)
For a while, no one could escape Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's collaboration. The Spanish track debuted on YouTube in January 2017 and racked up more than one billion views in only 97 days, the second fastest to ever do so. It then garnered more milestones including becoming the first video to exceed four, five, six and seven million views on the platform.
1. 'Baby Shark Dance' by Pinkfong! Kids’ Songs & Stories, June 2016 (10 billion views)
This is yet another track for children that also somehow became an inescapable tune for adults as well. The ridiculously catchy song about a shark family, produced by Korean educational entertainment company Pinkfong, because the first YouTube video to surpass 10 billion views.
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Read more:
10 music videos with more than two billion views on YouTube
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